Canon RF 70-200 F2.8L IS USM Review

CameraLabs has completed their review of the Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM.  Canon announced this lens and then proceeded to tease us for most of 2019 about it before finally shipping it late in 2019.  There's one thing for certain, this lens is big on portability.

A quick summary of the Canon RF 70-200 features would include;

• Versatile telephoto zoom lens is designed for use with full-frame Canon RF-mount mirrorless cameras.
• Bright f/2.8 constant maximum aperture maintains consistent illumination throughout the zoom range and suits working in low-light conditions as well as affords increased control over depth of field for working with selective focus techniques.
• One UD (Ultra-Low Dispersion) element and one Super UD element help to minimize chromatic aberrations and color fringing in order to provide greater clarity and color accuracy.
• Two aspherical elements are used to correct spherical aberrations and distortion for improved sharpness and accurate rendering.
• An Air Sphere Coating (ASC) has been applied to lens elements to reduce backlit flaring and ghosting for maintained light transmission and high contrast in strong lighting conditions.
• An Optical Image Stabilizer helps to minimize the appearance of camera shake by five stops to better enable working in low-light conditions and with slower shutter speeds. Three distinct IS modes are available: standard single-shot mode, a panning-optimized mode, and a mode that only activates the Image Stabilizer during the exposure.
• Dual Nano USM system utilizes both a ring type USM and an STM mechanism to realize quick and accurate focusing that is also smooth and nearly silent to suit both photography and video applications. This focusing system also affords full-time manual focus control when working in the one-shot AF mode.
• Configurable Control Ring can be used to adjust a variety of exposure settings, including aperture, ISO, and exposure compensation.
• Protective fluorine coating has been applied to the front and rear element to resist fingerprints and smudges and to make cleaning these elements significantly easier.
• As a member of the esteemed L-series, this lens has a weather-resistant design that protects against dust and moisture to enable its use in inclement conditions.
• Rounded nine-blade diaphragm contributes to a pleasing bokeh quality.
• Removable rotating tripod collar is included and benefits working with the lens atop a tripod or monopod.

So what did CameraLabs have to say about the Canon RF 70-200 F2.8 IS USM? Well, they found it expensive, weren't sold on the extending zoom like many people but other than that gave it their highly recommended rating.

Ultimately if you’re an EOS R owner buying your first 70-200mm f2.8, or a pro event shooter who values saving almost half a kilo in weight, not to mention enjoying greater portability, sharper closeups and better stabilisation, then the RF 70-200mm f2.8L IS USM will be very tempting. I’d also argue it’s the first true killer lens for the EOS R system, exploiting the benefits of mirrorless and modern optics to deliver a unique and highly desirable lens. As such the RF 70-200mm f2.8L IS USM comes highly recommended.

Read the full review here

• CameraLabs