Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS USM : Specifications and Opinions

Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS USM

The Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS USM is a supertele lens for FF and APS-C, manufactured from 1999 to 2011 (discontinued). The focus is done by Ultrasonic AF Motor (Ring-USM), it has image stabilization. The average price was 6400 €;

49 users have given it an average vote of 9.7 out of 10.

MOUNT

This lens is available with the following mounts:

Canon EF: this lens is compatible with reflex fullframe and APS-C Canon EF.

Specifications
Focal lenght	500 mm
Angle of view	5°
Format	FF, APS-C
Max. aperture	f/4
Aperture blades	8
Lenses/Groups	17 elements in 13 groups
Min. focus distance	4.50 meters
Reproduction ratio	0.12x
Features
Stabilization	Yes (built in lens)
Focus	Ultrasonic AF Motor (Ring-USM)
Internal Focus	Yes
Built and notes
Tripod ring	Yes
Extenders	Yes
Filters	52 mm
Lens hood	Yes, supplied
Weather sealing	Yes
Weight	3870 g
Dimensions	146 x 387 mm
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Reviews

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The following opinions have been automatically translated with Google Translate.

Kevin Saragozza 90

sent on 25 Marzo 2025

Pros: Sharpness at all apertures, spectacular micro-contrast, beautiful colors and magical blur.

Cons: A monster, certainly heavy, but the yield makes you forget everything, moreover personally I can shoot handheld, it can be considered as half a day of training that will replace the gym, as far as birdlife is concerned. I took it for shots of the setting moon or dawning near monuments.

Opinion: An exceptional lens, there is not much to say about this dated project, but certainly it is not age that takes away immense potential, details, microcontrast, colors, magic blur, it is true it is no longer repairable, but finding the right used, rest assured that such a lens is difficult to break, a real tank, moreover some authorized dealers declare that they can repair it perhaps by cannibalizing on other pieces. Vote 10

Pietro Guberti

sent on 15 Marzo 2021

Pros: Sharpness also multiplied, brightness, bokeh, construction solidity

Cons: Difficulty any spare parts

Opinion: Where to start? I have been using this lens for more than a year and it has given me a lot of satisfaction. Both on 1dx and 7d2 it has a fast af that becomes very fast if you use the limiter. I have to admit that the sharpness is fantastic, I would say equal to 400 2.8 is that I also use, which I didn't think possible at first. In birdlife with subjects around 10/15 meters the detail is stunning. The bokeh is splendid and the brightness (added to what has been said so far) still makes it much higher than all the tele zooms released on the market in more recent years (apart from perhaps the various 200-400 cannikon, with which you still see it at least on par). Of course it weighs a little and compared to similar but newer optics it is perhaps slightly unbalanced forward but nothing that prevents its use freehand, for me. On the other hand, I cannot attribute them to optics: age makes any spare parts difficult to find and in Italy for those who do birdlife it can sometimes be a little short, but it holds the 1.4x very well without loss of quality or responsiveness in autofocus. I was skeptical when I bought it used at the store, but it convinced me to the point of excellent photos. For me it still remains an exceptional perspective despite the age and the market that always jumps to the new. Vote 9.5.

Max67

sent on 16 Agosto 2019

Pros: Excellent quality from real series L excellent yield anke full opening anke multiplied 1.4x / 2.0x

Cons: At the moment no one

Opinion: Bought new in physical store in 2011, the lens is of excellent quality, very incisive and detailed, multiplied anke has no loss of quality, very robust and well tropicalized, excellent x avifaona, never had problems with very fast and precise in hooking the subject anke in strong movement, for my tranquilseen ke nn had ever touched assistance, sent to Canon camera service only in August 2018 x af control, slow, and stabilizer, a BIG goal.

Marco Guerrini

sent on 20 Febbraio 2018

Pros: Full-aperture yield, image quality, "portability" for the focal length.

Cons: Uncomfortable the front cap, outside the CPS.

Opinion: I got it used on the occasion by a friend about three years ago, practically new. It was my dream in the drawer. It was love at first sight, exceptional, first associated with a 7d where however the coupled was unbalanced, I then took a used 1d mk4 and became the perfect match. Personally I find it usabilissimo freehand, probably it is the limit as focal length / brightness / freehand use, it is not very light of course, but there sta.rnHa very good quality already at full aperture, fast in focus. The only drawback is the front lens cover, uncomfortable to remove, especially when stored in the backpack, I do not digest it right. Furthermore. is out of the list of CPS ... rnAssociato to 1.4 III still maintains a good quality, I often use it freehand and can manage to hook the bird avifauna quite well on the fly and the stabilizer all in all behaves well, I often run shots with little light and relatively short time baces and many were saved.rnWith the 2x II there was a collapse in quality and af almost unusable. Turned to 2x I noticed a quality improvement and all in all the yield is good if the subject occupies a good part of the frame. For shots on the fly better to forget, the limit is 1.4x.

Giampaolo Masserano

sent on 20 Febbraio 2018

Pros: Total yield both at full opening and diaphragmed; Robustness.

Cons: Weight and therefore difficult balancing (with light bodies) for freehand use.

Opinion: I bought it used as "logic" added to the excellent 100-400 L IS II and also use the 1.4 x III (maintaining the effectiveness of autofocus, especially with the 6d). With the 2x becomes unmanageable, at least for me I often use only a shoulder handle (self-built). To get a better balance, on my 7dii and 6d I mounted the battery-grip with two batteries. Of course the weight still increases but improves the overall maneuverability. Update 2 February 2019 after a full year of use, I must say that I am very satisfied also because after a while you get used to the footprint and weight. Leaning on a solid support (easel, car, other) the yield is formidable. I also tried shooting "on the fly" and as evidenced by the photos posted on Juza, the result is really excellent. My specimen has the stabilizer a bit noisy but nothing annoying: from the cabin the subjects do not notice. Someone complains (rightly) the discomfort of the original cover-hood: I have eliminated it and in its place use a "stopper" elastic camouflage neoprene that fits perfectly and preserves the front lens.

There are 10 more reviews. Show all »

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Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS USM : Specifications and Opinions

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Reviews

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Photos taken with Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS USM