Thank you JonnyPink for sharing this! I went from my Sigma 150-600 contemporary on my R7 to this RF200-800 a few days ago! The manual focus ring is at the same level as on my Sigma! I use a tripod or I'll use my R7 +RF200-800 combo with a TRAGOPAN floating hide so it works well for me! Now everyone has their own use! But what versatility, what pleasure this combo! I would like to take this opportunity to wish you lots of beautiful pictures for 2024 and perfect health as well as everyone who reads this comment!
At less than 1000 euros in France, the Sigma 150-600 Contemporary remains an exceptional lens in this focal range and in this price range! Now of course the Canon costs 2.5 times more but this difference is quickly justified! Even better sharpness (already good on the Sigma) better autofocus, much stickier, the RF 200-800 delivers more micro contrast, an additional 320mm which is welcome on my R7 for close-ups or for small subjects and above all the autofocus is silent in video on the RF200-800 because as I film a lot the noise of the Sigma gets on my nerves after a while -)! But I don't forget where I come from and I recommend the Sigma 150-600 Contemporary to anyone who wants to start at an affordable price! Cheers, Ludo@@JonnyPink65
@@ludowild I agree with all the that 100%. I do look forward to what Sigma comes out with as far as an affordable RF lens - I think that will be awesome. Another lens I recommend to those just starting out that don't have a lot of cash and want something lightweight - the RF 100-400. Not a fast lens but it is sharp and you can get great photos on the R7 with. 🤗💖
Happy new year/ The more I use it, the more I live the versatile. And, I am getting used to bending my thumb back to get to the focus ring - not ideal, but it works. Was at Hahn today, the Lagoon yesterday and I think going back tomorrow to start the new year at the beach!! 🙏🤗💖
There are more and more as we all start to get them in our hands. I am excited watching what others are capturing with theirs. Thank you, thank you for letting me share! 🙏🤗💖
Thank you, thank you!!! I/we (James will be joining me for part of it) think I will be shooting in snow and rain most of the time and I cant wait. If I am able to get even one awesome photo, it will be worth it. It is a week out and I have been packing for a while. Hoping it is epic!! 🙏🤗💖
I am a regular and generic as it gets. LOL. I was sitting at my computer, refreshing and refreshing as soon as it went up for sale and hit the buy it now button. I wanted my order in the que as soon as I could get it in there. I was on the fortunate side. 🙏💖🤗
For someone who doesn't like the lens, your images make a strong case for getting one 😂. Just gorgeous. I agree with your pick of the day, too. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, thank you. I hate to give up on anything - I am stubborn like that. Overall, I really like this lens. It is versatile, sharp, lightweight - it is fun to shoot. I use my manual focus ring a lot for treasures ticked into the bushes or for close subjects. I am working on decades of muscle memory to reach just my left thumb back to dial it wo where I want the focus. And since I shoot all my zooms at the max focal length most of the time, I use that technique to find my subject as well as focus hopping - like star hopping. I have to learn to work with what the lens offers. But over all - it is pretty awesome. 🙏🤗💖
WHAT amazing pictures you have taken with that lens. I just got mine, which I will keep. Your results are so convincing that I have absolutely no doubt. I also have the RF 100-500 and I intend to make use of both depending on the situation. I do understand the frustration regarding the focus/control ring position, but I don’t use manual focus handheld very often. Thanks for sharing our video. Happy new year. Greetings from Per, Denmark
Happy new year in Denmark - you got there before we did here in California! I just have to learn to work with the focus ring as it sits. Overall, this is a really awesome lens - super versatile, lightweight and sharp. I use the manual focus ring when the treasure I am shooting is in the bushes, or when trying to locate it - it is the technique I learned and decades of muscle memory are not easy to overcome. When ever possible (even with the big 600 F4), I prefer to be hand held for the freedom it offers.. I thank YOU for letting me share. Happy, happy new year!! 🙏🤗💖
Great video John. Awesome images with the 200-800 lens. 😍Obviously the designers of that lens thought everyone would be using a tripod when they decided on the placement of the manual focus ring!?!
Bill!!! I think for most, it will be fine and no problem. It is the way i shoot and I just have to get used to it. I use it for close treasures and when something is buried in the bushes. But overall, I am really enjoying the versatility this lens offers, especially for video. Man, i LOVE new tech!! Happy and safe new year to you and family Bill! 🙏🤗💖
I would love to know how much it has changed in all these years. Now you have racers up and down PCH, and homeless live out at the lagoon as well. But it is still a beautiful place. They did something to the flow with berms in the summer and started to stagnate. But it is ALIVE again and sooooo beautiful!!! Thank you for letting me share with you. 🙏🤗💖 Thank you for your service. My dad was career Air Force - WWII (Army Air Corps at that time), Korea, Viet Nam and I was born on the Air For Base in Albuquerque NM. Then we lived in Austin on the base until he retired.. Both of my bother in laws were in Nam as well. But me????? I am the accident and disappointment born 13 years after my siblings that pushes myself to the edge to make them all proud even though they are all gone. I am so so happy I can share with you!! 🤗
I think you will find it a super versatile and awesome lens!! The strap I use is a cheap one from Amazon that I bought when my expensive one broke. www.amazon.com/dp/B07CLXDF9J?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1 I just actually ordered another for my trip just in case while gone. I keep two points of contact at all times from experience having a lens hit the ground. I keep one on the camera and one on the lens. I keep meaning to do a video on that and how I set it up!! 🙏🤗💖
Thanks John for sharing magical images ! I'm a bit puzzled regarding your huge dislike of the focus ring .. In a video of Jan Wegener I noticed the size and relative location of the zoom rings, zoom tightness and focus rings of the 100-500 and 200-800 are nearly the same. Just the color (&material) of the focus ring differs (in order to nicely oppose the lens hood color I'd assume). Is it rather the location of the combined rings versus the center of gravity, or versus the tripod foot which annoys you ??
I am learning to work with the placement. I use it for focusing on the small treasures when they are in the bushes. It is in the same place on the 100-500 but that is such a small lens, it was never an issue. With the new lens when it is extended, it gets more front heavy and being a larger lens overall, my hand is farter forward meaning I have to reach farther back to get to the focus ring. I wish they had moved the programable button back and the focus ring up but that is really being nit picky. If I put the foot slightly to the left, it seems to be a bit easier to get to, but it is the weight and balance. For distance object, no problem - I rarely touch it. But the close treasure - I use it a lot. Just my way of shooting. Overall, I really like it and prefer it on the R5 🙏🤗💖 PS - I discovered how much I LOVE the zoom!! I dont have to keep stepping back.
@@JonnyPink65 Thanks for clarifying the placement issue is related to the center of gravity, which means it doesn't apply when using a tripod. I did order it, but only after the first review by Duade Paton, so I may have to wait a while before delivery. I'm planning to use it when so far I'd put a 1.4x on the 100-500. And this 420-700 is hardly zooming, and for me it's mostly when trying to get distant buzzards in the EVF when I need to assist with manual focus. Combining the larger zoom range of the 200-800 with a large zone for initial focus might make my life easier is such cases. Using triple back button AF setup on the R5 (eye-AF, regular AF, switching zones for regular AF) I usually don't need manual focus assist for closer subjects,
@@WernerBirdNature I have watched many videos of those using this lens and we all use it differently. I use manual focus for subject in the bushes. That seems to be something that confuses most lenses and AF systems - I put examples in the mot recent one that I think I have scheduled for Tuesday or Thursday when I am gone. That is when I use it most. Overall, it is AMAZING and my favorite part is the zoom!!! Enjoy it when you get it!!! 🤗💖
Fantastic shots. The area is so awesome. Treasures hiding everywhere. And being blown out with a side of clams ain't bad either. OMG. I have to agree that the manual fades are painful and harder to do every year. HA HA! Happy New Year Jonny Pink and may you have much much success, happiness and good health in 2024. I have will have more photo opportunities...two grand babies on the way!
