Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens

Overview

The Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM is arguably the most important lens in Canon's mirrorless lineup for enthusiasts and professionals alike. This versatile, compact workhorse is probably the most essential piece of glass you'll carry in your camera bag.

With the introduction of image stabilization and increased image quality, the RF 24-70 f/2.8 L is the best lens of its kind.

Key Specifications

Who Is This Lens For?

This is a must-have lens for event photographers, photojournalists, or anyone who needs versatility and unparalleled quality. Perfect for:

• Wedding photographers - Cover getting ready, ceremony, and reception

• Event photographers - Flexibility to go wide or tight quickly

• Portrait photographers - Beautiful bokeh at 70mm f/2.8

• Landscape photographers - Wide coverage with excellent sharpness

• Videographers - Image stabilization and focus breathing suppression

• Travel photographers - One lens for most situations

• Photojournalists - Fast, reliable, weather-sealed

Build Quality & Design

Construction

Canon has always delivered tough, durable L series lenses that continue to serve photographers well for years and even decades, with teardowns showing them to be well engineered with good sealing and structural design that allows them to take knocks without becoming decentered.

The lens features fluorine coatings on the front and rear elements to repel dust, grease, and moisture, with Canon's Air Sphere Coating used throughout to reduce flare and improve contrast.

Weather Sealing

For reliable performance even when weather conditions get difficult, the RF 24-70mm features dust and weather-resistant construction in the lens mount, switch panel, and all rings, with sealing applied to lens joining sections.

Handling & Ergonomics

The lens features a focusing ring, a focal length ring, and an additional control ring nearest to the tip which offers control over features like ISO and aperture - when customized, there are few reasons to take your hand off it while shooting.

The customizable control ring can be programmed to control anything from white balance to metering modes, and for videographers can be made into a manual aperture ring which can be 'de-clicked' by Canon service centers for silent operation.

Optical Performance

Sharpness

The Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 USM L IS is a very sharp lens overall, with the broader center zone being tack sharp straight from f/2.8 at 24mm, and the sweet spot around the 50mm mark where it exhibits no real weakness.

At 70mm, central sharpness is excellent from f/2.8 to f/16, with edges being fair at f/2.8, good at f/4, and very good from f/5.6 to f/22 - the slightly softer edges wide open could even be an added bonus as an ideal setting for portraiture.

What the RF 24-70L has that some competitors do not is fantastic image sharpness across the frame even at F2.8.

Performance Summary:

• ✅ Excellent center sharpness at f/2.8 across entire zoom range

• ✅ Very good edge sharpness when stopped down to f/4-f/5.6

• ✅ Sweet spot at 50mm with no real weaknesses

• ⚠️ Corners slightly soft at f/2.8 (24mm and 70mm), excellent when stopped down

Distortion

The lens produces complex barrel distortion (mustache-style) at 24mm that's not extreme numerically but visible, with images being pretty much distortion-free around the 35mm setting and slight pincushion distortion at the long end.

Distortion measurements are -2.28% barrel at 24mm, then move to pincushion of +0.06% at 35mm, +1.41% at 50mm and +1.66% at 70mm, making the lens very close to rectilinear around the 35mm point.

Note: Auto-correction in camera/software easily handles this with minimal corner resolution loss.

Vignetting

The vignetting characteristic comes as a surprise - the lens has a very large front element yet vignetting is very high at 24mm f/2.8, with light falloff remaining very visible at f/8, though the issue isn't quite as pronounced at longer focal lengths but still noticeable at maximum aperture.

Verdict: Heavy vignetting at 24mm f/2.8, easily correctable in post-processing.

Chromatic Aberration

CA measurements are very close to zero throughout the entire range, especially at the center, making CA highly unlikely to be a problem.

Bokeh

The lens is not exactly a bokeh beast, but its f/2.8 aperture and 9 rounded aperture blades are more than enough to render pleasing out of focus elements, especially at 70mm - the bokeh is smooth and buttery.

