Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS
"The Boss" Full Frame Mirrorless USM
Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Compared User's Guide Recommendations
R3 R5 R5C R6 II R6 R R8 RP R7 R10 R50 R100
Bodies Compared RF Lenses EF Lenses Flash
Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM (82mm filters, 31.7 oz./897 g, 0.69 feet/0.21m/8¼" close focus at 24mm and 1.25'/0.38m/15" close focus at 70mm, $2,099) bigger. I got mine at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know 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 my personally-approved sources 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. Get yours only from the approved sources I use myself for the best prices, service, return policies and selection. 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 User's Guide Recommendations
These are just snapshots and there are many more throughout the review; my real work is in my Gallery.
These are all shot hand-held as NORMAL JPGs; no tripods, FINE JPGs or RAW CR3 files were used or needed.
Shot where 24-70/2.8 lenses look their worst (wide-open at 24mm), this snap says it all because it's flawless:
Seven Palms Oasis at Last Light, 7:29 PM, 25 June 2020. Canon EOS RP, Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS at 24mm wide-open at f/2.8 at 1/400 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 11.6), exactly as shot. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
This RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM screams quality when you see that even the corners are super-sharp wide-open:
1,200 × 900 pixel crop (5.2× magnification) from top right at f/2.8. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
1,200 × 900 pixel crop (5.2× magnification) from bottom left at f/2.8. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
If these 1,200 × 900 pixel crops are about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same magnification would be about 11 × 16" (0.9 × 1.3 feet or 25 × 40 cm).
If these 1,200 × 900 pixel crops are about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same high magnification would be about 21 × 31" (1.7 × 2.6 feet or 50 × 80 cm).
If these 1,200 × 900 pixel crops are 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).
I could end this review now and save myself a lot of time, but noooooo, you people won't leave it at that. This is an outstanding lens; lenses never used to be able to pass these torture tests where I shoot the lens at it's worse possible dark-light settings in broad daylight. Remember that at f/2.8 there is also very little depth-of-field and plenty in this image is simply out-of-focus.
OneWest Bank, 10:50 AM, 01 July 2020. Canon EOS RP, Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS at 29mm at f/8 at 1/500 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 15.0), exactly as shot. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
To Go Orders, 10:52 AM, 01 July 2020. Canon EOS RP, Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS at 35mm wide-open at f/2.8 at 1/1,600 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 13.6), exactly as shot with perspective correction in Photoshop CS6. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
Yellow and Blue, 10:53 AM, 01 July 2020. Canon EOS RP, Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS at 70mm at f/7.1 at 1/500 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 14.6), exactly as shot. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
Carved Living Stone, 10:55 AM, 01 July 2020. Canon EOS RP, Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS at 48mm at f/5 at 1/200 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 12¼), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
Orange, 11:53 AM, 01 July 2020. Canon EOS RP, Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS at 24mm at f/11 at 1/160 at Auto ISO 100, -1⅓ stops exposure compensation (LV 14.4), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
The smooth bokeh and ultra sharpness lead to three-dimensional images:
Mask On, 11:55 AM, 01 July 2020. Canon EOS RP, Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS at 70mm at f/3.2 at 1/100 at Auto ISO 125 (LV 9.7), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
Standing Stone M, 11:57 AM, 01 July 2020. Canon EOS RP, Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS at 24mm at f/6.3 at 1/320 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 13¾), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
Introduction top
Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Compared User's Guide Recommendations
I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below. |
The Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM is a two-pound monster of a top-notch professional midrange zoom for Canon's EOS-R mirrorless system. It's optimized for extreme performance rather than size, and has five stops of Image Stabilization.
It also focuses unusually close for macro use at all settings, and especially at 32mm.
I got my RF 24-70/2.8L at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
New intro top
Canon's first f/2.8 midrange zoom for their EOS-R mirrorless system.
Canon's first 24-70/2.8 with Image Stabilization.
Image Stabilization rated an awesome five stops.
"Nano Ultrasonic Focus Motor (USM)" is tiny and combines the speed of Canon's professional ring USM with the quietness of stepper motor (STM) lenses.
