Mirrorless Lens Review | Canon RF 24–105mm F4 L IS USM
A concise review after 9 months of ownership (sample images provided)
READ ME: This review series will keep to a brief, to the point, bullet point format to give the low-down on these lenses. I like *most* of them quite a bit, and would recommended most people to pick up a copy of any of these for themselves. This review series is NOT about the professional specs of the lens, but more so the character, any quirks, and my experience with them.
Logic behind purchase: Wanted a general all-rounder photo lens that would also be nice for video work. A companion to my 100–400mm and 150–600mm wildlife lenses. Intended to live on my R6 while the R5 would use primes and specialty lenses. I’m not in love with the “classic” 24–70mm F2.8 that seems to be a staple of most photographers in most brands, so the 24–105mm gave me a bit more reach (including notably my favorite 85mm focal length). Also F4 vs F2.8 for most of this lens’s intended usage would not be a huge issue.
Impressions: I have used this lens… not that much. I still prefer my primes and in situations where I would take both the R5 and R6 together, this lens would almost always stay at home in favor of two complimentary primes on each body instead. If I only took one body, I almost always had a different lens I would rather use. It’s not that this lens is bad, in fact after recently selling ALL of my RF glass and the R5, it’s the only RF lens I kept. After the R5 and RF purging, the 24–105mm now lives on the R6 as my sorta “be prepared for anything” setup. It’s not my favorite, but it works very well in 95% of most situations, and I guess that was always the purpose anyways. No complaints.
Size/Weight: It’s a little big, but the weight is fine for it’s size. Do remember that it is not an internally zooming lens, so it does extend quite a bit when at 105mm. Balances pretty easily on a DJI gimbal.
Favorite Usage: This might sound like an odd usage, but lately I’ve been using it as a way to “try out” other focal lengths that I don’t often shoot at. I’ve been really torturing myself with the idea of a Leica Q2 purchase (a 28mm fixed lens camera) and have been forcing myself to shoot at 28mm on the Canon to see if I could live with that focal length. I also again just really use it as a jack of all trades lens.
Issues: The locking toggle switch would be A LOT nicer if it could lock in at any notated focal length (24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 70mm, 85mm, 105mm) on the lens. I prefer 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm most and it would be nice to just set it and leave it at one.
Also, this may be my own failure, but I think the autofocus is amazingly consistent, but at F4 it sometimes seems just “off”. I can’t place it, it’s not wrong, it’s not out of focus, but it seems just sorta not right.
Lastly, not really a “problem”, but I vastly prefer (as personal preference) the sharpness/fall off of vintage lenses. This lens is clinically sharp and about as sterile as a laboratory. This is probably a selling point to most photographers. It’s consistent and precise, if maybe just lacking some identity and character, but I knew that going in.
Notable Features: It does come with a locking toggle though, so when at 24mm the lens will not accidentally “creep” toward extension when you’re walking/hiking/whatever. It also has a huge 77mm filter ring, so if you have other large ring Canon glass your filters should probably fit that standard sizing.
Usable Aperture Range: I often just set it either at F4 or F8 and have no issues. Low light performance on the Canon R6 is actually quite nice, you can probably expect this lens (in this setup) to act more like a F2.8 lens on older DLSRs when low light performance is considered.
Bodies Used On: Canon R6, Canon R5
Source: MPB
My Price: $950 (Excellent Used Condition)
Average Price: New = $1300
Sample Images
Gallery Images
Check out the previous article I Hate My Canon R5
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