Specifications#
Equivalent focal length on different cameras#
Field of view and depth-of-field equivalence when this lens is used on bodies with different sensor sizes (natively or via an adapter).
| Camera format | At 100 mm | At 173 mm | At 300 mm | Equiv. aperture (DoF) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full frame | 100 mm · 24° | 173 mm · 14° | 300 mm · 8° | f/5.6 |
| APS-C | 150 mm · 16° | 260 mm · 9° | 450 mm · 5° | f/8.4 |
| APS-C (Canon) | 160 mm · 15° | 277 mm · 9° | 480 mm · 5° | f/9.0 |
| Micro Four Thirds | 200 mm · 12° | 346 mm · 7° | 600 mm · 4° | f/11.2 |
Depth of field & background blur#
Computed on its native Full frame format (CoC 30 µm). “Blur @2 m” is the size of an out-of-focus point at infinity, as a percentage of frame width, with the subject at 2 m — a simple bokeh index. Full table: 105 mm f/5.6 on full frame.
| Focal | Aperture | at 1 m | at 2 m | at 5 m | at 10 m | Hyperfocal | Blur @2 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 mm | f/5.6 | 3.0 cm | 12.8 cm | 82.9 cm | 3.42 m | 59.6 m | 2.6% |
| 100 mm | f/8 | 4.3 cm | 18.3 cm | 1.19 m | 5.04 m | 41.8 m | 1.8% |
| 173 mm | f/5.6 | 0.9 cm | 4.1 cm | 27.1 cm | 1.11 m | 178 m | 8.1% |
| 173 mm | f/8 | 1.3 cm | 5.9 cm | 38.8 cm | 1.59 m | 125 m | 5.7% |
| 300 mm | f/5.6 | 0.3 cm | 1.3 cm | 8.8 cm | 36.2 cm | 536 m | 26.3% |
| 300 mm | f/8 | 0.4 cm | 1.8 cm | 12.5 cm | 51.8 cm | 375 m | 18.4% |
Handheld & night-sky limits#
NPF assumes typical 20–24 MP sensors (≈6 µm pixels on full frame, ≈3.9 µm on APS-C, ≈3.3 µm on Micro Four Thirds).
| Body | Min. handheld shutter (longest focal) | 500 rule at 100 mm | NPF at 100 mm, f/5.6 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full frame | 1/320 s | 5 s | 4 s |
| APS-C | 1/500 s | 3 s | 3 s |
| APS-C (Canon) | 1/500 s | 3 s | 3 s |
| Micro Four Thirds | 1/640 s | 2 s | 3 s |
Compatible cameras#
Bodies in our database with a native Canon EF mount.
- Canon EOS-1D X Mark III 2020
- Canon EOS 6D Mark II 2017
- Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 2016
- Canon EOS-1D X Mark II 2016
- Canon EOS 5DS 2015
- Canon EOS 5DS R 2015
- Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 2013
- Canon EOS 5D Mark III 2012
- Canon EOS 6D 2012
- Canon EOS-1D X 2012
- Canon EOS-1D C 2012
- Canon EOS-1D Mark IV 2009
- Canon EOS 5D Mark II 2008
- Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III 2007
- Canon EOS-1D Mark III 2007
- Canon EOS 5D 2005
- Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II 2004
- Kodak DCS Pro SLR/c 2004
- Canon EOS-1D Mark II 2004
- Canon EOS 30V 2004
- Canon EOS-1Ds 2002
- Canon EOS 3000N 2002
- Canon EOS 300V 2002
- Canon EOS-1D 2001
- Canon EOS-1V 2000
- Canon EOS 30 2000
- Canon EOS D2000 1998
- Canon EOS-3 1998
- Canon EOS 500N 1996
- Canon EOS IX 1996
- Canon EOS 50 1995
- Canon EOS-1N 1994
- Canon EOS 500 1993
- Canon EOS 5 1992
- Canon EF-M camera 1991
- Canon EOS 100 1991
- Canon EOS 1000 1990
- Canon EOS-1 1989
- Canon EOS 650 1987
- Canon EOS C300
Adapt it to other systems#
Similar lenses#
- Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | C f/5–6.3
- Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM | C +1.4x ext. f/5–6.3
- Canon EF 100-200mm f/4.5A f/4.5
- Canon EF 100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM f/4.5–5.6
- Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM f/4.5–5.6
- Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM + 1.4× ext. f/4.5–5.6
- Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM f/4.5–5.6
- Sigma 100-300mm f/4 APO EX DG HSM f/4
- Sigma 100-300mm f/4 APO EX DG HSM + Kenko Teleplus PRO 300 AF 1.4× DGX ext. f/4
- Tamron 100-400mm F/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD A035 f/4.5–6.3
- Canon EF 90-300mm f/4.5-5.6 f/4.5–5.6
- Canon EF 80-200mm f/2.8L f/2.8
Frequently asked questions#
Is the Canon EF 100-300mm f/5.6L full frame?
Yes — it covers the full 36 × 24 mm frame.
What is the Canon EF 100-300mm f/5.6L equivalent to on APS-C?
On a 1.5× APS-C body it frames like 150–450 mm, and like 160–480 mm on Canon APS-C.
What is the Canon EF 100-300mm f/5.6L good for?
As a telephoto zoom it suits sport, wildlife, events and compressed landscapes.
Sources & licences#
- Lensfun lens database — CC BY-SA 3.0
Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources