LENSES

This Canon full-frame standard zoom for RF mounts is the fastest of its kind

Canon RF 28-70mm F2L USM, Nikon Z 24mm F1.8 S

This isn’t Canon’s only standard zoom for the RF mount mirrorless bodies. When the petite full-frame EOS R was announced, Canon also introduced a 24-105mm f/4L, a stabilised lens in keeping with the camera’s compact dimensions, but hardly a lens to tug on the heart strings.

By contrast, with a 95mm filter attachment size and a girth exceeding Nikon’s impossibly large 58mm f/0.95 Noct, this lens is enormous. For all that, it’s a real delight to use. The zooming action is surprisingly light, well-damped, and satisfyingly smooth. Focusing, courtesy of the same powerful ring-type USM found in the EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM, is very fast, whisper-quiet, and precise.

Manual focus is ‘fly-by-wire’, but as it’s not too highly geared, precise focusing is easy. Even the customisable control ring, which can only be de-clicked by service centre, is still a really useful addition.

While there’s no built-in stabiliser, which would have been the icing on the cake, with the EOS R5 on the horizon that may not be such a big deal anyway.

But what about the image quality? Can it match the renowned EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM? Yes, it can. It doesn’t cover 24mm, but it has no more vignetting, as well as lower distortion and fringing. There’s more to a lens than sharpness – it’s how the lens renders that’s really important – and this lens doesn’t disappoint on that score.

Left RENDERING Most zooms aren’t known for their attractive rendering, especially those with a high number of elements, but this lens bucks the trend Left below BLUR QUALITY Depth of field is shallow when wide open, but this lens is sharp. It’s also capable of very attractive blurring of the out-of-focus areas