Canon RF 24&#8209;240mm IS

R3 R5 R5C R6 II R6 R R8 RP R7 R10 R50 R100

Bodies Compared RF Lenses EF Lenses Flash

Canon RF 24-240mm f/4~6.3 IS USM (72mm filters, 26.3 oz./747g, 1.6-2.6'/0.5-0.8m close focus, $899, or about $625 used if you know How to Win at eBay). bigger. I got mine at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay (see How to Win at eBay).

This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken.

April 2024 Canon Reviews Mirrorless RF Lenses EF Lenses Flash All Reviews

Sample Images top

Sample Images Intro Compatibility

Compared Recommendations

More samples at Bokeh, Macro, Sharpness, Spherochromatism and Sunstars.

These are all shot hand-held as NORMAL (▟ stairstep icon) JPGs; no tripods, FINE (quarter circle) JPGs or RAW CR3 files were used or needed.

Sunrise over Mono Lake as Seen from Conway Summit, 6:53 A.M., 18 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 62mm, wide-open at f/5 at 1/50 at Auto ISO 100, (LV 10¼). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

The Chief, Lundy Lake, California, 1:49 P.M., 13 October 2023 Canon EOS R6 II, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 55mm, f/8 at 1/160 at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 13.4), Skylum Luminar Neo. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Redwood Motel Sign, Bridgeport, California, 5:04 P.M., 13 October 2023. Canon EOS R6 II, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 94mm, f/11 at 1/400 at Auto ISO 100, -0.3 stops exposure compensation (LV 15.6), Skylum Luminar Neo. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Roof, Redwood Motel, Bridgeport, California, 3:29 P.M., 14 October 2023. Canon EOS R6 II, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 240mm, f/11 at 1/320 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 15.4), split-toned the print. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Light and Motion, Little Walker River, California, 4:31 P.M., 14 October 2023. Canon EOS R6 II, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 168mm, f/10 at 1/30 at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 11.6), Skylum Luminar Neo. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Dripping Hot Springs, Bridgeport, California, 7:25 A.M., 15 October 2023. Canon EOS R6 II, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 100mm, f/5.6 handheld at 1/25 at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 9.6), Skylum Luminar Neo. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Nicely's Restaurant Sign, Lee Vining, California, 11:09 A.M., 15 October 2023. Canon EOS R6 II, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 105mm, f/10 at 1/400 at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 15¼), Skylum Luminar Neo. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Aspens Aflame, Poole Power Plant Road, Lee Vining, California, 10:59 A.M., 18 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 118mm, f/8 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 100, -1/3 stop exposure compensation (LV 13.0). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Mono Market, Lee Vining California, 1:21 P.M., 18 October 2022. Canon EOS R6 in square-crop mode, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 42mm (about equivalent to the normal ZEISS 80mm f/2.8 PLANAR lens on HASSELBLAD 6×6), f/11 at 1/200 at Auto ISO 100, -2/3 stops exposure compensation (LV 14.6). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Orange Handle on Blue Door, Lee Vining, California, 1:24 P.M., 18 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 100mm, f/8 at 1/40 at Auto ISO 100, -1/3 stop exposure compensation (LV 13.4). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Part of the handle isn't that sharp because depth-of-field goes away at distances this close. If I was paying more attention as we walked around looking for lunch I'd have shot at f/16 at 1/10 instead, but tough.

Proud Stone, South Tufa, Mono Lake, California, 7:11 A.M., 19 October 2022. Canon EOS R6 in square crop mode, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 38 mm (equivalent to the normal ZEISS 80mm f/2.8 PLANAR lens on HASSELBLAD 6×6), f/8 hand-held at 1/13 at ISO 100 (LV 9.6). More tech details. split-toned print. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Whispy Dawn as seen from South Tufa, Mono Lake, California, 7:19 A.M., 19 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 240mm, f/14 at 1/1,250 at Auto ISO 200, -2/3 stops exposure compensation (LV 17.0), split-toned print. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

I used Skylum Luminar Neo to control the highlights, shadows and tones, and then split-toned the print.

I didn't need any Channel Mixer hijinx here because the subject, and thus the original color image, was monochrome: it was all white, shades of orange, and black. I show it in monochrome here because color adds nothing to the photo; it's all about the whispy shapes of the clouds as well as highlights and shadows; nothing to do with color. If any element, like color or a stray beer can, doesn't add to your piece, take it out.

I can't recall why this is at ISO 200; for all I know I may have set my EOS R6 to Highlight Tone Priority to retain detail in the extreme pointed-at-the-sun highlights, and Highlight Tone Priority has a lowest ISO of 200.

