
EF 600mm f/4 IS II
Optics
Perhaps the most critical characteristics of a super-telephoto lens is its optics. The new EF 600mm f/4L IS II sits at the pinnacle of Canon’s EOS system and is promised to showcase the company’s competence in electro-optical technology. The series II super-telephoto lenses take advantage of the new materials and improved thin-film deposition methods used for coating the optics. The new sub-wavelength coatings (SWC) result in reduced dispersion therefore lowering aberrations. The front element has a hydrophobic coating that is also scratch resistance. This coating protects against dust, rain and moisture eliminating the need for a conventional glass protective element. This has reduced the number of elements to 16 in 12 groups compared to 17 in 13 groups for the original EF 600mm f/4L IS USM. To keep the weight lower Canon have replaced one of the UD (ultra-low dispersion) glass elements with a fluorite element. Calcium fluorite (CaF2) crystal is lighter than UD and has superior optical characteristics, but it is more expensive. More use of magnesium instead of aluminum in the barrel has also contributed to the weight savings. Chuck Westfall, Canon USA technical adviser, explains these difference in detail in his Canon DLC article.
In terms of perceived RAW sharpness for field photography, the older Canon super-telephoto lenses have long been considered the gold standard of image quality, delivering sharp and crisp images across the frame. Even today, the optics in the original super-telephoto lenses easily deliver a resolution that exceeds the resolving limits of the CMOS sensors used in EOS cameras. As a result, it is difficult to observe a significant difference in terms of sharpness in a controlled comparison between the series II and the original super-telephoto lenses. Here I focus on the results from the new lens. The images below are 100% crops from RAW with EF 600mm f/4L IS II with and without the EF 1.4X extender III taken at wide-open and stopped down apertures. The bare lens shows excellent sharpness. There is no visible difference between f/4 and f/8 for the bare lens. Identical results were obtained with the EF 1.4X extender III. i.e. virtually no difference between wide open aperture (f/5.6) and stopped down (f/8). This indicates almost perfect optics. Overall the lens shows excellent optical performance at wide open aperture with or without extender, which is exactly what is expected from a fast super-telephoto lens at this price point.


My friend and renowned avian photographer, Douglas Brown has performed a careful comparison between the EF 600mm f/4L IS II and the original EF 600mm f/4L IS. His conclusion which reflects that of mine as well, indicates that the two lenses deliver comparable results in most cases with the exception of the EF 2X extender III. In this case the new lens delivers a better image making it possible to obtain high quality output at 1200mm and f/8. With the old lens it was necessary to stop down at least one full stop to f/11 in order to obtain critical sharpness. A more significant advantage of the new lens is the reduction of minimum focus distance from 5.5m to 4.5m. This is equivalent to about 1.22X magnification, i.e the subject becomes 50% larger in the frame. It is a noticeable advantage for close distance shots or photographers who work with setups. Click here to read Doug Brown’s review.
Image Stabilizer
One of the areas the new EF 600mm f/4L IS II promises to improve on, is the image stabilizer (IS) technology. The new lens features the latest 4th generation IS as opposed to the 2nd generation IS in the original super-telephoto lenses. I used Canon’s guideline for 4-stop improvement handholding the lens plus the 1.4X extender III (840mm) at 1/50sec and the bare lens at 1/40sec with EOS 5D Mark III. The 100% crops from RAW are shown below. The pixel-level sharpness while handholding with such slow shutter speeds is remarkable. I could never achieve similar results even with my EF 500mm f/4L IS despite its shorter focal length. The new IS system virtually eliminates the need for a tripod even in lower light (slow shutter speed) conditions for photographers who can handhold it. The new IS system also operates more quietly compared to the old one. I can only hear a “click” when it initially engages and when it turns off. I also observed that the new IS system consumes noticeably less power in continuous operation (mode 2). During the latest shoot the EOS 1D Mark IV was able to click more than 2600 times draining only 63% of its full battery charge. I used to get about 2400-2600 frames on a single charge before I had to replace the battery when using the older super telephoto lenses with IS.

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Thanks for the review Ari. Amazing kite photos.
Wonderful Review and images Ari. Thank you
Your White-tailed kite series is just ASTOUNDING and would deserve a whole photo-book for itself! The 39 th just threw me off my chair!
A true GREAT series! Congrats!
Great review and awesome pictures!
Thanks for the review Ari.
Many thanks for the excellent review! I was on the fence about ordering this lens for BIF photography, but after seeing your results, I just went ahead and ordered it. I doubt if I’ll ever get images as good as your kite photos, but without this glass, there wouldn’t even be a chance.
Ditto on Chuck Murphy’s reply.
