The Canon R7 is shaping up to be one of the best APS-C cameras on the market thanks to its blazing fast autofocus system, weather sealing and 32.5-megapixel sensor. Fortunately, some telephoto RF mount lenses are available that will turn the Canon R7 into an unstoppable wildlife photography machine.
We believe that the $1,499 Canon R7 (read our coverage of it here) will allow many photographers to enter the world of wildlife photography without financially running themselves. With the APS-C camera and the lenses listed below, you’ll be able to capture everything from birds to bears quickly and easily.
Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM — This lens and the Canon R7 = match made in heaven
The Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM (160-640mm equivalent) offers budding birders and wildlife photographers an affordable way to break into the genre. Weighing just 1.4lbs, this optically stabilized (you’ll get six stops of shake reduction) zoom will pair well with the Canon EOS R7 and will provide the user with detailed images thanks to the excellent optics it uses.
The lens has impressive close-focusing capabilities, it features nine rounded aperture blades for pleasing bokeh, and there’s a configurable control ring. In addition, the Canon RF 100-400 is also compatible with RF 1.4x and RF 2x teleconverters. This means that the lens, Canon R7 and the x1.4 teleconverter on the long end can help reach 896mm and 1280mm with the 2x teleconverter.
Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM — For the serious wildlife photographer
The Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM is the most expensive lens on this list. Unfortunately, its price also eclipses the cost of the Canon R7. However, if you’re serious about birding and wildlife photography, this L series lens should be at the top of your list because it’s excellent. Also, thanks to the APS-C crop factor, this lens will give an equivalent focal range of 160-800mm. That’s some serious reach.
The optics in this lens are second to none. You’ll be able to create razor-sharp images with beautifully rendered colors. The lens is fully weather-sealed, which means you can use it and the Canon R7 when Mother Nature is angry with no issues. The lens’s AF motors and the camera’s autofocus system will sing a perfect song. You’ll be tracking all types of wildlife with ease. To top it off, the optical image stabilizer and the IBIS in the camera will make handholding this lens incredibly easy.
Canon RF 600mm f/11 and RF 800mm f/11 IS STM — A perfect match for the Canon R7
At launch, many people scoffed at the Canon RF 600mm f/11 and the RF 800mm f/11 prime lenses. ‘There’s no way to use lenses like this with such small apertures. Boohoo! What rubbish! Get off your high f-stop horses. These two lenses are pretty spectacular. Not only do these lenses offer incredible reach, but they’re also super affordable, and they have image stabilization. With these lenses and the Canon R7, you’ll be unstoppable.
The aperture is fixed at f/11. There’s nothing more and nothing less. The high ISO capabilities of Canon’s RF cameras make this a moot point, though. The optics in these wallet-friendly super-telephoto lenses are excellent.
I took these lenses to capture images of wild Elk in Arkansas and had no problems creating spectacular photos. Autofocus is plenty fast enough, and the lenses are nice and light. However, there’s no weather sealing. Here’s the kicker. On the Canon R7 with the x1.6 crop factor, the RF 600mm will have an equivalent focal length of 960m. The RF 800mm would offer 1280mm! Yowzers!
I sold my Canon r5 but kept the 800mm F11. Went to Nikon and the D500. But think I will switch back…and get an R7 to go with the 800. Super lightweight mega zoom…love it.
You misspoke when you called the 800mm F11a mega zoom. It doesn’t zooms to all. It’s fixed 800mm may make it a mega telephoto but there’s absolutely no zoom capability.
I think when you use the Canon 800mm F11 on the R6 and you take 2 same shots at an object, the size at 100% with one shot at 1.6:crop and other at full frame 100% are the same size?
If you are comparing 2 camera bodies it all depends on the pixel density. First of all, if you are shooting (for example) a bird, the size of the bird projected onto the sensor by the lens will be the same for all formats – it is independent of the sensor. All that differs is that the FF camera will have more ‘environment’ around the bird. When you project the whole frame onto a screen with both pictures the same physical size on the screen, the bird in the APS-C picture will larger (and have less environment) than the FF… Read more »
…that is not quite correct… R5 in 1.6x crop mode is actually 17MP compared to the R7’s 32.5 MP. That’s a 1.9x larger image on the R7!!!
That is not accurate. An R5 in 1.6X crop mode would have the exact same field of view as the R7. So, the two images would be the same. The R7 will have more megapixels, but more megapixels does not make the image larger. More megapixels MAY improve resolution in some cases, but the sensors and pixel size/density are factors that more significantly affect image quality, not simply the number of pixels.
Why shoot the R5 in crop mode? Instead shoot full frame and crop. More room for cloning, avoiding clipped wings, etc.
Yes, with a 100-500 (160-800 FF equiv) the 4.1# combination appears attractive. Compared to the R5/R6, the AF hit rate of the R7 for BIF or perched birds is much lower in testing.