Sunrise, Mono Lake, California, 7:27 A.M., 19 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 50mm, f/16 at 1/320 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 16.4). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Half Dome in Last Light, Cook's Meadow, Yosemite National Park, California, 5:59 P.M., 20 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 83mm, f/8 at 1/60 at Auto ISO 100, -2/3 stops exposure compensation (LV 12.0). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Chromatic Grass, Sentinel Meadow Just South of the Chapel, Yosemite National Park, California, 11:45 A.M., 21 October 2022. Canon EOS R6 in square crop mode, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 109mm (equivalent to the ZEISS 250mm f/5.6 SONNAR lens on HASSELBLAD 6×6), f/20 hand-held at 1/8 second at ISO 200, -1/3 stop exposure compensation (LV 10.6). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Gigantic "Chicken of the Forest" (Laetiporus sulphureus) fungus, El Capitan Meadow, Yosemite National Park, California, 3:28 P.M., 21 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 70mm, f/8 hand-held at 1/15 at Auto ISO 100, -1/3 stop exposure compensation (LV 10.0). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Backlit Tree Couple, El Capitan Meadow, Yosemite National Park, California, 3:45 P.M., 21 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 40mm, f/6.3 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 12.4). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

A Touch of Cloud, Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California, 1:16 P.M., 22 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 118mm, f/11 at 1/100 at Auto ISO 100 -1/3 stop exposure compensation (LV 13.6). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Rain falls over the Merced River near the Ahwahnee, Yosemite National Park, California, 3:56 P.M., 22 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 47mm, f/8 at 1/40 at Auto ISO 100, -1/3 stop exposure compensation (LV 11.4) split-toned print. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Cathedral Rocks and Merced River Fog at Dawn, Yosemite National Park, California, 8:34 A.M., 23 October 2022. Canon EOS R6 in square-crop mode, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 37mm (equivalent to the normal ZEISS 80mm f/2.8 PLANAR lens on HASSELBLAD 6×6), f/8 at 1/25 at Auto ISO 100, -1 stop exposure compensation (LV 10.6). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

The first thing everyone asks me about this lens is "Is it sharp?" Yes, it's super-sharp, and not only is it super sharp, its superb stabilization gives me these super-sharp images hand-held even at very slow shutter speeds so I can use my camera's sharpest ISO (ISO 100) with no tripod required. This first telephoto shot is hand-held at ¹/₁₃ of a second!

Two Trees Along the Merced River, Yosemite National Park, 8:05 A.M., 15 October 2021. Canon EOS R5, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 83mm at f5.6 hand-held at ¹/₁₃ at ISO 100 (LV 8.6), Perfectly Clear and then Skylum Aurora HDR from my one JPG image. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Morning in Cook's Meadow, Yosemite, 11:23 A.M., 15 October 2021. Canon EOS R5, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 24mm at f/16 (for a good sunstars) at ¹/₆₀ at ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 14.0), shade white balance to make leaves more orange, Skylum Aurora HDR from my one JPG image to make the leaves golden and awesome. bigger or fit-to-screen, or full 45 MP resolution JPG image (12 MB). Don't tell me the RF 24-240mm IS USM isn't ultra sharp!

Flames, Yosemite National Park, 12:10 P.M., 15 October 2021. Canon EOS R5, cropped from RF 24-240mm IS USM at 222mm at f/8 at ¹/₁₆₀ at ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 13.4), Skylum Aurora HDR to add fire and vignetting to my one JPG image. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Ultra sharp hand-held at ¹/₈ of a second!

Trees Along the Merced River, Yosemite National Park, 2:53 P.M., 15 October 2021. Canon EOS R5 in 4:5 crop mode, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 62mm (240mm equivalent on 4x5″ film) at f/8 hand-held at ¹/₈ at ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 9.0), 4:5 Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Sun Trees, El Capitan Meadow, Yosemite National Park, 3:30 P.M., 15 October 2021. Canon EOS R5, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 24mm at f/11 at ¹/₅₀ at ISO 100 (LV 12.6), Perfectly Clear, split-toned print. bigger or fit-to-screen.

The Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite National Park, 12:22 P.M., 16 October 2021. Canon EOS R5, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 24mm at f/4 hand-held at¹/₄ second at ISO 100, -0.3 stops exposure compensation (LV 6.0), Shade white balance to accentuate warm colors. Perfectly Clear and Skylum Aurora HDR. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Stone Triangle in the Merced River, Yosemite National Park, 8:07 A.M., 17 October 2021. Canon EOS R5, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 70mm wide-open at f/5.6 hand-held at¹/₁₃ second at ISO 200 (LV 7.6), square crop (150mm eq. on HASSELBLAD 6×6 cm), Perfectly Clear, split-toned print. bigger or fit-to-screen.

The great stabilization lets me shoot hand-held at slow shutter speeds perfect for moving water. I love not needing my tripod!

Lee Vining Creek Falls, 3:12 P.M., 17 October 2021. Canon EOS R5, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 50mm cropped to 4:5 (300mm equivalent on 4x5″ film) at f/8 hand-held at¹/₂₅ second at ISO 100 (LV 10.6), cloudy in-camera white balance to warm the image, negative flipped in Photoshop CS6 (2010) to make the creek flow more naturally from left to right, Skylum Aurora HDR to add vignetting and detail back into the whitewater, all from one JPG image from my R5. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Clouds in the Shape of North America Above Mono Lake at Last Light, 5:40 P.M., 17 October 2021. Canon EOS R5, RF 24-240mm IS USM with Nikon Circular Polarizer II at 32mm at f/8 at¹/₈₀ at Auto ISO 160 (LV 11.7), Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Mercedes S550 in Snow and Ice, Lee Vining, 7:02 A.M., 18 October 2021. Canon EOS R5, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 240mm wide-open at f/6.3 hand-held at¹/₈ of a second at ISO 200 (LV 7.4), Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

240mm wide open? Looks super sharp to me, and this is hand-held at¹/₈ of a second!

