Canon L-series RF lenses: see how professional primes, zooms and hybrid lenses are helping photographers push their creativity

The next time you're watching a major sporting event, news coverage or wildlife photographer in action, you can guarantee you'll see cameras with lenses featuring that distinctive red line around the end of the lens barrel. These are Canon's L-series lenses.

Professional photographers need the very best image quality paired with robust design, and Canon's L-series delivers on both counts. But it's not just professionals who are drawn to L-series lenses, many enthusiasts, students and aspiring pros use them too.

Canon L-series EF lenses have been around since 1969, with the RF series debuting alongside the EOS R System in 2018. The range has grown rapidly and Canon now provides L-series RF lenses for a range of focal lengths, from the ultra-wide Canon RF 14-35mm F4L IS USM to the Canon RF 1200mm F8L IS USM super-telephoto lens. There’s even an L-series VR lens: the Canon RF 5.2mm F2.8L DUAL FISHEYE allows you to capture a perfectly aligned stereoscopic image with a compatible full-frame camera, in order to create immersive virtual reality content.

But what benefits do you get when you invest in a Canon L-series lens? And what can you achieve with them?

• What is the difference between Canon L-series and standard RF lenses?
• What are the best Canon RF L-series zoom lenses?
• Which Canon RF L-series prime lensis right for you?

Standard RF lenses offer excellent build and image quality, but the larger and higher quality glass elements within an L-series lens, along with other optical technologies and lens coatings, enable the L-series glass to deliver superior results. Meanwhile, the design of the RF mount itself allows Canon to produce smaller and lighter lenses for its L-series RF range than was possible with EF-mount optics.

While the specifications of Canon L-series and non-L-series lenses may sometimes look very similar, the difference comes down to higher quality internal optics, better AF control and lens-equipped IS, along with overall superior build quality and weather sealing for protection in harsh conditions. The higher quality optical elements in L-series lenses mean not only sharper images than you'd get from a standard RF lens, but fewer distortions, less vignetting and no chromatic aberration.

Another major difference between Canon L-series and standard RF lenses is their apertures. L-series lenses typically have faster apertures than standard optics. For example, at the popular focal length for portraiture, Canon offers the RF 85mm F1.2L USM and the RF 85mm F2 MACRO IS STM. The extra light from that wider aperture enables you to shoot comfortably in low light and create shallow depth of field effects in your images.

Many L-series RF lenses also boast impressive optical image stabilisation (IS). Dual gyro sensors are designed to detect and correct camera shake and similar involuntary movements for sharper images. When using an L-series RF lens with IS on a Canon EOS R System camera with an In-Body Image Stabilizer (IBIS), you will get an even greater degree of stabilisation, as the lens and camera communicate with each other and work in unison to reduce camera shake. This means you can shoot handheld in low-light conditions or shoot on the go with your camera – perfect for run-and-gun photojournalists and documentary photographers.

Canon L-series lenses are also weather sealed, which means you can use them in a wider range of environments and conditions.

Professional wedding photographer Sanjay Jogia has used L-series lenses since launching his wedding photography business in 2007. "There's a longevity to L-series lenses," he explains. "They're physically robust, but also they're so well-designed that they remain relevant for a long time – you don't need to keep buying new lenses. They may have a heavier price tag, but you're going to be using them for far longer than a cheaper lens."

Sanjay says L-series RF lenses are another step forward in handling and optical excellence. "Apart from looking and feeling nicer to the touch, they're more versatile and offer improved performance, for example with the addition of the programmable control ring. And because of the shorter flange depth to the sensor, there are more design possibilities for interesting focal lengths and aperture sizes."

Here, we explore each of the L-series RF lenses and showcase some of the best shots taken on each one.

"What I like most about the left image is how the lens and the architecture work together," says action sports photographer Alexandros Grymanis. "I didn't just want to photograph a skateboard trick, I wanted to show the spot too." Alex captured both images using the Canon RF 7-14mm F2.8-3.5L FISHEYE STM, a lens that gives two distinctive fisheye looks: 190° circular or 180° full-frame.

