Canon RF 100–300mm F2.8L IS USM vs Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Z

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RF 100–300mm F2.8L IS USM compared with RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Z

	CanonRF 100–300mm F2.8L IS USM	CanonRF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Z
Overview
Released
Released	May 2023	November 2024
Optics
Lens type
Lens type	Zoom	Zoom
Focal length
Focal length	100–300 mm	70–200 mm
Maximum aperture
Maximum aperture	f/2.8	f/2.8
Minimum aperture
Minimum aperture	f/22	f/22
Optical construction
Optical construction	Twenty-three elements in eighteen groups	18 elements in 15 groups
Special elements
Special elements	One fluorite, four UD and one glass-moulded aspherical element	Three aspherical elements including two glass-moulded and one replica; two Super UD elements and one UD element, with the UD glass-moulded aspherical element also counted among the asphericals
Coatings
Coatings	Super Spectra, ASC and fluorine coatings	ASC and Super Spectra; fluorine coating on front element
Aperture detail
Aperture detail	Constant maximum f/2.8; minimum f/22	Constant f/2.8 maximum and f/22 minimum; smooth electronic iris ring
Diaphragm
Diaphragm	Nine blades	11 circular aperture blades
Angle of view
Angle of view	Full-frame diagonal 24°–8°15′; horizontal 20°–6°50′; vertical 14°–4°35′	29°–10° horizontal, 19°30′–7° vertical and 34°–12° diagonal on full frame
Mount and compatibility
Mounts
Mounts	Canon RF	Canon RF
Image circle
Image circle	Full frame	Full frame
Compatibility
Compatibility	Canon RF mount for full-frame and APS-C EOS R cameras	Canon EOS R cameras; full-frame image circle; stills iris-ring operation depends on camera support
Teleconverter support
Teleconverter support	RF 1.4× gives 140–420 mm f/4; RF 2× gives 200–600 mm f/5.6	RF 1.4x gives 98–280 mm f/4 with 0.42× maximum magnification; RF 2x gives 140–400 mm f/5.6 with 0.6×; autofocus and stabilisation retained
Focus and stabilisation
Autofocus
Autofocus	Yes	Yes
Minimum focus distance
Minimum focus distance	1.8 m	0.49 m
Maximum magnification
Maximum magnification	0.16×	0.3×
Optical stabilisation
Optical stabilisation	Yes	Yes
Autofocus detail
Autofocus detail	Two Nano USM motors independently drive the electronic floating-focus groups; full-time electronic manual focus	Dual Nano USM motors independently drive two focusing groups for electronic floating focus control; full-time manual focus
Focus distance detail
Focus distance detail	1.8 m minimum focus throughout the zoom range; limiter selects full range or 6 m–infinity	Closest focus 0.49 m at 70 mm and 0.68 m at 200 mm; separate AF/MF distance modes not published
Magnification detail
Magnification detail	0.06× at 100 mm and 0.16× at 300 mm	0.2× at 70 mm and 0.3× at 200 mm (Canon Japan)
Stabilisation detail
Stabilisation detail	Canon rates lens optical IS at 5.5 stops under CIPA conditions, and coordinated IS at up to 6 stops with EOS R5 and compatible bodies	Lens OIS 5.5 stops at centre with EOS R8 at 200 mm; combined OIS/IBIS 7.5 centre and seven corner stops with EOS R1 at 200 mm under Canon's CIPA-2024 conditions
Video features
Video features	–	Optically suppressed focus breathing and electronic floating focus control; optional PZ-E2/PZ-E2B adapters provide motorised zoom; iris operation in stills depends on camera and firmware
Design
Dust and moisture resistant
Dust and moisture resistant	Yes	Yes
Filter diameter
Filter diameter	112 mm	82 mm
Maximum diameter
Maximum diameter	128 mm	88.5 mm
Length
Length	323.4 mm	199 mm
Weight
Weight	2,590 g	1,115 g (better)
Controls
Controls	Separate focus, zoom and clicking control rings; front lens-function buttons and focus-preset controls	Control, focus, zoom and iris rings; iris Auto lock; lens function buttons
Zoom design
Zoom design	Internal zoom maintains barrel length	Internal zoom with 70° rotation; barrel length remains constant
Filter detail
Filter detail	112 mm front screw-in thread; no rear drop-in filter	82 mm front screw-in filter thread
Weather resistance
Weather resistance	Dust- and moisture-resistant construction with heat-blocking white paint	Dust and moisture resistant construction with mount gasket; maker states it cannot completely prevent ingress and requires attachment to a camera
Dimensions detail
Dimensions detail	128 mm maximum diameter × 323.4 mm length	Approximately 88.5 mm maximum diameter × 199 mm length; same barrel size for white and black versions
Weight detail
Weight detail	Approximately 2,590 g, as listed by Canon UK, Canon Japan and Canon Camera Museum	White 1115 g and black 1110 g, excluding tripod mount; headline uses photographed white model
Tripod mount
Tripod mount	Rotating tripod collar with support foot	Tripod foot removable; PetaPixel notes no Arca-Swiss profile or 90° collar click stops
Lens hood
Lens hood	ET-124 included	White ET-88C (WIII) or black ET-88C (B); LZ1328 case and E-82 II/Lens Dust Cap RF listed as accessories
In the box
In the box	Lens, E-112 front cap, RF dust cap, ET-124 hood, LS100-300 soft case and user manual	ET-88C lens hood (Web Cameraman)
Release detail
Release detail	May 2023 first release confirmed by Canon's June 2023 retrospective announcement and Camera Museum	Canon Camera Museum confirms marketed November 2024; Photography Blog preview reports 14 November UK/Europe/US, while Web Cameraman reports 29 November Japan; precise regional retail days are secondary and headline retains maker-confirmed month