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Rainbow lorikeets Canon EOS R5 with RF 100-500mm L |
Canon offers a range of very expensive, high performing
lenses to satisfy the most demanding professional and enthusiast amateur
requirements. But Canon is also acutely aware that most buyers of their cameras
and lenses seek good photo output without having to spend the sort of money
which could buy a new motor car.
So they offer some very low cost and several moderately
priced bodies and lenses to ensure there is something for everyone.
In this post I look at a selection of lenses which I have
owned and used and which I think offer really good value for money. Although
most of these lenses are from the budget end of the spectrum each of them is
capable of delivering very high quality output if used thoughtfully.
I should say my own predilection is towards products which
can deliver good results without the need for extravagant financial outlay. I
also often choose subjects which I want to render sharp across the frame with
substantial depth of focus. So I do not need super wide aperture lenses which
can deliver very shallow depth of focus. Professional sports, wedding and
portrait photographers who require soft, out of focus backgrounds do need those
wide aperture lenses. They are tools of trade and worth the extra cost.
Primes
1. Star of the show is the smallest, lightest and least
expensive lens in the entire Canon RF mount catalogue. This is the 50mm f1.8 STM“nifty fifty”. Although
based on a 6 element double gauss design which has been around for over 100
years, the current iteration has a revised optical construction including an
aspheric element in the rear group.
There are plenty of online reviews comparing the nifty fifty
f1.8 to the 10x more expensive 50mm f1.2
L. The main advantage of the wider aperture model is just that: wider maximum aperture
for shallow depth of focus when used wide open.
The expensive lens is also a bit better optically at f1.8-f2.8 with
better corner sharpness and smoother bokeh. For the price, it had better be.
But by f4 the little f1.8 lens catches up to deliver resolution
equal to that of the f1.2 L lens right across the frame. Don’t believe me ?
Check out reviews at Optical Limits online.
The nifty fifty is not weather sealed, lacks IS, uses STM
instead of USM focussing, has no switches on the barrel and uses less expensive
construction materials than the L lens.
I have found that the 50mm f1.8 focusses quickly and
accurately, and from f4 delivers results as good as I have seen from any lens.
Even at f1.8 it is good enough for many purposes with resolution falling off
only around the periphery.
The only caveat I would make about this lens is that as it
does not have a stabiliser, it is best used on a body with in body image
stabiliser (IBIS).
2. The RF 35mm f1.8
IS STM Macro was one of the first four lenses released with the original
EOS R body in 2018. There are several good reasons for this. Many users regard
the 35mm focal length as the most versatile all-rounder. This one is very sharp
across the frame right from f1.8. It does have a stabiliser, an AF/MF switch
and an IS ON/Off switch. In addition it offers half macro capability with very
good image quality at the closest focus distance.
In short this is a very capable and versatile prime lens.
There are two downsides which might be important for some
users. First it is a bit slow to focus compared to either the 50mm f1.8 or the
24mm f1.8. Second, there are no bayonet
lugs on the front of the barrel for a lens hood. The little screw-on hood
offered by Canon is not a good solution. Fortunately JJC offers an after market
petal hood with push-fit mounting ring. This works but should not have been
necessary.
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In the Tank Art Gallery of New South Wales Canon R5 with RF 16mm f2.8 |
Zooms
3. I give top rating for value among the zooms to the RF 100-400mm f5.6-8 IS USM superzoom. Here
is an unpretentious, moderately priced zoom which delivers most of the range
and capability of the 4x more expensive RF 100-500mm L. The 100-400 is light, compact and easily
handled. It is well made with a very smooth zoom action having just the right
amount of drag. There are zoom, focus and adjustment rings on the barrel,
together with AF/MF and IS switches and a zoom lock switch. Focus is by
USM. AF is very fast and accurate.
In the center of the
frame I can see very little difference in sharpness or resolution between the
100-400 and the 100-500L. The L lens is
clearly better around the periphery however. The 100-400 can accept Canon’s
1.4x and 2x extenders however on the R5 I find the 1.4x extender provides no
advantage over cropping. That might not be the case when cameras with a lower
pixel count are used.
The 100-400 works well on either full frame bodies or the R7
or R10 APSC models to which it is well suited.
As a result of the narrow maximum aperture range the 100-400mm is not
best suited to indoor sports or situations where we want the background to be
rendered softly out of focus.
4. Next up we have the RF
24-105mm f4-7.1 IS STM standard zoom, often bundled with one of the lower
level full frame RF mount bodies.
This lens finds its way into the best value list because it
is just so versatile. It is light, compact, moderately priced and still does a
decent job of delivering high quality photos.
It has two rings on the barrel, a Focus/Control switch and a
Stabiliser On/Off switch. Build quality is good, the zoom action smooth and AF
fast and accurate.
Optically the 24-105 STM is best at the long end and weakest
at the wide end where barrel distortion, peripheral shading and color fringing
are very prominent. These problems are mostly correctable either in camera or
in post processing but we never see really crisp corners at 24mm. Whether this
matters or not will depend on the subject matter and the way we want to deal
with it photographically. The lens is more successful in practice than we might
expect from technical lens test results.
