Canon RF-S 14-30mm IS STM PZ
APS-C Power Zoom (2025 ~ today)
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Specifications USA Version Performance
R1 R3 R5 II R5 R5C R6 III R6 II R6 R R8 RP R7 R10 R50 R50V R100
Canon: Bodies Compared RF Lenses EF Lenses Flash
Canon RF-S 14-30mm f/4-6.3 IS STM PZ (58mm filters, 6.3 oz./179g, 0.42'/5"/0.15m close focus, 0.38× (0.6× eq.) macro ratio, $369). bigger.
I got mine at B&H. I'd also get it at Crutchfield, at Adorama or at Amazon, or get it used for only about $130 if you know How to Win at eBay, or get it used at KEH.
It's discounted as part of a kit with the R50 V at B&H, at Adorama, at Crutchfield and at Amazon.
This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Canon does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, non-USA, store demo or used lens — and all of my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new lens. I've used many of these sources since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new lens before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
June 2026 Better Pictures Canon Reviews RF Lenses EF Lenses Flash All Canon Reviews All Reviews
Sample Images top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Specifications USA Version Performance
More samples throughout this review at Bokeh, Falloff, Macro and Sunstars.
These are just snapshots; my real work is in my Gallery.
These are all shot hand-held as NORMAL LARGE JPGs (
Construction, 10:40 AM, Wednesday, 03 June 2026. Canon EOS R50 V, Canon RF-s 14~30mm IS STM PZ at 15mm at f/8 at 1/200 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 13.6), Radiant Photo software to add light. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
Pool, 12:55 PM, Thursday, 04 June 2026. Canon EOS R50 V, Canon RF-s 14~30mm IS STM PZ at 14mm at f/8 at 1/400 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 14.6), Radiant Photo software to add light to the shadows while retaining highlights. bigger or camera-original 24 MP © JPG file.
Zoey Ready for a Walk, Wednesday, 03 June 2026. Cropped from Canon EOS R50 V, Canon RF-s 14~30mm IS STM PZ at 30mm at f/7.1 at 1/80 at Auto ISO 125 (LV 11⅔), curves adjustment layer in Photoshop to correct for the greenish window light. bigger or camera-original 24 MP © JPG file.
Porsche Macan Crest on Sapphire Blue Metallic (Saphirblau M5J), Wednesday, 03 June 2026. Canon EOS R50 V, Canon RF-s 14~30mm IS STM PZ at 30mm at f/8 at 1/100 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 12.6), exactly as shot except for some minor cropping and perspective correction in Photoshop . bigger or camera-original 24 MP © JPG file.
This crest is only a couple of inches tall, and this tiny lens brilliantly captured it and my similar shots with perfect focus. This shot was easy, limited only by the vanishingly thin depth of field this close.
Introduction top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Specifications USA Version Performance
I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below. |
This is a 22-48mm equivalent APS-C lens with power zoom for video. It goes wider than almost all general-purpose zooms, and also focuses much, much closer than most lenses.
Power Zoom means the zoom ring is a two-speed switch to control how fast or slow its motor zooms it in or out.
It's so small and light it feels like a toy, and it's ultra sharp and focuses ultra close.
It's a light, compact, inexpensive plastic-barreled lens, with flawless optical performance. What more could you want?
It came out at the same time and is often kitted with the video-optimized EOS R50 V.
I got mine at B&H. I'd also get it at Crutchfield, at Adorama or at Amazon, or get it used for only about $130 if you know How to Win at eBay, or get it used at KEH.
It's discounted as part of a kit with the R50 V at B&H, at Adorama, at Crutchfield and at Amazon:
Canon EOS R50 V with RF-S 14-30mm IS STM PZ. bigger.
New intro top
Canon's first APS-C Power Zoom (PZ) lens.
Canon's widest "normal" modern zoom.
Good intro top
Small.
Super sharp.
Focuses super close.
Goes wider than any other medium zoom.
100% U.S.A.-based high-quality technical support at (800) OK-CANON.
Bad intro top
No AF/MF switch.
No stabilizer switch.
Plastic mount.
Missing intro top
No AF/MF switch.
No stabilizer switch.
No case included. So?
No hood included. So?
Canon RF-S 14-30mm f/4-6.3 IS STM PZ. bigger.
Specifications top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Specifications USA Version Performance
I got mine at B&H. I'd also get it at Crutchfield, at Adorama or at Amazon, or get it used for only about $130 if you know How to Win at eBay, or get it used at KEH.
