Canon EF Autofocus OIS

Canon EF 500mm f/4.0L IS USM

Focal length: 500 mm
Aperture: f/4
Weight: 3870 g
Filter diameter: 52 mm
Min. focus distance: 450 cm
Length: 387 mm

At a Glance

At 3.87 kg, this 500 mm telephoto prime for Canon EF full frame is heavy. It offers an f/4 maximum aperture, an optical stabilizer, an AF stop function and a fluorite element. It is dust and drip resistant, and the minimum focus distance is 4.5 m. It is built for wildlife, birds and sports that call for long reach.

Good for

Wildlife
Birds
Sports

Worth knowing

At 3.9 kg it is heavy: a monopod or tripod helps for longer sessions.

Derived from the manufacturer data, not from our own tests. How we check

Technical Specifications

Min. focal length: 500 mm
Max. focal length: 500 mm
Max. aperture (min. zoom): f/4
Max. aperture (max. zoom): f/4
Min. aperture: f/32
Elements: 17
Groups: 13
Weight: 3,870 g (8.53 lb)
Filter diameter: 52 mm
Min. focus distance: 450 cm (177.17 in)
Max. magnification: 1:8.3 (0.12×)
Length: 387 mm (15.24 in)
Diameter: 146 mm (5.75 in)
Released: July 1999

Manufacturer data: global.canon

Last checked: October 13, 2026 (against the manufacturer data) · How we check

Simulate depth of field and angle of view

Compare with other lenses

Which cameras does the Canon EF 500mm f/4.0L IS USM fit?

The Canon EF 500mm f/4.0L IS USM is a full-frame lens for Canon EF cameras. On full-frame bodies it uses the whole sensor; on APS-C Canon EF cameras its field of view equals 800 mm in full-frame terms.

Canon EF cameras

Full frame:: Canon EOS-1D X Mark III,Canon EOS 6D Mark II,Canon EOS-1D X Mark II,Canon EOS 5D Mark IV,Canon EOS 5Ds,Canon EOS 5Ds R,Canon EOS 5D Mark III,Canon EOS 6D,Canon EOS-1D C,Canon EOS-1D X,Canon EOS 5D Mark II
APS-C:: Canon EOS 850D (Rebel T8i),Canon EOS 90D,Canon EOS 250D (Rebel SL3),Canon EOS 4000D (3000D, Rebel T100),Canon EOS 2000D (1500D, Rebel T7),Canon EOS 800D (Rebel T7i),Canon EOS 77D,Canon EOS 200D (Rebel SL2),Canon EOS 80D,Canon EOS 1300D (Rebel T6),Canon EOS 750D (Rebel T6i),Canon EOS 760D (Rebel T6s),Canon EOS 7D Mark II,Canon EOS 1200D (Rebel T5),Canon EOS 70D,Canon EOS 700D (Rebel T5i),Canon EOS 100D (Rebel SL1),Canon EOS 650D (Rebel T4i),Canon EOS 60Da,Canon EOS 600D (Rebel T3i),Canon EOS 1100D (Rebel T3),Canon EOS 550D (Rebel T2i),Canon EOS 60D,Canon EOS 7D,Canon EOS 500D (Rebel T1i),Canon EOS 50D,Canon EOS 450D (Rebel XSi),Canon EOS 1000D (Rebel XS)

With the Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R the lens can also be used on Canon RF cameras.

With the Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS M the lens can also be used on Canon EF-M cameras.