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

PhotographyBlog has completed their review of the Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM.  This lens was released less than 2 months ago, and it's good to see the reviews start coming in for this amazing lens.

If you missed it Canon has made this lens unlike past 70-200mm's .. an extending zoom - which has the benefit of being extremely small in your kit bag and also saving on weight as well.

The core features of the Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM 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.

PhotographyBlog gives this lens a solid 5 out of 5 stars and their "Essential" rating.  You can't get better than that.

They break down the star rating in more detail as;

Which is basically nearly perfect.

From their conclusions;

A 70-200mm lens is a must-have optic for any camera system, and thankfully the new RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM delivers the goods for the fledgeling Canon full-frame mirrorless system.

It offers fantastic sharpness and image quality throughout the zoom range, great build quality, and an outstanding feature-set and performance.

Image quality is simply amazing. It's outstanding at almost every focal length, with epic levels of sharpness virtually throughout the aperture range.

Chromatic aberrations are almost non-existent and flare is only ever an issue when shooting directly into the sun or if you choose not to use the large lens hood.

The only optical issue of note is a slight drop-off in sharpness when shooting wide-open at f/2.8 at the 200mm focal length - otherwise this lens is a stellar performer.

Run, don't walk to B&H Photovideo and get this lens now.  Also, check out the full review from PhotographyBlog here.

• PhotographyBlog