The BEST WILDLIFE Lenses Under $3k for Canon Mirrorless Cameras. 

I just have to say it once more. Your videos are simply the best in the whole bird photography world! So much attention to detail, wonderfully structured, great pictures and so on. Greetings from Switzerland

Great video mate worth all the effort. 100-500 is an amazing lens and way underrated

Just know your work is appreciated Duade. Lots of hours testing, filming and editing is beyond a full time job, so thanks for putting the effort into such a high quality production with relevant info and first hand experiences. Cheers Dylan

Thanks Duade, what a thorough and comprehensive overview of lens choices across good range of budgets for the R7. The amount of work you've put into this video is impressive, and shows a real dedication and love for both your bird photography and the community as a whole. I get the distinct feeling you enjoyed yourself in doing so too! Thanks for all your efforts, excellent example images, really well presented information and great production value. I've said so before, but will say again, your videos are always a highlight.

I am a hobbyist photographer for about 12 years. Recently I started to become interested in wildlife photography. Your honest reviews and great tips are really helpful for getting started in this field. Thanks a lot!

Duade, you have been a pleasant addition to my RU-vid channel subscriptions. I really love the content you've produced and appreciate the hard work you've put into the videos you create. This will be a great resource for many people out there with a camera that is sure to be extremely popular with the enthusiast bird/wildlife community.

Duade: “It’s taken me 11yrs to get this shot… Let’s test this stabilization.” Legendary stuff, best video yet. I agree w/ everything on the 800, only lens I have experience with out of those covered-sharp, no CA, and reach makes it a real experience…but… that AF has me reaching for the focus ring a lot. I can only assume this is in part bc canons focus wide open and wide open on this is only f11

The R7 and ef 100-400 mkll does it for me. After many decades in photography I can honestly say the R7 is an incredible camera, when shooting swallows and swifts against a clear background the focus point locks on instantly and sticks, incredible modern technology. Anybody who thinks it's slow should have a go at an older camera just to prove a point, having said that the mind boggles at what the future holds.

Thank you for all your effort and an amazing video! Still quite happy with my R7 and Sigma 150-600 combo. I'm very satisfied with the keeper rate and image quality I get and the pulsing issue has been very rare for me. I kinda wish there was a way to know how to isolate the specific conditions that cause the pulsing to happen in a replicable manner. It looks to me like the pulsing is a very specific behavior and it doesn't relate to how a worse lens normally hunts. It really feels like the lens "bugs out", even though Sigma says it can't be fixed with firmware. It does happen so rarely (to me it seems, hence why it doesn't really bother me) that I can't quite say exactly in what situations it happens and it feels a bit random. For me the few times I definitely noticed it, it seemed to always happen really close to the minimum focus distance (2.8 to around 5-6m) on a busy background. Last time it happened for me I was photographing a butterfly up close in full sunlight on tall grass, so even low light might not be what's causing it. I've gone ahead and put a focus limiter at 6m on one of the custom modes and I haven't had it happen so far with it, but I need to test more. But I really don't think I've ever noticed it past a certain distance, and the vast majority of the time the AF behaves exactly like it should to my eyes. Some regular hunting like you showed with the 800 in your vid, but nothing crazy. I'm definitely one of those that upped their keeper rate with this lens on the R7, the animal eye AF has been game changing! I thought of switching to an RF 800 after learning about this compatibility issue, but after using it, it really isn't enough of an issue for me to switch. The versatility of the Sigma (aperture, MFD, zoom) far outweighs the few rare times I've had pulsing. I don't think I've ever missed a shot when it happened too, always got a keeper in the burst. The thing that convinced me is: if it only happens to me below 6m, why switch to a lens that can't even focus at all below that? It's one way for me to put it in perspective and realize how much it's not that big of a deal. I just work with the focus limiter, and turn it off when I do need to get closer being aware there might be pulsing. And spot focus is also much easier to use at those distances anyway, which solves the problem of pulsing when you encounter it. If it pulsed all the time or at the distances I usually shoot at then it'd probably be a deal breaker. But until I personally get frustrated by missing shots because of it I can't part with my trusty sigma, I enjoy it too much! Outside of the pulsing which seems to be very specific, maybe it does regular hunting a bit more than the Canons, and they perform better in that regard but the 800 f11 doesn't look like it has that much better AF in most conditions, it also has its shortcomings on the R7. Like you said, I can wait for Sigma to release it on RF even if it takes a few years, I'm in no hurry. I'm aware that I might be biased and not spoiled enough by the performance of the new RF lenses. I'm sure that even if the particular issue of pulsing was fixed, the RF 100-500 would still outperform the sigma by a good margin in AF like it does now. Still there's just no way for me to justify selling mine and paying over 3x the price for the 100-500 even if I could afford it, my keeper rate is already more than satisfactory to me and I doubt I would pump out 3x more pictures with it, or enjoy shooting with it 3x more. I'm young, in good shape (and not rich! lol) so I don't mind the weight of the sigma at all though, for other people the weight advantage alone could justify the price if you simply can't carry a Sigma or if it makes your shooting experience less enjoyable. I will say, your initial video on the combo has been making a lot of discussion on forums/FB groups/subreddits! Lots of people are now saying to avoid the lens completely or avoid the R7 if using the lens, saying it's not compatible at all with any RF cameras. This is obviously a bit of an exaggeration and misquote of your vid, which pointed out the issues very fairly. And some people are still reporting zero pulsing issues with their R5/6/7 and the Sigma, which I'm almost certain is just because those people have never noticed it. Being a rare and fairly random occurrence I can totally see why some people might have never noticed the issue was even present. To me that says about how it's not really that big of a deal. All in all, while I can only vouch for my experience which has been great, I'm still not sure I'd be confident in recommending it for others until we know more about when the pulsing happens, what causes it and how often it occurs in those scenarios. Until then giving it the "most confusing" award is definitely fair, I'm still pretty confused about the whole situation to be honest! 😅 Must be frustrating as a reviewer because it's not like it's unusable and it does gets great pictures, but it's hard to recommend a lens that has known, unfixable issues with the electronics. Anyway, enough rambling, thanks again for an amazing video! Someone needed to do a lens comparaison on the R7 and who better than you to do it. That RF 100-400 looks so fun to use, and your results with it speak for themselves! And congrats on getting that azure kingfisher! Love watching your vids even just for your process as a wildlife photographer and of course, the fantastic showcase of Australian wildlife. Everytime I watch your vids I get jealous! Cheers from Quebec and merci beaucoup!

