RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USMvs A7CR
Canon
RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM (2020)
Starting from £2799 new
Best for Wildlife, birding & sports photography
View RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM
VS
Sony
A7CR (2023)
Starting from £3099 new
Best for Travel, landscape & portrait photography with minimal kit
View A7CR
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Wildlife, Birding & Sports Photography — RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM (2020): Canon RF's definitive wildlife and birding lens — 500mm reach with L-series quality and IS that makes handheld shooting at extreme focal lengths genuinely viable.
Travel, Landscape & Portrait Photography With Minimal Kit — A7CR (2023): The world's smallest 61MP full-frame camera — A7R V quality in a pocketable A7C body.
Who should buy what
A7CR (2023)
- Landscape photographers who want 61MP resolution without carrying a large body
- Travel photographers who need professional image quality in the smallest possible package
- Portrait shooters who want A7R V sensor quality with the ease of the A7C form factor
- A7C owners ready for a major resolution upgrade without changing bodies
Quick take: The rf 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1l is usm is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM (2020) | A7CR (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,799 | £3,099 |
| Sensor | f/4.5-7.1 (variable max aperture) | 61.0MP full-frame BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | — | 61.0MP |
| Video | 90cm minimum focus distance | 4K/60p 10-bit, 1080p/120p — S-Log3, S-Cinetone |
| Autofocus | Dual Nano USM — fast subject tracking with Dual Pixel CMOS AF | AI subject recognition — phase-detect with human, animal, bird detection |
| Stabilisation | 5-stop IS (up to 6 stops combined with IBIS on compatible bodies) | 7-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | N/A | 8fps mechanical, 15fps electronic |
| Battery Life | N/A | ~530 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1530g | 514g body only |
| Dimensions | 93.8mm diameter × 207.6mm length | 124.0 × 71.1 × 63.4mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | N/A | EVF 0.70× 2.36M-dot |
| Screen | N/A | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.03M dots |
| Mount | Canon RF | Sony E-mount (full-frame) |
| Memory Cards | N/A | Single CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II slot |
| Connectivity | N/A | USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 5.0 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM | A7CR |
|---|---|---|
| Wildlife | — | |
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Landscape | ||
| Travel | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — |
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Camera family history