Canon RF 28mm F2.8 STM Review: Canon's Smallest RF Lens Turns Any Body Into a Street Camera
The Canon RF 28mm F2.8 STM is a pancake, and a very small one. Canon announced it on May 23, 2023 alongside the EOS R100 at $299.99. It weighs 120 grams and is 24.7mm thick, and Canon called it the smallest and lightest RF lens so far.
It covers full frame, and on Canon’s APS-C bodies it becomes a 45mm equivalent, a classic normal view. Either way, it turns a camera into something you can carry all day without noticing.
28mm is a natural lens for street photography and everyday life: people out for a morning run, a promenade waking up, scenes you want to catch without a big lens drawing attention.
Photo: Pixel Effects
Dustin Abbott’s review covers it on full frame and APS-C.
Video review: Dustin Abbott
Design
The optical formula is 8 elements in 6 groups, including three molded aspherical elements. The aperture has seven rounded blades, and the filter thread is 55mm. Close focus is 23cm, for 0.17x magnification. A gear-type STM motor drives the focus.
There’s one ring, with a three-position switch for AF, control ring or manual focus. The mount is metal. There’s no stabilization and no weather sealing, and the hood is an extra.
How it performs
Optics are the surprise. OpticalLimits and Abbott found it sharp across the frame even at f/2.8, and OpticalLimits gave it 10 out of 10 for price and performance. Lateral color fringing is low, and bokeh at close range is pleasant. Photography Blog found the edges softer and recommends f/4 to f/11, so results vary.
Uncorrected raw files show heavy vignetting, more than 3 stops at f/2.8 per OpticalLimits, and about 4% barrel distortion. Both are corrected by profiles. The STM motor is audible and modest in speed, and Abbott found video autofocus laggy. Flare resistance is poor, and the thin focus ring isn’t nice to use for manual focus.
Who should buy it
Anyone with a Canon RF body who wants a pocketable everyday lens. It turns the Canon EOS R8 into a light street camera, and on the R100 or R50 it’s a sharp normal prime for very little money. It also features in our Canon EOS R100 lens kit.
The RF 24mm F1.8 Macro IS STM is brighter, stabilized and focuses closer, at about twice the price and weight. The RF 50mm F1.8 STM is the cheap portrait partner. For a fixed-lens alternative, see the Fujifilm X half for fun or the Fujifilm X100VI for image quality.
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