Canon RF 24-50mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM
Announced February 8, 2023
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Reviewer Consensus
Mediocre
The Canon RF 24-50mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM is an exceptionally lightweight and affordable standard zoom designed for portability, yet its limited focal range and slow maximum aperture restrict its versatility. While it provides reliable autofocus and effective image stabilization for everyday use, the lens relies heavily on digital corrections to manage significant optical distortions.
Weighted from 13 reviewer scores
Pros
- Compact and lightweight design
- Affordable pricing
- Quiet and reliable autofocus
- Sharp image quality
- Effective optical image stabilization
Cons
- Limited zoom range and slow aperture
- Heavy reliance on digital distortion and vignetting correction
- Lacks weather sealing and features a plastic mount
- Unrefined retractable design and build
- Lens hood not included
- Launch price $299 (USD)
- Focal length & aperture 24-50mm f/4.5-6.3
- Mount & coverage Canon RF Full-Frame
- Stabilization Optical IS, 4.5 stops (CIPA)
- Close focus 30 cm (0.11x)
- Filter thread 58mm
- Weight & size 210g (7.4 oz) · 68.6 x 94 mm (2.70 x 3.70 in)
Expert Reviews
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The short zoom range and restricted maximum aperture are easier to adapt to than you might think in actual everyday use, and the key winning feature for this lens is its lightweight and compact, retracting design.
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The Canon RF 24-50mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM Lens targets photographers seeking a compact, ultralight, inexpensive, full-frame general-purpose lens that produces good image quality.
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One pro is that the lens adds image stabilization, and that will be particularly beneficial if you want to shoot some handheld video. It also has very solid autofocus for both stills and video, so at the least you should get reliably focused results.
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This is a pretty mediocre kit lens here, although it's not especially terrible in any way.
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[W]hilst recognising some drawbacks, excellent performance and ease of use help to make this an ideal starter lens that will whet the appetite of the user for more Canon optics. On that basis it can be Recommended.
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It might not offer the greatest range or fastest apertures, but the RF 24-50mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM is a solid if rather unexciting first lens for Canon's full-frame system that is both light on weight and light on your wallet.
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Full-frame compatible zoom lenses don’t get any smaller than this [...] It’s a lens that truly punches above its weight, although the modest aperture rating can be a limiting factor.
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The Canon RF 24-50mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM might be the lightest and most affordable zoom for full-frame EOS R cameras, but it doesn't offer much range or make particularly special images.
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The RF 24-50mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM lens represents quite good value for money in the light of its measured performance. It’s also a reasonable choice when light weight and compact size are high priorities – provided you can work with the focal length limitations.
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Now overall, I would say for the money, we're talking 200 if you buy this with the Canon R8 as a kit lens, for that money I would say that this lens is really good. So if you're on a budget, this is a really good option.
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This is a great little lens. The real question is if you really want a slightly larger lens that does more and can replace a second lens, like the RF 24-105mm IS STM or my favorite RF 24-240mm.
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As a general walk-around lens, I don't think the zoom is flexible enough. I think the 24-50mm is just frustrating. You constantly feel it at the long end. It's just not long enough.
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It handles chromatic aberration fine, it's sharp, its colors are good, so Canon have actually got a lens here that actually is a really, really nice travel lens.
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