Blowing Backlit Snow, Mono Lake, 7:29 AM., 18 October 2021. Canon EOS R5, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 240mm at f/8 hand-held at¹/₁₂₅ at ISO 100 (LV 13.0), unsharpened and as shot, with a mild crop. bigger or fit-to-screen or camera-original 45MP © 19 MB JPG.

The 24-240mm is sharp corner-to corner, especially at 240mm where many zooms go soft. Remember the top and bottom aren't in perfect focus, but look at the blowing snowflakes in the top corners that are in focus and you can see every one.

Abandoned Shack with Snowy Mountains and Blowing Snow, Mono Lake, 8:01 AM., 18 October 2021. Canon EOS R5, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 100mm at f/11 at¹/₃₂₀ at ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 15.4), Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen or camera-original 45MP © 11 MB JPG.

Golden Aspen, Tioga Pass Road, 12:49 P.M., 18 October 2021. Canon EOS R5 in 4:3 crop mode, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 150mm at f/11 at¹/₁₀₀ at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 13.6), Skylum Aurora HDR to add detail to the bright orange leaves and bring up the dark green shadows from my single JPG shot. bigger or fit-to-screen or camera-original 45 MP © 9 MB JPG.

Golden Aspens and Snow-Covered Mountains, Tioga Pass Road, 1:21 P.M., 18 October 2021. Canon EOS R5, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 34mm in square crop mode (80mm eq. on HASSELBLAD 6×6 cm) at f/8 at¹/₆₄₀ at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 15.4), Skylum Aurora HDR to make it magical from my single JPG shot whose background was a lot lighter than the trees. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Golden Aspens, Tioga Pass Road, 1:35 P.M., 18 October 2021. Canon EOS R5, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 24mm in square crop mode (50mm eq. on HASSELBLAD 6×6 cm) at f/8 at¹/₆₄₀ at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 15.4), Skylum Aurora HDR to make it glow from my single JPG image. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Big Virginia Lake (also known as Big Valley Lake), 3:02 P.M., 18 October 2021. Canon EOS R5, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 24mm at f/22 (for sunstars in the sparkles on the water) at¹/₃₀ hand-held at Auto ISO 100, (LV 14.0), Skylum Aurora HDR to make it magic from my single JPG image. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Golden Aspens and Snow-Covered Mount Emma, 4:45 P.M., 18 October 2021. Canon EOS R5, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 90mm at f/9 at¹/₂₀₀ at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 14.0), Skylum Aurora HDR to make it more vivid, bring the tree forward and darken the periphery with vignetting from my single JPG image. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Golden Aspen Grove along Little Walker River, 4:45 P.M., 18 October 2021. Canon EOS R5, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 90mm at f/9 at¹/₂₀₀ at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 14.0), Skylum Aurora HDR from my single JPG image. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Star on the Star (alternately, Frozen Mercedes Star), 8:16 A.M., 19 October 2021. Canon EOS R5, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 100mm at f/11 at¹/₁₆₀ at Auto ISO 100, +0.7 stops exposure compensation to keep the white car from going gray, (LV 14.4). bigger or fit-to-screen.

Organic Y, 10:35 A.M., 19 October 2021. Canon EOS R5, RF 24-240mm IS USM at 150mm at f/11 at¹/₄₀₀ at Auto ISO 100 (LV 15.6), Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Macaw by Window Light, 11:31 AM, 23 August 2020. Canon EOS R5, Canon RF 24-240mm IS at 218mm at f/6.3 at ¹/₂₅₀ at Auto ISO 8,000, +1 stop exposure compensation (LV 7.0), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.

Not bad for ISO 8,000!

Green Manhole Cover, 9:20 AM, 29 October 2021. Canon EOS R5, RF 24-240mm IS at 70mm at f/8 hand-held at ¹/₅₀ of a second at ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 11.6), Perfectly Clear. bigger or full resolution.

Plant, 9:11 AM, 17 September 2020. Canon EOS R6 in 4:3 crop mode, Canon RF 24-240mm IS at 240 mm at f/16 hand-held at ¹/₆₀ at Auto ISO 500, -0.3 stops exposure compensation (LV 11.7), Perfectly Clear. bigger or full resolution.

Introduction top

Specifications Performance

User's Guide Compared Recommendations

B&H Photo - Video - Pro Audio

I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below.

This RF 24-240mm IS USM is my favorite lens of all time.