"Shooting at 7mm gives you a crazy 190° view and lets you create images you simply couldn't before," Alex continues. "It's not only great for skateboarding, but also for architecture, landscapes, portraits, or anything where you want to tell more of the story."

One of Alex’s favourite things is how quickly he can go from 7mm to 14mm without missing the moment. "It's almost like having two different lenses in one, and that gives me a lot more creative options while the action is still happening. For me, that's what makes this lens so much fun to use. It lets me react quickly, be more creative, and tell the same story in different ways without changing my position or missing the action."

Alex says the autofocus was "crazy fast" as well. "In skateboarding, everything happens in a split second. I never had to think about whether the lens would keep up. We shot this in the middle of the day in Athens, with really harsh light, bright white architecture, and a blue sky. Those conditions can be difficult, but the lens handled them really well. The colours looked great, everything stayed sharp, and the contrast was really nice. Even though this photo was taken in daylight, I'm also looking forward to using it during sunset sessions or at night. The f/2.8-3.5 aperture gives me the confidence to keep shooting when the light starts to disappear."

The widest non-fisheye lens in the L-series range is an ideal choice for tight indoor spaces and vast open spaces alike. The Canon RF 10-20mm F4L IS STM offers an expansive angle of view of up to 130°, yet it's remarkably portable. At 610g lighter than the EF 11-24mm f4L USM, it weighs significantly less while offering a wider angle of view, plus highly-effective image stabilisation for handheld shooting.

"I couldn't have got this shot with any other type of lens," says professional commercial photographer Valtteri Hirvonen. "The angle of view makes the pond look huge and the person was only about a metre away. I shot towards the low sun, which gave a golden reflection."

Valtteri adds: "It's nice to throw a lens such as the Canon RF 14-35mm F4L IS USM on the camera, as it challenges you to find interesting angles, such as reflections in the sea. Of course, there are also situations where it's necessary, such as shooting in tight spaces."

"This was shot during a campaign for a big Swiss bicycle retailer. The goal was to catch the first light up on Flüela Pass in the Swiss Alps," explains professional sports photographer Martin Bissig.

"For me it was clear that we had to be there for the moment when the sun appeared behind the mountain range. The time window is pretty small to take this shot – 30 minutes later, and the whole feel of the image would have been gone." Martin chose this ultra-wide angle zoom lens as it gave him the option of including the whole of the tight bend in the road or going in closer on the athletes.

Martin adds: "I really like to shoot with a wide-angle lens. It puts my athletes in a perspective. I want to give the viewer an idea about where they are while not focusing on the cyclists too much: 15mm is the perfect balance of a wide-angle lens without too much lens distortion."

Documentary family photographer Marisa Martins uses the Canon RF 35mm F1.4L VCM and RF 85mm F1.2L USM lenses to create her intimate portraits of family life, but she had the opportunity to test the Canon RF 20-50mm F4L IS USM PZ and Canon EOS R6 V on this 'day in the life' shoot.

"I photographed two teenage best friends who share a passion for gymnastics and trampolining," she says. "My approach to documentary family photography is always to let moments unfold naturally, rather than directing my subjects or chasing perfect light and carefully styled locations; I prefer to observe quietly and capture real interactions as they happen. For this session, I simply let them enjoy the day together while I documented whatever unfolded, allowing them to forget the camera was even there."

With its practical focal length range and wider view than typical standard zoom lenses, the RF 20-50mm F4L IS USM PZ is ideally suited to all-day shooting. As the first full-frame L-series lens with a built-in power zoom, it's also a great choice for capturing video footage alongside stills.

Marisa was surprised at how versatile the lens proved to be. "Its quick focal length adjustments gave me the flexibility to respond instinctively to fast, unpredictable scenes, while still delivering the sharpness and quality I love from prime lenses," she says. "On a long, hot day, its small, lightweight and compact design also made a huge difference – it was incredibly easy to handle and always ready to respond when something happened in front of me.

