Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens Review

Ask any professional or serious amateur photographer to list their most important lens and a wide-aperture, general-purpose zoom lens will likely be their choice. It is not hard to argue that the RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens is Canon's best-ever option to date for this need.

Including Canon's dust- and weather-resistant, professional-grade L-series build, the RF 24-70mm F2.8 IS Lens brings the full package. While retaining a size and weight similar to the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Lens, the RF 24-70 produces image quality that is slightly better and (we've been waiting a LONG time for this) the versatility-improving 5-stop image stabilization enables dramatically better image quality when photographing still or slow-moving subjects in low light. Ensuring that the ultimate image quality can be achieved is the fast, quiet, smooth, and accurate Nano USM AF system that provides an impressive up-to-0.30x magnification capability.

Announced alongside the similar-in-many-regards Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens, the RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens is the second of the trio of RF f/2.8 zoom lenses referred to as the trinity of essential lenses for most pro and serious amateur kits to hit the streets and the third, the Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens, is on my desk as I write this review.

During a conversation, Canon's engineers promised that all RF lenses would have advantages such as smaller size, lighter weight, and/or new features over the EF lens counterpart. In this case, we primarily get, for the first time for Canon in this lens class, the just-mentioned image stabilization feature with up to 5-stops of assistance. In the past, we had to choose either an f/2.8 lens without image stabilization or an f/4 lens with image stabilization and for many of us, that meant two lenses were needed to cover all commonly encountered scenarios.

If you can have only one lens (Canon EOS R-series camera required), the RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens is likely the best choice.

Focal Length Range

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The focal length range availed is the first aspect to consider for zoom lens selection. Focal length drives subject distance choices which determine perspective.

Covering wide-angle through normal and on to short telephoto angles of view, the 24-70mm focal length range comfortably covers the needed range for a general-purpose lens. This focal length range is ideal for a standard do-everything lens.

A 24-70mm lens is an essential part of many landscape and cityscape photography kits. At the 24mm end, this lens provides a wide-angle of view, able to show a strong perspective and create a sense of presence in an image. Still, 24mm is not so wide as to create compositional challenges.

By the 70mm end, smaller portions of a scene can be isolated, and distant mountains will appear larger in proportion to closer elements.

A 24-70mm lens is often a requirement in a wedding photographer's kit, and an f/2.8 version of this lens often becomes the most-used lens in the kit. Capture environmental portraits that include the venue at 24mm and use 70mm for head and shoulder portraits that retain a pleasing perspective.

This lens will work well for photographing a wide variety of events, from parents capturing informal birthday parties at home to photojournalists covering formal galas at large venues.

While architecture photographers are typically looking for linear-distortion-free lenses to keep their buildings and walls straight and zoom lenses nearly always have some distortion at most focal lengths, this lens has ideal angles of view for such work. Using the lowest distortion focal length (around 28-30mm) takes care of the distortion problem (removal during post processing is another option).

Sports photographers getting close to their subjects (such as basketball shot from over or under the net) or wanting to capture a wider/environmental view of their events appreciate this focal length range. 24-70mm nicely complements a 70-200mm lens for sports uses.

Especially with this lens's high maximum magnification spec, product photography is on its capabilities list. With an f/2.8 aperture, the milky way and night skies are a viable subject.

I'm barely digging into the list of uses for this lens but hopefully I got your list started.

Here is a focal length range illustration.

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See the entire room at 24mm or only a couple of booths at 70mm — from a distance facilitating easy verbal communication. See the harbor or just a couple of boats in it. Make the mountain a backdrop, or make it large in the frame.

Max Aperture

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I used to regularly say that f/2.8 is the widest aperture available in a zoom lens with few full frame lenses breaking that mark. Among the Canon RF lenses, the Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L USM Lens notably surmounts that aperture opening with size, weight, and price being substantially higher than the RF 24-70 f/2.8 option. That said, f/2.8 makes for a bright lens and the RF 24-70 compares well in this regard.

A big advantage of a wide aperture is the amount of light transmitted to the sensor, allowing for lower ISO settings, allowing for shutter speeds capable of stopping camera and subject motion blur in low light, and allowing for improved AF performance. I typically recommend f/2.8 apertures as the minimum opening for indoors sports (this lens has good features for basketball, for example) and other low light action.

