Canon lens launches always seem to feature super-exotic glassware that certainly grabs headlines but surely has little to do with regular middle of the road photographers like me. I’m thinking of lenses like the new RF 7-14mm fisheye zoom – cool, but ultra-specialised. Or the new RF 14mm f/1.4 VCM. Nice, but ridiculously expensive. How much money does Canon think we have? Or does it only care about cash-rich pros?
So here, for those who are interested, are the lenses I have bought with my own money, for my own work as a travel photographer, photography writer and camera and lens tester. Canon’s exotic L-series lenses might be the stuff of dreams, but when it comes to parting with my own cash, I find common sense starts to take over.
I’m well aware of the weaknesses and limitations of cheaper ‘consumer’ lenses, but at the same time I don’t think they get proper attention. These are the lenses that the average photographer can actually afford, and they’re often better than people give them credit for.
Canon RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM
This is my bread-and-butter daily zoom for all sorts of jobs, and I don’t think anyone takes it seriously because it’s the cut-price kit-lens option for cameras like the EOS RP and the EOS R8. It also has what looks like a pretty feeble variable aperture range, and lives in the shadow of the more ‘professional’ RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM. Well, I’ve used both these lenses, and while the cheaper STM version has weaknesses it’s lighter, has uncannily good IS and is sharp right up to 105mm. The edge sharpness at 24mm is weak, but otherwise I’ve found its optical performance to be at least as good as the f/4 L-series version, which I’ve always found distinctly underwhelming. You shouldn’t always judge a lens by its specs and its price.
Pros
- Light, compact and portable
- Excellent image stabilisation
Cons
- Limited maximum aperture
- Edge softness at 24mm
- Canon RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM prices: $459 at B&H | £479 at Wex
Canon RF 15-30mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM
This is another ‘consumer’ zoom that looks pretty feeble up against Canon’s constant-aperture L-series ultra-wide zooms, but it’s another lens that punches well above its weight. My sample is optically impressive both at 15mm and 30mm and, as with the cheap 24-105mm F4-7.1 zoom, it has really good optical stabilisation. I shoot with an EOS R8, which doesn’t have IBIS, so I’m glad of that. Would I prefer a constant-aperture L-series alternative? Maybe, but I do like this lens’s light weight, compactness and portability. I also have a soft spot for the underdog, and I think this is another under-appreciated lens.
Pros
- Compact, portable and not that expensive
- 15mm wide angle of view
Cons
- Limited maximum aperture
- 30mm maximum zoom is a little short
- Canon RF 15-30mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM prices: $539 at B&H | £598 at Wex
Canon RF 16mm F2.8 STM
I’ve mentioned that I like underdogs, and that certainly applies to this lens. It really is ridiculously cheap and ridiculously compact for such a wide-angle prime. It’s only 2mm longer in focal length than the latest RF 14mm F1.4 VCM lens, but at the opposite end of the cost and size spectrum. Optically it’s good rather than brilliant, but it’s a lot better than the price would leave you to expect – and it’s so small and neat! This is exactly the sort of lens that would get people experimenting with and enjoying prime lenses, and it’s small enough just to slip into a jacket pocket or a corner of your camera bag.
Pros
- Small, light and cheap to buy
- Decent optical performance, actually
Cons
- Only f/2.8
- Somewhat unrefined AF (like Canon’s other consumer primes)
- Canon RF 16mm F2.8 STM prices: $299 at B&H | £319 at Wex
Canon RF 24mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM
Fast 24mm primes tend to be pretty expensive, but not this one. Even better, it has image stabilisation built in, which is unusual for a prime, and can focus close enought to give 0.5x magnification. That’s not true ‘macro’, even though Canon includes it in the name, but it’s still a useful close-focusing capability. Some compact 24mm primes lose a little sharpness at the edges, but not this one. It also has click-stops on the control ring, which makes it handy for aperture control. The AF isn’t the smoothest, however. You don’t notice with small focus shifts, but you do with big near-to-far adjustments. Also, although it has IS in theory, I think it has very little practical effect, which is disappointing.
Pros
- Fast, compact and not too expensive
- 0.5x macro capability and good optical performance
Cons
- IS doesn’t appear to do much
- AF is unrefined with larger focus shifts
- Canon RF 24mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM prices: $599 at B&H | £669 at Wex
Canon RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM
I was looking for a compact and inexpensive 35mm prime with a decent maximum aperture and this seemed to fit the bill. It’s really not that big (for a fast full-frame 35mm) and does delivery very good image quality. I also like the soft click-stops on the control ring which make it handy for aperture adjustments. The 0.5x ‘macro’ capability is useful too. There are a couple of things I don’t like. There’s no lens hood included (of course not, it’s a Canon!) and the AF is neither smooth nor quiet with larger focus changes. Oh, and the IS is so weak that I just treat it as if there isn’t any. None of these flaws is a deal-breaker for me and I still like this lens, but I do think Canon needs to step up its game with these mid-range primes.
Pros
- Good optical performance
- Compact and affordable
Cons
- IS pretty ineffective
- Coarse AF actuation
- Canon RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM prices: $539 at B&H | £529 at Wex
Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM
Most camera makers do a cheap ‘nifty fifty’ and the RF 50mm F1.8 STM is a real bargain, yet it still has a metal lens mount and Canon’s trademark control ring – here, it can be used either as a focus ring or a control ring and there’s a switch on the barrel to swap between the two. What I like about this lens is not just the price, but the size. Remember the 50mm lenses on classic film SLRs? This is the same size, and reminder of how compact lenses used to be. There’s no IS and there is some vignetting at wider apertures, though that disappears with digital corrections. Perhaps the best thing about this lens is its optical performance – it’s really good, not just for a lens in this price range but for a 50mm f/1.8 prime in general.
Pros
- Very cheap, very compact, very simple design
- Some vignetting but good optical performance overall
Cons
- Slow and noisy AF
- Only one control ring for both focus and control
- Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM prices: $219 at B&H | £219 at Wex
Canon RF 85mm F2 MACRO IS STM
An 85mm f/1.4 is the classic ‘portrait’ lens, but I didn’t want to spend that much and, besides, I wanted this for video and product photography, where an ultra-fast aperture is less important. I have used it for portrait photography too and, believe me, f/2 is plenty fast enough when you’re trying to maintain focus on an excited toddler, even with the EOS R8’s excellent subject detection and tracking. As with all the mid-range Canon primes I’ve bought, this one delivers great optical quality – but has the same flaws too, notably noisy and sluggish AF. The IS isn’t that great either. I can’t quite understand why it should be so good in Canon’s cheap consumer zooms (above) but so lacklustre in these prime lenses. Would I still recommend it? For product and still-life work, certainly, where the 0.5x macro capability is a definite advantage.
Pros
- Relatively inexpensive but still fast enough
- 0.5x macro capability for small subjects
Cons
- Pretty hefty, even though it’s only an f/2
- Coarse AF and unimpressive stabilisation
- Canon RF 85mm F2 MACRO IS STM prices: $589 at B&H | £619 at Wex