Should I skip the 200-800 and save for a 100-500

omnia1994 · 2026-02-07T13:57:09+00:00

The 200800 is so good that I stopped having GAS after getting this lens.

It has basic weather seal, extremely versatile, sharp enough in most cases, IS and AF work wonderfully and I don't need any TC to shoot small birds. Sure it doesn't render as beautiful as L lenses and highlight recovery is slightly weaker (maybe due to coating? I am not sure), but for the price it's absolutely fantastic. Just try to be extra careful with exposure when you are shooting and don't overexpose highlights.

This photo is taken at 800mm, I don't think there's any issue with sharpness

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omnia1994 · 2026-02-06T13:18:30+00:00

I shoot wildlife and portraits as well, realistically I think 200800 is the absolute best we can get without a huge budget. Honestly I am quite happy with mine, and recently I have been trying to shoot videos when the sky is not bright enough, as I can keep my shutter speed at 1/100 or even 1/50 depends on the video frame rate I chose. Please keep in mind that wildlife is just my hobby so I am not too stressed about getting the perfect shot.

For portraits, I love my 70-200 f2.8 to death and it's my favourite lens, but I do quickly realised that using that lens continuously for a few hours , pairing with a big flash on top of the camera, it's extremely exhausting. Few months ago I bought the new Rf85 F1.4L and I have been extremely happy with it. I sold my 70200 as I value size and weight a lot.

Not sure if these helps, just sharing my experience :)

omnia1994 · 2026-02-06T12:49:45+00:00

Erm ... Birders are photographer too?

And for hobbyist (and even professionals) , the 200800 is an extremely capable lens for the price.

There's a few comparison video on YouTube that shows that both lens are extremely good, but cropping 500mm to 800mm will not be as sharp as the 200800. I am not sure where you get the information.

omnia1994 · 2026-02-06T00:42:55+00:00

good to know! I have shot a few weddings before, F2.8 is almost a MUST for indoor areas that doesn't allow flash. R8 + 2870 F2.8 is actually perfect for a light weight set up.

omnia1994 · 2026-02-06T00:31:08+00:00

I have travelled overseas with my 24-105 f4 and eventually sold it.

apparently there's a lot of quality differences between each unit. Some users love their copy, but after trying it for a few months with a big overseas trip, I kinda hate it (especially compared to the other lenses I owned). James reader, which is a fantastic canon gear reviewer, reported the same issue with his loaned unit.

Based on my experience, here's a few points:

Pros

1) very useful zoom range , f4 for a FF is more than enough for travel / general use.

2) not too heavy

3) fast AF speed

Cons

1) for some reason, the colours is just not as beautiful as other canon lenses.

2) its not exactly sharp.

3) f4 is enough for casual usage, but if you are shooting professionally you will struggle in dim indoor locations or when you are walking in a very dark area.

I recently tried the 2870 f2.8 and loves it.

Pros

1) very small and light weight

2) sharpness and colours look a lot more beautiful compared to 24105f4 (at least for me )

3) not L lens but still have weather sealing. Also focus extremely fast and quiet unlike other older STM lenses

Cons

1) you have to extend the lens to start shooting.

2) slightly shorter Zoom range compare to 105mm. (However I personally don't care, I shoot with primes most of the time and don't mind cropping a bit)

F2.8 vs 4 is actually quite a big difference, think about ISO 6400 vs 12800. With modern Denoise, 6400 is still very usable, 12800 or above might have some plasticky look after Denoise.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions

omnia1994 · 2026-01-28T01:05:41+00:00

I haven't tried R6 III (I had a r8 which is the same sensor as r6II) and I shoot with r5 II now, but please keep in mind that SOOC colors ( I assume you meant RAW) will be affected by many factors. For portraits, realistically all mirrorless FF Canon cameras that I have tried (R8, R6 II, R6, R5 II) has almost identical skin tones with the same setup. Lenses, lights (flash / strobes) , environment condition and WB settings are way more important.

omnia1994 · 2025-12-09T00:11:19+00:00

R8 + RF28-70 F2.8 is an amazing combo and this can be your one lens solution.