It's discounted as part of a kit with the R50 V at B&H, at Adorama, at Crutchfield and at Amazon.
Name specifications top
Canon calls this the Canon RF-S 14-30mm f/4-6.3 IS STM PZ:
RF: Works only on Canon's EOS-R Mirrorless cameras.
-S: Only covers APS-C (full-frame cameras will crop accordingly).
IS: Image Stabilization.
STM: STepper (autofocus) Motor.
PZ: Power Zoom.
Optics specifications top
Internal Optical Construction. Regular Optical Glass, Aspherical and UD glass elements. IS section.
10 elements in 9 groups.
2 Aspherical elements.
1 UD glass element.
Diaphragm specifications top
Canon RF-S 14-30mm f/4-6.3 IS STM PZ. bigger.
7 rounded blades.
Electronically actuated.
Stops down to f/22 - f/36.
Filters specifications top
Plastic 58mm filter thread.
Coverage specifications top
APS-C only.
Full-frame cameras will automatically use a 1.6× APS-C crop, so you might not realize you're missing most of your pixels unless you look at the image dimensions.
Focal Lengths specifications top
14 ~ 30mm.
When used on a Canon APS-C camera, it sees the same angles of view as a 22mm ~ 48mm lens sees when used on a full-frame or 35mm camera.
When used in the 1:1 square crop mode, it sees the same angle of view as a 50mm ~ 110mm lens sees when used on a 6 × 6 cm HASSELBLAD.
See also Crop Factor.
Angles of View on APS-C specifications top
88½º ～ 48⅚º Diagonal.
78º 05' ～ 41º 25' Horizontal.
56º 40' ～ 28º 15' Vertical.
Focus Scale specifications top
No.
Not on lens, but may be displayed in-camera.
Infinity Focus Stop specifications top
No.
You have to focus somehow to get precise focus at infinity, just like at every other distance.
Depth of Field Scale specifications top
No.
Not on lens, but may be displayed in-camera.
Infrared Focus Index specifications top
No.
Close Focus (distance from subject to image plane) specifications top
0.42 feet or 5" or 0.13 meters, measured.
Working Distance (distance from subject to front of lens at close-focus distance) specifications top
There is only 1.6" (4 cm) between the front of the lens and the subject at the closest focus distance!
Maximum Reproduction Ratio specifications top
1:2.6 (0.38×) at 30mm.
1:5.9 (0.17×) at 14mm.
Reproduction Ratio Scale specifications top
No.
Not on lens, but may be displayed in-camera.
Image Stabilizer specifications top
Yes, optical.
Caps specifications top
Canon E-58 II 58mm front cap, included.
RF Rear Cap (p/n 2962C001), included.
Size specifications top
2.7" ø maximum diameter × 2.4" extension from flange.
69.6 mm ø maximum diameter × 62 mm extension from flange.
Weight specifications top
6.320 oz. (179.1 g) actual measured weight
Rated 6.4 oz. (181 g).
Announced specifications top
26 May 2025.
Promised for specifications top
July 2025.
Included specifications top
Canon E-58 II 58mm front cap.
RF Rear Cap (p/n 2962C001).
Model Numbers specifications top
Model number: RF-S14-30ISSTMPZ.
Product Code: 6916C002 (6916C001 in Japan).
JAN code: 4549292-241815.
Price, U. S. A. specifications top
June 2026
$369 at B&H, at Crutchfield, at Adorama and at Amazon, or 55,000 ¥ yen in Japan.
Kit with R50 V: $799 at B&H, at Crutchfield, at Adorama and at Amazon.
About $130 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
April 2026
Kit with R50 V: $849 at B&H, at Adorama and at Crutchfield.
March 2025
$329 at B&H and at Adorama.
Kit with R50 V: $849 at B&H and at Adorama.
Getting a Legal U. S. A. Version top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Specifications USA Version Performance
I got my USA version at B&H. I'd also get it at Crutchfield, at Adorama or at Amazon, or get it used for only about $130 if you know How to Win at eBay, or get it used at KEH.
It's discounted as part of a kit with the R50 V at B&H, at Adorama, at Crutchfield and at Amazon.
This section applies in the U. S. A. only.
U. S. A. Warranty Card. (half of the sheet. I got this as a kit with the R50 V at B&H). bigger.
Your lens must include a printed U. S. A. warranty card like the one shown above from Canon U.S.A., Inc. It should be on top inside your box as you open it. The serial number on the card must match the serial number on the bottom of your lens.