It's super sharp, it covers every reasonable focal length and its great stabilization lets me hand-hold at every focal length down to about 1/8 of a second. This lets me shoot anything, anywhere, with little more than a twist of my wrist to compose and shoot. Just look at my pictures and get one!

While many pros prefer to lug the combination of RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM and RF 70-200mm IS USM, I think they're crazy because not only do those two lenses weigh much more, most importantly we miss shots when we're busy grinding lenses on and off our cameras. My RF 24-240mm is just as sharp as those other lenses, and with stabilization and digital's high ISOs I haven't needed f/2.8 since back in the days of film. I can handhold my 24-240mm down to available darkness no problem. My 24-240mm is simply astounding!

The RF 24-240mm is the do-everything zoom for Canon's EOS-R mirrorless system. It covers a broader zoom range than any of Canon's exotic and expensive L lenses, and as you've seen, it makes pictures just as sharp. The 24-240mm is the one lens to take if you're taking just one lens and need something longer than the RF 24-105mm f/4 L or RF 24-105 STM.

L refers more to mechanical toughness than sharpness; this lens is just as sharp, but not as tough if you like to abuse your gear.

Not only is it sharp, it's got great stabilizatiojn, great macro performance and great sunstars, too.

I got my RF 24-240mm at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

The rear ring can be set to FOCUS, or to CONTROL other things. bigger.

New intro top

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com Canon's first superzoom for full frame mirrorless.

Good intro top

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Sharp at every setting.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Huge zoom range does everything. Add the tiny RF 16mm f/2.8 STM if you need ultrawide and you're ready for anything.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Superb image stabilization; I sometimes can get sharp shots at more than one full second handheld at 24mm!

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Great macro performance.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Great sunstars.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Stabilizer switch.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com 100% U.S.A.-based high-quality technical support at (800) OK-CANON.

Bad intro top

red ball icon © KenRockwell.com No AF/MF switch. You have to set the focus mode in a menu instead.

Missing intro top

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No AF/MF switch.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No case included.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No hood included.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No third control ring, just the zoom and a second programmable focus or control ring.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No high price, either!

Compatibility top

I got my RF 24-240mm at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

This lens only works on Canon's EOS-R series of mirrorless cameras.

It won't fit on any DSLR.

Specifications top

I got my RF 24-240mm at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

Name

Canon calls this the Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM:

RF: Works only on Canon's EOS-R Mirrorless cameras.

IS: Image Stabilization.

USM: Ultrasonic Autofocus Motor, actually a Nano-USM.

Optics specifications top

Canon RF 24-240mm internal optical construction. Aspherical and UD elements. IS section.

21 elements in 15 groups.

One aspherical element.

Two UD extra-low dispersion elements to help reduce secondary axial chromatic aberration.

"Pumper" zoom: gets longer at 240mm.

Close Focus specifications top

1.64 feet (0.5 meters) at 24mm.

2.56 feet (0.78 meters) at 240mm.

Maximum Reproduction Ratio specifications top

1:3.8 (0.26 ×) — that's very close!

Diaphragm specifications top

Canon RF 24-240mm f/4~6.3 IS USM. bigger.

7 rounded blades.

Electronically actuated.

Autofocus specifications top

Nano-USM AF motor.

Filters specifications top

72 mm filter thread.

Coverage specifications top

Full-Frame and APS-C.

Focal Length specifications top

24~240 mm.

When used on an APS-C camera, it sees the same angle of view as a 35 ~ 350 mm lens sees when used on a full-frame camera.

Focus Scale specifications top

No.

Infinity Focus Stop specifications top

No.

Depth of Field Scale specifications top

No.

Infrared Focus Index specifications top

No.

Reproduction Ratio Scale specifications top

No.

Image Stabilizer specifications top

Rated 5 stops improvement.

Hood specifications top

Optional EW-78F hood.

Size specifications top

3.17" Ø maximum diameter × 4.82" extension from flange when set to 24mm.

80.4 mm Ø maximum diameter × 122.5 mm extension from flange.

Weight specifications top

26.335 oz. (746.67 g), actual measured weight.

Rated 26.5 oz. (750g).

Development Announced specifications top

11 PM Wednesday, 13 February 2019, NYC time.

Promised for later in 2019.

Product Announced specifications top

10 PM Monday, 08 July 2019, NYC time.

Promised for specifications top

03 September 2019.

Canon's Model Numbers specifications top

RF24-240ISUSM.

3684C001 in Japan, 3684C002 elsewhere.

JAN code 4549292-151411.

Included specifications top

Lens.

Canon E-72II 72mm front cap.

Rear Lens Dust Cap RF (p/n 2962C001).

Optional specifications top

EW-78F hood.

Price, USA specifications top

July 2019

$899, July 2019.

Also comes as a kit with the EOS RP, a free second battery and an EF lens adapter for just $1,999, also at B&H. Also comes as a kit with the EOS R for $2,898.

Canon RF 24-240mm f/4~6.3 IS USM. bigger.

