When Canon announced the new RF 24-105mm f/2.8 IS USM Z lens a few months ago, many of us wondered what all the fuss was about because it’s a standard focal length. It is truly a world first in that it is the first 24-105mm zoom lens with a constant aperture of f/2.8. But does that really make this lens special, and more importantly, at $2999, is it good value for money?
I had this lens for roughly a month, so I could try it in several different real-world situations, including concert photography, portraits and landscape photography. I used it on my Canon EOS R mirrorless camera body.
Features of the RF 24-105mm f/2.8
This lens offers a popular and versatile focal length range and has the added advantage of being pretty fast at f/2.8 throughout the entire zoom range. This allows consistent low-light performance and shallow depth of field control, which is hugely important for anyone shooting weddings, events, concerts, or any other kind of low-light scenario.
This L-series lens is designed to be used with the EOS R lineup of mirrorless cameras. It features high build quality for durability and reliability, weather-sealing to protect against dust and moisture, and the high-quality optics that we have come to know and love about the L lenses.
Like most RF lenses, the lens includes a customizable control ring that can be assigned to adjust various settings such as aperture, shutter speed, ISO, or exposure compensation, providing enhanced control and customization options for photographers.
The lens features optical image stabilisation (IS) up to 5.5 stops. It’s not absolutely necessary for these focal lengths, in my opinion, particularly if you have IBIS (which I don’t!). However, with the lens weighing 2.9lb (1.3k), the IS is helpful when shooting handheld.
The lens also has a de-clicked manual aperture ring for video shooters. This is particularly interesting since most of the time, I would favour prime lenses for shooting video. However, I can see this lens as an advantage for event work, just as I can see for still photography.
Specifications
Canon RF 24-105mm F/2.8L IS USM Z
Focal Length 24-105mm
TypeZoom
Maximum Aperture f/2.8
Minimum Aperturef/22
Lens MountCanon RF
Format CompatibilityFull-Frame
Angle of View84° to 23° 20′
Maximum Magnification0.08 to 0.29x
Minimum Focus Distance17.7″ / 45 cm
Optical Design23 Elements in 18 Groups
Diaphragm Blades11
Focus TypeAutofocus
Image StabilizationYes
Filter Size82 mm (Front)
Dimensions (ø x L)3.5 x 7.8″ / 88.5 x 199 mm
Weight2.9 lb / 1.3 kg
What are the benefits of zoom lenses?
With this fairly extensive focal length of 24-105mm, we have to consider why you might want to buy this lens over, say, a 24-70mm or three separate prime lenses, for example. Firstly, zoom lenses offer versatility, particularly if you don’t have a lot of space for carrying multiple lenses if you’re in a confined space and can’t move about a lot, or if you’re shooting multiple subjects and need a wide range of focal lengths and don’t have time to be swapping lenses.
To cover this range of focal lengths, you’d need a minimum of three prime lenses: a 24/28mm, a 35 /40/50mm, and a 90/105mm. Not everyone likes to shoot with primes, although they have their own advantages. They are generally faster lenses and considerably cheaper than zooms. However, in the case of this RF 24-105mm f/2.8, those advantages are somewhat diminished.
Image samples
I find with all of Canon’s RF lenses that I have tried so far (and I’ve tried a fair amount at this point!), the skin tones are very accurate and true to life. I almost never have to tweak skin tones in post. This is an advantage over buying third party lenses if and when those become available.
Portraits:
This is a fantastic portrait lens. You have the full flexibility of the 35mm to 105mm portrait focal length, which is perfect for environmental portraits, family or group shots, and more traditional portraits shot wide open with bokeh.
The autofocus was fast, quiet, and smooth, and when paired with the camera body’s eye autofocus, it was very accurate. I saw absolutely no evidence of any chromatic aberration and the corners of the images seem equally sharp as the centre.
You can see a very slight increase in sharpness in images shot at f/8 rather than wide open at f/2.8. However, this is to be expected and common, with most lenses being slightly softer at their widest aperture. Saying that the portraits I shot at f/2.8 (when at a high enough shutter speed for handheld) were more than sharp enough for my liking.
50mm, f/8, 1/160, ISO 100
Zoomed into 100%
85mm, f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 100
Zoomed at 150%
Focal length comparison
24mm f/8
40mm f/8
105mm f/8
Image stabilisation
The 5.5 stops of image stabilisation were a big help when shooting handheld. However, as this example below shows, even shooting at 24mm the IS wasn’t enough at 1/125 to prevent a little camera shake. Of course, it was a bright day; I could have increased my ISO to increase the shutter speed. However, I wanted to see how slow I could handhold without camera movement. 1/160 seems to be my limit with this lens (I naturally have shaky hands!).
Pros and cons
Make no mistake—this is a fantastic lens. It is super sharp throughout the zoom range and has very little noticeable variation across the apertures. It was a fabulous addition to my camera bag for both the portrait shoots and the concert.
I like to shoot wide open. F/2.8 is a great aperture for me, particularly when shooting in fairly low light. The concert was outside at dusk, and it was great not having to mess about switching lenses or walk about too much getting in the audience’s way.
Similarly, for the portrait shoots, this lens was fantastic for shooting in tight spaces where I didn’t have the luxury to back up a lot. Sometimes, a prime lens can be a little restrictive if you find yourself backed up against a wall.
This lens is bigger than my face!
The main disadvantages of this lens are its size and weight. This weighs quite a lot for a walking-about hand-held lens, and it is not at all inconspicuous. It looks like a serious lens and was the exact same size as the original EF 70-200mm f/2.8 telephoto L series lens.
I have found that the RF lenses are generally more compact than the EF versions. Having something so large feels like a slight step backwards. I’d be hesitant to bring this lens along for street photography or landscape photography with any hike involved.
Sure, you can use a monopod, but if you’re also using a 70-200mm, you can’t really use two monopods easily.
Conclusion
Who is this lens for? Generally, this lens is fantastic for anyone shooting events or photojournalism where speed and versatility are of utmost importance. I would absolutely choose this lens over the f/4 because, for me, those extra stops of light make it a far more useful lens.
If you only shoot landscapes, by all means, go for the f/4 and save some cash (and your back!). But for me, it would be this one or the 24-70mm f/2.8 paired with a 70-200mm. And the 24-70mm is almost $1000 cheaper. You do the maths.
Because I also like to shoot video, I am pretty content with using prime lenses. I like having to ‘zoom with my feet’ in most cases, and I don’t generally do enough event work to justify the spend on this lens. If money were no object, I would probably invest in the 24-70mm f/2.8 over this one, as I would also pair it with a 70-200mm to have the full range.
All in all, this is a great lens, but it’s a little bit niche, in my opinion, and certainly not for everyone. If it suits your needs, you’ll be more than happy with the quality. But maybe start doing those bicep curls if you like to shoot handheld!
The Canon RF 24-105mm f/2.8 IS USM Z is available to buy for $2999 at the time of writing.