Happy, happy new year!! Grand babies - oh no..... that would make me FEEL old LOL. My kids in their mid/late 20s are too young for that and so am I. LOL I was watching a gull with a muscle - it popped into my head "nice clam", but my wife's sister said no, "nice muscle". Either say, it was funny in my had and only that part made it to the video. We all made it to another day and that is as awesome as it can be! Hope you are home and safe. Nice clam..... 🙏🤗💖
Thank you!! I went with F10 for just a bit more depth of field and also to see if it made any difference. At that distance, the F9 is really, really shallow anyway. That is another reason I have been happy and was surprised with the quality of the 800 F11 - it really is an amazing little lens even with its limitations. 🙏💖🤗
Thank you, thank you. I completely understand that thought. For the most part, the sealing on all of the zoom lenses is pretty awesome. The only gear I have every had problems with dust getting in was with point and shoot cameras that I was also using for video. Over all, for the versatility and weight - it is an awesome little lens! 🙏🤗💖
Well, I have not used the Canon R6 MII but if I personally had to chose between the two, I would go for the R5 because of the sensor size. I have used smaller sensors many times but there is nothing like more information for wildlife. For me, and as an opinion for what I look for, 24 MP is a just not enough.... for me. Years ago when the Nikon D500 came out and everyone went gaga over it as a wildlife camera, I had one and hated it - the sensor was just too small for me. Others have a different opinion. I know you can get great photos with both but I always want as much detail and info as I can get!! 🙏🤗💖
I have the R6mk2 and R7. I do mostly bird photography and the R6mk2 just always dissapoints me. Not enough resolution especally since you are losing the reach that the R7 aps-c sensor has. However, when doing photos of people or video the R6mk2 really shines. I would have a hard time suggesting a R5 now knowing there will be a mk2 version at some point this year.
@@spyder000069 I think it will all depend on the specs and the price of the R5 mark II. I love my R5 and all the megapixels it has. That is one reason I did not want to try the R6 and especially not the R3... or even the R1 if is will also have a small sensor. I want as much information as I can get. R7 and the R5 are the perfect bodies at this time for me with regards to the sensor size. Lets see what the future bodies have in store! 🤗
John.............FYI the first bird you have labeled as "plover" is actually a Least Sandpiper. Very small, slightly downcurved bill and most importantly yellowish legs. The one immediately after that labeled as "plover" is a Black-bellied Plover. After that is a Ruddy Turnstone. The bird labled "Eurasian Whimbrel" is just a Whimbrel.
Thank you for the information - I use AI to identify the species. I am no expert so thank you for the correction. I used to go through books and such, but now.... AI. I go with what they tell me it is. 🙏🤗💖
Thank you, thank you. Overall, it is a fantastic lens especially for the price. I use the focus ring a lot for treasure in the buses or to help the focus in low light. A focus limiter would have been awesome as well but that would have added to the price. Most will not find this to be an issue at all, but it is the way I shoot. But over all - it is an awesome lens. And, I think I am going to print that as a 24 X 36 poster. As I was editing, I fell in love with it!! 🙏🤗💖
Thank you JonnyPink for sharing this! I went from my Sigma 150-600 contemporary on my R7 to this RF200-800 a few days ago! The manual focus ring is at the same level as on my Sigma! I use a tripod or I'll use my R7 +RF200-800 combo with a TRAGOPAN floating hide so it works well for me! Now everyone has their own use! But what versatility, what pleasure this combo! I would like to take this opportunity to wish you lots of beautiful pictures for 2024 and perfect health as well as everyone who reads this comment!
A happy and safe new year to you!!! This lens overall, really is amazing. Going between the two lenses, what is your opinion between the two? 🙏🤗💖
At less than 1000 euros in France, the Sigma 150-600 Contemporary remains an exceptional lens in this focal range and in this price range! Now of course the Canon costs 2.5 times more but this difference is quickly justified! Even better sharpness (already good on the Sigma) better autofocus, much stickier, the RF 200-800 delivers more micro contrast, an additional 320mm which is welcome on my R7 for close-ups or for small subjects and above all the autofocus is silent in video on the RF200-800 because as I film a lot the noise of the Sigma gets on my nerves after a while -)!
