For those who use Canon’s EOS R range of mirrorless cameras, here’s a great piece of news for you – Canon has announced the launch of the RF24mm f/1.8 MACRO IS STM and RF15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM lenses, which are versatile and lightweight additions for you. These two lenses complement and complete the line-up of the 30 affordable RF lenses.
RF24mm f/1.8 MACRO IS STM completes the affordable range of RF prime lenses, which now covers 16mm, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and 85mm focal lengths. Similarly, RF15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM now completes the affordable zoom lenses line-up, covering from 15mm to 400mm focal lengths.
As shared by Edwin Teoh, Head of Marketing, Singapore Operations, Canon Singapore, “We are excited to introduce these new lenses to our RF line-up as it reaffirms our commitment to ensure that photographers have the right RF lens for every occasion, from fast primes to versatile zooms and ultra-wide to telephoto. These latest additions are lightweight and affordable, which will appeal to a wider segment of photographers as they are also compatible with both full-frame and APS-C EOS R bodies as well.”
Both lenses take advantage of the large diameter and short back focus that allows for a compact optical system and excellent quality.
Wide-angle with Beautiful Bokeh
One of the key benefits of using the RF24mm f/1.8 MACRO IS STM on a full-frame EOS R camera body is its minimal form factor. This lens is also identical to the highly popular RF35mm f/1.8 IS STM lens in size, making it great for travel and landscape photography or as an everyday lens.
When mounted on an APS-C body, the focal length becomes 38mm, which is closer to the human eye’s field of view, making it suitable for portraits or street photography. At f/1.8, the RF24mm f/1.8 MACRO IS STM is at least two stops brighter than a typical kit zoom lens, creating a beautiful bokeh – a stunning background blur effect which cannot be achieved by a zoom lens. The large aperture also makes it an ideal lens for astrophotography.
The RF24mm f/1.8 MACRO IS STM is also able to double up as a macro lens, which is an uncommon attribute for a wide-angle lens. With a minimum focusing distance of only 0.14m, it can achieve up to 0.5x magnification. This combination of 24mm with f/1.8 aperture creates a unique wide-angle close-up with beautiful bokeh, making it ideal for food or flower shots during travel or as an everyday lens.
The RF24mm f/1.8 MACRO IS STM has a native lens image stabilisation (Optical IS) of up to 5 stops and can go up to 6.5 stops when coupled with a compatible camera body with in-body image stabilisation (In-Body IS). This enables precise snapshots with minimal camera shake in a dim environment, with low shutter speeds or in other scenarios prone to camera shake.
Coupled with the silent Stepping Motor (STM), the RF24mm f/1.8 MACRO IS STM is perfect for videos. Vloggers who often use a small tripod or selfie stick will appreciate its lightweight and compact size.
Versatile with Near Macro Capabilities
An ultra-wide-angle zoom lens is usually expensive to own and the RF15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM is designed not to break the bank while providing a practical focal length range that covers 15-30mm. Weighing approximately 390g, its small size makes it great for those who travel. Compared to the RF15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM lens, the RF15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM is approx. 53% lighter (approx. 390g vs approx. 840g).
At 15mm, the RF15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM covers a view much wider than any standard kit lens, allowing users to include the atmosphere or environment along with the subject, especially in small rooms or tight spaces where backing up is not possible. The wider 15mm end is also great for interior shots and breathtaking landscape shots.
At the 30mm zoom telephoto end, users can capture images utilising a natural angle of view and perspective that is closer to the human eye.
When mounted on an APS-C EOS R camera, the RF15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM has a very versatile 24-48mm zoom range, offering a wider angle of view at the wide end compared to a kit lens. The lens can still be used even if the user switches to a full-frame camera in the future, making it an excellent future-proof investment.
The RF15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM corrects chromatic aberration throughout the zoom range with the use of two Ultra-low Dispersion lenses, achieving crisp and clear images with minimal colour blur.
The RF15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM has a native lens image stabilisation (Optical IS) of up to 5.5 stops, which can go up to 7 stops of image stabilisation when paired with a compatible camera body with in-body image stabilisation (In-Body IS). This reduces camera shakes and allows for low-light images with a low shutter speed that usually would require a tripod.
RF15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM can achieve a magnification of up to 0.52x on the 15mm wide end while in manual focus mode for close-up shots. The RF15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM has a minimum focusing distance of just 0.128m.
With wide-angle capabilities, both the RF24mm f/1.8 MACRO IS STM and RF15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM are suited for both indoor and outdoor photography with their ability to capture within space constraints while being light and compact. Their wide-angle(s) of view, built-in IS and smooth autofocus for video make them well-suited for shooting videos on top of delivering excellent still images.
Pricing and Availability
The RF24mm f/1.8 MACRO IS STM and RF15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM lenses will be available from Canon authorized dealers respectively at $969 and $899. Or visit the Canon website to find out more.
