Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS Review (Canon got it right, D. Abbott)

Here is a Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS review from our favorite gear reviewer.

Dustin Abbott posted his exhaustive Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS review. As usual with his reviews, it comes with a huge set of sample pictures, test charts, comparisons, and answers basically every question you might have about the RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS. From his conclusion:

It isn’t a perfect lens.  It is expensive ($2299 USD), which will be the chief obstacle to many potentially interested customers.  It’s also a bit heavy and is on the larger side, though the size isn’t unusual for this class of lens.  There’s some barrel distortion at 24mm that is a bit complex, and the vignette is very heavy there as well.  Fortunately both of these can be corrected for, but what the RF 24-70L has that some competitors do not is fantastic image sharpness across the frame even at F2.8.  Add to this excellent autofocus, great stabilization, and fantastic handling, and you’ve got a pro-grade lens worth owning and using for many years.  The Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM was an important lens for Canon to get right, and I think that’s exactly what they’ve done.

Read Dustin Abbott’s review…

If you prefer to watch your reviews, have a look at the videos below. First one is a shorter version, second video the full review.

More Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS review stuff is listed here.

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS:

America: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA
Europe & UK: Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon IT, Canon IT, WEX Photographic, Canon FR, Canon UK, Canon DE

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS at a glance:

• Standard wide-angle to telephoto zoom lens is designed for use with full-frame Canon RF-mount mirrorless cameras
• Bright f/2.8 constant maximum aperture maintains consistent illumination throughout the zoom range and suits working in low-light conditions as well as affords increased control over depth of field for working with selective focus techniques.
• Three UD (Ultra-Low Dispersion) elements help to minimize chromatic aberrations and color fringing in order to provide greater clarity and color accuracy.
• Three aspherical elements are used to correct spherical aberrations and distortion for improved sharpness and accurate rendering.
• An Air Sphere Coating (ASC) has been applied to lens elements to reduce backlit flaring and ghosting for maintained light transmission and high contrast in strong lighting conditions.
• An Optical Image Stabilizer helps to minimize the appearance of camera shake by five stops to better enable working in low-light conditions and with slower shutter speeds.
• Nano USM system utilizes both a ring type USM and an STM mechanism to realize quick and accurate focusing that is also smooth and nearly silent to suit both photography and video applications. This focusing system also affords full-time manual focus control when working in the one-shot AF mode.
• Configurable Control Ring can be used to adjust a variety of exposure settings, including aperture, ISO, and exposure compensation.
• Protective fluorine coating has been applied to the front and rear element to resist fingerprints and smudges and to make cleaning these elements significantly easier.
• As a member of the esteemed L-series, this lens has a weather-resistant design that protects against dust and moisture to enable its use in inclement conditions.
• Rounded nine-blade diaphragm contributes to a pleasing bokeh quality.

Poised to be the new workhorse zoom, the Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM is a versatile wide-angle to portrait-length lens characterized by its bright, advanced, and intuitive design. The constant f/2.8 maximum aperture suits working in difficult lighting conditions and also enables greater control over depth of field. The optical design incorporates a series of aspherical and Ultra-Low Dispersion elements, which greatly reduce a variety of aberrations throughout the zoom range in order to produce sharp and clear imagery. An Air Sphere Coating has also been applied to suppress flare and ghosting when working in strong lighting conditions.

Balancing the distinguished optical assets is the Nano USM focus system, which delivers fast, nearly silent autofocus performance with full-time manual focus override. An Image Stabilizer also compensates for up to five stops of camera shake to help produce sharper handheld shots in difficult lighting conditions. A unique Control Ring is also integrated into the lens design for intuitive control over exposure settings from the lens itself. Additionally, this 24-70mm is weather-sealed and has a fluorine coating to protect the front and rear elements.