Hi Aria,
If I can not handle the 600mm there are any lenses that you can recommend. I will have the trip to Africa in this September. I have Cannon 7D and lenses 100-400mm cannon. I will take the picture of mammal and people. Which camera or lenses that you can recommend please.
Hello,
I recommend an EOS 1D series camera for best results. The 100-400 is a light lens, but its optics are not great. The new 300 f/2.8 IS II with extenders 1.4XIII and 2XIII is a better choice if you require professional quality photos.
Hi Ari,
Thanks for a great review, not to mention the fantastic pictures. As I’m thinking about getting this lens – first time to get a lens of this type, could you give some tips on how to inspect and test this lens (to make sure it is a good copy)? As other models in the Canon lens lineup often have varied quality control issues, I hope to know how to inspect a lens of this value to be confident it is of good quality.
-Jason
Hi Jason,
Thanks for your comments. Bad vs. good copy is mostly an internet myth in my view. I yet have to see a “lemon” lens after 8 years of using Canon gear. Most of the time, inexperienced users confuse their own error or bad technique with quality variation.
As long as you buy from an authorized Canon dealer you will be fine.
best
Ari
Hi Ari,
Thanks for the great review of the lens and for motivating me. Your photos are great!
I plan on getting this lens. I currently shoot 5D mk3 and 7D. Have you tried this lens with 1.4x on the 7D (is that too much… maybe for handheld the lever arm is too much) ?
Thanks again,
Ed
Thanks Ed,
yes, you can hand hold this lens with either 1.4X or 2X with no issues at all, I do it all the time. I only use with 1D bodies.
best
Great review. How hard is it to carry around the 600 iIS ii searching for birds? I am generally interested in small birds. Initially was looking at 500 IS ii, but I always have hard time on reach and think I should go with 600.
Hi Naren,
I dont’ find it difficult to carry the lens
Thanks for the reply Ari. How do you carry once you are in the field? Will you carry it on the tripod, or use a lens string or carry in a bag. I rented 600mm is ii last week and was carrying it in a bag(from lensrental) and it was hectic. Ultimately I could not find a bird that I can photograph!
Hi I don’t use a tripod, I just carry the lens attached to a black rapid II. I don’t use a bag in the field.
Hello Arash,
I need your advise again. Couple of years ago you advised me to purchase EF 100-400mm F4 II. That subsided the temptation of purchasing EF 600mm f/4 II for awhile. However, the price of EF 600mm went down recently, the new lens sales for $9.5 K now. Given that the version III of EF 600mm lens has been introduced as well as canon’s new RF mount, I would like to get your opinion whether I should further delay 600mm lens purchase or give into temptation and buy one. I don’t want to buy an expensive lens that may become obsolete soon. Any help would be appreciated.
Regards,
Amir
Hi Amir,
new lenses and cameras come out all the time, but we live in the moment. If we want to wait for the next big thing we would be waiting the rest of our lives and missing many opportunities. A lens isn’t an investment vehicle, it’s a tool to the job and any lens will become obsolete and worthless at some point. My recommendation is always to get the best gear you can afford for the goal you are trying to achieve
Best
Arash
Hi Ari,
I’ve just discovered your site and your photos are of a quality I strive to reach. Great images and I’m glad I found you.
I’m considering a couple of your guides. I have the 7D ii and am looking at your Pro Photographers Guide to Post Processing and the Canon DPP4 guide. You say Adobe Photoshop CS4 is required but I found two CS4 downloads. One is $275 and the other is for photographers and is $42. Which one? Could you also be more specific re: the Neat Image software. I’m on an HP desktop with Windows 7 Home Premium. I would appreciate a little more clarity so I get what I need the first time around.
Thank you in advance for your assistance and your expertise.
Steve
Hi Steve, thanks for your comments.Adobe Photoshop CS4 is the minimum you need, however CS4 is about 10 years old now and the new neat image plugin may not work with it. The latest Photoshop is photoshop CC and it is subscription based, i.e. $10 a month which is much better than buying obsolete software
hope this helps
Hello again Ari,
I looked at your site again and am just as blown away by your images as I was the first time I saw them.
I last wrote to you on Nov. 4th (above) and since then I picked up PSE 2020 and am wondering if this will work with DPP4 and Neat Image? I don’t really care to do the subscription thing if I can avoid it. Let me know if you think the PSE will work and I’ll order the guide.
Thank you once again,
Steve
Hi Steve
Thanks for your comments!
DPP4 is independent of Photoshop. Neat Image or any other plugin only work with the full version of Adobe PhotoShop. There is really not much you can do with Photshop elements as it lacks the sharpening and resizing algos used in the real software, if you are interested in professional quality images you need to get the full version.
best