Good intro top
Superb optics.
Fast autofocus.
Superb sunstars.
Two control rings in addition to the zoom ring.
Stops down to f/22.
Crud-resistant fluorine coatings front and back.
Dust, drip, dirt and moisture resistant.
Excellent Image Stabilization.
Made in Japan.
100% U.S.A.-based high-quality technical support at (800) OK-CANON.
Bad intro top
Nothing, other than being big, heavy and expensive.
Missing intro top
Nothing; it comes with a case and hood, has three control rings (mechanical zoom and two additional electronic control rings) and has dedicated switches for AF/MF and stabilization ON/OFF.
Compatibility top
Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Compared User's Guide Recommendations
I got my RF 24-70/2.8L at B&H. I'd also get it 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, and cannot be adapted to, any DSLR because a DSLR has too much distance between its sensor and its lens mount flange.
Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L. bigger.
Specifications top
Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Compared User's Guide Recommendations
I got my RF 24-70/2.8L at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Name specifications top
Canon calls this the Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM:RF: Works only on Canon's EOS-R Mirrorless cameras.
L: Expensive as L.
IS: Image Stabilization.
USM: Ultrasonic Autofocus Motor.
It's also model number RF24-7028LIS, product code: 3680C002 (3680C001 in Japan) and JAN code 4549292-148381.
Optics specifications top
Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L Internal Optical Construction. Aspherical and UD elements. Red Box: Image Stabilizer group. Dashed lines: Air-Sphere Coating.
21 elements in 15 groups.
3 UD extra-low dispersion elements, which help reduce secondary axial chromatic aberration.
3 aspherical elements
Front and rear fluorine coatings to resist dirt and smudges.
Air-sphere continuously-variable index of refraction coated for ghost reduction.
"Pumper" zoom; front section moves in and out as zoomed.
Filters specifications top
Plastic 82 mm filter thread.
Coverage specifications top
Full-Frame (24 × 36mm) and APS-C (15 × 23mm).
Diaphragm specifications top
Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM. bigger.
9 rounded blades.
Electronically actuated.
Stops down to f/22.
Angles of View, Full Frame specifications top
84.06º ～ 34.35º diagonal.
73.74º ～ 28.84º horizontal.
53.13º ～ 19.46º vertical.
Autofocus specifications top
Nano-USM motor.
Full-time manual-focus override, claimed, but not really. How to get manual-focus override.
Focus Scale specifications top
Not on lens, can be in finder.
Infinity Focus Stop specifications top
No.
Depth of Field Scale specifications top
No.
Infrared Focus Index specifications top
No.
Close Focus specifications top
At 24mm: 0.69 feet (0.21 meters or 8¼ inches) from the image plane; even closer to the front of the lens.
At 70mm: 1.25 feet (0.38 meters or 15 inches) from the image plane; even closer to the front of the lens.
Maximum Reproduction Ratio specifications top
1:3.3 (0.3×) at 32mm.
A little less at 24mm and 105mm, probably about 1:4.4 (0.23×) at each end.
Reproduction Ratio Scale specifications top
No.
Image Stabilizer specifications top
Rated 5 stops improvement.
Hood specifications top
Canon EW-88E hood. bigger.
EW-88E included.
Case specifications top
Canon LP-1222 Carry Sack. bigger.
LP-1222 carry sack included.
Size specifications top
3.48" Ø maximum diameter × 4.95" minimum extension from flange.
88.5 mm Ø maximum diameter × 125.7 mm minimum extension from flange.
Weight specifications top
31.655 oz. (897.4 g), actual measured weight.
Rated 31¾ oz. (900g).
Quality specifications top
Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM. bigger.
Made in Japan.
Development Announced specifications top
11 PM Wednesday, 13 February 2019, NYC time.
Product Announced specifications top
28 August 2019.
Promised for specifications top
Late September 2019.
Included specifications top
RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM.
Rear Lens Dust Cap RF (p/n 2962C001).
