Canon RF 1200mm F8L IS USM vs Canon RF 600mm F11 IS STM

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RF 1200mm F8L IS USM compared with RF 600mm F11 IS STM

	CanonRF 1200mm F8L IS USM	CanonRF 600mm F11 IS STM
Overview
Released
Released	May 2022	July 2020
Optics
Lens type
Lens type	Prime	Prime
Focal length
Focal length	1,200 mm	600 mm
Maximum aperture
Maximum aperture	f/8	f/11
Minimum aperture
Minimum aperture	f/64	f/11
Optical construction
Optical construction	Twenty-six elements in eighteen groups	Ten elements in seven groups
Special elements
Special elements	Two fluorite elements, one Super UD and one UD element	Gapless dual-layer diffractive optical element
Coatings
Coatings	Super Spectra and ASC; fluorine coating on the front element	–
Aperture detail
Aperture detail	Maximum f/8; minimum f/64	Fixed f/11 aperture; cannot be stopped down
Diaphragm
Diaphragm	Nine circular blades	No aperture blades
Angle of view
Angle of view	Full-frame diagonal 2°05′; horizontal 1°45′; vertical 1°10′	–
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 RF mount for full-frame and APS-C EOS R cameras
Teleconverter support
Teleconverter support	RF 1.4× gives 1680 mm f/11 with 0.41× magnification; RF 2× gives 2400 mm f/16 with 0.60×; AF and IS operate with either extender	Compatible with RF extenders; 840 mm at f/16 with RF 1.4× or 1200 mm at f/22 with RF 2× (Cameralabs and Dustin Abbott). Autofocus performance depends on camera and light levels
Focus and stabilisation
Autofocus
Autofocus	Yes	Yes
Minimum focus distance
Minimum focus distance	4.3 m	4.5 m
Maximum magnification
Maximum magnification	0.29×	0.14×
Optical stabilisation
Optical stabilisation	Yes	Yes
Autofocus detail
Autofocus detail	Ring-type USM; electronic full-time manual focus requires compatible body settings; original EOS R, RP and Ra are unsupported, and R5/R6 require firmware 1.3.0 or later	Lead-screw STM autofocus; Canon Camera Museum states a focus area of 40% horizontal × 60% vertical for the original supported EOS R bodies
Focus distance detail
Focus distance detail	4.3 m minimum focus; full range, 4.3–30 m and 30 m–infinity limiter settings; three manual-focus speeds and two stored focus presets	Minimum focus 4.5 m; full-range or 12 m–infinity focus limiter (Cameralabs and Dustin Abbott)
Magnification detail
Magnification detail	0.29× maximum magnification; approximately 241 × 161 mm subject fills a full-frame image at minimum focus	Maximum 0.14×
Stabilisation detail
Stabilisation detail	Four-stop optical IS with EOS R, R5 or R3 under CIPA yaw/pitch conditions; modes 1, 2 and 3	Up to five stops optical stabilisation under CIPA testing with EOS R
Video features
Video features	Aperture control in 1/8-stop increments; power-focus mode with two speeds selected by playback-ring rotation	–
Design
Dust and moisture resistant
Dust and moisture resistant	Yes	No
Filter diameter
Filter diameter	52 mm	82 mm
Maximum diameter
Maximum diameter	168 mm	93 mm
Length
Length	537 mm	199.5 mm
Weight
Weight	3,340 g	930 g (better)
Controls
Controls	Focus and playback rings, AF/PF/MF selector, focus-speed and preset switches, and four lens-function buttons	Separate manual focus and customisable control rings; focus limiter, AF/MF and stabiliser switches
Zoom design
Zoom design	–	Prime lens with a retracting storage barrel; extend and lock the barrel before shooting
Filter detail
Filter detail	52 mm drop-in screw-type holder 52 (WIII), supplied with a clear Protect filter; compatible with optional drop-in polariser and gelatin holder	–
Weather resistance
Weather resistance	Dust- and moisture-resistant construction with heat-reflective paint	No dust or moisture sealing, including no rubber mount seal (Cameralabs)
Dimensions detail
Dimensions detail	168 mm maximum diameter × 537 mm length	93 mm maximum diameter; 199.5 mm retracted length or 269.5 mm when extended for shooting
Weight detail
Weight detail	Approximately 3,340 g excluding the tripod collar; Canon Japan states the collar weighs approximately 160 g	Approximately 930 g lens
Tripod mount
Tripod mount	Supplied tripod collar and support foot	Built-in tripod mounting thread; no rotating collar (Cameralabs)
Lens hood
Lens hood	ET-160 (WIII) included; shorter ET-160B optional	ET-88B hood sold separately (Dustin Abbott)
In the box
In the box	Lens, drop-in screw-type filter holder 52 (WIII) with 52 mm Protect filter, E-185C cap, RF dust cap, ET-160 (WIII) hood, LS1200 soft case, Lens Wide Strap B and user manual	Lens, E-82II cap, RF dust cap and user manual kit
Release detail
Release detail	First sale in Japan on 26 May 2022, stated by Canon Japan support; the original announcement promised late May	July 2020 marketed month in Canon Camera Museum