Performance top

Overall Autofocus Manual Focus Breathing Bokeh

Distortion Falloff Filters Lateral Color Fringes

Lens Corrections Macro Min & Max Apertures

Mechanics Sharpness Spherochromatism

Stabilization Sunstars Weather Sealing

I got my RF 24-240mm at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

Overall performance top

The RF 24-240mm is super sharp, compact and inexpensive. It's a fantastic lens for those of us smart enough to carry less.

Autofocus performance top

Autofocus is nearly instantaneous, and completely silent, even on Canon's least expensive EOS RP. Bravo!

Manual Focus performance to

Manual focusing is entirely electronic; the manual focus ring isn't connected to anything other than a digital encoder.

While Canon claims full-time manual focus override; it only works if you set the camera just right — which isn't full-time.

It only focuses manually if you assign the control ring to focus using the FOCUS/CONTROL ring:

The rear ring can be set to FOCUS, or to CONTROL other things. bigger.

Since there is no AF/MF switch, you need to set this in a menu. In the EOS RP, you set this at MENU > CAMERA page 7 > AF operation.

Focus Breathing performance top

Focus breathing is the image changing size as focused in and out. It's important to cinematographers that the image not breathe because it looks funny if the image changes size as focus gets pulled back and forth between actors. If the lens does this, the image "breathes" by growing and contracting slightly as the dialog goes back and forth.

The image from this 24-240mm gets a little smaller as focussed more closely at 24mm, and there is no breathing from 50mm to 240mm.

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 very good.

Here are photos from headshot distance wide-open of a made-in-U. S. A. Davis 6250 weather station. Click any for the camera-original © file:

Click any for the camera-original © file.

As always, if you want to throw the background as far out of focus as possible, shoot at 240mm at f/6.3 and get as close as you can. As you've seen, focal length has much more to do with defocus than aperture.

Distortion performance top

At least in my EOS RP, automatic distortion correction is always active and cannot be turned off.

As-shot, there is no visible distortion.

If you look too closely in the lab, what's weird is that the EOS RP's JPGs slightly overcorrects the distortion, leaving just a tiny bit of pincushion distortion at the wide end and a tiny bit of barrel distortion at the long end. Uncorrected, it's always the other way around.

While Canon's own software probably also corrects distortion from RAW CR3 files, be warned that other brands of raw processing software probably won't correct the distortion, and Heaven only knows what distortion you may see in your completed images.

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 Full-Frame at 30' (10m)	Correction factor with EOS RP JPG images
24mm	-0.90
35mm	-0.70
50mm	+0.50
70mm	+1.00
100mm	+1.00
150mm	+1.00
240mm	+1.00

Ergonomics performance top


At 24mm. bigger.	At 240mm. bigger.

Half this lens is the mechanical zoom ring. That's great.

Even better, the zoom is a nice, even logarithmically-spaced scale so it's fast and easy and precise to set any framing. Bravo!

The 24-240mm does tend to poke out when you carry it; it's bigger and less convenient to carry than the smaller and lighter RF 24-105 STM. The RF 24-105mm f/4 L is only a hair smaller and lighter; they're about the same size and weight.

The second ring rarely does anything when set to FOCUS unless you also set the camera to Manual Focus, otherwise you may as well set it to CONTROL to set ISO or aperture or etc.

All in all, an easy to shoot lens; no concerns here. Bravo!


At 24mm. bigger.	At 240mm. bigger.

Falloff performance top

Falloff isn't a problem. It's corrected by default.

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:

Canon RF 24-240mm falloff, default correction left ON.

	f/4	f/5.6	f/8
24mm
50mm (maximum aperture is f/5 ‑‑>)
100mm	(maximum aperture is f/5.6 ‑‑>)
240mm	(maximum aperture is f/6.3 ‑‑>)

I see that at 50mm falloff is corrected surprisingly completely, which looks odd here that it's so perfect, but I checked it again and that's what it does.

Even if you go out of your way to turn falloff correction OFF and then go looking for it, it's minor. Even though you can see it here in flat tests, it's not noticeable in real photos except maybe a little at 24mm at f/4:

Canon RF 24-240mm falloff, correction deliberately turned OFF.

	f/4	f/5.6	f/8
24mm
50mm (maximum aperture is f/5 ‑‑>)
100mm	(maximum aperture is f/5.6 ‑‑>)
240mm	(maximum aperture is f/6.3 ‑‑>)

Filters, use with performance top

There's no need for thin filters. I can stack a couple of regular 72mm screw-in filters without vignetting on full frame at every setting.

Go ahead and use your standard rotating polarizer and grad filters.

Flare & Ghosts performance top

There's no problem with flare or ghosts.

See examples at Sunstars.

Lateral Color Fringes performance top

There are no color fringes when shot as JPG with the default Chromatic Aberration Correction left ON. Well, there is a fraction of an invisible pixel of green/magenta at 240mm, but at less than 500% magnification, no fringes.

if you go out of your way to turn the correction OFF (or shoot raw and then use non-manufacturer software to process that data into images) then there is moderately strong magenta/green at 24mm, nearly none at 50mm, none at 100mm, and moderately strong green/magenta at 240mm.

