Can someone please tell me what the actual best wildlife telephoto lens is for the Canon EOS R7 because im about ready to throw my current setup in a lake out of pure frustration. I live in the Pacific Northwest and mostly shoot shy birds and deer in low light through dense canopy, and my current sigma 150-600 with the adapter just keeps hunting for focus and missing the eyes completely and its driving me crazy. I missed an incredible barred owl shot yesterday morning because the AF lagged so bad. Im on a strict budget of around 1500 to 2000 bucks max since Ive already spent too much trying to make this work, and I need something reliable before my trip to Yellowstone next month. Should I just save up for the Canon rf 100-400 even though its slower, or is there a third party option thats actually sharp on this high density crop sensor? Seriously losing my mind here...
@Reply #1 - good point! Native glass really is the only way to save your sanity on this body.
- ditch the adapted sigma asap, the r7 crop sensor just punishes third-party glass in shadows
- look at the Canon RF 200-800mm f 6.3-9 IS USM if you can stretch the budget slightly, though stock is tough
- check out Fred Miranda forums for used gear deals to stay under two grand
- remember canon's official refurb store often drops prices on the Canon RF 100-400mm f 5.6-8 IS USM
Like someone mentioned, native glass is usually the way to go, but I gotta disagree on dropping big money for Yellowstone when you are shooting under dark PNW canopy. I switched from my adapted setup to the Canon RF 800mm f 11 IS STM and it surprisingly nails focus on the R7, though low light is rough.
- Canon RF 600mm f 11 IS STM is lighter and cheaper
- RF 100-400 gives you zoom flexibility Save some cash for your trip.
I totally feel your pain with that Sigma setup under heavy canopy, trust me. In my experience, adapting older glass on the R7 sensor is just asking for focus hunts in low light. Honestly, grab the Canon RF 100-400mm f 5.6-8 IS USM. Even though it's slower, the native autofocus tracking completely smokes adapted third-party lenses and it's well under your budget.