Canon RF 24-50mm F4.5-6.3 IS Review (frustrating areas of regression, D. Abbott)

April 30, 2024
Canon Reviews
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Here is a professional review of the Canon RF 24-50mm F4.5-6.3 IS lens. This is one of the less expensive lenses for the EOS R system (i.e. a kit lens)

The lens at a glance:

Full-Frame Lens
STM Stepping AF Motor
Optical Image Stabilizer
Focus Control Ring
Two Aspherical Elements
Super Spectra Coating
7-Blade Diaphragm
Compact and Lightweight Design

Dustin Abbott reviewed the Canon RF 24-50mm F4.5-6.3 IS. Here are his findings. It’s a very exhaustive and complete review, and I suggest you have a look at it (especially if you are pondering to get the RF 24-50mm). From Mr. Abbott’s conclusion:

[the RF 24-50mm] serves a specific purpose, namely to provide a small, lightweight, inexpensive lens for people to add to their Canon EOS R8 (and future cameras) so that they have a lens to actually take pictures with. I remember my first Canon DSLR purchase (the Rebel T1i) and it came with an EF-S 18-55mm IS lens. I didn’t love the lens (sold it fairly quickly), but it gave me something to use in the first couple of months so that I could use my new camera. There are places where Canon has improved things (autofocus is definitely better), but there are also some really frustrating areas of regression. Canon’s maximum aperture range on these type lenses has become decidedly worse, as Canon clearly banks on the improved ISO performance in modern cameras covering for the slower maximum apertures. They’ve also become increasingly reliant on software to cover for the hardware shortcomings, with massive amounts of optical correction needed to make the image usable.
Read the complete review at dustinabbot.net

The review is not very positive. On the other hand, this is a kit lens, and at $299 I guess you can not expect much more. Mr. Abbott’s review comes with test charts, sample photos, ISO test, there is nothing that is missed. And if you’re not into reading reviews, you can watch the video-review below.