"I loved the sharpness," Marisa adds, "and this zoom gave me a very similar experience to what I usually feel with prime lenses. The autofocus was also extremely fast and reliable, even in low light – always finding and nailing the subject, so I never felt I was missing a moment. In a high-contrast situation like this one, it gave me that detail I look for, especially the textures of the water, skin and light, while still keeping the spontaneous, undirected feeling that is so important in my photography."

"I took this photo as part of a shoot with the two dancers in my studio. We agreed on the outfits before the shoot – to create a symbiosis, they both wore the same outfit and formed a unit with the pose," says professional portrait photographer Sascha Hüttenhain.

Sascha adds: "The Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM lens gives me scope and flexibility to react to fast movements and changes. This sometimes makes it easier than working with a fixed focal length. It is also enormously fast and accurate. There is not much you can do wrong with this lens. Thanks to the built-in IS, it is also very easy to use handheld and makes it interesting for low-light scenes as well."

Sanjay Jogia shot this image at a lavish Hindu wedding with 700 guests, where the range of focal lengths offered by the Canon RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM made it indispensable for both capturing wider shots of events and isolating individual subjects, as in this candid bridal portrait.

"The lens is quite lightweight for its focal range, has a 5-stop Image Stabilizer for sharp shots in low light and a beautiful bokeh even at the widest focal length when shooting at f/4," says Sanjay. "There's no barrel distortion and colour rendition is clean, consistent and reliable.

"It's probably the professional lens I'd advise photographers to invest in first, as it's so versatile."

Offering a versatile zoom range with a fast, constant maximum aperture, the Canon RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z is a hybrid zoom lens that’s ready to take on the most demanding professional jobs. From scene-setting wide angles to natural-looking portraits, it covers a broad range of shooting scenarios, while the bright f/2.8 aperture gives you creative control over the depth of field.

Conveniently, the lens shares the same design as the RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Z, making it effortless to move between the two zooms on a shoot. Like its sister lens, the RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z is designed for pros who need to capture high-quality stills and video – an aspect that photographer and videographer Jamie Ferguson took advantage of on a fashion shoot in Florence.

"I now have more clients asking me to do both photos and video on set, and it's an interesting challenge managing that workload," Jamie says, adding that found it straightforward to switch between the two formats using this hybrid lens. "When I was setting up for one mode and then swapping back, the settings were maintained. When you're working in the candid style that I favour, and capturing moments here and there, that was incredibly handy."

"I captured this picture during a bridal fashion photo shoot for a winter collection," says professional wedding photographer Félicia Sisco. "I wanted to have a kind of confusion between the snowy mountain scenery and this huge coat, so I told the model to move fast to make the coat spread out wide. I shot looking at the vari-angle screen, so I could hold the camera up against my stomach. I used the Canon RF 28-70mm F2L USM lens at 28mm, shooting from close range to give a sense of movement to the coat. Usually I shoot with big apertures, but for this picture I needed to have a greater depth of field.

"Before using this lens I didn't like to shoot with zoom lenses, but with a constant aperture at f/2 and this L-series quality, I changed my mind!"

Professional lifestyle photographer Lucia Griggi took this shot on a fishing boat off the island of Mull in Scotland. She travelled around the shores with the fishermen and this shot shows a crab caught that day.

"The Canon RF 70-200mm F4L IS USM was the perfect lens to take on a travel shoot like this," she says. "I was shooting many things and its fast autofocus allowed me to turn to subjects very quickly. For this shot, the light weight of the lens meant I could hold the camera in one hand and lean out of the back of the boat to get the focal distance I wanted, without changing lenses."

This spectacular image was taken off South Africa's West Coast in 2021, with professional wildlife photographer Chris Fallows photographing the whale from a rocking boat. "To look up at the colossal tail as it hoisted clear of the ocean's surface, a few feet from where I lay at water level, was an incredibly beautiful moment," he says.