If you have no card or the serial number doesn't match, you got ripped off with a gray market version intended to be sold in another country. This is why I never buy from any place other than my personally approved sources. You just can't take the chance of buying elsewhere, especially at any retail store where strangers have probably opened your completely unsealed box and played with your camera, because non-U. S. A. versions have no warranty in the U. S. A., and you probably won't be able to get firmware or service for it — even if you're willing to pay out-of-pocket for it when you need it!
Shifty dealers may include copies of a card from a legitimate U. S. A. product in a gray-market box, hoping you won't check serial numbers and catch their fraud. A card with the wrong serial number means nothing other than that you have no warranty coverage.
The serial number on the box doesn't have to match, but it should. It will be hidden someplace on the sticker with all the bar codes. If not, it means a shady dealer took things out of boxes and was too sloppy to put them back correctly — and it means you got a used lens if anyone other than you took it out of the box.
If a gray market version saves you $100 the risk might be worth it, but for $50 or less I wouldn't risk having no warranty or support.
Always be sure to check yours while you can still return it, or just don't buy from unapproved sources and never at retail so you'll be able to have your camera serviced and get free updated firmware as needed. Get yours from the same places I do and you won't have a problem.
Performance top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Specifications USA Version Performance
Overall Autofocus Manual Focus
Distance Recording Bokeh Distortion
Ergonomics Falloff Filters Flare & Ghosts
Lateral Color Fringes Lens Corrections Macro
Maximum & Minimum Apertures Mechanics
Sharpness Stabilization Sunstars Weather Sealing
I got mine at B&H. I'd also get it at Crutchfield, at Adorama or at Amazon, or get it used for only about $130 if you know How to Win at eBay, or get it used at KEH.
It's discounted as part of a kit with the R50 V at B&H, at Adorama, at Crutchfield and at Amazon.
Overall performance top
This tiny, toy-like lens has great optical performance at a bargain price.
Autofocus performance top
Autofocus is immediate and just about silent.
No worries here!
Manual Focus performance top
There is no AF/MF switch; you have to set this in a menu unless your camera has its own dedicated AF/MF switch.
Manual focusing is entirely electronic; the manual focus ring isn't connected to anything other than a digital encoder.
Focus Distance Recording performance top
The focused distance is recorded in the EXIF data.
I read this in the lower left of my screen in Photoshop's lens correction filter.
Bokeh performance top
Bokeh, the feel, character or quality of out-of-focus areas as opposed to how far out of focus they are, is unimportant as this lens is so wide and slow that nothing is ever much out of focus.
Here are photos from headshot distance wide-open. I'm focused on the DAVIS logo. Click either for the © camera-original file:
Made-in-U. S. A. Davis 6357 Vantage Vue Wireless Sensor Suite (use with WeatherLink console), 04 June 2026. EOS R50 V at 1/1,250 and 1/500 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 14.4).
Click either for the © camera-original file.
As always, if you want to throw the background as far out of focus as possible, shoot at 30mm at f/6.3 and get as close as possible.
Distortion performance top
This lens uses electronic distortion correction as an integral part of its optical design. Therefore this correction cannot be turned off.
With this electronic correction there is only the slightest residual barrel distortion left. I doubt anyone will ever notice it.
If you shoot raw data rather than JPG images, whatever software you use to create visible images from raw data may or may not correct the distortion as is done in-camera as JPGs. You're on your own there; I don't bother with raw data.
For more critical scientific use, use these corrections in Photoshop's lens correction filter to JPG images. No, I have no idea why my EOS RP doesn't correct the distortion completely.
These aren't facts or specifications, they are the results of my research that requires hours of photography and calculations on the resulting data:
On APS-C at 30' (10m) |
Correction factor to use with images made with correction ON in R50V |
14mm |
+0.40 |
18mm |
+0.50 |
20mm |
+1.00 |
24mm |
+0.80 |
30mm |
+0.80 |
© 2026 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.
Ergonomics performance top
|
|
Canon RF-S 14-30mm. bigger. |
Canon RF-S 14-30mm. bigger. |
There is no AF/MF switch; you have to set this in a menu unless your camera has its own dedicated AF/MF switch, making manual focus a real pain.
The zoom ring is an electronic switch with two speeds in each direction. It zooms electronically either from a control on some bodies like the R50 V or this zoom ring. My R50 V also only had two different zoom speeds.
The lens zooms inside the barrel; it doesn't change length as zoomed.
Otherwise it handles swell. It's like a little toy that just happens to take great pictures.
Falloff performance top
Falloff is invisible with the default correction ON.
