Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM Lens Image Quality Test Results

Image quality, vignetting, and distortion test results along with specs, measurements, and standard product images Image quality test results have been added to the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM Lens page.

While these image quality results may appear simple, they have a background. Keeping the story short, my first copy of this lens took forever to arrive and when it did, the performance was not as expected with damage sustained in transit being strongly suspected. The second lens also took a long time to acquire and the results being shared here are from this lens.

Before announcing these results, I did some sanity checking including with my Canon USA technical rep. My concern (always) is ensuring that this lens' performance is representative of what buyers should expect from their own lens. The MTF charts suggest that the version III lens should perform nearly equally to the version II lens. While I'm not absolutely 100% confident that a better copy of this lens is not available (and will likely test at least one more copy of this lens to be sure), I have enough confidence that this lens is representative of the model, showing what we should expect, to share these results.

That said, let's jump right into the comparison that most will be interested in, the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III vs. II Lens image quality comparison. The version III lens produces very impressive image quality wide open. My only cause for concern about this lens copy was that the version II lens is very slightly sharper in the center of the frame with the difference primarily noticeable when extenders are being used. With less lateral CA, the version III lens produces better peripheral image quality, even with the 2x extender in place.

Unmistakably better is the version III's weight. As I was creating this post, I grabbed the lens from my desk and ran to attempt to catch a pileated woodpecker on a tree just outside the studio. That effort reminded me how amazingly light this lens is for its specs.

Here is another relevant comparison: Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III vs. Nikon 600mm f/4E AF-S FL ED VR Lens.

The hard-to-get Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM Lens is available for order at B&H ("More on the Way" — coming soon) (save the tax, use the B&H Payboo card), on backorder at Adorama, "Temporarily out of stock" at Amazon, and available for preorder at WEX.

Want this lens in your hands tomorrow? Lensrentals has the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM Lens available for rental.