Canon RF 100‑400mm f/5.6‑8 IS USM Lens – Super‑Telephoto Reach in a Lightweight Package

The Canon RF 100‑400mm f/5.6‑8 IS USM zoom lens delivers extended reach along with impressive portability. It fits full‑frame RF‑mount mirrorless cameras and shines in wildlife, sports, and travel photography. With a zoom range from 100mm to 400mm, you can capture distant scenes without swapping lenses. Plus, image stabilization helps reduce blur when shooting by hand.

Key Features & Optical Design

• Modest f/5.6‑8 maximum aperture keeps the lens compact and lightweight through its zoom range. Canon Europe+1

• Includes one Ultra Low Dispersion (UD) element and one aspherical element to correct color fringing and distortion. Canon Software America+1

• Super Spectra Coating reduces flare and ghosting for better contrast and color accuracy, especially when facing bright light. Canon Software America+1

Stabilization & Focusing

This lens features an Optical Image Stabilizer. It offers about 5.5 stops of shake correction. When paired with a camera body that has in‑body stabilization, Coordinated IS boosts that to up to 6 stops. Canon Software America+1

The Nano USM motor provides fast, smooth, and quiet autofocus. You also get full‑time manual focus override. Canon Software America+1

Close‑Focus & Magnification

You can focus fairly close throughout the zoom range. At 400mm, the maximum magnification reaches 0.41×. Helix Camera+1
The minimum focusing distance varies: approximately 3.94 feet (1.2 m) at 100mm, 2.89 feet (0.88 m) at 200mm, and about 3.44 feet (1.05 m) at 400mm. Canon Software America+1

Build, Controls & Extras

• The lens has 9 rounded diaphragm blades, which helps create smooth, pleasing background blur. DPReview+1

• It includes a configurable Control Ring. Use it to change exposure settings like aperture, ISO, or exposure compensation directly on the lens. Crutchfield

• It’s also compatible with RF 1.4x and RF 2x extenders, letting you increase reach even further when needed. CanonNews+1

Dimensions & Handling

Even though it reaches 400mm, this lens remains reasonably portable. It weighs approximately 635 grams and measures about 164.7 mm in length. Canon Europe+1
The front filter thread size is 67 mm, which makes adding filters easy if needed. CanonNews+1

Who This Lens Is For

This lens is ideal if you want long reach without the bulkiest gear. Whether you shoot birds, sports, or distant subjects, it delivers super‑telephoto capability in a lens you can carry more easily. It works especially well when paired with camera bodies that have in‑body stabilization.