LENS TEST CANON RF 24-50MM F/4.5-6.3 IS STM
as giving direct access to autofocus with manual override and fully manual focusing, the Control option enables the focus ring to be assigned to other customisable functions like aperture, exposure compensation and ISO adjustments. The focus ring itself is rather small, in keeping with the diminutive size of the lens, but operates smoothly with the nowtypical electronic coupling.
One component that’s lacking, as usual with Canon’s non-L-series lenses, is a lens hood, which is sold separately.
Performance
In our real-world testing, sharpness proved very good (rather than entirely great) throughout the zoom range. Centre sharpness isn’t as impressive as you’ll get from other Canon RF standard zooms that we’ve tested, but levels of sharpness are remarkably uniform across the whole image frame, right out to the edges and corners, and are also pretty consistent throughout the zoom range.
In practical terms, the highly effective optical image stabilisation system helps to maintain consistent sharpness in handheld shooting, even at slow shutter speeds. After all, there’s little point in having a really compact, featherweight lens if you need to lug a tripod around.
Lateral chromatic aberration towards the edges and corners of the frame is minimal at all zoom settings – and automatic in-camera correction is available anyway.
The lens relies entirely on autocorrection for distortions, especially in the 24-35mm sector of the zoom range. This can’t be switched off in-camera because the lens would be basically unusable without autocorrection for distortion; this is by no means uncommon in recent lenses designed for mirrorless cameras.
The speed and accuracy of the linear stepping motor autofocus system are impressive for stills, and it lives up to its billing of delivering smooth autofocus transitions while shooting video. Overall, the performance is impressive, considering the compact and lightweight design of the lens. However, the modest aperture rating is a minus point for gaining a tight depth of field, and for maintaining quick shutter speeds under low lighting levels to freeze motion.