Hey Duade ! The efforts you put into your videos reflect through your photos. Keep up the good work !

That cormorant sunset was beautiful

Love the Cormorants photo! Color is amazing.

Thanks Duane, your videos are wonderfully detailed and helpful. Your clear explanations are easy to follow and keep me watching til the end. It’s also great to watch an Australian working in Australian conditions.

Duade, you are so down to earth, I really appreciate the time you put into this to benefit us all!! I look forward to your amazing work!! Just awesome! Thank you!!

Ahhh! The good old EF 400 f/5.6. I was thinking the same thing. I ain't going to sell mine. NEVER! Nice video Duade!

Fantastic video Duade thanks! 😊

Another excellent video Duade! Even though I have no plans to convert to mirrorless cameras I still enjoy your videos for the great quality and amount of information you put into each one. Anyone who has made the leap to mirrorless needs to watch and learn from your blogs. Since doubtful I'll ever make it Australia I can enjoy a small piece of it from your outing.

Superb video, Duade, and so helpful to many people, including myself. Thank you for all the time and effort you put into this.

Great video! So straight to the point and no nonsense.

Duade that silhouette pic of the cormorants is phenomenal 🔥🔥🔥😍

Great video as always! Thanks for confirming my thoughts on the r7 and 100-400. Saving up slowly but surely!

Thanks Duade. Your relaxed presentation style is great, your reviews spot on 👍.

Thanks for another great video Duade! Your candid and in-depth (and in-field!) reviews are extremely helpful and you a real ambassador to the craft. Congratulations on finally nailing that Azure Nemesis!

Love this comparison and love your videos where you show your raw product and your crop.

Amazing video!!! Duade you are the best video content out there for all bird photographers. I wish you’d tried the original 100-400 L, but you did so many others . Thanks man

The Azure kingfisher story is brilliant. Great to share the moments of you getting some half decent shots of something that has been nemesis! Really appreciated the shared information about the lenses and the take homes from using them in the field etc. Great information for those who might be looking for it - I may come back to this one day when I need to switch across to something other than what I’ve got now . . . . I do go for stiller subjects - like the bush . . . . . Still good and helpful information. Keep up the great work with videos - as you are able. Love seeing them.

Gracias, un excelente video Duade. !!

Very helpful review!

Amazing video with so much details, pics and information. Great work and thanks for all the effort to create this. The cormorants silhouette pic was beautiful and would enjoy more of the same 👍.

An Epic video as you rightly said. Been waiting for this for a while. But as they say, good things comes to those who wait. Extremely helpful video to decide which lens to choose for the R7. Some fantastic images you took. Thanks! Appreciate all your videos and all your efforts.

