Canon RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM Lens Review

Not everyone can afford Canon's flagship L-series lenses, but all want the performance and features they offer. The Canon RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM Lens fills that role for the general-purpose lens class.

This lens provides a wide f/2.8 aperture, excellent AF performance, and step-above image quality throughout a solid general purpose focal length range. These features in a lightweight, compact, and affordable package should capture your attention.

Focal Length Range

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Focal length range is a primary consideration for lens selection. A specific angle of view is required to get a desired subject framing with the optimal perspective (or from within a working distance limitation).

The moderately wide-angle through short telephoto 28-70mm focal length range covers a vast range of general-purpose needs, making it an ideal option for photographing a wide range of subjects. This is the type of lens that you take when you are not sure which focal lengths you will need, and usually, it will be the right choice.

Hinting at this focal length range's popularity is that this lens is the 7th Canon RF zoom lens (out of 22 total) to minimally include 28-70mm.

The 28-70mm range is great for photographing people. It's ideal for portraits, weddings, parties, events, documentaries, interviews, lifestyle, theater, fashion, studio portraiture, candids, and even some sports. Use 70mm for head and shoulders portraits and the wider end for groups and environmental imagery.

This lens is a good choice for media and photojournalistic needs as well as for street photography.

The 28-70mm range is also a good option for landscape and cityscape photography, with compositions being ideally captured using every focal length available in this lens. It is not difficult to create compelling landscape compositions using the 28mm perspective while still providing emphasis on a foreground subject against an in-focus background, providing the viewer with a sense of presence in the scene. At the other end of the range, 70mm works great for mildly compressed landscapes featuring distant subjects such as mountains.

Combined with a wide aperture, this focal length range is attractive for photographing the night sky, with the 28mm end being of primary interest in that regard.

This lens is well-suited for commercial photography, and the wide end of the range is ready to capture exterior architecture and also interior spaces availing longer working distances. This lens's capabilities list includes countrysides, flowers, medium and large products, and much more. If you like to photograph your food, 28-70mm covers that need.

Dogs? Yes.

The following images illustrate the 28-70mm focal length range:

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The focal length range of every zoom camera lens in existence is a compromise. Size, weight, and price are often the limiting factors. Within its class, this lens's focal length range is abbreviated at the wide end, with alternative standard zoom lenses commonly offering 24mm.

Do I miss having the extra 4mm on my general-purpose zoom lens? For landscapes, yes. For event shooting, no.

Here is a 24mm vs. 28mm comparison (captured with a different lens):

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A shorter focal length range reduces the complexity of the optical design. That advantage can be translated into a lower price, improved image quality, smaller size, and lighter weight.

An interesting note is that the last two lenses I reviewed were 28-something models.

APS-C sensor format cameras utilize a smaller image circle than full-frame models, framing a scene more tightly (1.6x is the angle of view equivalence multiplier). The full-frame angle of view equivalency on an APS-C camera will be 44.8-112mm. This APS-C range is lacking from a wide-angle perspective, limiting landscape use. Still, the standard focal lengths are covered, and the telephoto end's angle of view becomes considerably more attractive, especially for portraiture.

Max Aperture

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What is the second most important question to ask when selecting a lens? Usually, that answer is: How much light does the lens deliver to the imaging sensor?

Few zoom lenses open wider than f/2.8, and only the big, heavy, and expensive Canon RF 28-70mm F2 L USM Lens include this focal length range with an aperture wider than f/2.8.

The RF 28-70 F2.8 lens remains compact, lightweight, and affordable despite the size, weight, and cost penalty of the larger elements required to create this opening, and the f/2.8 advantages are big. Wide apertures are useful for stopping subject and camera motion in low light levels while keeping ISO settings low. Wide apertures also benefit AF systems, enabling them to work better in low-light environments.

This lens is a great choice for low-light action and events.

Even when photographing under bright light conditions, wide apertures are useful for creating a strong background blur that clearly isolates a subject from even highly distracting backgrounds. These examples illustrate the maximum blur this lens can create:

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The background is a significant percentage of many compositions, and when the background is not complementary to the subject (or even distracting), blurring it away is highly advantageous. This lens, especially at 70mm, has that capability.

