Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS USM Specifications

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Product
Name Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS USM

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Manufacturer Canon
Release Date and Price
Release Year 1999
MSRP 6999 USD
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Lens Type
Lens Type Telephoto Lens
Zoom or Prime Prime lens (no possibility to zoom)
Mount and Compatibility
Mount Canon (see compatible cameras)
Compatibility Works on all sensors (see compatible cameras)
Focus
Closest Focusing Distance 450 cm
Autofocus (AF) Yes
Built-in autofocus (AF) motor Yes (more info)
Aperture
Maximum aperture f/4
Optics
Elements: 17 elements / 13 groups
Focal Length 500 mm

Depending on which camera this lens is used the focal length can seem different. This is because different camera sensors can have a slight crop factor and the focal length will be equivalent to:
  • 500 mm on Canon FF, Full frame
  • 650 mm on Canon APS-H
  • 800 mm on Canon APS-C
See list, camera for camera

Read more on the cameras impact on the perceived focal length
Physical
Diameter 146 mm
Length 387 mm
Weight 3870 g (see the total weight, camera+lens)
Other
Image stabilization Yes, IS
Filter Drop-in Filter, 52 mm
Lens Hood ET-123B (included)
Tripod mount Yes, a tripod mount is included (Read more)
Weather sealing Yes

Product description from Canon

At launch 1999 Canon wrote this regarding Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS USM :

"Large-aperture telephoto L lens with a camera shake correction function, which is best suited to motor sports photography Developed as a successor to the EF500mm f/4.5L USM. The maximum aperture F value is set to F4 for large aperture and a fluorite lens and two UD lenses are used in the optical system to assure very high picture quality. This lens has also a protection glass and a rear filter as standard, which are included in the number of lenses. The camera shake correction has an effect of approx. two stops* in terms of shutter speed. This lens has also ”camera shake correction mode 2” which corrects shaking of the viewfinder image when, for example, shooting a moving object, and a tripod can be used with the camera shake correction function ON. High-speed autofocusing is achieved by the weight reduction of the group of focusing lenses and improvement of the autofocusing drive algorithm. A new AF stop function, which stops autofocusing temporarily, is adopted. Manual focusing is performed mechanically to save power. Main components are made of a magnesium alloy to reduce the weight of the lens, including the optical system, making it much lighter than conventional lenses. Rubber parts are used as mount and switch components to achieve excellent dust- and drip-proofness. The tripod mount can be removed, and the drop-in filter 52 (standard), carbon fiber hood, and suitcase-type lens case are designed to be easy to use.

Next-generation super telephoto L-series lens with an Image Stabilizer, it´s one of the world´s best lenses for wildlife and nature photography. The optical system is newly designed with a maximum aperture of f/4. One fluorite element and two UD-glass elements effectively correct aberrations resulting in sharp and excellent delineation."


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