Field Testing the Canon RF 100-500mm: A Bird Photographer’s Dream

While I have owned the lens for some time, I recently took the Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 lens paired with my R5 out for a twilight wildlife session along the picturesque Mullum Creek Trail in Donvale, Victoria. Although I work as a Melbourne based professional commercial and industrial photographer, I am also a bird photography enthusiast, and so always eager to put this lens through its paces in challenging light conditions – and spoiler alert it certainly does not disappoint.

For a short while the late afternoon light painted the scene in golden hues, providing perfect conditions for capturing Rainbow Lorikeets and Sulphur-crested Cockatoos in flight. Working with a fixed shutter speed of 1/2500 second to freeze the action, I let the camera handle ISO adjustments automatically. The lens’s excellent optical stabilization, combined with the R5’s stellar autofocus system, made tracking these swift subjects remarkably effortless. However I am now seriously tempted to upgrade my R5 to the recently released R5 Mark II. While my current R5 performs admirably, the Mark II’s enhanced features are particularly appealing for bird photography. The improved AI-powered subject detection and tracking, which now includes more precise bird recognition, should make those split-second flight shots even more consistent, combined with the pre capture feature which would have saved me from missing the take-offs on a few occasions on this shoot. The faster 30 fps electronic shutter (up from 20 fps) would give me even more frames to choose from (and clog up my hard drive!) when capturing those brief, magical moments of bird behavior.

While my current R5 continues to serve me well, I think these enhancements would take my bird photography to the next level, especially when paired with this exceptional RF 100-500mm lens…I wonder if my bank manager agrees…

The one thing I realised as I finished up writing this article was that I had not mentioned anywhere throughout what focal length all the enclosed images were captured at, which in the case of these images most were shot at between 400 – 500mm. What truly impressed me was the lens’s performance as daylight began to fade. Even as the ISO climbed to maintain my fast shutter speed, the lens’s sharp optics continued delivering stunning results. The images required some noise reduction in post-processing, which I achieved through a combination of Adobe Camera Raw’s enhance tool and Topaz Labs’ Photo AI and Denoise AI software. The results were remarkable – clean, crisp images that retained all the detail and vibrancy of the original scenes.

The RF 100-500mm’s versatile zoom range proved perfect for adapting to the birds’ unpredictable flight paths, while its relatively lightweight design meant I could track subjects comfortably throughout the extended session. Despite its variable aperture reaching f/7.1 at the long end, the lens’s outstanding sharpness and contrast more than compensated for this limitation.

For anyone considering wildlife photography with the Canon R system, I can’t recommend this lens highly enough. It’s become an essential part of my kit, delivering professional-quality results in even the most challenging conditions. The combination of reach, optical quality, and handling makes it a standout choice for serious bird photographers, although of course it is suitable for shooting sports!

By the time I captured the image above I was working at ISO 12800, so naturally I felt the need to remove the grain inherent in shooting at higher ISO levels. I do realise that not everyone does this as some photographers don’t mind the increased noise levels as ISO’s rise, to them it is just something to live with and I totally respect that.

However I do prefer a cleaner image, and so in this instance I first applied the Topaz Photo AI noise reduction. I found however that while it gave me an excellent result on the background, it was too aggressive for the bird. As such, in Photoshop I started by duplicating the base layer and applying a Topaz Denoise AI noise reduction. Just to clarify this was the older version of the Topaz products, which along with Topaz Sharpen AI, I still find to be very useful. I then duplicated the Denoise layer and added a Topaz Sharpen AI layer, bringing out the details nicely.

Finally I added the Photo AI layer, applied an overall noise reduction to the entire image (I prefer to do this myself manually and mask in Photoshop, rather than using the selection feature in Photo AI). I then selected the bird in Photoshop and using a mask ensured that the Photo aI noise reduction only affected the background in the image.

Whether you’re capturing birds in flight or you need a versatile zoom range for sports and landscape details, this lens consistently delivers excellent results. It’s an investment that truly pays dividends in the field, and I still get the ‘wow’ factor when I open my images in Adobe Camera RAW! Highly recommended.

Gear Used During This Session (and one for my wishlist!)

• Canon EOS R5 Camera Body – A powerhouse for wildlife photography with its incredible autofocus system and high resolution sensor
• Canon R5 Mk II – The next camera on my spending horizon, particularly for the improved autofocus capabilities.
• Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM Lens – Exceptional reach and sharpness in a relatively compact package
• Topaz Labs Photo AI Software – Fantastic for overall image enhancement – I still use the older version as below in conjunction with Photo AI. Sometimes, and just depending on the image, I find one works better than the other, and vice-versa.
• Topaz Labs Denoise AI – A fabulous tool for noise reduction while maintaining detail.

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Feel free to reach out in the comments below if you have any questions about this equipment or bird photography in general. I’m always happy to share experiences and tips with fellow photographers!