Image Stabilization

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Image stabilization is another great feature of this lens. The RF 28-70 F2.8's newly-developed IS system is rated for 5.5 stops of assistance, and with IBIS Coordinated IS, the rating jumps to 7.5 stops (7.0 stops in the corners).

This lens's IS system is quiet, quieter than the R5 II's IBIS, and it is well-behaved, providing a smooth view, including when moving the camera. Tripod detection and accommodation are featured.

With increasing ISO being the alternative, the noise difference IS enables for still subjects is huge, and stabilization dramatically improves video quality.

Image Quality

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Canon is promised superior image quality from this lens, and the MTF charts place it remarkably close to its L-series f/2.8 sibling, the Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens.

The central area of the frame test results supports that expectation, with extremely sharp details produced at f/2.8 throughout the entire focal length range. Stopping down produces only a minor improvement, and no improvement is needed.

Often, subjects are not placed in the center of a composition, and lenses typically produce decreased sharpness in the periphery of the image circle, where light rays are refracted to a stronger angle than in the center. While the corner details from the wide and mid focal lengths are reasonably sharp, the periphery test chart results are modestly soft throughout the range and especially soft at 28mm. Stopping down slowly improves sharpness in the areas needing it.

The flat resolution chart is merciless on image quality, and the outdoor test results for this lens look better. Shown up is a series of center-of-the-frame 100% resolution crop examples. These images were captured in RAW format by a Canon EOS R5 and processed in Canon's Digital Photo Professional (DPP) using the Standard Picture Style with sharpness set to 1 on a 0-10 scale. Note that images from most cameras require some level of sharpening, but too-high sharpness settings are destructive to image details and hide the deficiencies of a lens.

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These results are excellent.

Next, we'll look at a series of comparisons showing 100% resolution extreme top left corner crops captured and processed identically to the above center-of-the-frame images. The lens was manually focused in the corner of the frame to capture these images. Geometric distortion correction was auto-corrected (required) by DPP.

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Count on samples taken from the outer extreme of the image circle, full-frame corners, to show a lens's weakest performance, and these results are quite good. That said, I struggled to get good 70mm corner results to share and spent a lot of time figuring out why. It seems that the magnified corner never gets sharp in the viewfinder. Fortunately, you do not likely need to focus your compositions in the corner.

Stopping down moderately reduces peripheral shading, but sharpness is not significantly improved.

This lens does not exhibit focus shift, the plane of sharp focus moving forward or backward as the aperture is narrowed (residual spherical aberration or RSA).

When used on a camera that utilizes its full image circle, a lens is expected to show peripheral shading at the widest aperture settings. Except at 50mm, the f/2.8 shading corner shading is around 2.5 stops, with the 50mm number closer to 1.7 stops.

Want less corner shading? Stopping down usually brings that. Expect about 1.6 stops of shading at 28 and 35mm, 1.0 at 50mm, and 1.3 at 70mm. At f/16, the numbers drop to just under 1 stop at 28 and 35mm and about 0.5 stops at the longer focal lengths.

APS-C format cameras using lenses projecting a full-frame-sized image circle avoid most vignetting problems. In this case, the up to 0.5 stops of corner shading at f/2.8 will seldom be visible.

One-stop of shading is often considered the number of visibility, though subject details provide a widely varying amount of vignetting discernibility. Vignetting is correctable during post-processing, with increased noise in the brightened areas the penalty, or it can be embraced, using the effect to draw the viewer's eye to the center of the frame. Study the pattern shown in our vignetting test tool to determine how your images will be affected.

Lateral (or transverse) CA (Chromatic Aberration) refers to the unequal magnification of all colors in the spectrum. Lateral CA shows as color fringing along lines of strong contrast running tangential (meridional, right angles to radii), with the mid and especially the periphery of the image circle showing the most significant amount as this is where the most significant difference in the magnification of wavelengths typically exists.

With the right lens profile and software, lateral CA is often easily correctable (often in the camera) by radially shifting the colors to coincide. However, it is always better to avoid this aberration in the first place.

Color misalignment can be seen in the site's image quality tool, but let's also look at a set of worst-case examples. The images below are 100% crops from the extreme top left corner of EOS R5 Mark II frames showing diagonal black and white lines.