Another big f/2.8 aperture advantage is the shallow depth of field available at the widest aperture, enabling distracting background details to be rendered out of focus if desired. Here are maximum blur examples from this lens.

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At 24mm, even distant subjects remain somewhat identifiable while at 70mm, with the background having greater magnification, a more significant blur is generated.

As referenced in the RF 28-70mm f/2 lens comparison, downsides to wide apertures are typically increased size, weight, and price and compared to an f/4 equivalent, this lens has those attributes though in moderation.

Image Stabilization

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Having an f/2.8 aperture in a zoom lens is great, but also having image stabilization in the same lens is even better with the lens having increased versatility. Unless I am using a camera support, I seldom leave home without image stabilization and I often regret those times when I do. While image stabilization does not stop subject motion, it allows handholding of the camera in extremely low light situations with still subjects (or permits motion blurring of subjects with sharp surroundings such as flowing water). The image quality difference made by IS is potentially dramatic.

One situation that I am frequently counting on IS for assistance with is when handholding in medium and low light levels when significant depth of field is needed, allowing narrower aperture use without a tripod. When using a circular polarizer filter with narrow apertures (typical for landscapes and cityscapes), IS can be helpful even under direct sunlight. I often find myself trail running while hiking with a camera and family/friends (that don't wait for me) and when I stop to shoot, I am frequently breathing hard and not steady. IS makes that work.

IS is useful for stabilizing the viewfinder and IS is useful for video recording, substantially improving the quality of handheld recording.

Canon's image stabilization systems are refined and this one is awesome. IS makes a faint "hmmm" while active, audible only from about an inch or two from the lens (even when IS is switched off). The viewfinder image does not jump during startup or shutdown and I do not find myself fighting against IS while recomposing or recording video. Image framing drifting while IS is active has not been noticeable.

This lens's IS system is rated at a very-high 5-stops of assistance, aided by the improved communications between the lens and the camera via the new RF mount has made this impressive rating possible. Consider the difference that a 5-stop lower ISO setting makes in terms of image noise. For example, based on this rating and with a still-enough subject being photographed, ISO 100 can be used instead of ISO 3200 or ISO 800 instead of ISO 25600. The image quality difference between these settings is huge.

In testing with the RF 24-70 at 24mm, I had a solid sharpness rate at 0.6 second shutter speeds, was getting mostly sharp images at 0.8 seconds, and was still getting reasonably sharp images at 1.3 seconds. At 70mm, I had a solid sharpness rate at 0.3 second shutter speeds and was getting mostly sharp images at 0.4 seconds followed by a slow trail-off in sharpness rate with still some reasonably sharp images at 1.3 seconds. I find these rates to be impressive.

While I don't consider myself to be the steadiest photographer, this testing is done under ideal conditions, indoors on a concrete floor. Quickly hike up a big mountain and shoot from an unstable position in strong winds and a significantly faster shutter speed is going to be needed. However, the amount of assistance should remain similar and that is important.

When you need/want to leave the tripod behind, IS has you covered, helping to ensure sharp images and adding significant versatility to this lens.

Image Quality

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Designing a lens that goes from ultra-wide-angle to short telephoto is a challenge for engineers and I was anxious to see how the latest technology utilizing the RF mount could make such a lens perform.

In the center of the frame, the Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens turns in sharp results with a wide open f/2.8 aperture and the differences seen across the focal length range are small. Peripheral image quality nearly always trails center of the frame results and the question becomes: How big is the difference? In this case, the difference is small and the corners look quite good. It is difficult to see much improvement in image quality at narrower apertures with most of the visible improvement being in the corners.

These images were captured using an Canon EOS R with RAW files processed in Canon's Digital Photo Professional (DPP) using the Standard Picture Style and sharpness set to only "2" on a 0-10 scale (Note that images from most cameras require some level of sharpening but too-high sharpness settings are destructive to image details and hide the deficiencies of a lens).

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These results are looking superb.

In some lens designs, the plane of sharp focus can move forward or backward as a narrower aperture is selected. This is called focus shift (residual spherical aberration, or RSA), it is seldom (never?) desired, and this lens does not exhibit such.

Next we'll look at a comparison showing 100% extreme-top-left-corner crops captured and processed identically to the above center-of-the-frame images. These images were manually focused in the corner of the frame.