Lens Corrections performance top

Other cameras will vary, but my EOS RP has options to correct for falloff (Peripheral Illumination Correction) and a Digital Lens Optimizer which corrects for a suite of other aberrations. Both are ON by default.

The Distortion option is grayed-out; it's always active and you can't turn it off.

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 — at least on my EOS RP.

Macro Performance performance top

Macro gets close, and it's very sharp. Bravo!

Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at 240mm wide-open at f/6.3 close-focus distance, 10 July 2020. bigger or camera-original © file.

1,200 × 900 pixel (5.2×) crop from above. bigger or camera-original © file.

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your phone, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 11 × 16" (0.9 × 1.3 feet or 25 × 40 cm).

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 21 × 31" (1.7 × 2.6 feet or 50 × 80 cm).

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 42 × 62" (3.5 × 5.2 feet or 1.05 × 1.6 meters).

Minimum & Maximum Apertures performance top

	Maximum Aperture	Minimum Aperture
24mm	f/4	f/22
28mm	f/4.5	f/25
35mm	f/4.5	f/25
50mm	f/5	f/29
70mm	f/5.6	f/29
100mm	f/5.6	f/32
150mm	f/6.3	f/36
240mm	f/6.3	f/36

Mechanical Quality performance top

Canon RF 24-240mm. bigger.

This is a very well-made lens. It's mostly plastic outside, with a metal mount and glass glass. Inside it's got plenty of plastic but with metal zoom tracks. I wasn't expecting metal zoom mechanics, that's great!

Front Bumper

None.

Filter Threads

Plastic.

Hood Bayonet Mount

Plastic.

Front Barrels

Plastic.

Zoom Ring

Rubber-covered plastic.

Mid Barrel

Plastic.

Focus/Control Ring

Plastic.

Slide Switches

Plastic.

Rear Barrel

Plastic.

Identity

Printed around front of lens, also printed on top of barrel

Internals

Lots of plastic, with metal zoom tracks.

Dust Gasket at Mount

No.

Mount

Dull chromed metal

Markings

All painted.

Serial Number

Nearly invisible laser engraving in black-on-black on the bottom of the barrel.

Date Code

None found.

Noises When Shaken

Mild to moderate clacketing, but if you pull the lens off while the camera is on, the internal stabilizer group may not lock-down and that will rattle around.

Made in

Made in Taiwan.

Sharpness performance top

Encinitas Boat Houses, 11:47 AM, 13 July 2020. Canon EOS RP, Canon RF 24-240mm at 65mm at f/11 at ¹/₁₆₀ at Auto ISO 100 (LV 14.4), exactly as shot. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.

Sharp.

Palms, 8:08 AM, 18 July 2020. Canon EOS RP, Canon RF 24-240mm at 33mm at f/11 at ¹/₈₀ at Auto ISO 100 (LV 13.4), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.

Sharp.

Mockingbird Lifting off from Palms, 8:10 AM, 18 July 2020. Canon EOS RP, Canon RF 24-240mm at 157mm at f/6.3 at ¹/₆₄₀ at Auto ISO 100 (LV 14¾), exactly as shot. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.

Sharp, even wide-open.

2017 Specialized Tarmac Comp 58cm, Torch Edition, 9:47 AM, 18 July 2020. Canon EOS RP, Canon RF 24-240mm at 76mm at f/11 at ¹/₃₂₀ at Auto ISO 100, -1.3 stops exposure compensation (LV 15.4), as shot. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.

Sharp.

Palms and Desert Mountains at Dusk, 7:09 PM, 18 July 2020. Canon EOS RP, Canon RF 24-240mm at 222mm at f/6.3 at ¹/₂₅₀ at Auto ISO 100 (LV 12.4), exactly as shot. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.

Sharp, even wide-open.

Desert Mountains Rising Above the Driving Range, 6:40 PM, 22 July 2020. Canon EOS RP, Canon RF 24-240mm at 240mm at f/7.1 at ¹/₃₂₀ at Auto ISO 100 (LV 13.7), exactly as shot. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.

Sharp, especially all the way at 240mm. Bravo!

Palm Drive, 6:44 PM, 22 July 2020. Canon EOS RP, Canon RF 24-240mm at 70mm at f/7.1 at ¹/₁₂₅ at Auto ISO 100 (LV 12.6), exactly as shot. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.

Sharp, sharp, sharp.

End, 11:35 AM, 13 July 2020. Canon EOS RP square crop mode, Canon RF 24-240mm at 83mm at f/9 at ¹/₂₅₀ at Auto ISO 100 (LV 14.4), as shot. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.

Sharp.

Sage Place, 6:03 PM, 07 August 2020. Canon EOS R5, Canon RF 24-240mm IS at 24mm at f/6.3 at ¹/₁₂₅ at Auto ISO 100 (LV 12.4), Perfectly Clear. bigger, full 45MP resolution or camera-original © JPG file.

Not everything's in perfect focus, so no, not everything is perfectly sharp.

