For Canon EOS R7 definitely Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS. Very good image quality for the price.

My clear recommendation for Canon EOS R7: Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM. The reliability is very good The premium build provides excellent durability and weather resistance.

Technical highlights: The latest generation offers significantly better image quality. Very good compatibility with Canon EOS R7 features. Can be used without problems for various photography styles. Even after hours of shooting, no performance losses. Very good build quality, even at high usage.

For Canon EOS R7 I would take Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VXD without hesitation. The sharpness is extremely high The image quality out of the box is very good.

Long-term experience: Using Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VXD for half a year and am thrilled. Have researched for a long time and this lens was the best choice. The image quality clearly exceeds my expectations. Very good price-performance ratio, can only recommend further.

For Canon EOS R7 I would take Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM without hesitation. The controls are user-friendly The latest optical technology ensures sharp images and good color accuracy.

Long-term experience: Using Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM for half a year and am thrilled. Have researched for a long time and this lens was the best choice. The image quality clearly exceeds my expectations. Very good price-performance ratio, can only recommend further.

I would take Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM for Canon EOS R7, because The image quality is excellent The fast autofocus makes everything feel responsive and accurate.

Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM is my recommendation for Canon EOS R7. Works great!

Just jumping in here a bit late, but I think the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM is being totally overlooked and it's a great fit for the R7. If you dont want to spend a fortune or carry a massive lens around, it's honestly such a solid choice because it's so light. Since the R7 is a crop sensor, you're getting like 640mm equivalent reach which is wild for a lens that small. Anyway, if youre trying to decide, I'd really recommend checking out 'The-Digital-Picture' website. They have this awesome image quality comparison tool where you can see side-by-side crops of the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM versus the more expensive L glass. It helped me realize that the sharpness is actually really impressive for the price. Dustin Abbott also has some great technical reviews on YouTube that go into the autofocus speed on the R7 specifically. Basically, those resources are super helpful for seeing real-world performance before buying. I'm not 100% sure how it handles super low light because of the f/8 aperture at the long end, but for daytime stuff, it's a beast.

Building on the earlier suggestion, I have to admit my experience with telephotos on the R7 has been pretty frustrating lately. I have been shooting with Canon for over a decade, but the current RF lens lineup for this specific crop body feels like a series of compromises. I recently spent a few weeks with the Canon RF 200-800mm f/6.3-9 IS USM and, honestly, it was a bit of a letdown for my style.

• The aperture is the biggest issue. Since the R7 has such a high-density sensor, you hit diffraction limits really fast. Shooting at f/9 on the long end just doesnt give you that bite you would expect.
• Balance is way off. The lens is a beast and the R7 is tiny, so it feels front-heavy and awkward during long hikes.
• Low light struggle. Unfortunately, as soon as the light dips, the ISO has to jump so high that the sensor noise starts eating all the fine detail in things like bird feathers. Its likely your best bet for pure reach, but its definitely not as good as I expected it to be given the price. Kinda makes me miss my old EF setups tho...

Seconded!

Came here to say the same thing lol. Great minds think alike I guess.

^ This. Also, I am stuck in the same loop and its honestly exhausting trying to find a telephoto that doesnt feel like a massive trade-off for the R7.

• Ive been searching for months for a decent mid-range option that isnt priced like a used car but still handles the high pixel density of this crop sensor properly.
• Every lens I look at either lacks the reach I need or the aperture is so slow that the noise levels become a total dealbreaker.
• Still havent found a single setup that actually fits my budget and my technical requirements, so I am basically just sitting here with a body and no glass.