Canon 420-800mm
Reaching an effective 1600mm focal length with the included 2x teleconverter, this lens provides extreme reach in an all-metal body weighing just 520g. Its HD coated glass and manual focus design offer an affordable entry into super-telephoto photography without the bulk or cost of first-party optics. This lens is best for budget-conscious wildlife observers and moon photographers who can work with a fixed f/8.3-16 aperture and a 33-foot minimum focus distance on a tripod.
Snapshot
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Strong versatility (86th percentile) 86th
- Strong social proof (66th percentile) 66th
Cons
- Below average optical (1th percentile)
- Below average af (14th percentile)
- Below average user sentiment (17th percentile)
- Below average macro (30th percentile)
What owners think
How owner sentiment changed over time
ExclusiveBased on when customers actually wrote their reviews — so you can see whether early praise held up.
Based on 7 dated customer reviews, grouped by calendar quarter. Period analysis is in English.
The proof
Performance
Specifications
Full Specifications
Optics
| Type | super-telephoto |
| Focal Length Min | 420 |
| Focal Length Max | 1600 |
| Elements | 4 |
| Groups | 2 |
| Coating | HD Coated Glass |
Aperture
| Max Aperture | 16 |
| Min Aperture | 8.3 |
| Constant | No |
Build
| Mount | Canon EF |
| Format | APS-C |
| Weight | 0.5 kg / 1.1 lbs |
| Filter Thread | 62 |
AF & Stabilization
| AF Type | manual focus only |
| Stabilization | No |
Focus
| Min Focus Distance | 1600 |
vs Competition
| Spec | Canon 420-800mm | Sigma Contemporary 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS | Tamron Di III 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD | Nikon NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR | Panasonic LUMIX G Leica DG Vario-Elmarit H-ES50200 | Viltrox 13mm F1.4 f/1.4 E STM Auto Focus Ultra Wide Angle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focal Length | 420-1600mm | 16-300mm | 18-300mm | 28-400mm | 50-200mm | 13mm |
| Max Aperture | 16 | f/3.5 | f/3.5 | f/4 | f/2.8 | f/1.4 |
| Mount | Canon EF | Sony E | Fuji X | Nikon Z | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E |
| Stabilization | false | true | true | true | true | true |
| Weather Sealed | false | true | false | true | true | false |
| Weight (g) | 520 | 615 | 92 | 726 | 655 | 415 |
| AF Type | manual focus only | HLA | VXD linear motor | STM | linear motor | STM |
| Lens Type | super-telephoto | zoom | zoom | zoom | telephoto | Wide-Angle |
| Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare |
| Product | Af | Bokeh | Build | Macro | Optical | Aperture | User Sentiment | Versatility | Social Proof | Stabilization |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canon 420-800mm | 14 | 35.1 | 46.8 | 30.1 | 1.2 | 49.5 | 16.5 | 86.4 | 65.5 | 36 |
| Sigma Contemporary 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS Compare | 54.5 | 84.3 | 59 | 85.9 | 98.9 | 76.9 | 0 | 99.6 | 78 | 99.1 |
| Tamron Di III 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD Compare | 98.3 | 74.9 | 96.6 | 87.7 | 74.6 | 76.9 | 30.1 | 99.2 | 83.1 | 81.3 |
| Nikon NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR Compare | 86.9 | 77.8 | 51.6 | 81.3 | 97 | 71.2 | 0 | 98.9 | 83.1 | 98.3 |
| Panasonic LUMIX G Leica DG Vario-Elmarit H-ES50200 Compare | 98.3 | 86.1 | 55.3 | 23.1 | 95.9 | 83.7 | 91.7 | 88.3 | 65.9 | 96.4 |
| Viltrox 13mm F1.4 f/1.4 E STM Auto Focus Ultra Wide Angle Compare | 86.9 | 96.6 | 42.1 | 89.4 | 82.6 | 96.4 | 80.8 | 34.2 | 74 | 81.3 |
Usage Scores
A full written review is coming soon. The specs, scores, prices and charts above are always up to date.