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The extreme 24mm corner is looking excellent. Our review lens shows extreme 35-40mm corners appearing slightly fuzzy on the left side of the frame. The right side results are better, indicating a slight misalignment in this short focal length range (not unusual for a zoom lens). The 70mm corner is again looking good aside from some lateral CA separating the color spectrum modestly.

The physical properties of light passing through a lens make it impossible for the same amount of light to reach the edges of the image circle as the center, resulting in a darkening of the corners, referred to as vignetting or peripheral shading. At f/2.8, this lens shows a strong about-4-stops of shading in the extreme 24mm corners. Zooming to longer focal lengths reduces the shading to about-2.5-stops from 35mm through 70mm. At f/4, the 24mm corners brighten by a stop to about-3-stops of shading and the longer focal lengths brighten by 0.5-stops to about-2-stops of shading. The 24mm corners brighten to over-2.5-stops of shading at f/5.6 and the longer focal lengths have about-1-stop of shading at this aperture. Little change in vignetting is seen at narrower apertures.

One stop of shading is the amount often used as the visibility number, though subject details provide a widely-varying amount of vignetting discernibility. Vignetting can be corrected during post processing with increased noise in the brightened areas being the penalty or it can be embraced, using the effect to draw the viewer's eye to the center of the frame.

The effect of different colors of the spectrum being magnified differently is referred to as lateral (or transverse) CA (Chromatic Aberration). Lateral CA shows as color fringing along lines of strong contrast running tangential (meridional, right angles to radii) with the mid and especially the periphery of the image circle showing the greatest amount as this is where the greatest difference in the magnification of wavelengths typically exists.

With the right lens profile and software, lateral CA is often easily correctable (often in the camera) by radially shifting the colors to coincide though it is always better to not have the problem in the first place. Any color misalignment present can easily be seen in the site's image quality tool, but let's also look at a set of worst-case examples, 100% crops from the extreme top left corner of EOS R frames showing diagonal black and white lines.

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There should be only black and white colors in these images and the additional colors are showing the presence of lateral CA. Not unusual for a zoom lens is that the color separation is rather noticeable in the corners at the focal length extremes (with the color fringing being reversed) with the mid-range focal lengths showing little lateral CA.

A relatively common lens aberration is axial (longitudinal, bokeh) CA, which causes non-coinciding focal planes of the various wavelengths of light, or more simply, different colors of light are focused to different depths. Spherical aberration along with spherochromatism, or a change in the amount of spherical aberration with respect to color (looks quite similar to axial chromatic aberration but is hazier) are other common lens aberrations to look for. Axial CA remains at least somewhat persistent when stopping down with the color misalignment effect increasing with defocusing while the spherical aberration color halo shows little size change as the lens is defocused and stopping down one to two stops generally removes this aberration.

In the real world, lens defects do not exist in isolation with spherical aberration and spherochromatism generally found, at least to some degree, along with axial CA.

In the examples below, look at the fringing colors in the out of focus specular highlights created by the neutrally-colored subjects. Any color difference is being introduced by the lens.

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The 24mm and 40mm examples look excellent. The first 70mm example looks ... colorful. Having used the lens a substantial amount prior to conducting the test, I was a bit surprised by this result and did some further testing. The second and third 70mm examples (foreground and background blurs) were captured at a longer distance. Some color fringing remains noticeable.

Flare and ghosting are caused by bright light reflecting off of the surfaces of lens elements, resulting in reduced contrast and sometimes-interesting artifacts. Combating these issues is Canon's Air Sphere Coating (ASC) but with 21 elements in 15 groups (the EF II has 18/13), some flaring can still be expected. At f/2.8, only minimal effects are seen with the sun in the corner of the frame. Stop down to f/16 and, as usual, flare effects are intensified. Overall, considering its optical formula, this lens handles flare nicely.

There are two lens aberrations that are particularly evident when shooting images of stars, mainly because bright points of light against a dark background make them easier to see. Coma occurs when light rays from a point of light spread out from that point, instead of being refocused as a point on the sensor. Coma is absent in the center of the frame, gets worse toward the edges/corners, and generally appears as a comet-like or triangular tail of light which can be oriented either away from the center of the frame (external coma), or toward the center of the frame (internal coma). Astigmatism is seen as points of light spreading into a line, either sagittal (radiating from the center of the image) or meridional (tangential, perpendicular to sagittal). Remember that lateral CA is another aberration apparent in the corners.