I've greatly exaggerated the falloff by shooting a gray field and placing these on a gray background; it will not look this bad in actual photos of real things:
Falloff on APS-C at infinity, Peripheral Illumination correction at its default of ON:
© 2026 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved. |
If you save only raw data rather than create JPG images in-camera, whatever software you use to create visible images from that raw data later may or may not correct this as is done in-camera as JPGs. You're on your own there; I don't bother with raw data.
If you go out of your way to turn off the correction, or possibly in some raw software, this is what you get:
Falloff on APS-C at infinity, Peripheral Illumination correction deliberately at its default of ON NORMAL deliberately turned OFF:
© 2026 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved. |
Filters, use with performance top
There's no need for thin filters. The 58mm filter thread is oversized to make this lens look less like a toy. it probably would have been fine with a 39mm thread.
I can stack quite a pile of standard 58mm filters with no vignetting at any setting.
Go ahead and use your standard rotating polarizers and rotating grad filters.
Avoid polarizers at the ultrawide end; the sky's natural polarization can appear as a dark band across the sky.
Flare & Ghosts performance top
Flare and ghosts are well controlled.
See examples at Sunstars. The big blue blob at the bottom was unusual for this lens, that's the only time I've ever seen any ghosting.
Lateral Color Fringes performance top
There are no lateral color fringes when shot as JPG with the default Chromatic Aberration Correction left ON.
if you go out of your way to turn this OFF (or shoot raw and then use non-manufacturer software to process that data into images) then there is a little bit of green/magenta fringing, bit only if you're looking for it — and if you're looking for it, then leave the correction ON!
If you shoot raw data rather than JPG images you may — or may not — be responsible to correct this on your own.
Lens Corrections performance top
Other cameras may vary as the years roll on, but my EOS R1, R3, R5 II, R5, R6 III, R6 II,R6 R6V R R8 RP R7 R10 R50 R50V and R100 all have options to correct for falloff (Peripheral Illumination Correction), Distortion and a Digital Lens Optimizer which corrects for a suite of other aberrations.
These are all ON by default. You can turn off falloff (peripheral) correction and/or the Digital Lens Optimizer.
If you turn off the Digital Lens Optimizer, you are then offered à la carte ON/OFF options for Chromatic Aberration Correction and Diffraction Correction.
This lens integrates electronic distortion correction as part of its optical design so the Distortion setting is grayed-out because it can not be turned off.
If you shoot raw data rather than JPG images, whatever software you use to create visible images from raw data may or may not correct these as is done in-camera as JPGs. You're on your own there; I don't bother with raw data.
Macro Performance performance top
It gets SUPER close.
It gets so close that the front of the lens is only 1.6" (4 cm) from the subject, so the problem is not how close you can get, but how do you get light on your subject without the lens blocking it!
Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at close-focus distance, 04 June 2026. Canon EOS R50 V, Canon RF-s 14~30mm IS STM PZ at 30mm at f/6.3 at 1/640 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 14.8), Radiant Photo software to add light. bigger or camera-original 24 MP © JPG file.
1,200 × 900 pixel (5× magnification) crop from above. bigger or camera-original © file.
The texture you're seeing is the watch face solar cell.
This is wide-open at f/6.3; the cyan flare around the white letters is most likely spherical aberration or Spherochromatism, which go away as stopped down.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same large magnification would be about 10 × 15" (25 × 38cm).
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 20 × 30" (50 × 75cm).
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same insanely high magnification would be about 40 × 60" (1 × 1.5 meters).
Maximum & Minimum Apertures performance top
Maximum Aperture |
Minimum Aperture |
|
| 14mm | f/4 |
f/22 |
| 16mm | f/4.5 |
f/25 |
| 18mm | f/5 |
f/29 |
| 20mm | f/5 |
f/29 |
| 24mm | f/5.6 |
f/32 |
| 30mm | f/6.3 |
f/36 |
Mechanical Quality performance top
Canon RF-S 14-30mm f/4-6.3 IS STM PZ. bigger.
This is an all plastic lens, except for metal screws and electrical contacts and the optics.
It's lightweight and inexpensive, and therefore we're more likely to take this with us and shoot, making it far more valuable than a huge exotic lens that gets left at home or in the hotel.
Exterior Finish mechanics performance top
Black plastic.
Front Bumper mechanics performance top
None.
Filter Threads mechanics performance top
Plastic 🤮
Hood Bayonet Mount mechanics performance top
Plastic.
Front Barrel Exterior mechanics performance top
Plastic.