Autofocus Performance

The RF 24-70 f/2.8 focuses incredibly well, grabbing focus quickly and quietly with no prolonged hunting, nailing focus almost every time, and the Nano USM focus system is as quiet as it gets for photographers who need to be silent.

The Nano USM focusing system is as close to silent as things get, with fast focus acquisition and super smooth focus following thanks to Canon's class-leading Dual Pixel AF which also does a fine job in challenging low light conditions.

The AF system driven by a Nano USM motor is fast, accurate, and virtually silent.

Autofocus Highlights:

• ⚡ Lightning fast focus acquisition

• 🔇 Near silent operation (perfect for video and events)

• 🎯 Highly accurate with minimal hunting

• 🌙 Excellent low-light performance

• 🎥 Smooth focus tracking for video

Image Stabilization

The 24-70's image stabilizer can reduce shake by up to 5 stops according to Canon.

The IS system is claimed to have a 5 stop advantage, and even more when used with in-camera IBIS, with the advantage being at least 5 and sometimes 6 stops in real-world testing, allowing photographers to compose images without tripod constraint.

While Canon has yet to catch up with the rest of the market in terms of in-body image stabilization, its lens-based IS is quite formidable, doing a sound job keeping shots sturdy - ideal for run-and-gun wedding or events photographers.

IS Benefits:

• 📸 Handhold at slower shutter speeds

• 🎬 Smoother video footage

• 🌃 Better low-light capability

• 💪 Up to 8 stops when combined with IBIS

Close-Up Capability

Focusing down to 0.21m at the wide end and 0.38m at the tele end with maximum magnification of 0.30x (1:3) is closer than average and adds to the versatility of the lens.

The f/2.8 lens has a much shorter minimum focus distance (8.3" vs 17.7") and higher maximum magnification (0.30x vs. 0.24x) compared to the RF 24-105mm f/4.

Video Features

The RF 24-70mm possesses a focus breathing suppression system like the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM kit lens.

Video Advantages:

• ✅ 5-stop IS for handheld stability

• ✅ Focus breathing suppression

• ✅ Silent Nano USM focusing

• ✅ Smooth manual focus ring

• ✅ De-clickable control ring (via Canon service)

• ✅ Constant f/2.8 aperture throughout zoom range

Comparison with Other Lenses

vs. Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM

In image quality comparison, test results from these two lenses are similar with the RF lens showing slightly better peripheral sharpness at most focal lengths even when stopped down, though the EF lens has less peripheral shading throughout the aperture range - about 1-stop less at 24mm and about 0.5-stops less over the balance of the focal length range.

RF Advantages:

• ✅ Image stabilization (5 stops)

• ✅ Slightly better corner sharpness

• ✅ Faster communication via RF mount

• ✅ Customizable control ring

• ✅ Better close-focus (0.21m vs 0.38m)

EF Advantages:

• ✅ Less vignetting

• ✅ $700 less expensive

• ✅ Can be used on DSLR bodies

vs. Canon RF 28-70mm F2 L USM

In image quality comparison at f/2.8 vs. f/2, the 28-70 is overall slightly less sharp than the 24-70, though stopped down to f/2.8 the 28-70mm lens takes a slight sharpness advantage especially in the periphery.

24-70mm f/2.8 Advantages:

• ✅ Wider focal range (24mm vs 28mm)

• ✅ Much lighter and more compact

• ✅ Image stabilization

• ✅ $1,700 less expensive

• ✅ More practical for all-day shooting

28-70mm f/2 Advantages:

• ✅ Ultra-wide f/2 aperture

• ✅ Exceptional bokeh

• ✅ Best-in-class sharpness (when stopped down)

vs. Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM

The f/4 lens is moderately smaller and lighter with smaller filter threads (77mm vs. 82mm), has a noticeably longer focal length range, and a lower price tag, while the f/2.8 lens has a much shorter minimum focus distance and significantly wider aperture.