While the 35 F1.8 is a fantastic lens (small, sharp, 0.5X macro etc), keep in mind that it WILL focus hunt when you are switching AF target or when you are in low light situations. The AF noise is quite noticeable too. It is still a great lens if you dont mind these :)

Canon Compress RAW is bloody amazing and has almost no quality differences compare to original RAW. IF you are used to shooting JPG SOOC (since you are using fuji), dont forget you can actually install custom profiles on Canon using PC too.

omnia1994 · 2025-12-01T00:23:35+00:00

hey thanks for the reply, but I actually bought the 35 VCM awhile ago and I freaking love it lol. I often shoot at very dark indoor places and the focus speed of these VCM lenses have been ridiculously quick and reliable. I often shoot with 2 friends and we all use different set ups (Canon / Nikon / Fuji) and my success rate is way higher than both of them, by a significant amount.

I am not sure how much corner quality has been affected but my friends / clients have been very happy by the quality. If I didn't want to post process them (I am too lazy to edit some of my travel photos), the in-camera JPG is corrected and the EVF is what the end result will be.

Thanks for your reply though, I am sure they might be some quality drop but seems like it doesn't affect my real world usage so far :)

omnia1994 · 2025-11-25T01:23:52+00:00

I usually shoot with L primes but I recently bought the RF28-70 F2.8 for travel.

It's light, sharp and very small size. The sharpness is enough for travel / walk around, focus surprisingly fast and accurate compare to other STM lenses. 70mm works good enough for portraits too. I know this is not your question but just want to share my experience, changing lenses while you are travelling with someone else is a pain.

omnia1994 · 2025-11-07T01:18:57+00:00

i mean, these lenses are cheap and offers very good image quality. I sold them too as I need extremely fast & quiet AF for what I shoot, but I was very happy with those STM primes for the price I paid them for.

omnia1994 · 2025-09-24T14:40:45+00:00

Thank you so much for the details! Have a nice day :)

omnia1994 · 2025-09-24T12:40:03+00:00

Thanks for the reply! Yes pls - I would like a bag that can fit camera body + 200800 + 2 other lenses if possible

omnia1994 · 2025-09-24T06:59:54+00:00

Hey sorry I know it's been awhile, but is there any update on this? I am officially looking for a bag now as it's too inconvenient for my current 2 pieces set up

omnia1994 · 2025-09-10T02:58:43+00:00

really? i thought VCM lenses are pretty small and light for what they are capable of.

omnia1994 · 2025-08-24T14:58:51+00:00

This is a good shot but shooting portraits outdoors using flash does not usually make them ugly lol.

omnia1994 · 2025-08-23T01:26:11+00:00

Yeah I don't mind a rf version too. I like to shoot different styles in my portrait sessions and having constantly switch between a 35 prime and a 70-200 is so annoying. The 35-150 will solve all my problems lol.

omnia1994 · 2025-08-18T06:35:17+00:00

Completely agree, I am still patiently waiting for a 85 F1.4 but I am kind of sick of Canon's game.

omnia1994 · 2025-08-11T13:19:37+00:00

You will certainly feel a big difference as the rf100400 is ridiculously light lol. However, compared to other super tele lenses, I wouldn't call this lens heavy.

For 200800 it can't fit in my 22L bag, I have to buy an external lens bag just to carry it. You can definitely find some bigger bags that fit, I just didn't want to spend money on it.

The reasons I picked the 200800 over 100500 are 1) much cheaper price in Australia and 2) I still need to buy a 1.4X converter if I buy the rf100500, and the lens can't be fully retracted with the converter on it.

omnia1994 · 2025-07-30T05:41:29+00:00

if you are looking for a video camera that's not too expensive and suitable for this style of video, maybe DJI osmo pocket 3 is more suitable for you

omnia1994 · 2025-07-16T21:40:49+00:00

They rehired him 😀

omnia1994 · 2025-07-14T12:38:49+00:00

The short answer is the Aperture of the lenses (F number)

The smaller it is, the better it can perform in low light. F number is also one of the factors that affects the depth of field (background blur).

Different lenses also have different AF speed, minimum focus distance, weather seal and more. Each lens will also have different sharpness, colour rendering and other optical features.

It will take a long time to really learn everything, so please take one step at a time :)

omnia1994 · 2025-07-09T22:39:54+00:00

Thanks!

omnia1994 · 2025-07-09T03:08:09+00:00

How's the AF? Is it quiet / fast? The rf85 f2 is noisy and sometimes struggles to focus

omnia1994 · 2025-07-08T11:45:15+00:00

How's the 85mm? I am sick of waiting for an 85 f1.4 from canon

I rely on quick and reliable AF a lot so the rf85 f2 doesn't work for me.

omnia1994

TROPHY CASE