Canon RF 24-70mm F/2.8 USM L IS

Specifications01

MountCANON RF

Focal length24-70mm

Max aperturef/2.8

TypeCinema · Zoom

Weight900 g

Filter size82 mm

Physical length125.7 mm

Min focus distance0.21 m

Max magnification0.3003

Aperture blades9

Optical elements21

Groups15

Lens hoodpetal-shaped (bayonet mount, supplied)

Sensor coverage43.3 mm

Additional Info02

SpecialL IS USM

Category["Canon","Canon RF"]

Keywords["Canon","Standard","Zoom"]

Review AuthorKlaus

Other Featuresweather-sealing, image stabilizer (5 f-stops), additional control ring, fluorine coating

Review VerdictThe Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 USM L IS is the best fast standard zoom lenses that we tested to date. However, this doesn't mean that it's flawless - standard zoom lenses never are. In terms of resolution, the broader center zone is superbly sharp at all relevant aperture settings. The border quality is also on a very high level. The corner quality varies a bit though. Except for the sweet spot at 50mm, the corners are a tad soft at f/2.8. However, they have recovered nicely at f/5.6 latest. These days you tend to correct the secondary characteristic via image auto-correction. However, when analyzing the raw qualities, the results reveal a couple of issues. The vignetting is rather extreme at 24mm f/2.8 for instance - and that's despite the very large front element. Complex image distortions are also quite obvious at 24mm and there are fairly visible pincushion distortions at 70mm. Lateral CAs are quite moderate albeit not zilch. The quality of the bokeh is very good as far as general rendition is concerned but not ideal with respect to out-of-focus highlights. Please note that this may not sound overly enthusiastic but in real-life scenarios, the lens behaves very well. Who cares about tack sharp corners at f/2.8 when doing shallow depth-of-field photography for instance? And, as mentioned, auto-correction will help for most of the other aspects anyway. Still, keep in mind that you should balance all this with the price of 2500EUR/$2200. There is nothing to complain with respect to the build quality of the Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 USM L IS. It targets professionals and you can feel it. The materials and assembly quality are top of the class. Weather-sealing is a natural feature at this price point anyway. Some may not like the extending zoom mechanism - but fact remains that this is just normal for pretty much all standard zoom lenses. The AF is extremely fast and noiseless - you won't really miss a DSLR lens in this respect anymore. Canon finally managed to incorporate an image stabilizer into the lens - a feature that has been requested by users for several years - and it is as reliable and efficient as in other modern Canon lenses. All in all a highly desirable workhorse lens for professional photographers although we also think that the pricing is over the top. If you'd like to support our work, please consider shopping for this or other lenses via one of the following partners: * Amazon US * Amazon Europe * B&H US * Adorama US * KEH US (used gear)

Review Published2020-03-19T02:34:00+00:00

Optical Construction21 Elements in 15 Groups inc. 3x UD & 3x aspherical elements

Field Notes02

Canon RF 24-70mm zoom lens with constant f/2.8 aperture for standard/wide-to-short-tele use. Designed for autofocus on Canon RF-mount cameras with image stabilization and general-purpose photography.

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Catalog note · source: opticallimits