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These images should only contain black and white colors, with the additional colors indicating a lateral CA presence. The color separation is pronounced at the wide end but slowly decreases to minor at the long end.

A relatively common lens aberration is axial (longitudinal, bokeh) CA, which causes non-coinciding focal planes of the various wavelengths of light. More simply, different colors of light are focused to different depths. Spherical aberration, along with spherochromatism, or a change in the amount of spherical aberration with respect to color (looks quite similar to axial chromatic aberration but is hazier) are other common lens aberrations to observe. Axial CA remains somewhat persistent when stopping down, with the color misalignment effect increasing with defocusing. The spherical aberration color halo shows little size change as the lens is defocused, and stopping down one to two stops generally removes this aberration.

In the real world, lens defects do not exist in isolation, with spherical aberration and spherochromatism generally found, at least to some degree, along with axial CA. These combine to create a less sharp, hazy-appearing image quality at the widest apertures.

The wide-open aperture examples below compare the fringing colors of the defocused specular highlights in the foreground to the background. The lens introduced any differences from the neutrally colored subjects.

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The color separation is moderate at the widest and longest focal lengths and minor in the others.

Bright light reflecting off lens elements' surfaces may cause flare and ghosting, resulting in reduced contrast and sometimes interesting, usually objectionable visual artifacts. The shape, intensity, and position of the flare and ghosting effects in an image are variable, dependent on the position and nature of the light source (or sources), selected aperture, shape of the aperture blades, and quantity and quality of the lens elements and their coatings. Additionally, flare and ghosting can impact AF performance.

This lens features Canon's SSC (Super Spectra Coating) to combat flare and ghosting, and it produced only modest flare effects even at narrow apertures in our standard sun in the corner of the frame flare test.

Flare effects can be embraced or avoided, or removal can be attempted, though removal is sometimes challenging. Thus, flare resistance is a welcomed trait.

Two lens aberrations are particularly evident in images of stars, mainly because bright points of light against a dark background make them easier to see. Coma occurs when light rays from a point of light spread out from that point instead of being refocused as a point on the sensor. Coma is absent in the center of the frame, gets worse toward the edges/corners, and generally appears as a comet-like or triangular tail of light that can be oriented either away from the center of the frame (external coma) or toward the center of the frame (internal coma). The coma clears as the aperture is narrowed. Astigmatism is seen as points of light spreading into a line, either sagittal (radiating from the center of the image) or meridional (tangential, perpendicular to sagittal). This aberration can produce stars appearing to have wings. Remember that Lateral CA is another aberration that is apparent in the corners. The images below are 100% crops taken from the top-left corner of EOS R5 II images captured at the widest available aperture.

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The corner stars remain small and sharply focused, but they have obvious wings.

This lens has extreme barrel distortion at the wide end and strong pincushion distortion at the long end. The geometric distortion is so strong that Canon forces correction at all focal lengths in the camera (EVF, LCD, JPEG & HEIF images, movies) and in DPP, regardless of the lens correction settings. Processing this lens's distortion test images using third-party software with correction disabled reveals the true image captured.

The squares in the test chart filled the viewfinder during capture. At 28mm, there is a lot of extra subject in the frame, and the straight line created by the top of the chart is rendered as a strong curve. This lens's barrel distortion rapidly diminishes as the focal length is increased until the lens is essentially distortion-free at 35mm. The transition continues into strong pincushion from 50mm through 70mm.

Every lens is a compromise, and the reasons for designing a lens with uncorrected geometric distortion include lower cost, smaller size, lighter weight, reduced complexity, and improved correction of aberrations that are not software-correctable. Geometric distortion can be corrected, including in-camera, using software and a correction profile, and once the geometry is trued, it is no longer a differentiator between lenses. However, the stretching required for correction can affect the final image quality. Base your evaluation on the corrected image quality, which is what you have been viewing in this review.

As seen earlier in the review, it is easy to illustrate the strongest blur a lens can create. Due to the infinite number of variables present among available scenes, assessing the blur quality, bokeh, is considerably more challenging. Here are some f/11 (for diaphragm blade interaction) examples.

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The first example shows defocused highlights smoothly filled and relatively round shaped. The second set of examples shows full images reduced in size and looking normal.

