Est. $12,000
Yes you might want to rent this one. And yes you’ll need a tripod.
The Canon EF 800mm f/5.6 L IS USM Lens shares most of its features of Canon’s other super telephoto lenses - including IS. This IS implementation, however, is rated for 4 stops of camera shake correction. The difference between the 4-stop system the 2-stop IS implementation on the 600 f/4 is noticeable. IS, of course, is usually most helpful when handholding a lens. Since this lens is too heavy for me to consider handholdable (for any length of time at least), some of the IS benefit is negated. IS definitely helps for those quick shots taken handheld - it especially helps with framing at the high magnification of this focal length. Handholding this lens for any period of time is simply inviting an appointment with a rotator cuff surgeon.
It is however built like a tank and features some very fast AF, along with tripod sensing IS. If you shoot nature, you’ll want one.
The Digital Picture has the very good review here.
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