Thanks you Duade one of the best 3 videos from you !! i love it

You have an excellent channel going on here. Thank you for the very detailed reviews and the amazing photos with the stories behind them. My interest in taking pictures of birds is being rekindled by my bluebird visitors so I'm checking out cameras and lenses again and your reviews have been very helpful and entertaining. I hope you get your hands on the Canon RF 200-800MM!

Thankyou for all your efforts. Epic vid and a huge congrats on your kingfisher shots they are primo.

Great job on the comparisons! Happy with my upgrade from 400mm f5.6 + 1.4 iii to RF100-500. Keep it up!

What an amazing work and the beautiful analysis

Great work, Duade - thanks much! !

Thanks for your great and helpful teaching.

Thanks!

I love that you show the raw and final files!

Again, thank you for another impressive video. You doing the testing and comparison work really helps us "bird photographers" make informed decisions. I really appreciate all the hard work you do.

Finally! I was waiting for this video because I knew you were going to try the R7 with the 400mm F5.6 and I wanted to see how they both performed together before purchasing the camera. I already liked the video and I’ll watch it carefully later! Your reviews are really useful, for real. Thanks a lot.

Great video Duade, very informative. Keep up the great work.

Thanks for such an indepth video and I absolutely love both of your cormorant images, Duade!

Great video, Duade. My opinion on the cormorant silhouette shot: fantastic! I purchased an RF100-500 (and 1.4x Extender) earlier this year to go with my R6. I then picked up the R7 on release day and agree that they are an unbeatable pair for birding. I am a beginner when it comes to shooting wildlife of any kind, so having IBIS & IS is no doubt helping me a lot! Your videos have helped me a LOT in my birding and gear selection journeys! I will say that I'm quite jealous of the colorful bird species you feature in your journeys. Just amazing! I'm forever grateful and appreciative of your expertise and candor in your videos! Terry in Wisconsin, USA.

55 minutes? Wow! I just know alot of work and editing went into this one! Loving my r7 so far. Thank you for the testings and keep up the amazing work!

Phenominal effort..Thank you for a really informative and well put together video Duade.

I like it that you let your wife know you're still alive! My father never did that. Over time my mother of course learned not to worry too much, but I know she wold have appreciated any sign of life.

Great review great images Duade...

A big thank you from Sweden. Exactly the video i was looking for. Keep up the good work!

Ripper video Duade, thank you for putting in so much effort. 👌

Great video Duade. Very interesting to watch, even for me, as a Nikon shooter. I think Canon shooters will be very happy with all your efforts to help choose the right lens for them.

Honestly THE best channel I’ve found for in depth reviews! Thank you for everything you do

What an amazing and extended review. Really necessary. Thanks

Great video, I really appreciate the amount of effort you put in to testing all these lenses and all the gear. You also have a great gift of presenting the information. So much so that it's hard to believe this video is nearly an hour long, it feels much shorter. Thank you for such amazing content. I also love the editing style you use, your pictures really pop without looking fake/over-edited, it's really great. Maybe consider doing a couple of videos on how you would edit pictures or ask your subs for some pictures and do a 'how I'd edit your pics' video, that would be pretty cool to watch :) Just an idea. After watching this I think i'll save up and get the RF 100-500 for my R6 and maybe the RF1.4x extender, might be a few months - a year before I buy it but you convinced me that it's worth it. Thank you.

Epic is the word Duade. Congrats on such a comprehensive review. Learned a lot. It deserves millions of views. As a 400 f5.6 user, it was valuable. Pity about the R7s video IS though.

Awesome video, love the silhouette images of the cormorants with the sunset behind.

Very nice work , thank you for this long video. ❤️ Very nice review ! Cheers 🍻

A lot of work went into this video Duade, thank you. For me the 100-500 and the 800mm have been a fantastic combo for wildlife. I usually have the 100-500mm on the R5 and the 800mm on the R, I anticipate in the very near future of switching the R for the R7 and I expect that I will only see an improvement in my keepers with this combo.

Wonderful video and beautiful images - as far a keeper rates I think these are all pretty good lenses as long as I get 1 or 2 great images I am happy! I have the rf 800 and the rf 100 - 500 and I have them on my R7 and R5 respectively! The images I get are amazing and I only shoot jpeg. Thank you for taking time to do this video - you are definitely one of my top 3 wildlife photographers whom I enjoy watching. Take care and be safe out there....

Thanks so much! loved your pictures, the silhouette pictures were really cool, especially the second one :)

Thanks! Awesome comparison video!

