Canon RF 1200mm F8L IS USM vs Canon RF 75–300mm F4–5.6

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RF 1200mm F8L IS USM compared with RF 75–300mm F4–5.6

	CanonRF 1200mm F8L IS USM	CanonRF 75–300mm F4–5.6
Overview
Released
Released	May 2022	May 2025
Optics
Lens type
Lens type	Prime	Zoom
Focal length
Focal length	1,200 mm	75–300 mm
Maximum aperture
Maximum aperture	f/8	f/4–5.6
Minimum aperture
Minimum aperture	f/64	f/32–45
Optical construction
Optical construction	Twenty-six elements in eighteen groups	Thirteen elements in nine groups; Canon states the optical design is adapted from the EF 75–300mm F4–5.6 III
Special elements
Special elements	Two fluorite elements, one Super UD and one UD element	–
Coatings
Coatings	Super Spectra and ASC; fluorine coating on the front element	Super Spectra; no fluorine coating
Aperture detail
Aperture detail	Maximum f/8; minimum f/64	Maximum f/4 at 75 mm and f/5.6 at 300 mm; minimum f/32 and f/45 respectively
Diaphragm
Diaphragm	Nine circular blades	Seven blades
Angle of view
Angle of view	Full-frame diagonal 2°05′; horizontal 1°45′; vertical 1°10′	Full-frame diagonal 32°11′–8°15′; horizontal 27°–6°50′; vertical 18°11′–4°35′
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; 120–480 mm equivalent field of view on Canon APS-C
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	Not compatible with RF extenders (The-Digital-Picture)
Focus and stabilisation
Autofocus
Autofocus	Yes	Yes
Minimum focus distance
Minimum focus distance	4.3 m	1.5 m
Maximum magnification
Maximum magnification	0.29×	0.25×
Optical stabilisation
Optical stabilisation	Yes	No
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	DC motor autofocus; no full-time manual focus override (Digital Camera World)
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	1.5 m minimum focus; front element and focus ring rotate during focusing (Digital Camera World and The-Digital-Picture)
Magnification detail
Magnification detail	0.29× maximum magnification; approximately 241 × 161 mm subject fills a full-frame image at minimum focus	0.06× at 75 mm and 0.25× at 300 mm
Stabilisation detail
Stabilisation detail	Four-stop optical IS with EOS R, R5 or R3 under CIPA yaw/pitch conditions; modes 1, 2 and 3	No lens optical stabilisation
Video features
Video features	Aperture control in 1/8-stop increments; power-focus mode with two speeds selected by playback-ring rotation	Substantial focus breathing in The-Digital-Picture's test
Design
Dust and moisture resistant
Dust and moisture resistant	Yes	–
Filter diameter
Filter diameter	52 mm	58 mm
Maximum diameter
Maximum diameter	168 mm	71.2 mm
Length
Length	537 mm	146.1 mm
Weight
Weight	3,340 g	507 g (better)
Controls
Controls	Focus and playback rings, AF/PF/MF selector, focus-speed and preset switches, and four lens-function buttons	Manual focus and zoom rings, AF/MF switch; no custom control ring (The-Digital-Picture)
Zoom design
Zoom design	–	Extending zoom barrel; further extension and front rotation during focusing (Digital Camera World)
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	58 mm front thread rotates during focusing
Weather resistance
Weather resistance	Dust- and moisture-resistant construction with heat-reflective paint	Canon UK's table lists dust/moisture resistance, but Digital Camera World and The-Digital-Picture both report no weather sealing
Dimensions detail
Dimensions detail	168 mm maximum diameter × 537 mm length	71.2 mm maximum diameter × 146.1 mm retracted length
Weight detail
Weight detail	Approximately 3,340 g excluding the tripod collar; Canon Japan states the collar weighs approximately 160 g	Approximately 507 g lens
Tripod mount
Tripod mount	Supplied tripod collar and support foot	–
Lens hood
Lens hood	ET-160 (WIII) included; shorter ET-160B optional	Optional ET-60 hood, not included
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-58 II lens cap, RF dust cap and user manual
Release detail
Release detail	First sale in Japan on 26 May 2022, stated by Canon Japan support; the original announcement promised late May	May 2025 release confirmed retrospectively by Canon's February 2026 press release and Canon Camera Museum