The EOS R5 is superb for tracking motion and wildlife, and the 24-240mm has super-fast autofocus. This roadrunner was running all over, and my R5 just tracked and kept his eyes in focus all by itself with no need for me to move any focus points. It just found the eyes, grabbed them and tracked them as he jumped all over:

Visiting Roadrunner (shot through window), 10:55 AM, 13 August 2020. Canon EOS R5, Canon RF 24-240mm IS at 183mm at f/7.1 at ¹/₂₀₀ at Auto ISO 1,600 (LV 9¼), Canon 580 EX II flash, Perfectly Clear. bigger, full 45MP resolution or camera-original © JPG file.

Sharp?

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a large 14 × 21″ (35 × 55 cm) at this same high magnification.

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a huge 27½ × 41¼″ (2¼ × 3½ feet or 70 × 105 cm) at this same high magnification.

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a mammoth 55 × 82½″ (4½ × 7 feet or 1.4 × 2.1 meters) at this same extremely high magnification!

Pole and Plug, 8:46 AM, 17 September 2020. Canon EOS R6 in 4:3 crop mode, Canon RF 24-240mm IS at 62 mm at f/8 hand-held at ¹/₁₆₀ at Auto ISO 100, -1.3 stops exposure compensation (LV 13.4), Perfectly Clear. bigger or full resolution.

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 7,5,5) 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 at ISO 1,600 at default sharpening in daylight of subjects at differing distances in the same image.

It's super-sharp as I've shown. I also compared it directly to the state-of-the-art RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS, and it's as sharp, and and only rarely a little less sharp. In other words, this is just as sharp as Canon's far more exotic lenses; it's just not as fast and as tough — or as heavy and expensive and as limited in zoom range.

Canon RF 24-240mm MTF wide-open at 24mm (left) and 240mm (right), at 10 cyc/mm (black) and 30 cyc/mm (blue). Sagittal (solid) and meridional (dashed).

Spherochromatism performance top

Spherochromatism, also called secondary spherical chromatic aberration or "color bokeh," is an advanced form of spherical and chromatic aberration in a different dimension than lateral chromatic aberration. It happens mostly in fast normal and tele lenses when spherical aberration at the ends of the color spectrum are corrected differently than in the middle of the spectrum. Spherochromatism can cause colored fringes on out-of-focus highlights, usually seen as green fringes on backgrounds and magenta fringes on foregrounds. Spherochromatism is common in fast lenses of moderate focal length when shooting contrasty items at full aperture. It goes away as stopped down.

I see only the tiniest bit of warm/cool spherochromatism, which is as expected as it's so slow:

Mondaine A132.30348.11SBB at close-focus distance wide-open at 240mm, 10 July 2020. bigger or camera-original © file.

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your phone, then the complete image printed at this same high magnification would be about 11 × 16" (0.9 × 1.3 feet or 25 × 40 cm).

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same very high magnification would be about 21 × 31" (1.7 × 2.6 feet or 50 × 80 cm).

Image Stabilization performance top

Optical Image Stabilization (OIS, IS or VR (Vibration Reduction)) is wonderful. I get three to five stops of real-world improvement, getting me perfect tripod-equivalent sharpness hand-held almost all the time at 1/4 at 24mm, 1/15 at 70mm and 1/60 at 240mm, even on my unstabilized EOS RP.

On my stabilized EOS R5, I get perfect tripod-equivalent sharpness most of the time at 1/4 at 24mm and 50mm, at 1/8 at 100mm and at 1/15 at 240mm. At slower speeds I'll still get perfect sharpness some of the time; I just have to make several exposures and pick the perfect one. Even crazier, I can get completely usable sharpness even at four seconds hand-held at 24mm; the key is to make several shots and pick the sharp one. Of course I'll need to make more shots at the slowest speeds to ensure a usable one.

"Percent Perfectly Sharp Shots" are the percentage of frames with 100% perfect tripod-equivalent sharpness I get when I'm shooting hand-held while standing with no support. 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 all the frames are:

On a stabilized EOS R5

At 24mm on stabilized EOS R5

% Perfectly Sharp Shots	4s	2s	1s	1/2	1/4	1/8	1/15	1/30	1/60
Stabilization ON	0*	17*	17*	50	83	100	100	100	100
Stabilization OFF	0	0	0	0	0	17	17	33	100

I see a four-stop real-world improvement.

* Even if not tripod-perfect, many of the shots at a second or more were pretty good and perfectly usable, even at four seconds hand-held! If you do demand perfect sharpness, I got that in about one out of every six shots at one and two seconds, which is astounding.

At 50mm on stabilized EOS R5

% Perfectly Sharp Shots	2s	1s	1/2	1/4	1/8	1/15	1/30	1/60	1/125
Stabilization ON	0	17	50	83	100	100	100	100	100
Stabilization OFF	0	0	0	0	0	8	17	100	100

I see about a 4½ stop real-world improvement

At 100mm on stabilized EOS R5

% Perfectly Sharp Shots	1	1/2	1/4	1/8	1/15	1/30	1/60	1/125	1/250
Stabilization ON	0	17	50*	83	83	100	100	100	100
Stabilization OFF	0	0	0	0	0	0	17	67	100

I see a five-stop real-world improvement

* Even if not perfect, the 50% that weren't perfect were still looking pretty good.