The images below are 100% crops taken from the extreme top-right corner of EOS R frames.

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While not perfect (we're still waiting for a perfect lens), the stars remain relatively round in the corners for good overall performance in this regard.

This is a standard zoom lens and the standard zoom lens geometric distortion statement holds true. This lens has barrel distortion at the wide end that transitions into negligible distortion (at approximately 28mm) and on into pincushion distortion at the long end. What is different about this lens is the surprisingly low amount of distortion at the wide end, showing less barrel distortion than even the already strong performance of the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II. These two lenses are mostly similar in this regard at the longer focal lengths with a modest amount of pincushion distortion at 70mm.

The blur and quality of blur seen in the out of focus portions of an image are referred to as bokeh. With an infinite number of test scenarios, evaluating bokeh is challenging. That said, I like what I see. The following are some examples. The first set has full f/11-captured (showing aperture blade interaction) images reduced in size and the second set has 100% crops from the same respective focal length images. The third set has 100% crops containing defocused specular highlights captured at f/8.

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With the exception of a small number of specialty lenses, the wide aperture bokeh in the corner of the frame does not produce round defocused highlights with these effects taking on a cat's eye shape due to a form of mechanical vignetting. If you look through a tube at an angle, similar to the light reaching the corner of the frame, the shape is not round and that is the shape seen here. Below, the 24mm image is a top-left quarter of the frame and the other two examples are full images reduced in size.

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As the aperture narrows, the entrance pupil size is reduced and the mechanical vignetting absolves with the shapes becoming round.

When the aperture is stopped down, point light sources will show a starburst effect of some form. Each blade is responsible, via diffraction, for creating two points of the star effect. If the blades are arranged opposite of each other (an even blade count), the points on the stars will equal the blade count as two blades share in creating a single pair of points. The blades of an odd blade count aperture are not opposing and the result is that each blade creates its own two points. This lens's nine blade count times two points means 18-point star effects. Wide aperture lenses usually produce the strongest starburst effects and this lens's 9-blade aperture produces beautiful 18-point stars.

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This lens has a rather complex design featuring 21 elements in 15 groups and internally looks like this:

This lens has somewhat strong vignetting and lateral CA at 24mm, and the color blur at 70mm could be lower, but overall, the Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens is a great performer. This lens produces beautiful, sharp images that are slightly better in quality than even the already-great-performing EF II lens version despite the addition of image stabilization.

Focusing

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The combined performance of a camera and lens's autofocus system is critical to realizing the potential image quality of the combination (unless using manual focus). Like the Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens, the Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens gets a high-performing Nano USM (Ultrasonic Motor) driven AF system, technology first arriving in the L-series with the Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM Lens. This lens's AF system repeats the performance of the others and that is a positive statement.

Nano USM acts like an ultra-fast version of STM AF, combining the benefits of a high-speed Ring USM actuator with an STM system stepping motor's quiet and smooth, direct, lead screw-type drive system. Like Ring USM driven AF systems, Nano USM focuses extremely fast – nearly instantly. Like STM AF systems, Nano USM focuses almost silently, with only faint clicking heard with one's ear next to the lens. And, Nano USM lenses focus smoothly.

Canon U.S.A.'s Rudy Winston states: "Canon’s new Nano USM technology uses a completely different form factor, but achieves focus results within the lens via the same principles of ultrasonic vibration energy, transmitted here into linear (rather than rotational) movement within the lens. This tiny new Ultrasonic motor achieves the combination of fast, near-instant response during still image shooting, with the smoothness required for good focus during video recording."

Ring USM was Canon's former preference for high-end lens AF systems. While most Ring USM lenses are great performers, they generally do not focus so smoothly in Movie Servo AF, and the Ring USM EF lenses produce considerably more focus chatter. Nano USM (and STM) lenses autofocus substantially smoother and quieter than Ring USM lenses.

Of ultimate importance is AF accuracy and from that perspective, all of the Nano USM-driven AF systems to date have performed impressively.