Chris chose the Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM lens for its light weight, 5-stops of IS and rapid focusing speed. "A really fast autofocus is very important as the whale suddenly lifts its tail literally out of the blue. This lens is easily portable and allows you to shoot in situations that require fast reflexes. It also allows you to shoot very effectively into the light and be creative."

The Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Z is an evolution of the classic L-series short telephoto zoom. Razor-sharp where it needs to be, extremely fast and with a short-throw zoom ring that requires just a small amount of rotation to go from wide to telephoto and back again. It's a versatile choice for video too, with a dedicated Iris Ring and built-in support for the PZ-E2/PZ-E2B Power Zoom adapter for smooth zooming.

Professional nature photographer Radomir Jakubowski has used the lens extensively, "from damp forests to windswept coastlines", and describes is as an optical "powerhouse".

"At f/2.8, sharpness is already excellent right into the corners, and contrast is spot on. This lens is clearly engineered with uncompromising sharpness in mind. Even with the 2x extender, performance remains impressively strong – more than good enough for the 45MP sensor of the Canon EOS R5 Mark II. You can absolutely create stunning images with this lens, even if the background rendering isn't as 'buttery' as a prime.

"The autofocus performance is outstanding – blazingly fast, highly accurate, and impressively reliable even when paired with extenders. Subject detection works flawlessly. Image stabilisation is equally remarkable. It opens up creative possibilities you might otherwise avoid, allowing you to shoot at surprisingly slow shutter speeds without worry. If your subject is static, you can comfortably push into borderline territory – I've handheld shots at 1/4 second with sharp results."

As Radomir's dreamy woodland scene shows, the Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Z is a versatile tool that is much more than a workhorse for action photography. "It's also highly capable for landscape photography," he says. "On mountain trips, for instance, I often skip the Canon RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM entirely and instead work with a combination of the RF 14–35mm F4L IS USM, the RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Z and the RF 400mm F2.8L IS USM."

This professional lens gives you the best of both worlds: the incredible sharpness and speed of a prime, along with the flexibility of a zoom. The Canon RF 100-300mm F2.8L IS USM maintains a fast f/2.8 aperture throughout the zoom range and can be paired with either the RF 1.4x or RF 2x Extender for even greater reach while maintaining fast focusing performance.

Getty Images sports photographer Julian Finney put this super-telephoto zoom to the test on an athletics photoshoot. "The RF 100-300mm F2.8L IS USM is like a longer version of the Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM, and the 70-200mm is important for football and news – but this is going to help you get more," he says. "Also, I'm a big fan of prime lenses, but then your hit rate is quite low because you are waiting for that moment, you are waiting to fill the frame and to really blur the background out. This lens has that good drop-off, that depth of field."

Radomir Jakubowski captured this image while photographing a breeding colony of northern gannets. "The northern gannet is a beautiful bird with incredible eyes," he says. "I tried to focus on the eyes and to find a new perspective."

This approach created technical challenges, which EOS R System kit helped him to overcome. "With the mirrorless Canon EOS R5 and the Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1L IS USM, I can use the AF Servo even in the corners of the frame, so it's much easier to create an image like this," he says. "This lens offers outstanding image quality, fast AF and a very good maximum magnification ratio.

"To realise its full potential, it's important to keep it stable and to control your breathing, then you can use longer exposure times, even when shooting handheld."

With its extremely wide 114° angle of view, ultra-fast f/1.4 aperture and compact design, this is a highly practical lens for photographing the night sky. It's also optically outstanding across the frame, even wide open. Landscape photographer Radoslav Sviretsov used it on an astrophotography shoot in Madeira, where it opened up new possibilities for his creative approach. "With my previous lens I would often have to stop down to around f/3.5," he says, "but with the RF 14mm F1.4L VCM I wasn’t afraid to shoot at f/1.4. There’s almost no distortion and no coma."