24-70mm f/2.8 Advantages:

• ✅ One full stop faster (f/2.8 vs f/4)

• ✅ Better low-light capability

• ✅ Shallower depth of field

• ✅ Better close-up capability (0.30x vs 0.24x)

24-105mm f/4 Advantages:

• ✅ Extra 35mm reach

• ✅ $1,200+ less expensive

• ✅ Smaller and lighter

• ✅ Great value proposition

Pros & Cons

Pros ✅

• Outstanding sharpness across the frame at f/2.8

• Excellent 5-stop image stabilization (up to 8 with IBIS)

• Fast, silent, accurate Nano USM autofocus

• Weather-sealed L-series build quality

• Customizable control ring

• Focus breathing suppression for video

• Better close-focusing than competitors (0.21m)

• Minimal chromatic aberration

• Smooth, pleasing bokeh

• Professional-grade construction

Cons ⚠️

• Heavy vignetting at 24mm f/2.8 (correctable)

• Complex barrel distortion at 24mm (correctable)

• Expensive at $2,299

• Heavier than some might prefer (900g)

• Extends when zooming

• Soft corners at f/2.8 (excellent when stopped down)

Real-World Use Cases

Wedding Photography

For wedding photographers, the 24-70 2.8L is a boring but essential tool - it's a lens that can stay on your camera 75% of the day and work every time, with the versatility needed during getting ready and cocktail hour to get closer or wider as quickly as possible.

Astrophotography

While astro purists will want something a little wider and faster (maybe a 20mm with f/1.8 or f/1.4), this well-rounded lens will perform most nighttime photo tasks perfectly.

General Photography

At 3.5 x 5" (88.5 x 126.8mm) and 31.8 oz (900g), this mid-sized, mid-weight lens is not too large or heavy to carry even for long periods of time and many miles.

Should You Buy It?

Buy If You:

• ✅ Shoot professionally (weddings, events, journalism)

• ✅ Need reliable autofocus and IS

• ✅ Want the best image quality at f/2.8

• ✅ Shoot in challenging lighting conditions

• ✅ Need weather-sealed reliability

• ✅ Value versatility over specialization

• ✅ Can justify the $2,299 price tag

Consider Alternatives If You:

• ⚠️ Are on a tight budget (look at RF 24-105mm f/4)

• ⚠️ Need more reach (consider RF 24-105mm f/4 or RF 24-240mm)

• ⚠️ Want ultra-wide landscapes (get RF 15-35mm f/2.8)

• ⚠️ Primarily shoot portraits (consider RF 85mm or 50mm primes)

• ⚠️ Have an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II (difference may not justify upgrade)

Final Verdict

The Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM was an important lens for Canon to get right, and that's exactly what they've done - it's expensive and a bit heavy, but what the RF 24-70L has that some competitors do not is fantastic image sharpness across the frame even at F2.8, excellent autofocus, great stabilization, and fantastic handling make it a pro-grade lens worth owning and using for many years.

The RF 24-70 f/2.8L is the new workhorse for Canon's full frame mirrorless system, and with the introduction of image stabilization and increased image quality, it is confidently the best lens of its kind.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.8/5)

Bottom Line: This is the professional standard zoom Canon mirrorless users have been waiting for. While expensive, it delivers exceptional optical performance, blazing-fast autofocus, effective stabilization, and professional build quality. If you shoot professionally or seriously with Canon's RF system, this lens should be at the top of your wishlist.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does this lens work with Canon DSLRs?
A: No, this is an RF-mount lens designed exclusively for Canon's full-frame mirrorless cameras (EOS R, R5, R6, R3, etc.).

Q: Can I use EF filters on this lens?
A: Yes, it uses standard 82mm filters - the same size as the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II.

Q: Is image stabilization really necessary on a zoom lens?
A: Yes! The 5-stop IS is a game-changer for handheld shooting at slower shutter speeds, video work, and low-light photography.

Q: How does it compare to the EF version for image quality?
A: Slightly better, especially in corner sharpness. The bigger difference is the addition of IS and improved autofocus speed.

Q: Is it worth the upgrade from EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II?
A: If you need IS and shoot primarily on mirrorless, yes. If budget is tight and you have the EF version, you can wait.

Q: Does it come with a lens hood?
A: Yes, Canon includes the EW-88E lens hood.