The manual focus ring is mid-sized and positioned in front of the zoom ring (this is my strongly-preferred position).

Like STM, Nano USM utilizes a focus-by-wire or electrical manual focus design (vs. a direct gear-driven system). The manual focus ring electronically controls the focus of the lens. FTM (Full Time Manual) focusing is supported in AF mode with the camera in One Shot Drive Mode, but the shutter release must be half-pressed for the focus ring to become active. Note that FTM does not work if electronic manual focusing after One Shot AF is disabled in the camera's menu. The lens's switch must be in the "MF" position and the camera meter must be on/awake for conventional manual focusing to be available.

Electronically driven MF enables the rate of focus change to be variable based on the ring's rotation speed. I prefer a linear adjustment speed and have the camera configured for such. In this mode, the RF 24-70 F2.8 L focus is adjusted slowly, with approximately 330° of ring rotation from MFD to infinity, for precise focusing capabilities.

The manual focus ring has an ideal resistance and adjustments are smooth and solidly centered with no unusual framing shift happening.

An interesting feature mentioned in this lens's press release is "focus breathing suppression". Normal is for the scene to change size (sometimes significantly) as focus is pulled from one extent to the other, referred to as focus breathing, a change in focal length with focus distance. This impacts photographers intending to use focus stacking techniques, videographers pulling focus, and anyone critically framing while adjusting focus.

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The 70mm results look impressive from this regard while the 24mm results show a bit of magnification change happening.

The test lens maintains (naturally or perhaps electronically) the proper focus distance (or close to it) throughout nearly the entire zoom range, being nearly parfocal. Focus at 70mm and zoom out with the image remaining sharp until near 24mm where a slight defocus appears.

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Cameras featuring Dual Pixel CMOS AF and Movie Servo AF make video recording easy and Nano USM lenses are well-suited for this task. The smooth focusing makes focus distance transitions easy on the viewer's eyes and the sound of the lens focusing is not picked up by the camera's mic. Even the lens's aperture changes are quiet and smooth.

No focus distance scale is provided on the lens, but a digital scale can be enabled in the electronic viewfinder or on the rear LCD.

The RF 24-70mm F2.8 L has a short 8.3" (210mm) minimum focus distance, just over half of that obtainable by the EF II lens. That short distance results in an impressive 0.30x maximum magnification, a spec reached by few non-macro lenses. Here is a chart showing the minimum focus distance specs of many similar lenses.

Model	Min Focus Distance "(mm)		Max Magnification
Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens	8.3	(210)	0.30x
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Lens	15.0	(380)	0.21x
Canon RF 24-105mm F2.8 L IS USM Z Lens	17.7	(450mm)	0.29x
Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM Lens	17.7	(450)	0.24x
Canon RF 28-70mm F2 L USM Lens	15.4	(390)	0.18x
Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S Lens	15.0	(380)	0.22x
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8E AF-S VR Lens	15.0	(380)	0.28x
Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Art Lens	14.6	(370)	0.21x
Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II Lens	8.3	(210)	0.32x
Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM Lens	15.0	(380)	0.24x
Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2 Lens	15.0	(381)	0.20x

At 70mm, a subject measuring approximately 5.6 x 3.7" (142 x 94mm) will fill the frame at the minimum focus distance. At 24mm, with a closer minimum focus distance, a subject measuring approximately 5.8 x 3.9" (147 x 99mm) will fill the frame at the minimum focus distance.

The 70mm example shown above is sharp at full resolution.

Magnification from standard zoom lenses is generally significantly increased with the use of extension tubes which are, as their name implies, hollow tubes with electronic connections that shift a lens farther from the camera. This allows the lens to focus at closer distances, though long-distance focusing is sacrificed. As of review time, Canon does not offer RF mount-compatible extension tubes, but third-party options are available.

This lens is not compatible with Canon extenders.

Build Quality & Features

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It's a member of the L lens series and that means this lens is designed for the high reliability and durability required by professionals. While these attributes are crucially important to professionals, a huge number of serious amateurs also recognize this importance.

Canon's RF L lenses have taken on an updated look over the EF L models, but those familiar with EF L lenses will immediately recognize this lens's heritage, highlighted by the red ring.

The RF L-series lens look and feel is now firmly established and this lens fits that mold.