Focus Ring mechanics performance top
Hard plastic.
Zoom Ring mechanics performance top
Hard plastic.
Rear Barrel Exterior mechanics performance top
Plastic.
Silver Trim Ring at Back of Barrel mechanics performance top
Silver-painted Plastic.
Identity mechanics performance top
Nearly invisible gloss black letters molded into matte black plastic ring between the front element and the filter threads.
Printed in nearly invisible dark gray on the top of the barrel.
Internals mechanics performance top
Seem like all plastic.
Dust Gasket at Mount mechanics performance top
No.
Mount mechanics performance top
Plastic.
Markings mechanics performance top
Paint.
Serial Number mechanics performance top
Laser engraved in warm black on black on the bottom of the barrel:
Canon RF-S 14-30mm f/4-6.3 IS STM PZ. bigger.
Date Code mechanics performance top
The serial number contains a date code.
My serial number starts with 159, which means it was made in November, 2025.
Noises When Shaken mechanics performance top
Very mild clicking.
Truth & Ethics mechanics performance top
Made in Malaysia.
Never disclosed in any advertising, marketing or online offers for sale.
Made in Malaysia. bigger.
Sharpness performance top
Lens sharpness has nothing to do with picture sharpness.
Every lens made in the past 100 years is more than sharp enough to make super-sharp pictures if you know what you're doing. The only limitation to picture sharpness is your skill as a photographer. It's the least talented who spend the most time worrying about lens sharpness and blame crummy pictures on their equipment rather than themselves. Skilled photographers make great images with whatever camera is in their hands; I've made some of my best images of all time with an irreparably broken camera! Most pixels are thrown away before you see them, but camera makers don't want you to know that.
If you're not getting ultra-sharp pictures with this, be sure not to shoot at f/11 or smaller where all lenses are softer due to diffraction, always shoot at ISO 100 or below because cameras become softer at ISO 200 and above, avoid shooting across long distances over land which can lead to atmospheric heat shimmer, be sure everything is in perfect focus, set your camera's sharpening as you want it (I set mine to the maximum) and be sure nothing is moving, either camera or subject. If you want to ensure a soft image with any lens, shoot at f/16 or smaller at ISO 1,600 or above at default sharpening in daylight of subjects at differing distances in the same image.
People worry waaaaay too much about lens sharpness. It's not 1968 anymore when lenses often weren't that sharp and there could be significant differences among them; ever since about 2010 all new lenses are all pretty much equally fantastic.
This lens is super sharp corner-to corner at every aperture, limited by your vision as an artist and of course by diffraction at the smallest apertures. Avoid f/16 and smaller unless you really need them for extreme depth of field because diffraction takes its toll. See also How to Calculate the Sharpest Aperture.
Used properly, all of Canon's RF lenses are equally sharp. The differences are in maximum apertures and focal lengths, but none of them are soft if you know how to use them. Lens sharpness has nothing to do with picture sharpness.
Canon's MTF wide-open at 14mm (left) and 30mm (right) at 10 cyc/mm (black) and 30 cyc/mm (blue). Sagittal (solid) and meridional (dashed).
While it's usually valid to compare rated MTFs between different lenses of similar vintage from the same maker, every maker measures or simply calculates MTF very differently, and therefore one cannot compare these curves between brands. For instance, Sony seems to ignore diffraction and simply calculate overly optimistic MTFs that hug 100%, which no real lens can do at f/8, while other brands are more realistic and include diffraction. Only Canon offers any insight on how they arrive at their curves.
See also my article on MTF and Canon's article on MTFs.
Image Stabilization (VR) performance top
Optical Image Stabilization (OIS, IS or VR (Vibration Reduction)) works, but not as impressively as some other lenses.
Then again, I tested this on the finderless R50V which I had to hold at arm's length flopping around in the air, so I'm not worried about its IS not performing as well as other lenses on cameras held solidly against my face.
"Percent Perfectly Sharp Shots" are the percentage of hand-held, free-standing with no support or bracing, frames with 100% perfect tripod-equivalent sharpness as viewed at 300%.
Looking at images from my R50V at 300% on my 100 DPI monitor from 2½ feet (76cm) away are the same as scrolling around a 15 × 10 foot (4.5 × 3 meters!) print, from just 2½ feet (76cm) away!
Of course we all will get different results hand-holding. While your speeds will vary, the number of stops of improvement should be the same for all of us regardless of who's shooting.
Hand tremor is a random occurrence, so at marginal speeds some frames will be perfectly sharp while others will be in various stages of blur — all at the same shutter speed.