Except for a small number of specialty lenses, the wide aperture bokeh in the frame's corner does not show round defocused highlights, instead showing cat's eye shapes due to a form of mechanical vignetting. If you look through a tube at an angle, similar to the light reaching the frame's corner, the shape is not round. That is the shape we're looking at here.

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The significant truncation is limited to the deep corners of the widest and longest focal lengths. As the aperture narrows, the entrance pupil size is reduced, and the mechanical vignetting diminishes, making the corner shapes rounder.

A 9-blade count diaphragm will create 18-point sunstars (diffraction spikes) from point light sources captured with a narrow aperture. Generally, the more a lens diaphragm is stopped down, the larger and better shaped the sunstars tend to be. Wide aperture lenses tend to have an advantage in this regard, and this lens can produce beautiful stars, as illustrated below.

The example above was captured at 40mm f/16.

The design of this lens is illustrated above. "There is a lot that contributes to the optical quality of this lens, and it starts with two Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) elements (marked as dark green). The large-diameter UD lens at the front is a unique configuration previously found only in L lenses. This configuration effectively corrects chromatic aberration, reduces the weight of the front lens group, and contributes to ease of use by suppressing the change in the center of gravity felt by the user when changing the zoom range. Two glass-molded aspherical lenses (marked as light green) are effectively placed to achieve high rendering performance with suppression of various aberrations and compact size." [Canon USA]

Overall, the Canon RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM Lens produces excellent image quality. I'd prefer this lens not to have extreme geometric distortion, but I'd probably not want the alternative size, weight, and price. Lateral CA is moderately strong at the wide end, but it corrects well. Some color separation shows in the blur at the wide and telephoto ends.

Focusing

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The Canon RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM Lens features a leadscrew-type STM that delivers fast, quiet, and smooth internal autofocus that is advantageous for both stills and video.

This lens's low-light AF capabilities are impressive. AF slows in dark environments but still locks focus on contrast in extremely low-light scenarios.

While the review lens does not exhibit parfocal-like behavior, the results are not too far from that. Subjects focused on at 70mm are not strongly blurred throughout the balance of the focal length range.

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Optimal is to re-establish focus after adjusting the focal length.

The RF 28-70 F2.8 STM lens has a shared ring that is switchable for MF and Control purposes. The knurled plastic ring is small but usable.

FTM (Full Time Manual) focusing is supported in AF mode with the camera in One Shot Drive Mode and the shutter release half-pressed. Note that FTM does not work if electronic manual focusing after One Shot AF is disabled in the camera's menu. The lens's switch must be in the "MF" position and the camera meter must be on/awake for conventional manual focusing to be available.

Manual focus features about 200° of rotation for linear adjustment of the entire focus distance range throughout the zoom range.

It is normal for the scene to change size in the frame as the focus is pulled from one extent to the other. This effect is focus breathing, a change in focal length resulting from a change in focus distance. Focus breathing impacts photographers intending to use focus stacking techniques, videographers pulling focus (without movement to camouflage the effect), and anyone critically framing while adjusting focus.

This lens produces a moderate change in subject size through a full-extent (worst-case) focus distance adjustment.

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The RF 28-70 F2.8 has a minimum focus distance of 10.6" (270mm), and at 70mm, it generates a significant 0.24x maximum magnification spec.

Model	Min Focus Distance		Max Magnification
Canon RF 24-50mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM Lens	11.8"	(300mm)	0.19x
Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens	8.3"	(210mm)	0.30x
Canon RF 24-105mm F2.8 L IS USM Z Lens	17.7"	(450mm)	0.29x
Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM Lens	17.7"	(450mm)	0.24x
Canon RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM Lens	5.2"	(131mm)	0.50x
Canon RF 24-240mm F4-6.3 IS USM Lens	19.7"	(500mm)	0.26x
Canon RF 28-70mm F2 L USM Lens	15.4"	(390mm)	0.18x
Canon RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM Lens	10.6"	(270mm)	0.24x
Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary Lens	7.5"	(190mm)	0.22x
Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II Lens	8.3"	(210mm)	0.32x
Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 Lens	7.1"	(180mm)	0.37x

At 28mm, a subject measuring approximately 5.9 x 3.9" (150 x 100mm) fills a full-frame imaging sensor at this lens's minimum MF distance. At 70mm, a 5.2 x 3.5" (132 x 88mm) subject does the same.