The review-time current RF standard zoom lenses are shown in the above images. Here is a closer look at the RF 24-70:

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With smooth external dimensions and tight tolerance between parts, the Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens is comfortable to hold and a pleasure to use.

The rear-positioned zoom ring is ideally-located behind the focus ring. A slight diameter increase on the zoom ring, a design feature becoming common throughout the RF lens lineup, makes it easy to find. With the RF lenses gaining an additional ring and the rings consuming a significant percentage of the barrel, finding the right ring becomes modestly more complicated and tactile cues, especially this one, are helpful. With the zoom and focus rings located immediately adjacent to each other, finding this lens's manual focus ring not as easy (look for it just beyond the next bump out).

The additional ring is the knurled "Control Ring", able to be configured for fast access to settings including aperture, ISO, and exposure compensation. A small amount of space is provided between the focus ring and the control ring, aiding in selection between the two. Note that the control ring is clicked by default and this ring's clicks are going to be audible in camera-based audio recordings. Canon offers a click stop removal service for this ring (at a cost).

This lens features a quality plastic external construction. As illustrated in some of the product images in this review, this lens extends modestly (1.15" / 29.1mm) when zoomed to 70mm. The extended inner lens barrel has only a slight amount of play. An extension lock switch is provided though it was not needed on the new test lens.

In days when switches have disappeared from some lenses, I'm happy that Canon continues to provide these. The AF/MF and IS switches are flush-mounted and low-profile, but just enough raised surface area is available for easy use, even with gloves. They snap crisply into place. Interesting is that changing the AF/MF switch position opens the lens aperture momentarily and audibly appears to engage IS when the camera is powered off.

This is a weather-sealed lens, not to be confused with waterproof. Still, weather sealing is helpful and can sometimes save the day.

Like most other recent L lenses, the Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS Lens features fluorine coatings on the front and rear lens elements to avoid adhesion of dust and liquids and to make cleaning easier. This is one of those features that goes unnoticed ... until something happens in the field.

At 3.5 x 5" (88.5 x 126.8mm) and 31.8 oz (900g), this lens is a mid-sized, mid-weight lens. Still, it is not too large or heavy to carry even for long periods of time and many miles. I packed this lens along with some other gear all over Acadia National Park and on many adventures since and do not find the size and weight to be a burden.

Here is a chart comparing the size and weight of similar lenses with a couple of additional RF lenses included.

Model	Weight oz(g)		Dimensions w/o Hood "(mm)		Filter	Year
Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens	29.7	(840)	3.5 x 5.0	(88.5 x 126.8)	82	2019
Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens	31.8	(900)	3.5 x 4.9	(88.5 x 125.7)	82	2019
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Lens	28.4	(805)	3.5 x 4.4	(88.5 x 113.0)	82	2012
Canon RF 24-105mm F2.8 L IS USM Z Lens	46.9	(1330)	3.5 x 7.8	(88.5 x 199)	82	2023
Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM Lens	24.7	(700)	3.3 x 4.2	(83.5 x 107.3)	77	2018
Canon RF 24-240mm F4-6.3 IS USM Lens	26.5	(750)	3.2 x 4.8	(80.4 x 122.5)	72	2019
Canon RF 28-70mm F2 L USM Lens	50.5	(1430)	4.1 x 5.5	(103.8 x 139.8)	95	2018
Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S Lens	28.4	(805)	3.5 x 5.0	(89.0 x 126.0)	82	2019
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8E AF-S VR Lens	37.8	(1070)	3.5 x 6.1	(88.0 x 154.5)	82	2015
Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Art Lens	36.0	(1020)	3.5 x 4.2	(88.0 x 107.6)	82	2017
Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II Lens	24.5	(695)	3.5 x 4.7	(87.8 x 119.9)	82	2022
Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM Lens	31.3	(886)	3.4 x 5.4	(87.6 x 136.0)	82	2016
Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2 Lens	31.9	(904.3)	3.5 x 4.4	(88.4 x 111.8)	82	2017

For many more comparisons, review the complete Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens Specifications using the site's Lens Spec tool.

Here is a visual comparison of the review-time-current 24-70mm f/2.8 full frame mirrorless lenses from the major three manufacturers:

Positioned above from left to right are the following lenses:

Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens
Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S Lens
Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM Lens

Note that the lenses are aligned on their mounts, not their caps. The same lenses are shown below with their hoods in place.

