Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM £219/$200

Simple, small and very affordable Lens mount Canon RF

Canon’s EF-mount equivalent of this lens has always been a massively popular buy for DSLR owners. The new RF edition fills a small hole, as it were, in Canon’s full-frame mirrorless line-up. There certainly aren’t many compact and affordable Canon RF lenses, but this one is a no-brainer for prime time. Canon’s upmarket RF 50mm f/1.2 lens costs around 10 times as much.

Performance

This little lens delivers images that combine good wide-open sharpness with pleasant bokeh. It beats the older EF lens in both respects although, like its forerunner, it lacks optical stabilisation, which can be an issue with first-generation EOS R-series cameras. The stepping motor-driven autofocus system is quick and quiet, fast enough for sporty stills and smooth enough for video.