Canon's hybrid prime lenses, such as the RF 20mm F1.4L VCM and RF 14mm F1.4L VCM are designed to work seamlessly together. Despite their different focal lengths, they share a uniform size and weight, the same fast f/1.4 maximum aperture and 11 iris blades for soft, cinematic bokeh, while offering reliable L-series performance and durability. The RF 20mm F1.4L VCM is ideal for creating immersive images that pull viewers into a scene, while its bright maximum aperture makes it a great option for low-light shooting.

"This Arctic fox was photographed in Hornstrandir in north-west Iceland with a motion sensor camera trap," reveals professional wildlife photographer Dani Connor. Dani set up her camera and Canon RF 24mm F1.4L VCM lens on a tripod, manually focused the lens and set an aperture of f/7.1. "This lens really shines at f/1.4 but it's impossible to predict exactly where the fox will be," says Dani. "For camera trapping and environmental wildlife portraits, I often shoot around f/7.1 to maximise depth of field while still benefiting from the lens’s outstanding sharpness and image quality."

In Iceland, Dani set up multiple camera traps. "The lens was outside in 50mph winds, snow storms and cold conditions," she explains. It was very windy on the day she captured this shot and the motion sensor had been covered in snow for most of the day. "But an hour after I cleaned it," she says, "the fox approached the camera with curiosity."

Dani uses the Canon RF 24mm F1.4L VCM for a wide range of scenarios, from the Northern Lights to wide-angle wildlife photography. "It's extremely fast and handles dramatic weather really well!" she says, adding, "It's also excellent for video as the focusing is very smooth and silent."

"For my latest project, I photographed elite dancers before, during and after performances," says professional portrait photographer Clive Booth. "'The Silence After Applause' illustrates, through portraiture, Birmingham Royal Ballet's world-first medical research into the mental and physical wellbeing of dancers.

"The goal was to photograph and film dancers in the studio under continuous lighting inspired by Edgar Degas. I think this is a good example of the versatility of the VCM lens system, as I was shooting both stills and moving image on the same set. For the film I handheld my EOS R5 Mark II and manually switched between manual focus and autofocus to achieve the beautiful bokeh effects. Shooting in 4K 4:2:2 at 120fps produced great results straight from the camera with no grade."

One of Clive’s biggest challenges was shooting in very low light. "The RF 35mm F1.4L VCM combined with the EOS R5 Mark II meant that the focus was nailed every time, while producing incredible RAW files that were beautifully sharp and balanced even at ISO 3,200, with very little additional post production or noise reduction. That's important for me, as this work became the subject of a major print exhibition at Expo 2025 Japan. The 35mm focal length is perfect for making sure I can shoot group shots like this one in the confines backstage.”

The image at the top of this article was also shot with the RF 35mm F1.4L VCM. "The idea behind this image was to create something almost surreal within a very normal real-life setting," reveals professional wedding photographer Fabio Mirulla. "I wanted to build a strong visual contrast between the cool blue of the sky and the warm golden light of the setting sun, and to turn that contrast into the emotional core of the photograph.

"The shooting conditions were quite simple in themselves, but the challenge was to transform an ordinary scene into something more unexpected and layered. The RF 35mm F1.4L VCM helped me do that by giving me both the flexibility to work very close to the scene and the confidence that the final image would retain clarity, depth and atmosphere."

"'Be on time, or even ahead of time' is a useful metaphor for the wedding photographer's mindset: anticipate, plan, and wait," says professional wedding photographer Adam Trczionka.

"The Canon RF 50mm F1.4L VCM provides great opportunities for photographers who think this way. The autofocus is incredibly fast and very precise, and the lens itself performs excellently for close-ups and, just as importantly, when shooting wider compositions [as seen in the image above]. It has very good geometry and is exceptionally sharp."