Use the site's product image comparison tool to visually compare the Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens to other lenses.

All of the major brand 24-70mm f/2.8 lenses have 82mm filter threads. I'm sure that there is a good reason for that and this is a design quality I like. While 82mm filters are not small or light, I have many lenses that use them (including the complementing Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens) and most of those that do not have 82mm threads can be adapted via step-up filter adapter rings. I generally have circular polarizer filters along for each lens but with multiple densities often desired for neutral density filters, I usually carry an 82mm set along with step-up rings.

Note that using a standard thickness circular polarizer filter will increase peripheral shading. A slim model such as the B+W XS-Pro or Breakthrough X4 is highly recommended.

The included, semi-rigid, petal-shaped Canon EW-88E hood is modestly-sized, yet it offers adequate protection from physical impact along with decent light shading. The hood has a durable, easy-to-clean mold-ribbed plastic interior and a push-button release makes the bayonet mount easy to use. A petal-style hood is easier to align for installation (simply learn the petal orientation) while a rounded hood better enables the lens to stand on its hood.

Canon includes a case with their L-series lenses and the RF 24-70 comes with the Canon LP1222 Lens Pouch. Unsurprisingly, this is the same case that comes with the RF 15-35. While the pouch protects against scratches and dust, only the bottom is padded against impact. Pick up a Lowepro Lens Case if single lens storage, transport, and carry is needed.

Lens caps get used a lot and Canon's current design is great.

Price, Value, Compatibility

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This is Canon's best professional-grade general-purpose zoom lens to date and it accordingly bears the highest price of such a Canon lens at review time, matching the list price of the Nikon equivalent and slightly exceeding the price of the Sony equivalent. That said, for many, the image stabilization feature alone is worth the price difference over the other Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 models. While the price tag will be a barrier for some, serious photographers will not have a problem spending this much for a most-used lens.

As an "RF" lens, the Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens is compatible with all Canon EOS R series cameras. Canon USA provides a 1-year limited warranty. The reviewed Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens was online-retail sourced.

Alternatives

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It is often the workhorse lens of choice for professional and serious amateur photographers and that means at least one 24-70mm f/2.8 lens model is offered by most major lens manufacturers and that leaves a huge range of comparisons available even without venturing into neighboring options including those with an f/4 max aperture.

Perhaps the most direct comparison available is against the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Lens, a superb lens that has been my first choice standard zoom lens since it hit the streets. In the image quality comparison, the 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 somewhat. 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. The RF lens has less geometric distortion at 24mm and the EF lens has slightly less at 70mm.

While the visual difference shows the RF lens consuming more volume, the specs and measurements in the Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens vs. Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Lens comparison shows these two lenses being similar in size and weight. The EF lens is slightly shorter and lighter but not having the RF mount means this lens requires a size, weight, and cost-adding Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R for use on the R-series cameras. The RF lens has Nano USM vs. Ring USM and the RF lens has a noticeably higher maximum magnification (0.30x vs. 0.21x). Having an awesome-performing 5-stop image stabilization system is another huge benefit to the RF lens. If an R-series camera can be used, the RF lens is easily the better choice. The moderate price difference may be a factor for some.

One of the earliest-available RF lenses was the game-changing Canon RF 28-70mm F2 L USM Lens, featuring an ultra-wide f/2 aperture available over the entire focal length range and image quality that did not disappoint. In the image quality comparison at f/2.8 vs. f/2, the 28-70 is, overall, slightly less sharp than the 24-70, though the 28-70 has slight advantages such as the 50mm periphery comparison. Stopped down to f/2.8, the 28-70mm lens takes a slight sharpness advantage, especially in the periphery. The F2 lens has slightly stronger barrel distortion at 28mm than the F2.8 lens has at 24mm but less pincushion distortion over the balance of the focal length range. At equivalent focal lengths, these two lenses show a similar amount of peripheral shading at their wide-open apertures. At equivalent apertures, the F2 lens shows noteably less shading.

