Canon Wildlife Lens Recommendations
My Canon wildlife lens recommendations ...
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM Lens 
Canon EF 500mm f/4.0 L IS USM Lens
Canon EF 600mm f/4.0 L IS USM Lens
Canon EF 300mm f/4.0 L IS USM Lens
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM Lens
Canon EF 1.4x Extender
Wildlife photography usually needs as much focal length as they can carry or afford.
Wildlife is just that - wild and alive.
Get too close and your subject is off to the next county.
The farther away you can be from your subject, the more likely you will have time to get many natural shots of your quarry.
Generally, wildlife is most active in the early morning and late evening - when the light is at its lowest levels.
Fast lenses are ideal, but image stabilization can be very helpful in these situations as the animals will often stop or move slowly when not disturbed.
A tripod is helpful as well.
The Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM Lens
is a great and very popular wildlife lens.
It offers a very wide focal length range up to and including 400mm.
While not real fast (aperture-wise), image stabilization compensates a great deal for subjects not moving too fast.
The Canon EF 500mm f/4.0 L IS USM Lens
may be the ultimate wildlife lens, but it is priced that way too.
It lacks the focal length range and portability of the 100-400 as well.
Bare or combined with the Canon EF 1.4x Extender,
the 500 f/4 IS is an excellent bird photography lens.
I tend to take this one over the 600 f/4 when I'm traveling.
The Canon EF 600mm f/4.0 L IS USM Lens
is larger and more expensive than the 500mm IS, but it also has more reach.
Those using a full frame body will appreciate this additional 100mm of focal length.
Also compatible with the
Canon EF 1.4x Extender,
the 600 f/4 IS is an excellent option.
If you are on a budget, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM Lens
can be pushed into service as a wildlife lens.
It is optically great and physically well built.
A Canon EF 1.4x Extender
can extend the effectiveness of the 70-200 f/4 for wildlife photography.
In reality, most relatively long lenses can be used for wildlife photography.
But, some will give you much better odds of getting the prize-winning shot.
Read my full reviews to see which lens(es) are best for you.