Being a hybrid L-series lens, the RF 50mm F1.4L VCM is equally outstanding for capturing creative video on a shoot. It's equipped with a powerful Voice Coil Motor (VCM) for smooth and silent focusing, an Iris Ring for manual aperture control while filming, and an 11-blade aperture for beautifully cinematic bokeh.

"This image was completely unposed: her brother was jumping off logs in one direction and this little girl was being shown a beetle by her father in the other. I was drawn to her expression of curiosity and happiness and the lovely angle of the light that came in from a break in the trees above us," explains professional family photographer Helen Bartlett.

"I shot wide open to create a really shallow depth of field to draw our attention to her face. The Canon RF 50mm F1.2L USM is my desert island lens. It's a wonderfully flexible focal length allowing for close-up portraits as well as wider action shots. It focuses incredibly fast even wide open at f/1.2 and the sharpness at the widest apertures is incredible, while the out-of-focus areas have a smoothness that makes a picture taken with this lens instantly recognisable."

Helen adds: "Shooting with prime lenses is very liberating. If I'm ever in a creative rut then I'll stick the 50mm on my camera and only shoot with that lens for a while – by limiting the focal length you force yourself to be more creative, to experiment with different angles and approaches, and zoom with your feet."

A great option to have in your camera bag when covering portraits, weddings and low-light scenes, the RF 85mm F1.4L VCM offers exceptional image quality and smooth, responsive VCM focusing to help you keep up with fast-moving events. At 636g, it's just over half the weight of the RF 85mm F1.2L USM, which could make a significant difference on an all-day shoot, while its fast f/1.4 aperture still gives you excellent control over the depth of field.

Destination wedding photographer Raïs De Weirdt has used both the RF 85mm F1.4L VCM and RF 50mm F1.4L VCM to photograph weddings. "The RF 85mm F1.4L VCM is perfect for details in between wide angle shots," she says. "Both lenses are light and compact, and also super silent, which I love for wedding ceremonies."

Their hybrid design is ideal for a photographer like Raïs, who builds her wedding stories using photos and video clips. "I always shoot story snippets in between stills, because they add so much more depth," she says. "I use them for my website and marketing material – and even when the clients expect only stills, I like to surprise them when they scroll through their online gallery. Discovering that some images are moving in there gives added value to my client."

"I took this photo in the Tuscan countryside, not far from Siena, one of my favourite places," explains Fabio Mirulla. "I had to find a way to highlight the subjects in silhouette against the dark mountains in the background. The simplest solution was to shoot from below to position them in the sky. Luckily, not far from where I was shooting there was a tractor working in the fields, which gave me the chance to backlight the dust it raised.

"The Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM lens allowed me to get a perfect relationship between the background elements and the subjects in terms of size. This lens also performs excellently in backlit situations – in this case it was fundamental.

"I use this lens all the time. The focus speed and its high definition at any aperture make it one of my favourites. In portraits, for example, if used at maximum aperture in combination with Eye Detection AF, it allows you to obtain images with unparalleled bokeh."

"This portrait of legendary dancer and Birmingham Royal Ballet director Carlos Acosta coincided with Acosta's first production for BRB, Don Quixote," says Clive Booth. "It was shot in a blacked-out studio, using continuous lighting. Once in front of the camera, Carlos just lit up the viewfinder, and was probably the best subject I've ever photographed from a performance perspective.

"I love the 85mm focal length, and the bokeh from the DS version of the L-series RF 85mm lens just gives another element of difference. The autofocus system of the Canon EOS R5 in combination with this lens is simply breathtaking; to the human eye every picture is in focus, even when shot at f/1.2."

Clive adds: "To get the most from this lens I like to shoot with a very shallow depth of field, often between f/1.2 and f/2.8. For me, this adds incredible atmosphere to my work and means I can isolate the area of focus, pushing the viewer to look at what I want them to."

Read Clive's shoot story to find out more about this project, and the photo prints that were made from it.

