For the ultimate in image quality with a relatively fast aperture rating, there’s no beating a top-flight, fully professional-grade prime lens, designed and engineered to work at a single, fixed focal length without any compromise. Super-telephoto prime lenses for Canon DSLRs are made by Canon and Sigma. They’re all large, heavyweight lenses, with big price tags to match.
In the Canon camp, the top-end choices include the EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM (£9900/$10,000), EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM (£7000/$6900) with space-saving diffractive optics, the EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM (£8400/$9000), the EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM (£11,350/$11,500) and the EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM (£11,900/$13,000). Sigma currently makes two super-tele primes. There’s the new 500mm f/4 DG OS HSM Sports lens (£5000/$6000) from the ‘Global…