Excellent review. I'm still waiting for my R7 to arrive and have just got a used ef 100-400mm mk2 with a 1.4x. Been testing on my Canon R and I'm very impressed with how sharp it is.

Thanks for a great review. I have three of the lenses so found it particularly interesting. Like you I’d find it difficult to part with the F/5.6 400mm, and agree with you on the Sigma and the RF 100 - 500. Time for my Sigma to go I think as I rarely use it now except sometimes for some moon photography using the x1.4 converter. I’d been thinking that the video must have taken an age to produce! Respect.

Awesome as usual Duade. Great comparison between these lenses. Really helpful for making an informed decision on camera and lens combinations which can be very confusing with all the variables to consider.

Awesome video. Always good to listen to you as you make it in all sincerity.

Excellent video. In some ways, its hard to choose because the images you show are so awesome with all the lenses you shoot. But the data you show and makes it much better. That cormorant photo is very awesome! I think the broader public would appreciate a photo like as well as birders but for "serious birders only" I think the ability to ID the birds would be difficult. But more people (including me) can appreciate the "artistic" composition of that photo. Very nice job. This is a long video so I'm going to have to come back and watch the rest because there is so much great content in here! My favorite line you say (and you have said it in other videos) is "I'm never going to sell this "lease/camera"". Its resonates very much with me - even if it's not the '"best" it you have a "history" with it that you are not willing to let go. Love it!

Hey Duade, great resource for anyone entering the world of bird photography. Until a few months ago I was using my old EF100-400 L original (mk1) on the Canon R6 which gave some great images but the lens was overall very slow and the focal length and the sensor on the R6 just did not allow for any cropping at all. I went for the RF100-500 and now I don't think I will need to worry about gear for a while. Thanks for the great images and info.

Fantastic review, so complete and understandable. Excellent

Thanks! I just discovered your channel and really appreciate your thorough reviews and opinions on gear.

Wow a very comprehensive video! Duade i'm so happy for you that you got to spend some good time with the Azure unlike your previous fleeting moment with the bird. That shot with the ef 100-400mm was my favourite, partly because i'm a sucker for detail but I do like the water as the background. I'm not currently interested in Canon gear but as always the video was still a great watch and I learnt lots. Amazing how slow shutter speed you could go on the f8 400mm and how light the 100-500mm is compared to my Sony, I think f7.1 and 500mm is a small sacrifice to save that much size and weight, especially when that lens is slightly sharper than the Sony.

Epic shot of the kingfisher! Really like the cormorant shots too. Interesting about the slow shutter speeds, I’ve also been able to use 1/50th with stabilised zoom lens, the issue is more about the bird moving or twitching. I am still in the DSLR world so I can’t comment on the lenses except to say that if the Sigma 150-600 had the AF issues sorted it would be epic. Really appreciate the effort in this video, thank you. BTW Yea Wetlands is a good spot for Azure kingfisher :).

Wow thank you for all of the work you've put into this video, what a resource! This is the information I'm looking for when I'm researching which lens I should buy, and not always easy to find direct sharpness comparisons etc.

That was a mega review Duade. Thank you so much. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Great comparison video about the available lens options for the r7. I own the ef 400 f5.6 the sigma 150-600 f6.3 C. and the rf 100-500 f4.5-7.1 and I absolutely agree with everything you said about these lenses. I am using the r7 with the rf 100-500 almost all the time for about two months now and I don't think I'll ever go back to the other lense mentioned above. Cheers from Canada.

Great video Duade! So comprehensive. I am using the R5 with 100-400 ii and 1.4x iii. I too get about a 50% keeper rate at 1/100s. I was hoping for a little better, but for the price secondhand I have been very happy with the quality and bokeh of this lens!

Duane, your videos are such an incredible resource! I've been trying to decide which lens to get recently - and your videos are so in-depth, that I don't think I'll have to look at any other reviews!

I am new to photography and your videos are so informative and nice to watch. Thanks for making them!!

What absolutely perfect timing! I reserved my R7 today and am trying to narrow down my choices of lenses. Typing this before I start the video and I was leaning towards the EF400 5.6 and the RF 100-400 f8

Really enjoy all your videos. I don't shoot Canon but still learn a ton watching your approach to bird photography and the gear to goes with it.

Thank you for putting your heart and time into making the video, it's very helpful

Thanks Duade! I had the sigma 150-600 and it was awesome to shoot before the R7. I noticed for me if it's a perch bird hardly moving the sigma is ok. But any bird in flight, motion is pulse really hard. So if anyone is shooting that's probably when you notice it. I swapped to the RF 100-500 I thought the f 7.1 aperture was an issue but no it's so smooth. Recommend people check with the major camera stores like b and h etc for financing the lens. For me shots at 7.1 and ISO 12800 still useable using dxo pure raw it's amazing coming from a Canon 200D. Love the cromat and kingfisher shots, stunning especially silhouettes. Thank you again for the awesome vid.

Thanks

Very professional researched presentation Duade. Many thanks for taking the time much appreciated, enjoy your work.

Thanks! Very insightful video!

Danke!

What a superb video, so much well presented information with examples of your excellent shots to illustrate the capabilities. I still have my Canon 400 f5.6 and will never sell it, in good light it is sharper than my 500mm f4L USM ii and is much lighter and easier to use, especially for flight shots.

Incredible review video duade. Thank you so much.

That was an epic video Duade! Thanks. It’s always good to know that the kit you already have is the best 😁😁😁😁

Hi Duade. Thanks so much for this video - and the epic amount of work you've put in to it. I'm lucky enough to have the R5 and RF 100-500 along with the RF 1.4 extender, but have been thinking very hard about the R7 and RF 100-400 combo as a travel set up for a trip to Australia we've got planned for early 2023. I think watching your video has just cost me a few $ 🙂 (Well UK £ in my case). Thanks again, your videos are just the best for a bird photographer using Canon kit, and of course your Australian birds and countryside are always stunning.

I was really hoping for a Tamron 150-600 G2 review. I use it with my R7 and I haven't noticed any AF pulsing that Sigma has, so it might be a really good alternative.

Wonderfully informative with succinct illustrations! (Very) well done!

You have excelled in this video. Your enthusiasm for photography really shines. Thank you for all the hard work that must go into making these videos. I love your Azure Kingfisher shots.

Excellent reviews if all these lenses! Your time is much appreciated… I have the rf 600mm & 800mm f/11, rf 100-400mm, and 100-500mm. We got the r7 and my fiancé uses it with the 600 f11 and rf 100-400. I think the 600 f11 is a great combo with the r7. It was not used much until the r7 and it has a little more flexibility in comparison to the 800mm with its focus distance and field of view. She also loves the 100-400mm because it is so light in comparison to my 100-500mm. Thanks again, I will stick with the lenses we have for now, hopefully there is a rf 150-600mm in the near future!

Fantastic video, as usual :) I'm using the R5 + Sigma 150-600, and even in low light, I usually manage to get a few ringers, from any encounter, that puts the bird close enough, with decent lighting angles. The AF definitely misses plenty of them too :( Here shortly, I plan to rent several items > The R7, the RF 100-500mm, an RF 1.4 TC and an RF 2.0 TC, so that I can test several different combos myself. If I buy nothing else, I think I will at least need to pick up the R7, as it would be a bit crazy to do 4000 or 5000 mile birding road trips (which I'm planning next Spring) without a back up camera. Thanks again for the awesome video :)

Amazing pictures and such an informative video. Thank you for creating amazing content!

You do some very beautiful work. Both the cormorant shots were excellent!

Another great review Duade, I have an R6 with both the 100-500 & the 800F11and I was possibly the first person on the Sunshine Coast to get the R7. I have taken some outstanding photos on the R7 with these lenses. However the R6 auto focus is faster and more consistent when using this lenses, particullaly the 800mm. I don't think the R7 is bad, it is just the R6 is extremely good. I bought the R7 for the extra reach and 32.5 megapixel censor and it has certainly delivered on these features. I can crop further and I have gotten photos I would not have with the R6. I think it is worth pointing out to anyone looking at the R7 with any of these lenses, that the final image quality depends a lot on the software you edit the files with. For me DXO pure raw gives me a much sharper images with better detail and Noise reduction compared to Lightroom. Mind you, I use DXO in combination with Lightroom and Photoshop because I love a lot of the features only available in those programs. I think my next lens will be either the EF 400mm F4 or EF 500mm F4. It will have to be second hand or I might end up divorced. I am thinking the bigger aperture would really help the R7 auto focus, have you used either of these lenses with the R7?

Really outstanding video, I had no idea the 1.4x was viable on the rf 100-400. I think I'll be picking that up after seeing how well it did for you. I have the RF 100-400 and the RF 800 with the R6 and I've been very happy with that lens combo so far. This video is going to be super helpful for a lot of people! I also had no idea not all 400mm lenses looked the same at 400! Very interesting.

awsome video mate love your work

Amazing review! Thank you for all your hard work it's really appreciated. I have the R5 and RF 100-500 and am well happy with them.