 |
All photos RF 24-50mm f4.5-6.3 IS STM on EOS R8 |
My copy of this lens came in a kit with an EOS R8 body, this being the least expensive way to acquire the lens. Which is fine as long as we want the R8, I guess. I bought the camera and lens, nobody gives me loaners.
Some contributors to user forums have offered dismissive
sentiments about this lens due presumably to its limited zoom range and
aperture and plastic construction including the mount. Some lens testers have damned it with faint praise pointing out strong
barrel distortion at 24mm in uncorrected Raw files and some aberrations making
the lens less than ideal for astro photos.
That is all part of the rich fabric of life. Lens testers
who seek perfection at any price and enthusiasts
who insist on using a 50mm f1.2 for family snapshots are perfectly entitled to
their choice and no doubt Canon will cheer them on.
But for most of us a more modest equipage will suffice.
And this little 24-50mm kit lens suffices rather well for many use cases.
This lens’ unique
selling point is that it is the smallest, lightest and least expensive full
frame RF mount zoom available right now. The EOS R8 full frame body with this
lens makes a handy compact kit with very good image quality.
One of the reasons for Canon’s success in the camera market
is their strategy of providing a range
of products suitable for users at all levels of ability from beginner to
professional.
To that end we now have five RF and two RF-S zooms which we
could regard as “standard”. So there is something for everyone.
Description
The overall appearance and finish of the lens is consistent
with other budget RF mount models in the Canon catalogue. I think this is the first full frame RF mount
lens to feature a plastic mount. I have never experienced any problems with any
lens having a plastic mount.
My copy of the lens is very well centered with no apparent
asymmetry of sharpness.
There is a zoom ring and a focus/control ring. Both turn
smoothly. Switches on the barrel set the front ring to focus or control and the
stabiliser on or off.
The zoom ring must be twisted firmly against a hard stop to
extend the barrel to operating length. Some users might find this a bit of a
nuisance but that is how the designers minimise length when not in use. When unlocked and ready for use the 24-50mm
STM extends to the same length as the RF 24-105mm STM at 24mm.
Dimension when locked are length 58mm, barrel diameter
69.6mm and mass 210 grams. Filter size
is 58mm.
Function
Autofocus is quick and accurate on the R8.
The stabiliser works well but on my tests is not quite as
effective as on most other RF mount lenses. I get a 2.3 EV step advantage with
the stabiliser on compared to stabiliser off.
At 50mm the lens can focus to a closest distance of 35cm
giving an image magnification of 0.19x.
Performance
All my tests were done on Raw files converted in Adobe using
the Adobe profile. A B+W F-Pro clear protect filter was in place for all tests.
No lens hood was used. All lens correction settings in the R8 were Off.
On the basis of test charts and general photography I rate
optical performance as very good at 24 and 28mm, and excellent at 35 and 50mm.
Overall sharpness, resolution and contrast are very good at
all focal lengths and apertures. Sharpness and contrast fall away somewhat in
the periphery at 24 and 28mm at the widest available aperture. This is observable in general photography in
fine details towards the corners of the frame.
Closing the aperture to f8 largely rectifies the issue.
In landscape photos very good to excellent resolution of
fine details is seen on the R8.
There can be some color fringing towards the corners in
images which place fine foliage against a bright sky. This is generally easily
corrected.
Moderate peripheral shading is evident at the wider focal
lengths, easily correctable if desired.
There is strong barrel distortion at 24mm in un-modified Raw
files however in JPGs or Raw files with a correction profile this is not
evident. With the Adobe profile only slight distortion is apparent at any focal
length.
Resistance to flare is good. I am able to induce both veiling
and lens-ghost flare types but only by deliberately moving the sun to the most
flare-prone location which is just outside the frame. In general use I would just block the suns
rays from falling on the lens with my hand.
Out of focus rendition (bokeh) is pleasing especially for
this type of lens. Although this is not the best lens for achieving soft
backgrounds I did not encounter any nasty ni-sen or other unpleasant or
distracting bokeh artefacts.
Why this lens works in 2023 (but would not have worked a few years ago)
* Canon mirrorless dual pixel autofocus now works down to
f16 and even f22 given enough light. In DSLR days we could not reliably
autofocus at an aperture smaller than f5.6.
* Improved sensors
and camera processors are delivering better image quality at high ISO
sensitivity settings.
* It seems to me Canon has found a way to achieve tighter
quality control on budget zooms than was previously possible.
* Post capture correction of lens faults and denoise with
artificial intelligence have greatly improved the quality which can now be
delivered by budget camera gear.
What’s it good for ?
Family, travelling light, street, social documentary, landscape
and cityscape.
What’s it not so good
for ?
Low light action, softly blurred backgrounds, anything
requiring a focal length longer than 50mm, macro and close-ups.
Alternatives
The most obvious alternative to the RF 24-50mm is the
slightly larger, heavier and more expensive but also more versatile RF 24-105mm
f4-7.1 IS STM with twice the zoom range and a slightly wider aperture at each
comparable focal length.
The RF 24-50mm is slightly better in the corners at 24mm at
f4.5 but by f11 the 24-105 STM catches up. In landscape situations where we are
using f11 for depth of focus anyway, neither has an advantage.
The 24-105 STM is better for close-ups giving 0.4x
magnification.
You pays your money and makes your choice.