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The individual USPS love stamps measure 1.19 x 0.91" (30.2 x 23.1mm).

While this lens produces sharp center-of-the-frame details at minimum focus distance with a wide-open aperture, expect the image periphery to be soft due to field curvature, especially at 28mm. Stopping down brings on increased depth of field that significantly improves corner image quality. 28mm minimum focus distance corners are modestly soft at f/11, but 70mm corners look good at f/8.

An extension tube enables a decreased minimum focus distance, which significantly increases the maximum magnification of this lens. As of review time, Canon does not offer RF mount-compatible extension tubes, but third-party options are available.

This lens is not compatible with Canon extenders.

Design & Features

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Especially for a consumer-grade lens, the RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM is aesthetically pleasing and well built.

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The external construction is engineering plastic. With smooth external dimensions and tight tolerance between parts, this lens is comfortable to hold and a pleasure to use.

The ribbed, rubberized zoom ring is large, easy to find, and smooth in function. I especially like the zoom ring being positioned behind the focus ring, and the slight diameter increase mid zoom ring makes it easier to locate tactilely.

This lens is non-functional in its fully retracted state, and the camera displays a "Set the lens to the shooting position" message to ensure you know this. Annoyingly, the camera does not permit some setting changes while the lens is fully retracted.

A firm twist of the zoom ring extends the lens from the firmly clicked closed length to its widest usable length at 28mm. The lens extends 0.80" (20.2mm) when zoomed to 28mm and extends a total of 1.84" (46.8mm) at 70mm. A click stop at 28mm avoids inadvertent retraction beyond the usable range

When fully extended, the inner barrel has modest flex.

The knurled Control Ring can be configured for fast access to settings that include aperture, ISO, and exposure compensation. As mentioned, the control ring also serves as the focus ring when that switch setting is selected. Both cannot be used simultaneously, but there is one less ring to confuse. Note that this control ring is smooth, not clicked, as is the current default for the L variants.

The AF/CONTROL/MF and IS switches are flush-mounted and low-profile, raised just enough for easy use, even with gloves. The switches snap crisply into place. Slightly extra care is necessary to get the 3-position AF/CONTROL/MF switch into its middle setting.

Though not an L lens, this lens is dust- and moisture-resistant. It has a "weather-resistant construction equivalent to an L-series lens for use in harsh environments." [Canon USA]

Unlike the RF L lenses, the RF 28-70mm STM lens lacks dust and liquid adhesion-resistant fluorine coatings on the front and rear lens elements, and fluorine-coated lens elements are noticeably easier to clean.

The RF 28-70 F2.8 STM's compact size and light weight are big advantages.

Model	Weight oz(g)		Dimensions w/o Hood "(mm)		Filter	Year
Canon RF 24-50mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM Lens	7.4	(210)	2.7 x 2.3	(68.6 x 58.4)	58	2023
Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens	31.8	(900)	3.5 x 4.9	(88.5 x 125.7)	82	2019
Canon RF 24-105mm F2.8 L IS USM Z Lens	46.9	(1330)	3.5 x 7.8	(88.5 x 199.0)	82	2023
Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM Lens	24.7	(700)	3.3 x 4.2	(83.5 x 107.3)	77	2018
Canon RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM Lens	13.9	(395)	3.0 x 3.5	(76.6 x 88.8)	67	2020
Canon RF 24-240mm F4-6.3 IS USM Lens	26.5	(750)	3.2 x 4.8	(80.4 x 122.5)	72	2019
Canon RF 28-70mm F2 L USM Lens	50.5	(1430)	4.1 x 5.5	(103.8 x 139.8)	95	2018
Canon RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM Lens	17.5	(495)	3.0 x 3.6	(76.5 x 92.2)	67	2024
Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary Lens	16.6	(470)	2.8 x 4.0	(72.2 x 101.5)	67	2021
Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II Lens	24.5	(695)	3.5 x 4.7	(87.8 x 119.9)	82	2022
Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 Lens	19.1	(540)	3.0 x 4.6	(75.8 x 117.6)	67	2021

View the complete Canon RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM Lens Specifications using the site's lens specifications tool for many more comparisons.

