Fantastic Image Quality: A Review of the Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Lens

The 70-200mm f/2.8 is one of the most important lenses for many photographers and videographers, as they are typically of high optical quality and offer a very versatile focal length range coupled with a wide maximum aperture for a zoom. This excellent video review takes a look at the new Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM and what you can expect from it both in terms of performance and image quality. 

Coming to you from Christopher Frost Photography, this great video review dives in with the Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens. The EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens was well known as one of Canon's best and most popular lenses, and you would have a hard time finding a professional wedding, events, or sports photographer shooting Canon who did not have one in their bag. The RF version builds on the EF's legacy with some optical improvements and a much more compact design (though you should note that it is not internally zooming). It also adds Canon's new Control Ring feature, allowing photographers to have a customizable setting (like ISO) at their fingertips. Altogether, it looks like a great successor from the DSLR version and a lens that lots of Canon photographers will likely want in their bags. Check out the video above for Frost's full thoughts. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

Log in or register to post comments
7 Comments

Didn't expect anything less from a €2600 (after €300 Canon cashback) tele zoom. Way to expensive. Hope for the R mount users that Tamron and Sigma soon make there 70-180/200 available for R mount.

This is a workhorse lens. Will pay back all the money. I use the 70-200 EF 2.8 IS III on dslr. If you buy a lens like these, you buy it for long years. The RF system is new, so yes, still more expensive. Not too fair from Canon (or Sony, or...), but....cé la vie.

It's made of plastic, just like the Tamron. Canon has patents for a metal internal zoom 70-200 2.8 RF lens, too.

If Tamron makes a version that is sized about the same I'll buy it right away.

This is an accurate review. I've had this lens since it came out and after two weeks (the time it took me to get used to the different handling), I sold the EF version. RF zooms are just next level. Every single one I have is the best zoom I've ever used in that range.

Also, yes. It's expensive. It's a 5 year (or longer) lens though. If you reach for it a lot, it's a great experience every time, and I've found that pays itself back pretty quickly. I always prefer the pain to be front-loaded, rather than being frustrated by a bad performance over the life of the lens. Oh, one other thing - I can stand this lens up in my bag, which means way more room, and way more flexibility on travel gigs. The combo of smallest/best makes it worth every dollar.

Too expensive, for that money i buy a7iii and tamron 70-180 which is currently subjugating everyone else.
Check out the gallery:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sonyalphablog/sets/72157713786815776/
brutal