This rates what percentage of shots are perfectly sharp, not how sharp are all the frames:
At 14mm
| % Perfectly Sharp Shots on unstabilized R50V | 1s |
1/2 |
1/4 |
1/8 |
1/15 |
1/30 |
1/60 |
1/125 |
1/250 |
| Stabilization ON | 0 |
0 |
30 |
30 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| Stabilization OFF | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
28½ |
100 |
100 |
100 |
I see 2½ stops of real-world improvement.
At 30mm
| % Perfectly Sharp Shots on unstabilized R50V | 1s |
1/2 |
1/4 |
1/8 |
1/15 |
1/30 |
1/60 |
1/125 |
1/250 |
| Stabilization ON | 0 |
10 |
20 |
10 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| Stabilization OFF | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
37½ |
100 |
100 |
I see 2⅔ stops of real-world improvement.
Sunstars performance top
With a 7-bladed rounded diaphragm, I get nice enough 14-point sunstars on brilliant points of light, but mostly at the smallest apertures.
Ignore the crazy rainbow smears at small apertures; these are sensor artifacts caused by interference among the divisions between pixels on the sensor. These are made visible because we're using enough exposure to show the dark underside of a huge palm tree, and then putting the blinding disk of the mid-day sun in it. Doing this will show everything due to the insane lighting range.
Click any to enlarge:
Click any to enlarge.
Weather Sealing performance top
I can't recall this lens claiming weather sealing, but even if it doesn't, neither does any LEICA M lens, nor did anything other than dedicated underwater cameras claim this up until a few years ago. "Weather sealing" is mostly a marketing feature to get you to pay more for more expensive lenses.
I never worry about this. If it rains, I keep myself and this lens under an umbrella and I'm good.
People have worried way too much about this ever since camera companies started FUD campaigns to make us think that our gear will dissolve unless it has weather sealing. How do you think we shot in the rain for the first 200 years of photography?
Recommendations top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Specifications USA Version Performance
I got mine at B&H. I'd also get it at Crutchfield, at Adorama or at Amazon, or get it used for only about $130 if you know How to Win at eBay, or get it used at KEH.
If video is your thing, it comes at a deep discount as part of a kit with the R50 V at B&H, at Adorama, at Crutchfield and at Amazon.
As of June 2026 they sell for 35¢ on the dollar used at eBay because these often come along with the R50 V as a kit, so there are many of these floating around used, cheap.
This is a swell little lens for Canon's APS-C mirrorless cameras. If you want power zoom for smooth video zooms or just prefer this wider range to some of the other lens options, go for it.
I use a clear (UV) protective filter instead of a cap (exactly like an iPhone) so I'm always ready to shoot instantly. I only use a cap when I throw this in a bag with other gear without padding — which is never. The UV filter never gets in the way, and never gets lost, either.
The very best protective filter is the Hoya multicoated HD3 58mm UV which uses hardened glass and repels dirt and fingerprints.
The very inexpensive Hoya multicoated 58mm UV works as well but doesn't stay as clean, and for very basic use in filthy environments the uncoated Tiffen 58mm UV works almost as well and is much easier to clean.
Filters last a lifetime, so you may as well get the best. The Hoya HD3 stays cleaner than the others since it repels oil and dirt.
All these filters are just as sharp and take the same pictures, the difference is how much abuse they'll take and stay clean and stay in one piece. Since filters last a lifetime or more, there's no reason not to buy the best as it will last you for the next 40 years. Filters aren't throwaways like digital cameras which we replace every few years, like it or not. I'm still using filters I bought back in the 1970s!
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Help Me Help You top
I support my growing family through this website, as crazy as it might seem.
The biggest help is when you use any of these links when you get anything. It costs you nothing, and is this site's, and thus my family's, biggest source of support. These places always have the best prices and service, which is why I've used them since before this website existed. I recommend them all personally.
If you find this page as helpful as a book you might have had to buy or a workshop you may have had to take, feel free to help me continue helping everyone.
If you've gotten your gear through one of my links or helped otherwise, you're family. It's great people like you who allow me to keep adding to this site full-time. Thanks!
If you haven't helped yet, please do, and consider helping me with a gift of $5.00.
As this page is copyrighted and formally registered, it is unlawful to make copies, especially in the form of printouts for personal use. If you wish to make a printout for personal use, you are granted one-time permission only if you PayPal me $5.00 per printout or part thereof. Thank you!
Thanks for reading!
Ken.