Hands On With The Canon RF 20mm f/1.4 L VCM Hybrid Lens

Canon has just released the fourth lens in its L VCM line of Hybrid Primes, the RF 20mm f/1.4 L VCM. I got to have an early look and wanted to share my thoughts.

It is rare that I will start a lens review talking about ergonomics. Sure, I always get around to it in the end. But generally speaking, I’ll lead with tech specs and get to the more subjective things, like ergonomics, in the end. Well, I’m breaking that tradition today for very good reason. When I first took the Canon RF 20mm f/1.4 L VCM out of the box and mounted it onto my R5C, my very first thought was, “Wow, this feels really good in the hand.” And, as I continued to put the lens through its paces, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was really enjoying the shooting process—not just the images I was getting, but the actual experience of using the lens with my particular camera body. Aside from specs, which I’ll get to momentarily, I believe my enjoyment was coming from a simple word: balance.

I should mention that I have a love-hate relationship with prime lenses. I know some of you will love primes, some will love zooms. Personally, I’m someone who enjoys talking about primes but, in actual practice, will have some form of zoom lens connected to my work cameras in perpetuity. The exception to that rule being cinema lenses and/or walkabout photography lenses. Generally speaking, if I reach for a zoom for photography purposes, it’s because I am trying to pack light, and the lens's small form factor is almost as important as its focal length. But, of course, the better prime lenses are optically, the larger they tend to be physically. Some of the best prime lenses I’ve shot with are just as big as, if not larger than, my professional zooms. There are practical reasons for this. But it also has a practical effect on my choice. If you take away the size advantage, you’re asking me to choose between the versatility of a zoom lens versus a perceived sharpness bump of a prime. As I am admittedly not a pixel peeper and can rarely tell the difference at first glance, I tend to opt for the zoom due to the added versatility.

But the Canon RF 20mm f/1.4 L VCM is something different. It is a high-performing prime but comes in a very light and compact form. Weighing just 500 grams, the lens has 15 elements in 11 groups. There is a minimum focus distance of 7.9 inches. The lens has a front filter size of 67mm and also includes a rear filter holder for gels, giving you even more filtration options in a compact setup.

Well suited for travel, landscape, street, and tight interiors, 20mm offers a wide field of view on a full frame sensor. Personally, I like using wide lenses when I’m specifically looking for dynamic foregrounds and compositions. This lens doesn’t disappoint in that regard. But it also does a good job of controlling distortion around the edges. However, do be sure to utilize either in-camera lens corrections or post-production lens corrections to get optimal results. Below is just an example of what the field of view looks like with and without adjustments applied. With most bodies, this correction will take place naturally in-camera. For others, you will need to adjust in post. But the adjustment is a painless process should you need to do so.

The lens does not come with stabilization, so you’ll want to connect it to a body that has IBIS if you’re intending on using it for handheld vlogging or content creation.

This is a hybrid lens, meaning that Canon claims to have designed it equally for motion and stills. Filmmakers will love the manual aperture ring on the lens itself to facilitate smooth iris pulls during production. The lens also has a linear focus motor for more precise focus pulls, and focus breathing has been kept to a minimum. Below are examples of a focus pull from near to far. You can see the minimal breathing at the outer edges of the shot. Focusing was silent, smooth, and fast.

The lens is roughly the same dimensions as the others in Canon’s Hybrid Prime line (24mm, 35mm, 50mm f/1.4), so changing glass mid-shoot should not necessitate major adjustments to your video rig.

From a speed standpoint, I’m becoming more and more a fan of f/1.4. This seems to be a sweet spot where companies can provide fast lenses that let in a lot of light without needing to make them massive in size like many f/1.2s. I found the lens to be plenty sharp enough. The image below was shot at the minimum focus distance and was more than sharp enough for my liking. The wider aperture and focal length should make this lens popular among astrophotographers looking to take advantage of the low-light capabilities and field of view.

Pros

• Size and Ergonomics

• Manual De-clicked Iris Ring

• Linear Focus Motor

• Rear Filter Holder

• Controlled Focus Breathing

• Customizable Front Ring

• Dust and Drip Resistant

Cons

• No Stabilization

Conclusion

Interestingly, I got to review this lens at the same time as I got to review two new camera bodies from Canon. All things being equal, new cameras are always a bit more fun to play with than new lenses. But, of all the new products in the box, I found the RF 20mm f/1.4 L VCM to be the most exciting to my own personal workflow. It’s the first of the L Series Hybrid Primes that I’ve gotten to play with, but the experience has definitely gotten me interested in exploring the rest of the line.

Whether or not this lens, which retails for $1,699, is right for you begins with the utility of the focal length to your subject matter. Some may prefer 24mm. Some may prefer 20mm. Some may want both. What I can say is that the lens delivers sharp images in a package that is a pleasure to carry around. It has unique skills, like the manual iris ring, that make it well suited to hybrid use. And for those of you looking for a low-light workhorse, this lens is well worth consideration.