It can be used effectively indoors at or near the wide end
where the aperture is f4. The long end at f7.1 is best reserved for well lit
situations, usually outdoors. This is
also a quite effective near-macro lens when set to 105mm where the maximum
magnification is about 0.4x with AF.
5. The RF-S 18-150mm f3.5-6.3 IS STM is one of
the standard zooms often bundled with the EOS R7 or R10 APSC crop sensor
cameras. There are only three dedicated RF-S lenses at the time of writing with
the 18-150mm being easily the best and most versatile. It is remarkably light and compact for an
8.3x zoom. As with existing EF-M lenses and probably future RF-S lenses the
emphasis is on compact size, light weight and practical portability. There are
two rings on the barrel but no AF/MF or Stabiliser switches.
The RF-S 18-150mm does everything very well. The zoom action
is smooth, AF is fast and accurate, the stabiliser works well and optical
quality is very good to excellent at all focal lengths and apertures right
across the frame.
The only downside is the somewhat narrow aperture as we zoom
out. Indoors f3.5 at the wide end works well but the long end is probably best reserved
for outdoors.
Honourable mentions
6. To keep the price
down the RF16mm f2.8 STM lives in
the same outer housing as the 50mm f1.8 but of course all the optics and inner
workings are unique to the 16mm. Not so long ago ultrawide primes like the
Canon EF 14mm f2.8 L were very large, heavy, expensive things with a dome type
front element precluding use of ordinary filters or lens protection. Then in 2021
Canon produced this thing like a rabbit out of a hat. Ultrawide, fast, very
small, with AF, with a normal filter thread (43mm) and available at a very low
price. It almost sounds too good to be true.
So, is it any good ? In a word, yes. Sharpness in a fairly
large central area of the frame is very good to excellent right from f2.8. but
sharpness drops off dramatically towards the periphery at f2.8. Whether this
matters photographically depends on the subject and the way we decide to render
it. I have some ultra-wide interiors taken at f2.8 in extremely dark and
difficult conditions which present very well. As we close the aperture the
periphery of the image improves substantially but the far corners never get
really sharp at any aperture. There is also huge barrel distortion, peripheral
shading and color fringing in uncorrected Raw files. These issues are mostly
but not always entirely correctable in post processing.
An obsessive lens
test purist might dismiss this lens as having too many faults to be useful. If
so they would have missed the point of the 16mm f2.8. This lens is designed to
be useful, not perfect, and it fits that
bill wonderfully well.
7. Remarkably, Canon offers three full frame ultrawide zooms
for the RF mount. The RF 15-30mm
f4.5-6.3 IS STM is the most compact, lightest, least ambitious in terms of
focal length and aperture range and least expensive of the three. It occupies
the same outer housing as the RF 24-105 STM. The RF 15-30mm attracts very
little attention from lens reviewers or contributors to user forums presumably
because it offers nothing much about which we might get excited. It does
however deliver very good image quality at all focal lengths and apertures (
even though these are restricted in range ) right across the frame. It is a
working lens for the rest of us. Not exciting but it does the job quietly and
competently.
8. The RF 85mm f2 IS
STM Macro is another quiet achiever which has a rather low profile in the
RF lens catalogue. Yet it is superbly sharp across the frame right from f2 with
a very low level of faults and aberrations. It does have a stabiliser, AF/MF
switch, Stabiliser ON/Off switch and two rings. In addition it works very well
as a half macro lens with excellent sharpness at the closest focus distance.
The only negative feature which I found in use is a slow-ish
AF speed compared to most other RF lenses.
9. The RF 24-240mm
f4-6.3 IS USM 10x superzoom for full frame RF mount cameras gets into this
list on the basis of its versatility. It covers
the greatest focal length range of any RF mount lens. This could make it
ideal for situations when we are out and about with no desire to change lenses.
Holidays, travel and urban walkabouts spring to mind. Although mainly
structural polycarbonate, build quality
appears to be very good. The barrel has two rings. The double extension zoom
action is very smooth with no noticeable free play in the barrels. There is a
zoom lock switch, Focus/Control switch and an AF/MF switch on the barrel. USM
focus is utilised for very fast AF speed. The stabiliser is very effective.
Optically the lens is excellent from 35-150mm. Towards the
wide end there is massive barrel distortion, peripheral darkening and color
fringing. These defects are mostly correctable in post processing however I do
find myself spending more time correcting optical imperfections with this lens
than most others in the RF mount catalogue. From 150mm towards the long end,
optical quality degrades with some loss of contrast and peripheral softness.
In use the lens is quite a bit larger than standard zooms so
we will be noticed using it when out and about.
10. Last and by no means least on this list I offer the RF 100-500mm f4.5-7.1 L IS USM tele-zoom. This is by far the largest,
heaviest and most expensive lens in this little round-up. I include it because
it is absolutely excellent in every way. Optically, mechanically,
electronically, the lot. This might be the most expensive lens many
non-professional photographers ever buy but they will never regret doing so. I
have been very impressed by the results which can be achieved with this lens on
the EOS R5. There are plenty of enthusiasts photographing sport, wildlife,
birds and the like who will be very happy with this lens and will probably keep
it for many years of use. It is still good value because it is just so darn
good.
End