But I don't forget where I come from and I recommend the Sigma 150-600 Contemporary to anyone who wants to start at an affordable price! Cheers, Ludo@@JonnyPink65
@@ludowild I agree with all the that 100%. I do look forward to what Sigma comes out with as far as an affordable RF lens - I think that will be awesome. Another lens I recommend to those just starting out that don't have a lot of cash and want something lightweight - the RF 100-400. Not a fast lens but it is sharp and you can get great photos on the R7 with. 🤗💖
Fantastic. Hope today was just as amazing.
Happy new year/ The more I use it, the more I live the versatile. And, I am getting used to bending my thumb back to get to the focus ring - not ideal, but it works. Was at Hahn today, the Lagoon yesterday and I think going back tomorrow to start the new year at the beach!! 🙏🤗💖
Good you’re making 200-800 vids because there still aren’t that many out on Ty. Thanks. Good stuff.
There are more and more as we all start to get them in our hands. I am excited watching what others are capturing with theirs. Thank you, thank you for letting me share! 🙏🤗💖
Again an Amazing Lens and wonderful pictures. Thank you so much Mr Johnny Pink for sharing that😀
Thank YOU for letting me share with you!! 🙏🤗💖
Yep John is having a fun day out with the birds. 😄😄😄😄👍👍👍🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Always - as much fun as I can! 🙏🤗💖
Enjoyed that video. Can’t wait to see the video on your Washington trip.
Thank you, thank you!!! I/we (James will be joining me for part of it) think I will be shooting in snow and rain most of the time and I cant wait. If I am able to get even one awesome photo, it will be worth it. It is a week out and I have been packing for a while. Hoping it is epic!! 🙏🤗💖
I say the same things when out shooting wildlife - If I can get one really good image it was a success.@@JonnyPink65
Lucky you with your 200-800. Most of us regular folks still are waiting for ours.
I am a regular and generic as it gets. LOL. I was sitting at my computer, refreshing and refreshing as soon as it went up for sale and hit the buy it now button. I wanted my order in the que as soon as I could get it in there. I was on the fortunate side. 🙏💖🤗
For someone who doesn't like the lens, your images make a strong case for getting one 😂. Just gorgeous. I agree with your pick of the day, too. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, thank you. I hate to give up on anything - I am stubborn like that. Overall, I really like this lens. It is versatile, sharp, lightweight - it is fun to shoot. I use my manual focus ring a lot for treasures ticked into the bushes or for close subjects. I am working on decades of muscle memory to reach just my left thumb back to dial it wo where I want the focus. And since I shoot all my zooms at the max focal length most of the time, I use that technique to find my subject as well as focus hopping - like star hopping. I have to learn to work with what the lens offers. But over all - it is pretty awesome. 🙏🤗💖
great shots again!
Thank you, thank you!!! 🙏🤗💖
WHAT amazing pictures you have taken with that lens. I just got mine, which I will keep. Your results are so convincing that I have absolutely no doubt. I also have the RF 100-500 and I intend to make use of both depending on the situation. I do understand the frustration regarding the focus/control ring position, but I don’t use manual focus handheld very often. Thanks for sharing our video. Happy new year. Greetings from Per, Denmark
Happy new year in Denmark - you got there before we did here in California! I just have to learn to work with the focus ring as it sits. Overall, this is a really awesome lens - super versatile, lightweight and sharp. I use the manual focus ring when the treasure I am shooting is in the bushes, or when trying to locate it - it is the technique I learned and decades of muscle memory are not easy to overcome. When ever possible (even with the big 600 F4), I prefer to be hand held for the freedom it offers.. I thank YOU for letting me share. Happy, happy new year!! 🙏🤗💖
Great video John. Awesome images with the 200-800 lens. 😍Obviously the designers of that lens thought everyone would be using a tripod when they decided on the placement of the manual focus ring!?!
Not a bad spot for it if you have it out in the rain with a slip-on cover. Having it half way up the lens would make focussing impractical.