The impressiveness of this lens's small size is especially apparent in a visual comparison:

Positioned above from left to right are the following lenses:

Canon RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM Lens
Canon RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM Lens
Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary Lens
Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 Lens
Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens

The same lenses are shown below with their hoods in place.

Use the site's product image comparison tool to visually compare the Canon RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM Lens to other lenses.

This lens uses modestly sized 67mm filters, which are common and modestly priced.

While a standard-thickness circular polarizer filter does not increase wide-aperture peripheral shading, a slim model such as the Breakthrough Photography X4 is still recommended.

The Canon EW-73D Lens Hood, a model shared with the RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM Lens and EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens, is not included in the box. While not inexpensive, I recommend getting and using (reversed does not count) the hood for front element protection from impact and flare-inducing bright light.

The plastic EW-53's petal shape is optimized to block as much light outside the utilized image circle as possible. Zoom lens hoods must be tuned for the wide end of the zoom range, which means less than optimal protection is afforded at the long end. Still, this hood offers significant front element protection.

The petal shape also looks great, and this shape makes installation alignment easier (simply align the small petal to the top), though a round-shaped hood enables the lens to better stand on its hood. The matte interior avoids reflections, and a release button makes the hood easy to install and remove.

The Canon LP1116 Lens Case is optional.

Price, Value, Compatibility

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While it costs less than half as much as the RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS lens, the RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM Lens performs at a level far above that price difference. It's a great value.

As an "RF" lens, the Canon RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM Lens is compatible with all Canon EOS R-series cameras, including full-frame and APS-C models. Canon USA provides a 1-year limited warranty.

The reviewed Canon RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM Lens was retail sourced.

Alternatives

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The perfect lens does not exist. However, the best lens for your needs does. Determining that answer requires a look at the alternatives. Let's start the comparisons with the professional-grade Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens.

The image quality comparison shows the L lens is slightly sharper at the wide end and less sharp at the long end. In real-world use, the two lenses perform closer than the test chart shows. The STM Lens shows noticeably less peripheral shading and, with 6 fewer lens elements, less flare in the site's tests. The L lens has dramatically less geometric distortion.

The Canon RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM vs. RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens comparison shows the STM lens measuring considerably smaller and weighing a significant 14.3 oz (405g) less than the L lens. The smaller lens uses smaller filters, 67mm vs. 82mm, and it has a higher IS rating, 5.5 stops vs. 5.0. The 24-70 has a longer focal length range, with the extra 4mm on the wide end proving especially valuable for landscape and real estate photography. It also has a Nanon USM AF system vs. STM and a higher maximum magnification, 0.30 vs 0.24. As mentioned before, the STM lens's price is less than half that of the L lens.

Let's look at the Canon RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM Lens next.

In the image quality comparison, the 24-105 produces sharper results at the wide end (24mm vs. 28mm). That outcome is noticeably reversed by 35mm, and the 28-70 outperforms the 24-105 throughout the remainder of the shared focal length range. The 28-70 has less wide-open peripheral shading despite its considerably wider aperture. The 24-105 has slightly stronger barrel distortion at 24mm vs. 28mm, but it has less at the other comparable focal lengths.

The Canon RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM vs. RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM Lens comparison shows the 24-105 slightly smaller and lighter. The 28-70 has 9 aperture blades vs. 7 and a higher IS rating, 5.5 stops vs. 5.0. The 24-105 has a higher maximum magnification, 0.50x vs. 0.24x. The 28-70 has a dramatically wider aperture that can better stop action in low light and create a stronger background blur. The 24-105 has a considerably longer focal length range and a much lower price.

Use the site's tools to create additional comparisons.

Summary

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As I said at the beginning of the review, the Canon RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM Lens provides a wide f/2.8 aperture, excellent AF performance, and step-above image quality throughout a solid general purpose focal length range. These features in a lightweight, compact, and affordable package make this lens a great alternative to both entry-level models and high-end L-series lenses.

The RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM will be a super popular lens. At review time, it holds the #4 best-selling mirrorless lens position at B&H.