Canon's Model Numbers specifications top
RF24-7028LIS.
Product code: 3680C002 (3680C001 in Japan).
JAN code: 4549292-148381.
Price, U. S. A. specifications top
April 2024
$2,099 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield.
About $1,650 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
July 2022
$2,399 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or about $1,900 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
August 2020
$2,199 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or about $1,900 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
August 2019 ~ July 2020
$2,299 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield.
June 2020
About $2,000 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM. bigger.
Performance top
Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Compared User's Guide Recommendations
Overall Autofocus Manual Focus Breathing
Bokeh Distortion Ergonomics Falloff Filters
Flare & Ghosts Lateral Color Fringes
Lens Corrections Macro Mechanics Sharpness
Spherochromatism Stabilization Sunstars
I got my RF 24-70/2.8L at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Overall performance top
The RF 24-70/2.8 L is a big lens with huge performance. Canon isn't screwing around; this is a major lens with unbeaten performance.
Autofocus performance top
Autofocus is fast and immediate. Not instantaneous, but immediate.
It focuses even more closely at 24mm than it does at 70mm.
Manual Focus performance top
Manual focusing is entirely electronic; the manual focus ring isn't connected to anything other than a digital encoder.
It focuses even more closely at 24mm than it does at 70mm.
How to get manual-focus override.
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.
At 24mm the image gets only very slightly smaller as focused more closely; I doubt anyone would notice it.
There isn't any breathing at 70mm.
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 good.
Here are photos from headshot distance wide-open:
Scarecrow Owl, 29 June 2020. Canon EOS RP, Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS at 24mm at f/2.8 at 1/1,600 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 13.6), exactly as shot. bigger or camera-original © file.
Scarecrow Owl, 29 June 2020. Canon EOS RP, Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS at 70mm at f/2.8 at 1/1,000 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 13.0), exactly as shot. bigger or camera-original © file.
Mask On, 11:55 AM, 01 July 2020. Canon EOS RP, Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS at 70mm at f/3.2 at 1/100 at Auto ISO 125 (LV 9.7), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
As always, if you want to throw the background as far out of focus as possible, shoot at 70mm at f/2.8 and get as close as you can.
Distortion performance top
The RF 24-70mm f/2.8L has no visible distortion when shot on Canon's EOS-R series of cameras which correct this by default.
If you go out of your way to turn the correction off, it has moderate to strong distortion. No news here, this is how things work in 2020.
While Canon's own software probably also corrects this 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 then.
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.
At 10m (30') |
Correction factor to use with images made with default correction ON in EOS RP |
Correction factor with uncorrected images |
24mm |
+0.40 | +2.50* |
35mm |
+0.20 | ±0.00** |
50mm |
+0.40 | -1.30 |
70mm |
+0.60 | -1.80 |
© 2020 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.
* Waviness remains after this correction.
** Slight waviness remains after this correction.
Ergonomics performance top
This is a big lens, and it's got three big control rings and nice slide switches for AF and Stabilization. It's an easy beast to make do what we want it to do:
|
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RF 24-70mm f/2.8L at 24mm. bigger. |
RF 24-70mm f/2.8L at 70mm. bigger. |
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RF 24-70mm f/2.8L at 24mm. bigger. |
RF 24-70mm f/2.8L at 70mm. bigger. |
The front diamond-knurled hard plastic ring has clicks. It usually sets the aperture, but you can program it in your camera to do other things. You can pay Canon service to remove these clicks from the front control ring if you prefer.
The middle rubber-covered ring is usually manual focus. It always turns smoothly. While Canon claims "Full-Time Manual Focus Override," it only works under certain settings, so it's not really full time.
The big rubber-covered rear zoom ring is a direct mechanical ring, while the two smaller ones are purely electronic.
Falloff performance top
Falloff isn't a problem; Canon's full-frame mirrorless cameras correct for it automatically. My Bokeh shots are also wide-open and don't have any visible falloff.
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 24-70mm f/2.8L falloff, default Peripheral Illumination Correction left ON.
