We actually loved testing the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM. It is a step above the usual 24-70mm f/4 lenses and it is a light-weight and versatile piece of apparatus that’s as blissful taking pictures landscapes as it’s choosing out wildlife in a discipline, and even snapping photographs of the household whenever you’re on trip. In common mild, it could deal with nearly something you throw at it and the lens is mild sufficient to suit neatly right into a journey bag with out weighing you down or taking on an excessive amount of space. It is a fantastic accent to have with you on most shoots. Nevertheless, it is not notably a low mild or astro performer.
Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM key specs:
System: Canon RF mirrorless
Focal size: 24-105mm
Min focusing distance: 0.2m
Weight: 0.87 lbs / 395g
Dimensions: 2.9-in x 3.4-in / 76mm x 88mm
Filter measurement: 67mm
At $1300 in most shops, the 24-105mm is nice worth for cash. Once more, it handles most conditions for the common shooter and it makes for a fantastic ‘equipment’ lens for an entry-level or fanatic Canon physique. Nevertheless, when you’re severe about getting one of many best lenses for astrophotography, it’s good to have a look at a extra specialised piece of apparatus. Right here at Area, we love astrophotography, so whereas we actually just like the Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, we will not actually suggest it particularly for photographers that need to concentrate on astro. This is why.
Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM assessment
Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM: Design
- Transportable because of the light-weight design
- Easy format and operation
- Telescopic zoom means lens will get greater when zoomed in
Very like different lenses in Canon’s mirrorless RF secure, this lens has a easy, uncluttered design. It’s totally mild, comparatively compact, and simple to navigate together with your palms. It is price noting that it is a telescopic zoom lens, which suggests the precise lens extends whenever you enhance the focal size. That is no large deal and will not impression most filters you’ll be able to connect to it, however remember that it will shift the burden ever so barely whenever you’re taking pictures with a tripod. Equally, it can change the minimal focal size when you’re doing close-up work.
There are three management rings, as commonplace. One handles focal size, one other focus, and the final one provides you the power to vary different components like ISO or aperture. This last ring is nearer to the furthest finish of the lens, and it feels nice to make use of, particularly when you choose taking pictures by way of the viewfinder slightly than your digicam’s display screen.
Elsewhere you have got a swap near the flange facet of the barrel which flicks between autofocus and guide focus and you’ve got the choice to show picture stabilization on or off. This lens boasts as much as 5-stops of picture stabilization and we discovered it really works pretty nicely which we’ll focus on extra within the efficiency part of the assessment.
Once you purchase the lens it comes with a lens cap, finish cap and a hood. Weirdly, we discovered it tough to screw the tip cap onto this lens except the purple mark on the lens and cap had been completely aligned. In the event you’re centered on a topic and attempting to vary lenses by really feel, this may be fairly annoying. Total, although, it is robust to fault the design of the 24-105mm.
Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM: Efficiency
- Does nicely in regular mild
- Some lack of readability round edges
- Stabilization is okay, however not nice
In the event you’re spending $1300 on a lens it’s good to be assured it’s going to carry out nicely. We’re blissful to report that the RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM does a fantastic job in most mild situations and when you’re a photograph generalist or a panorama photographer, you will have a good time with this lens. The photographs it produces are sharp and clear within the middle proper by way of the focal size vary and solely begin to lose any form of readability whenever you’re at most zoom. Even then, we think about most fans will not often discover this, so except you are knowledgeable and also you want excellent edge-to-edge sharpness, you will not be disillusioned with the photographs you get right here.
We did check this lens at evening and we struggled somewhat. Restricted to an aperture of f/4, it is tougher to get pinpoints of stars. It provides first rate landscapes with the 24mm focal width but it surely’s troublesome to assemble sufficient mild by way of the lens with out taking pictures longer exposures (which causes the celebrities to blur and path because the earth rotates). As an astro-specific lens it is restricted. It would not fairly go large sufficient to to seize these large evening sky pictures that, say, an ultra-wide just like the Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM, nor does it let you open up the aperture large sufficient to maintain the shutter pace comparatively speedy. In the event you’re taking pictures a largely darkish sky you will begin to discover these slight inconsistencies on the fringe of the picture, too.
