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Canon EF-S 55-210mm on R10 Does birds in flight easily |
This medium tele-zoom lens is new to the crop sensor RF mount lens catalogue from April 2023. It is sold separately or in a kit with one of the entry level crop sensor bodies such as the R10 or R50 together with the RF-S 18-45mm f4.5-6.3 IS STM standard zoom.
Like the RF-S 18-45mm and 18-150mm lenses the 55-210mm is
very compact, light and moderately priced. It is becoming increasingly clear
that the RF-S system will in due course replace the EF-M series of bodies and
lenses in Canon’s MILC line-up.
Some people say they wish Canon would make wide aperture
RF-S lenses. I think they are missing the point of Canon’s approach to crop
sensor lenses which are designed to be compact, light and moderately priced.
Users who want more “serious” gear can have it in abundance by stepping up to
full frame.
Canon’s EF-M lenses all have an outer barrel diameter of
61mm and all have the same sleek, minimalist approach to styling. It appears
that the RF-S line is going to continue this approach. Each of the three RF-S
lenses released to date has an outer barrel diameter of about 62.4mm which is
smaller than the diameter of the RF lens mount so we see the characteristic
flare at the mount end of each of these lenses. This is to enable the lens to
fit the mount and as a bonus makes it easy to identify an RF-S lens on sight.
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RF-S 55-210mm on EOS R10 |
Several RF zoom lenses have three rotating rings on the barrel. These are for zoom, focus and control. Some RF and each of the RF-S zoom lenses to date have only two rings. One of these is for zooming. The other can be used for focus or control as set in a menu.
The RF-S 55-210mm has an angle of view equivalent to an
88-336mm lens on a full frame sensor. This is a somewhat unusual but useful
medium tele range.
As is the case with EF-M and other RF-S lenses, construction
is all plastic including the mount. Some purists might decry this but it keeps
the weight down and I have never had a problem with the plastic mount on EF-M
or RF-S lenses or seen any report of a problem on user forums.
The lens weighs 270 grams, is 93mm long and has a 3.8x zoom
range. It utilises 11 elements in 8 groups, takes a 55mm filter and will accept
the ET-60B lens hood (purchased separately).
Maximum magnification is 0.28x at 210mm. This is decent but
for close-ups the RF-S 18-150mm provides greater magnification.
The EF-M system predecessor to this lens is the 55-200mm
f4.5-6.3 IS STM with 17 elements in 11 groups. By reducing the aperture
slightly in the RF-S lens, Canon has been able to increase the zoom range
slightly and reduce the number of optical elements from 17 to 11.
In use the RF-S 55-210mm feels very light and compact. Zoom
action is very smooth. There is no detectable free play in the extended
barrel. AF is very fast and quiet. On my
R10 the lens can easily keep up with birds in flight.
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RF-S 55-210mm on R10 Very clean image with excellent resolution and sharpness |
On my tests stabiliser on gives an advantage of about 3.3 EV steps over stabiliser off at 210mm focal length. This is about the same as I find with all other RF lenses when tested using my standard procedure.
Optically the lens is very nice. For all tests I used Raw
capture and conversion in Adobe Camera Raw
with the Adobe profile. A B+W
F-Pro filter was fitted for all tests.
On the test chart I get sharp, detailed images across the
frame except for the far corners at all
focal lengths and apertures down to f11. My copy has no significant
decentering. I do see some mild softening in the far corners at some focal
lengths at the widest aperture setting. This would rarely be significant in
real world photos but in any event clears up when the aperture is closed down a
stop or so.
For most use cases the lens can be used at its widest
aperture which is good news because “widest” on this lens is only f5 at the
short end and f7.1 at the long end.
The lens is commendably resistant to flare even with the B+W
F-Pro filter on the lens. No lens hood
was fitted.
Color fringing is infrequently seen even with foliage
against a hot sky. When detectable it is mild and easily corrected.
Distortion is negligible at all focal lengths.
Mild peripheral shading is present at the widest aperture at
each focal length but is generally not
worth correcting.
The out of focus rendering (bokeh) is quite decent for a lens with such a small aperture as you can see in the kookaburra photo. The background here is lilly-pilly trees which can look distractingly busy with some lenses.
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RF-S 55-210mm on R10 Very nice feather definition on this kookaburra |
What’s it for and who will use this lens ?
Canon is packaging the R50 with an RF-S 18-45mm and the RF-S
55-210mm lenses in a compact 2 lens kit. I think junior football, outdoor
children’s sport events, social gatherings, holidays and travel could all be
ideal use cases for this lens. Professionals and “serious” enthusiast users
might not think they would have any interest in the little 55-210mm until they
really want picture taking capability not available to smartphone users but
without the bulk and mass of full frame gear.
Due to the small aperture, this lens will struggle with
indoor sports or with anything moving vigorously indoors, but outdoors it can
handle most challenges.
Compared to the EF-M 55-200mm lens which is still available
new, my tests find the new RF-S 55-210mm to be more consistently sharp across
the focal length range. Early indications are that the new lens also appears to
focus faster and more reliably than the EF-M model. This could be due to the
improved AF capability of the R10/R7/R50 compared to the M50/M6.2.
Why not 55-250mm ?
250mm on an APSC
Canon camera with 1.6x crop factor is equivalent to 400mm on full frame,
a popular tele-zoom focal length. I guess Canon has made a corporate decision
to keep RF-S lenses light and compact, with an external diameter of 62.4mm
(assuming they continue that size restraint). Either more zoom range or a wider
aperture would have pushed the lens into a larger, heavier category which is
not consistent with the RF-S theme.
As it happens the RF 100-400mm f5.6-8 tele-zoom works very
well on RF mount APSC bodies giving an equivalent focal length range of
160-640mm for those who need greater reach.
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The new RF-S lens on the left is much more compact than the older EF-S model on the right |
Alternatives.
The 2013 EF-S 55-250mm f4-5.6 can be used on an RF mount
body. However this lens is larger and heavier than the RF-S 55-210mm and has to
be used with an adapter which further increases the size. In addition these older lenses cannot keep up
with the high frame rates of which the new RF mount cameras are capable.
Some time ago I owned a Nikon Z50 with two kit lenses one of
which was the excellent Z DX 50-250mm f4.5-6.3. This lens is notably sharp,
setting a new standard for mid range budget zooms. However it has a greater
zoom range and wider aperture than the Canon RF-S 55-210mm making it
considerably larger and heavier.
Some thoughts about
budget kit zooms
My experience is that these have been getting better and more
consistent over the last ten years or so with fewer bad copies. This suggests better
design and tighter control over all stages of manufacture. We have now gotten to the point that compact,
moderately priced lenses like the one being reviewed in this post are capable
of delivering really excellent results.
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The Nikon Z DX 50-250mm lens on the right has a greater zoom range and wider aperture than the Canon on the left but is substantially larger and heavier. Canon has clearly made a corporate decision to preference compact dimensions and light weight with the RF-S 55-210mm. |
Summary
The RF-S 55-210mm f5-7.1 IS STM lens is a very nice addition
to the growing catalogue of RF-S lenses for crop sensor Canon RF mount cameras.
It is an easy lens to recommend. It does everything it needs
to do and does it very well. I can find nothing significant about which I might
reasonably complain.
Enthusiasts who want or need a medium tele-zoom with a wider
lens aperture have plenty of choice elsewhere.
Now Canon please
release an RF-S version of the excellent EF-M 11-22mm ultrawide zoom lens. This
will give the RF-S sub system all the basic lenses required for the majority of
users and use cases.