© 2020 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved. |
Of course if you go out of your way to turn off Peripheral Illumination Correction, it has a healthy amount of falloff wide-open and at the widest end:
Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L falloff, Peripheral Illumination Correction deliberately turned OFF.
© 2020 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved. |
Filters, use with performance top
There's no need for thin filters.
I can stack two standard screw-in 82mm filters and get no vignetting on full frame, while three stacked filters usually vignette.
Go ahead and use your standard rotating polarizer and grad filters.
Flare & Ghosts performance top
Oddly there can be a series of little green dots across your frame if you go way out of your way to cause them.
See examples at Sunstars, and remember that I'm deliberately letting the sun shine into my lens and exposing for the dark underside of the palm trees; an extreme test.
Lateral Color Fringes performance top
There are no color fringes as shot on Canon's full-frame mirrorless cameras at their default settings of Digital Lens Optimizer: ON.
If you go out of your way to turn the Digital Lens Optimizer OFF, and then only if you again go out of your way to turn Chromatic Aberration Correction OFF, there is a tiny amount of red/cyan lateral color at 24mm, none in the middle of the zoom range, and cyan/red lateral color at 70mm.
This is superb performance.
Lens Corrections performance top
Other cameras will vary, but my EOS RP has options to correct for falloff (Peripheral Illumination Correction), Distortion, and a Digital Lens Optimizer which corrects for a suite of other aberrations. All three are ON by default.
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.
Macro Performance performance top
Macro gets very close. Here's a shot on full-frame at 70mm at the closest focus distance:
At f/2.8 at 70mm
Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at close-focus distance at 70mm at f/2.8, 29 June 2020. bigger or camera-original © file.
It gets close, and it's pretty sharp even at f/2.8. Of course there never is much of anything in focus with any macro lens at close distances wide open, but what is in focus is pretty good:
1,200 × 900 pixel 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 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).
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).
At f/8 at 70mm
Stopped down it's super-sharp:
Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at close-focus distance at 70mm at f/8, 29 June 2020. bigger or camera-original © file.
1,200 × 900 pixel 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 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).
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).
At f/2.8 at 24mm
This 24-70/2.8 lens is unusual in that it lets us focus much more closely at the wide end such that we can get about the same macro ratio (image size), however we're focussing so close to the front of the lens it's easy to block our own light. Canon actually specifies the maximum reproduction ratio at 32mm; I didn't try that.
Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at close-focus distance at 24mm at f/2.8, 29 June 2020. bigger or camera-original © file.
It gets close, and it's pretty sharp even at f/2.8. Of course there never is much of anything in focus with any macro lens at close distances wide open, but what is in focus is pretty good:
1,200 × 900 pixel 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 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).
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).
At f/8 at 24mm
Stopped down it's super-sharp — but you're still going to have a hard time lighting your subject:
Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at close-focus distance at 24mm at f/8, 29 June 2020. bigger or camera-original © file.
1,200 × 900 pixel 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 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).
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).
Mechanical Quality performance top
Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM. bigger.
The 24-70/2.8 is a very well made and tough lens, with mostly plastic outsides and mostly metal insides.
Finish
Black plastic.
Hood
Plastic bayonet, included.
Front Bumper
None.
Filter Threads
Plastic.
Hood Bayonet Mount
Plastic.
Barrel Exteriors
Plastic.
Front Diamond-Knurled Control Ring
Molded plastic.
Middle Control Ring
Rubber-covered plastic.
Zoom Ring
Rubber-covered plastic.
Slide Switches
Plastic.
Identity
Printed around front of lens, also engraved into top of barrel.
Internals
Seem like mostly metal!
Dust Gasket at Mount
Yes.
Mount
Chromed metal.
Markings
Painted.
Serial Number
Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM. bigger.
Laser engraved in black-on-black on bottom of barrel.
Date Code
None found.
Noises When Shaken
Mild to moderate klunking.
It sounds like lots of things moving around.
Made in
Lens made in Japan.
EW-88E hood made in Japan.
Caps made in Taiwan.
