A Review of Canon’s New RF 24-70mm f/2.8L for Full-Frame Mirrorless Cameras

Canon's RF 24-70mm f/2.8L is now in the hands of photographers, and Jared Polin has put it through its paces to see how it performs. Significantly more expensive than its DSLR predecessor, does it live up to expectations?

Launched at an eye-watering $2,299, the RF 24-70mm f/2.8L lens forms part of Canon’s holy Ttrinity of RF glass, a trio that is set to be completed when the RF 70-200mm f/2.8L hits the shelves in the next month or so. Notably, the new 24-70mm includes image stabilization, a feature that is missing from its DSLR equivalent, but does this justify the vast difference in price?

Polin has only taken this lens on a couple of outings so far, and I’m interested to see how it performs over the long-term, as holy trinity lenses are expected to produce consistent results across a huge variety of conditions.

One of the few things that Polin is not so excited about is the customizable control ring that sits close to the front element. As he notes, many suggest setting it up to control ISO or exposure compensation, but Polin fears that it would be too easy to shift without realizing. However, it’s worth noting that it’s possible to tweak this control ring so that it only responds when the shutter is half-pressed, reducing the potential for inadvertent changes. 

What do you think? Are you an EOS R or RP owner who's looking forward to having this in your bag? Leave a comment below.