Bill!!! I think for most, it will be fine and no problem. It is the way i shoot and I just have to get used to it. I use it for close treasures and when something is buried in the bushes. But overall, I am really enjoying the versatility this lens offers, especially for video. Man, i LOVE new tech!! Happy and safe new year to you and family Bill! 🙏🤗💖
@@OzWildImages I will find out on my Washington trip. The forecast is snow and rain for almost all of it and I cant wait!! 🙏🤗💖
@@JonnyPink65 Thanks John! Happy New Year’s to you and yours!!🥳
That was exciting. Familiar territory. I was in the USAF during Nam, stationed in Oxnard. Know Malibu well.
I would love to know how much it has changed in all these years. Now you have racers up and down PCH, and homeless live out at the lagoon as well. But it is still a beautiful place. They did something to the flow with berms in the summer and started to stagnate. But it is ALIVE again and sooooo beautiful!!! Thank you for letting me share with you. 🙏🤗💖
Thank you for your service. My dad was career Air Force - WWII (Army Air Corps at that time), Korea, Viet Nam and I was born on the Air For Base in Albuquerque NM. Then we lived in Austin on the base until he retired.. Both of my bother in laws were in Nam as well. But me????? I am the accident and disappointment born 13 years after my siblings that pushes myself to the edge to make them all proud even though they are all gone. I am so so happy I can share with you!! 🤗
Thanks Jonny. We share stuff for sure.@@JonnyPink65
Thanks John. I can't wait to get my 200-800. Quick questiuon. What is the camera strap/sling you are using? Thanks.
I think you will find it a super versatile and awesome lens!! The strap I use is a cheap one from Amazon that I bought when my expensive one broke. www.amazon.com/dp/B07CLXDF9J?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1
I just actually ordered another for my trip just in case while gone. I keep two points of contact at all times from experience having a lens hit the ground. I keep one on the camera and one on the lens. I keep meaning to do a video on that and how I set it up!! 🙏🤗💖
Thanks. A video would be a great idea. Nothing worse than a lens crash.@@JonnyPink65
@@RVNmedic I am going to try to get that done before I leave on my adventure!!!! I can finish the edit in the evening in my hotel rooms! 🤗💖
Thanks John for sharing magical images !
I'm a bit puzzled regarding your huge dislike of the focus ring .. In a video of Jan Wegener I noticed the size and relative location of the zoom rings, zoom tightness and focus rings of the 100-500 and 200-800 are nearly the same. Just the color (&material) of the focus ring differs (in order to nicely oppose the lens hood color I'd assume). Is it rather the location of the combined rings versus the center of gravity, or versus the tripod foot which annoys you ??
I am learning to work with the placement. I use it for focusing on the small treasures when they are in the bushes. It is in the same place on the 100-500 but that is such a small lens, it was never an issue. With the new lens when it is extended, it gets more front heavy and being a larger lens overall, my hand is farter forward meaning I have to reach farther back to get to the focus ring. I wish they had moved the programable button back and the focus ring up but that is really being nit picky. If I put the foot slightly to the left, it seems to be a bit easier to get to, but it is the weight and balance. For distance object, no problem - I rarely touch it. But the close treasure - I use it a lot. Just my way of shooting. Overall, I really like it and prefer it on the R5 🙏🤗💖
PS - I discovered how much I LOVE the zoom!! I dont have to keep stepping back.
@@JonnyPink65 Thanks for clarifying the placement issue is related to the center of gravity, which means it doesn't apply when using a tripod.
I did order it, but only after the first review by Duade Paton, so I may have to wait a while before delivery.
I'm planning to use it when so far I'd put a 1.4x on the 100-500. And this 420-700 is hardly zooming, and for me it's mostly when trying to get distant buzzards in the EVF when I need to assist with manual focus. Combining the larger zoom range of the 200-800 with a large zone for initial focus might make my life easier is such cases.
Using triple back button AF setup on the R5 (eye-AF, regular AF, switching zones for regular AF) I usually don't need manual focus assist for closer subjects,
@@WernerBirdNature I have watched many videos of those using this lens and we all use it differently. I use manual focus for subject in the bushes. That seems to be something that confuses most lenses and AF systems - I put examples in the mot recent one that I think I have scheduled for Tuesday or Thursday when I am gone. That is when I use it most. Overall, it is AMAZING and my favorite part is the zoom!!! Enjoy it when you get it!!! 🤗💖
Fantastic shots. The area is so awesome. Treasures hiding everywhere. And being blown out with a side of clams ain't bad either. OMG. I have to agree that the manual fades are painful and harder to do every year. HA HA! Happy New Year Jonny Pink and may you have much much success, happiness and good health in 2024. I have will have more photo opportunities...two grand babies on the way!