LP1222 case made in Vietnam.
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, 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/22 at ISO 1,600 at default sharpening in daylight of subjects at differing distances in the same image.
These caveats aside and as I showed an hour ago at Sample Images, the Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L is flawlessly sharp at every aperture and focal length. if you can't get sharp images with this, examine your photo skills, not the lens.
Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L MTF at f/2.8 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 in fast 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.
This RF 24-70mm has moderately strong spherochromatism, with background highlights possibly taking on blue fringes and foreground highlights possibly taking on warm amber fringes. I noticed that Canon isn't using its magical "Blue-Refractive Compound in this lens; spherochromatism isn't that well controlled:
Mondaine A132.30348.11SBB at close-focus distance at 70mm at f/2.8, 29 June 2020. bigger or camera-original © file.
1,200 × 900 pixel 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 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).
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).
Image Stabilization performance top
Optical Image Stabilization (OIS, IS or VR (Vibration Reduction)) is astonishing! I can hand-hold and get perfect sharpness occasionally at a full second! I get perfectly-sharp shots almost all the time at 1/2 at 24mm and 1/15 at 70mm. BRAVO!
"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:
At 24mm
| % Perfectly Sharp Shots | 2s |
1s |
1/2 |
1/4 |
1/8 |
1/15 |
1/30 |
1/60 |
1/125 |
| Stabilization ON | 10 |
20 |
100 |
90 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| Stabilization OFF | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
30 |
50 |
83 |
100 |
100 |
I see a good three to four-stop real-world improvement.
At 70mm
| % Perfectly Sharp Shots | 1 |
1/2 |
1/4 |
1/8 |
1/15 |
1/30 |
1/60 |
1/125 |
1/250 |
| Stabilization ON | 50 |
70 |
50 |
67 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| Stabilization OFF | 0 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
17 |
50 |
83 |
100 |
100 |
There's a huge improvement. While it's hard to assign a hard number, I'll give Canon their claimed five stops here.
Sunstars performance top
With a 9-bladed rounded diaphragm, I get 18-pointed sunstars on brilliant points from about f/8, and superb, sharp sunstars from f/11 and smaller. Canon has learned to make the diaphragm curved at large apertures where it might (but doesn't) affect bokeh, and become straight-sided at smaller apertures to sharpen-up the sunstars. BRAVO!
Click any to enlarge:
Click any to enlarge.
Compared top
Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Compared User's Guide Recommendations
I got my RF 24-70/2.8L at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Even used on an adapter, none of Canon's 24-70mm f/2.8 DSLR lenses have stabilization.
I prefer the longer zoom range of the RF 24-105mm f/4L or 24-105mm f/4-7.1 STM over having f/2.8 but only up to 70mm; but that's just me.
User's Guide top
Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Compared User's Guide Recommendations
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
Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Compared User's Guide Recommendations
I got my RF 24-70/2.8L at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
If you need f/2.8 in a midrange zoom, this is an extraordinary lens. If you deserve only the very best, here you go.
Personally I prefer the longer zoom range of the RF 24-105mm f/4L or 24-105mm f/4-7.1 STM over having f/2.8 but only going up to 70mm; but that's just me. I don't need f/2.8.
I use a clear (UV) protective filter instead of a cap. I only use a cap when I throw this in my bag, otherwise I leave a clear protective filter on my lens at all times so I'm ready to shoot instantly.
The very best protective filter is the 82mm Hoya multicoated HD3 UV which uses hardened glass and repels dirt and fingerprints.
For less money, the B+W 82mm 010 is an excellent filter, as is the multicoated version and the basic multicoated Hoya filter and the Hoya Alpha filter, but the Hoya HD3 is the toughest and the best.
Any of these filters protects as well and gives ultrasharp images, but since filters last a lifetime, you may as well get the best since the Hoya HD3 is tougher and stays cleaner than the others since it repels oil and dirt.
I got my RF 24-70/2.8L at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
This 100% all-content 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. 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. I use the stores I do because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new camera before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I use myself for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
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Ken, Mrs. Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.
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