Canon RF 35mm 1.8 IS Macro STM

The RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM is a versatile moderate-wide-angle prime lens for Canon's new full-frame mirrorless camera system. Featuring a 1:2 macro design with a minimum focusing distance of 17cm, STM stepping motor for smooth, precise and quiet continuous auto-focusing, Super Spectra coating on the lens elements to minimize ghosting and flare, 9 rounded diaphragm blades for smoother bokeh, and image stabilisation offering a claimed 5-stop advantage, the weather-resistant Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM is a capable all-rounder.

The Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 STM IS macro may not be the sexiest lens around but it is capable of delivering very high-quality results. Images are sharp in the center straight at f/1.8 and the corners are just marginally soft. There's a substantial increase in quality at f/2.8 and the resolution is truly impressive at medium aperture settings. Image distortions, as well as lateral CAs, are low. The same can't be said about the native vignetting which is rather extreme at maximum aperture. However, auto-correction comes to the rescue so most users will probably just notice a slightly elevated light falloff at f/1.8. The bokeh is generally nicely rendered with a silky background blur and smooth out-of-focus highlights. The foreground blur is less ideal though. Bokeh fringing (LoCA) is present at large aperture settings but that's hardly surprising. However, a more ugly effect are focus shifts when stopping down (RSA) which seems to have a negative impact on AF accuracy as well. The build quality is good but it's more aligned to amateur use rather than professional abuse. The lens body is made of plastic on a metal mount. There's nothing wrong with that per se but it doesn't feel "dense". Canon also decided to omit weather-sealing. The lens can focus down to an object magnification of 1:2. This is less than on a "typical" macro lens but it's good enough for exploring the macro universe already. Having said that - a 35mm lens is not the preferred choice among most macro photographers. The lens uses a stepping motor (STM) rather than Canon's ultrasonic version. The STM is slower than average and it's also not noiseless. Canon's latest image stabilizer (IS) version is one of the best in the industry with a claimed efficiency of up to 5 f-stops. It's usually a tad less in real life but combined with the fast maximum aperture, the lens is ideal for hand-held photography in low-light situations. Another positive aspect of the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 STM IS macro is that it doesn't break your bank - something that can't be said about most other genuine Canon RF lenses really. On the other side of the fence, the Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 costs 50% more and it doesn't even feature an image stabilizer nor is it capable of high object magnification. So while it has its downsides, it is an interesting option for your shopping list.

Canon RF 35mm F1.8 IS STM Macro is a versatile carry-around lens for Canon's new EOS R system. The only non-'L' lens in the initial RF lineup, the 35mm F1.8 provides a lightweight, compact and relatively affordable solution for EOS R and RP shooters. Optical quality is high, and effective optical stabilization makes this lens useful in a wide range of shooting conditions.

The Canon RF 35mm f1.8 IS Macro STM is a mild wide-angle prime lens for the EOS R full-frame mirrorless system, and remains the smallest, lightest and more affordable model in the native catalogue to date. Like other 35mm lenses, it’s an ideal general-purpose option, flexible enough for street, landscape, architectural, product and even wider portrait photography. Like most prime lenses, it’ll out-perform many zooms at larger apertures, while the brighter f1.8 focal ratio allows you to achieve shallower depth-of-field effects and maintain lower ISOs or faster shutters in dim conditions. Making it more useful still are macro credentials which may miss out on true 1:1 reproduction, but will deliver 1:2 or 50% magnification from 17cm which is close-enough for many of us. The icing on the cake is optical stabilisation, allowing you to handhold slower shutters or film video with ease on the unstabilised EOS R bodies. Now you can’t exactly call a $500 lens cheap, but the RF 35mm f1.8 does more than enough to justify its inclusion in every EOS R owners bag. If you’re tempted mostly for the macro capabilities though, also consider the more recent RF 85mm f2 which delivers the same 1:2 reproduction but from twice as far, which may make it more practical depending on your subject. The 85 is also more appropriate for portrait work, but personally the 35 gets my vote for its sheer flexibility as an all-rounder and comes highly recommended. In the absence of a thrifty-50, it’s as close to being a no-brainer in the RF system as I’ve seen to date.