Happy, happy new year!! Grand babies - oh no..... that would make me FEEL old LOL. My kids in their mid/late 20s are too young for that and so am I. LOL I was watching a gull with a muscle - it popped into my head "nice clam", but my wife's sister said no, "nice muscle". Either say, it was funny in my had and only that part made it to the video. We all made it to another day and that is as awesome as it can be! Hope you are home and safe. Nice clam..... 🙏🤗💖
Great video. Even though it is an F 9 lens at fastest you chose to go with F 10 …and your clicks were great
Thank you!! I went with F10 for just a bit more depth of field and also to see if it made any difference. At that distance, the F9 is really, really shallow anyway. That is another reason I have been happy and was surprised with the quality of the 800 F11 - it really is an amazing little lens even with its limitations. 🙏💖🤗
happy new year
Thank you, thank you. A happy, healthy and safe new year to you!! 🙏🤗💖
Fantastic sharp shots John but no internal zoom is a deal breaker for me
Thank you, thank you. I completely understand that thought. For the most part, the sealing on all of the zoom lenses is pretty awesome. The only gear I have every had problems with dust getting in was with point and shoot cameras that I was also using for video. Over all, for the versatility and weight - it is an awesome little lens! 🙏🤗💖
Canon r6 mark ii or canon r5?!
Well, I have not used the Canon R6 MII but if I personally had to chose between the two, I would go for the R5 because of the sensor size. I have used smaller sensors many times but there is nothing like more information for wildlife. For me, and as an opinion for what I look for, 24 MP is a just not enough.... for me. Years ago when the Nikon D500 came out and everyone went gaga over it as a wildlife camera, I had one and hated it - the sensor was just too small for me. Others have a different opinion. I know you can get great photos with both but I always want as much detail and info as I can get!! 🙏🤗💖
I have the R6mk2 and R7. I do mostly bird photography and the R6mk2 just always dissapoints me. Not enough resolution especally since you are losing the reach that the R7 aps-c sensor has. However, when doing photos of people or video the R6mk2 really shines. I would have a hard time suggesting a R5 now knowing there will be a mk2 version at some point this year.
@@spyder000069 I think it will all depend on the specs and the price of the R5 mark II. I love my R5 and all the megapixels it has. That is one reason I did not want to try the R6 and especially not the R3... or even the R1 if is will also have a small sensor. I want as much information as I can get. R7 and the R5 are the perfect bodies at this time for me with regards to the sensor size. Lets see what the future bodies have in store! 🤗
John.............FYI the first bird you have labeled as "plover" is actually a Least Sandpiper. Very small, slightly downcurved bill and most importantly yellowish legs. The one immediately after that labeled as "plover" is a Black-bellied Plover. After that is a Ruddy Turnstone. The bird labled "Eurasian Whimbrel" is just a Whimbrel.
Thank you for the information - I use AI to identify the species. I am no expert so thank you for the correction. I used to go through books and such, but now.... AI. I go with what they tell me it is. 🙏🤗💖
@@JonnyPink65 Happy to help...................clearly AI still has some learning to do ;-)
@@briansmall3090 I agree! I find it easier than going through the books, but I got it wrong then TOO. 🤗 They are treasures that I am happy to see. 💖
That lens renders nice images. Shame about the configuration of the focus ring. I agree, that last image you picked as fav, would be my fav as well.
Thank you, thank you. Overall, it is a fantastic lens especially for the price. I use the focus ring a lot for treasure in the buses or to help the focus in low light. A focus limiter would have been awesome as well but that would have added to the price. Most will not find this to be an issue at all, but it is the way I shoot. But over all - it is an awesome lens. And, I think I am going to print that as a 24 X 36 poster. As I was editing, I fell in love with it!! 🙏🤗💖