For different low-light conditions, the 24-105mm performs adequately. We examined it with mild trails and a shot of the moon. The paths had been advantageous, and the picture we obtained of the moon was fairly good as nicely, although it required a big crop even on the longer 105mm finish of the lens.
We experimented with decrease mild conditions to check the picture stabilization within the lens itself. Whereas it clearly made a distinction to have it switched on or off, we obtained some fairly blurry photographs even when taking pictures round 1/15 to 1/20. This got here as a little bit of a shock, because the stabilization in different Canon lenses we have examined is superb. In common mild it is advantageous however taking pictures a mattress of multicolored leaves within the shade of a tree we noticed an actual lack of definition on the leaf shapes. Clearly, bumping up the ISO somewhat meant that even 1/50s photographs got here out clear, however we anticipated a bit extra of the shake discount.
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Total, the photographs we obtained with the 24-105mm are good. You simply need to work barely tougher than regular to accommodate a few of the options of the lens, particularly when you’re taking pictures in low mild.
Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM: Performance
- Not climate sealed
- Management ring tuning is okay
- Clean zoom makes it good for video
We must always word that the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM is not weather-sealed in any respect, so we suggest getting some form of safety for it when you plan to make use of it in moist or dusty situations. That is fairly disappointing for a lens at this value, whatever the causes for it, and can restrict your means to make use of it in opposed climate.
The usual management ring set-up works nicely and we discovered the torque on the rings ever so barely looser than what we’re accustomed to. That is very a lot a private choice, so it is not a mark towards the lens — simply an statement. Disappointingly, we felt just like the 24-105mm was ever so barely free when linked to the EOS R we examined it with. Not sufficient to trigger concern, but it surely did dent our confidence within the sturdiness of the lens somewhat.
With regards to zooming out and in, the movement may be very easy, one of the satisfying emotions of any telescopic zoom we have used. Once we had been holding it to shoot, the lens felt properly tactile no matter whether or not we had been taking pictures large or lengthy. The interior motors used for focusing are silent and environment friendly, so there are completely no issues with this facet of the lens.
Usually, we would prefer to have somewhat extra performance baked right into a lens, past the third management ring, however with the 24-105mm, we do not really feel the necessity for it. That is meant to be a easy, versatile lens for normal images and, a number of minor complaints apart, it achieves precisely that.
Ought to I purchase the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM?
In the event you’re in search of a great equipment lens that may carry out at evening, this is not the glass for you. Whereas it is a good daytime lens, the 24-105mm is not a low mild specialist. That is largely resulting from its incapacity to drop decrease than f/4 and the slight limitation that comes with a lens with such a various focal size vary. In the event you’re an occasional astrophotographer and common daytime shooter then it is a good lens and you might moderately add an additional star to the rating we have given it. If that is you, we recommend you decide up the 24-105mm in a sale like Black Friday or related and maybe buy a 40mm or 50mm f/1.8 as a companion for it, to cowl your astro shoots. It is an imperfect resolution, but it surely’ll work.
If this lens was somewhat cheaper we would be able to overlook a few of its low mild shortcomings. Nevertheless, at $1300 there are manner higher lenses you should buy for taking pictures the celebrities. Equally, if the moon is your factor, we would advise getting one thing with no less than a lens with no less than 300mm to 400mm in focal size to extend the attain, otherwise you’ll be continually cropping proper into your pictures.
If the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM is not for you
If in case you have a bit more money to spend and need a equipment lens that may deal with astro, we suggest the Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM. It is fairly a bit more cash, at $2400 in most shops, but it surely’s a hell of a lens and it is as blissful snapping photographs of the evening sky as it’s portraits, landscapes and the rest.
Searching for extra size? The Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM is a strong possibility, and it will considerably enhance your vary. Nevertheless, very like the 105mm, it is not an astro lens, so whilst you’ll select the moon fairly comfortably do not anticipate it to have the ability to snap the milky manner as simply.
For these with decrease budgets that also want one thing versatile sufficient for many conditions, we would think about a set focal size prime lens. The Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens is a magnificence, splendid for a variety of images kinds and it is solely $200.