Looking at the specs and measurements, the Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM vs. Canon RF 28-70mm F2 L Lens comparison shows the RF F2 Lens being considerably larger, especially in diameter. No surprises there. Also no surprise is that the lens with a 2x larger aperture weighs considerably more. The F2.8 lens holds a significant maximum magnification advantage (0.30x vs. 0.18x). The F2.8 lens uses large 82mm filters, but the F2's 95mm filters are considerably larger still. Not to be overlooked, especially to those not using a Canon EOS R-series camera with IBIS, is the F2.8 lens's 5-stop image stabilization system. All other aspects being equal, the wider aperture lens usually costs more, and that expectation holds true in this case.

Both lenses are outstanding from optical and physical performance considerations. The F2 lens is the ideal choice for stopping motion at low light events and for blurring the background. If you don't need the f/2 aperture, you might find the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II the better purchase choice.

The Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM Lens is a great general-purpose lens choice. This lens features the same L-grade build and performance, optical performance included. The 24-70 gives up some focal length range, but offers a twice-as-large aperture opening.

The image quality comparison at f/2.8 vs. f/4 shows both lenses sharp at their wide open apertures. The f/4 lens is a bit sharper in the periphery, and the f/2.8 option is slightly sharper in the center of the frame. At 70mm, the 24-105 takes the center advantage also. Equalized at f/4, these lenses will challenge you to notice any differences, save at 50mm where the 24-105mm test lens appears a bit sharper in the periphery. From a sharpness perspective, it doesn't matter which lens you are using at f/5.6.

Despite having a 1-stop wider aperture, the f/2.8 lens does not hold a peripheral shading advantage. The f/2.8 lens has less geometric distortion.

Looking at the specs and measurements, the Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens vs. Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM Lens comparison shows the f/4 lens being moderately smaller and lighter and also having smaller filter threads (77mm vs. 82mm). The f/2.8 lens has a much shorter minimum focus distance (8.3" vs 17.7" / 210mm vs. 450mm) and higher maximum magnification (0.30x vs. 0.24x). As mentioned, the f/2.8 lens has a significantly wider aperture. The f/4 lens has a noticeably longer focal length range, and quite noticeable is the lower price tag.

Released years later was the Canon RF 24-105mm F2.8 L IS USM Z Lens. No longer were photographers require to choose between 24-70 f/2.8 and 24-105 f/4. That focal length range difference is significant. 105mm frames considerably tighter than 70mm.

The image quality comparison shows the 24-105 to be sharper in the periphery at 24mm f/2.8, despite its much stronger barrel distortion being corrected. The 24-105 still holds a slight periphery advantage at 35mm f/2.8. Wide-open performance is similar over the balance of the shared range, and the differences at f/4 are minor.

The 24-105 shows slightly less flare effect, and it has significantly less peripheral shading, especially at the ends of the shared focal length range. As mentioned, the 24-105 has dramatically stronger barrel distortion at the wide end and slightly stronger pincushion distortion at 70mm.

The Canon RF 24-105mm F2.8 L IS USM Z Lens vs. RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens comparison shows the 24-105 considerably larger and heavier – 46.9 vs. 31.8 oz (1330 vs. 900g). The 24-105 has 11 aperture blades vs 9 for improved bokeh, especially when stopped down. The 24-105 has Dual Nano USM (vs. single), a focus range limit switch, Lens Function buttons, 5.5-stop IS vs. 5.0, a tripod ring, a fixed size, compatibility with the PZA, and a much higher price.

Use the site's tools to create your own comparisons. There are many more relevant ones available.

Summary

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The previous Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L lenses set the performance bar high, but the Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens takes the bar to a new height. Once again, we have a Canon RF lens that delivers the complete package.

Of ultimate importance is image quality and this lens delivers excellence in this regard. Some peripheral shading at the wide end of the focal length range and moderate CA, primarily at 70mm, are two opportunities remaining. The incredible-performing image stabilization system will help realize impressive image quality even when shooting handheld.

Ensuring the optimal image quality is achieved is the RF 24-70's fast-yet-smooth, nearly silent, and most importantly, precisely accurate Nano USM AF system. The L-series build grade promises reliable service to those using their lenses constantly and environmental sealing aids in that use outdoors. While not small or light, this lens is quite comfortable to use and the zoom and focus rings perform optimally.

The Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens is another of the now-many lens reasons to get a Canon RF mount mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. The price tag is not low, but the value and versatility of this lens are extremely high. As with the Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens, I included the Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens in my kit.