SUPER-TELE LENSES

For birds and timid creatures, you need a super-telephoto lens. Here are some top options

When you're shooting birds and anything else you can't get close to, you really need to cover the distance. As versatile as it is, a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens just won't get you there. A popular option is to add a 1.4x or 2x teleconverter into the mix, but there's usually some degradation in image quality and overall performance. One exception is coupling the fabulous Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S with the Nikon Z teleconverters, where the loss of quality is negligible. A more obvious exception is the Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM, which isn't compatible with Canon's RF 'extenders! Either way, the best solution is to get the proper tool for the job, which is where super-telephoto lenses come in.

For this group test, we've rounded up lenses for Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm and Sony mirrorless cameras that give you serious stretch without costing a fortune. The Canon and Sony lenses lead the group for telephoto reach on full-frame cameras, whereas the Fujinon gets a boost in effective focal length from the 1.5x crop factor of its X system cameras. You can use the other lenses on APS-C bodies for a similar multiplication in focal lengths, where applicable.

All the lenses are also compatible with each company's teleconverters. For example, the Fujinon XF100-400mm gives an effective zoom range of 152-609mm, taking the APS-C crop factor into account. Add a 2x teleconverter and it's bumped up to 3051,219mm, in full-frame terms. The Canon RF 600mm lens gives you a 1,200mm focal length with a 2x teleconverter, even on a full-frame camera, albeit with a slow aperture rating of f/22. Even so, autofocus is perfectly viable on mirrorless cameras and recent advances in high-ISO image quality make quick shutter speeds achievable.

Canon RF 600mm F11 IS STM

A compact and lightweight 600mm prime, but there's a catch in terms of aperture