At 240mm on stabilized EOS R5

% Perfectly Sharp Shots	1/2	1/4	1/8	1/15	1/30	1/60	1/125	1/250	1/500
Stabilization ON	0	17	17	67	67	100	100	100	100
Stabilization OFF	0	0	0	0	0	50	50	67	100

I see a three stop real-world improvement.

On stabilized EOS R6 at 85mm with camera firmware 1.1.1

"Percent Perfectly Sharp Shots" are the percentage of frames with 100% perfect tripod-equivalent sharpness I get when I'm shooting hand-held while free-standing with no support or bracing. 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:

% Perfectly Sharp Shots	1 sec.	1/2	1/4	1/8	1/15	1/30	1/60	1/125	1/250
R6 Internal Stabilization ON	33	33	83	100	100	100	100	100	100
R6 Internal Stabilization OFF	0	0	0	0	5	33	33	80	100

WOW! This is four or five stops of real-world improvement, which is great, but still not that much better than how it performs on the completely unstabilized EOS RP.

On a stabilized EOS R6 with camera firmware 1.5.1

In practical use in October 2022, I love how I usually can shoot down at 1/8 at most focal lengths. Around 110 mm I can get occasional blur between 1/20 and 1/40, but no big deal as I'll shoot multiple frames and pick the perfect one.

On an unstabilized EOS RP

At 24mm on unstabilized EOS RP

% Perfectly Sharp Shots	2s	1	1/2	1/4	1/8	1/15	1/30	1/60	1/125
Stabilization ON	0	25	25	83	100	100	100	100	100
Stabilization OFF	0	0	0	0	0	28	81	81	100

I see a three-stop real-world improvement.

At 70mm on unstabilized EOS RP

% Perfectly Sharp Shots	1	1/2	1/4	1/8	1/15	1/30	1/60	1/125	1/250
Stabilization ON	0	21	50	50	100	100	100	100	100
Stabilization OFF	0	0	0	14	14	0	28	100	100

I see about a four-stop real-world improvement.

At 240mm on unstabilized EOS RP

% Perfectly Sharp Shots	1/2	1/4	1/8	1/15	1/30	1/60	1/125	1/250	1/500
Stabilization ON	0	14	30	43	57	100	100	100	100
Stabilization OFF	0	0	0	0	17	28	43	83	100

I see about a three-stop real-world improvement.

Sunstars performance top

With a 7-bladed rounded diaphragm, I get 14-pointed sunstars on brilliant points of light at most apertures. Bravo!

Weather Sealing performance top

This 24~240mm claims no weather sealing. 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've shot my RF 24 - 240mm in moderate rain, and it works fine. If it really starts to rain I work under an umbrella. If a few drops of rain hit my lens, no big deal: i just wipe it off.

People worry way too much about this ever since camera companies started FUD campaigns to make us think that our gear will melt unless it has weather sealing. How do you think we shot in the rain for the first 190 years of photography?

Compared top

I got my RF 24-240mm at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

I've compared it directly to the state-of-the-art RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS, and it's just as sharp. If you spend too much time looking under a microscope sometimes — and that's only sometimes — it's only 90% as sharp as the 24-70mm f/2.8L that costs over three times as much and has less than one-half the zoom range, but most of the time, they're just as sharp.

This 24-240mm is super-sharp as I've shown; just as sharp as Canon's far more exotic lenses. It's not as fast or as tough — or as heavy and expensive and as limited in zoom range as the L lenses, but just as sharp most of the time.

The 24-240mm is bigger and less convenient to carry than the smaller and lighter RF 24-105 STM. The RF 24-105mm f/4 L is only a hair smaller and lighter than this 24-240; they're about the same size and weight.

This 24-240mm lens can get closer macro shots than the RF 24-105mm f/4 L, but not as close as the RF 24-105 STM. By "close" I'm referring to macro reproduction ratio (image size), not the focus distance.

User's Guide top

I got my RF 24-240mm at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

AF - MF Switch user's guide top

There's no AF/MF switch; you have to set this in a menu.

In the EOS RP, set it at MENU > CAMERA page 7 > Focus Mode.

In the EOS R5, set it at MENU > AF 1 > Focus mode.

I add this menu option to my My Menu so I can get to it easily.

Manual-Focus Override

By default, there is no always-responsive instant manual-focus override as we take for granted in our DSLRs.

EOS R cameras need a menu setting changed for manual-focus override, otherwise the focus ring is always ignored in AF.

Find the "Lens electronic AF" option in your AF menu (AF 4 in EOS R5 or CAMERA 8 in EOS RP), and set it to either "One‑Shot‑>enabled" or "One‑Shot‑>enabled (magnify)."

Now manual focus override works if you turn the ring while continuing to hold the shutter halfway, but only after focus locks in ONE SHOT.

Recommendations top