Fashion photographer Evely Duis shot this portrait as part of a beauty editorial series. "I was looking for a very clean, detailed and atmospheric image," she explains, "and I wanted to get close to the subject while still keeping enough separation and depth in the frame."

Evely chose the Canon RF 100mm F2.8L MACRO IS USM lens, which shoots at up to 1.4x magnification. "For me, the 100mm focal length was especially important for this image. It allowed me to work close to the subject without being physically too close, which gave me much more control over the composition and perspective. Combined with the macro capabilities, it made it possible to capture details that I wouldn't have been able to emphasise in the same way with a more standard focal length."

The lens performed beautifully during the shoot, Evely says. "The level of detail and sharpness was especially impressive, which is exactly what I look for when working with close-up imagery. The autofocus was fast and reliable, and the lens also gave me a lot of flexibility when working with depth of field. It felt very natural to work with, which allowed me to focus more on the creative side of the shoot rather than any technical limitations."

With its compelling combination of ultra-fast aperture and telephoto compression, the Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM lens can help you create shots like no other. The remarkable depth-of-field control it provides allows you to isolate subject details in a sea of soft bokeh. Ideal for distinctive portraits and close-ups, its reach and speed also make it a versatile choice for sports and other fast-moving subjects in low light.

"The razorbills had just started breeding on the dramatic sea cliffs near Bridlington, UK, when I took this shot," explains professional bird photographer Jonas Classon. "After studying the birds' behaviour for a few days, I came up with the idea of capturing a razorbill returning from the sea heading towards the clifftop. I wanted to use the Canon RF 400mm F2.8L IS USM because of its very short depth of field to smooth out the flowers, background and foreground to isolate the subject.

"To spot the razorbill, I had to sit really close to the cliff edge. These birds are extremely fast, and fly from the water straight up to the clifftop at an awkward angle, so they were in shot just half a second before landing. To help my AF to find the subject as quickly as possible, I pre-focused on a rock where I expected the bird to pass and pressed the shutter when the bird passed by it. The fast autofocus of my EOS R5 and the fast RF lens helped me to nail the bird in mid-air. Whenever possible, especially in extreme situations with very fast-flying birds, I often use the focusing distance range selector switch on the lens to help it work fast in the right range."

Professional wildlife photographer Thorsten Milse was tracking pumas in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile, when he saw this female at a distance. "Due to a steep mountain slope we couldn't get any closer, so it was good to use the Canon RF 600mm F4L IS USM with a Canon Extender RF 1.4x. This made a portrait of the face possible. As a side effect, it also gave a beautiful bokeh in the foreground and background."

Thorsten says the lens's portability made walking long distances in mountainous areas easier, while its ultra-fast AF, combined with the Canon EOS R3's subject-tracking technology "helped to quickly focus the cat".


As these images show, Canon's range of L-series RF lenses is helping photographers create images they never previously thought possible. Fast, compact and light, with superb quality optics, they are an investment in your photographic career, whatever your genre.

When you can't get physically close to your subject, reach for the Canon RF 800mm F5.6L IS USM. Despite its incredible focal length, this super-telephoto prime is surprisingly easy to handle. A bright f/5.6 aperture, optical image stabilisation and minimum focusing distance of 2.6m provide exceptional versatility, while its L-series construction ensures it's ready for challenging wildlife and sports photography. Heat-resistant paint also keeps the lens cooler when shooting in extreme conditions.

The most powerful L-series telephoto lens is a practical, versatile choice for capturing distant subjects. Weighing less than the EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM, the Canon RF 1200mm F8L IS USM is remarkably lightweight and usable for a lens offering such high magnification. Its L-series build quality and performance, including heat-resistant paint to protect the optics, ensure sharp images in demanding conditions, making it a dependable choice for professional nature and sports photographers.


As these images show, Canon's range of L-series RF lenses is helping photographers create images they never previously thought possible. Fast, compact and light, with superb quality optics, they are an investment in your photographic career, whatever your genre.