The Canon RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM on the surface is a technically impressive addition to the RF lineup. Priced at $1099 USD we think that there’s a lot of lens at the price point.
There isn’t a single lens that is for everybody!
Canon’s Nonomura-san, who is part of the product development team talks about how features and price point play a big role in whether or not a product reaches the consumer market.
Since we are a department that looks at profitability, when we think about the user, we think, “We should include this function,” or “We can’t leave out that function,” but if we don’t balance the specifications and price, we can’t commercialize the product, so we check things like that.
https://personal.canon.jp/articles/interview/developer-f28-70-f28
This is the first non-L f/2.8 constant aperture zoom for full-frame that Canon has ever made. Yes, this includes the 37 years or so since EF hit the world. Canon did make one for EF-S, in the form of the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM. That lens launched back in 2006 for about $1200 USD.
The small size is also pretty remakable and Canon has posted a really interesting interview with the development team for the RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM. It looks like these guys will be the next wave of Canon lens developers. They look so young! Or I’m just old now.
- Midwest Photo: Canon RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM $1099
- B&H Photo: Canon RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM $1099
- Adorama: Canon RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM $1099
- Camera Canada: Canon RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM $1499
- Wex Photo: Canon RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM £1249
- Foto Erhardt: Canon RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM €1299
It’s also great to hear that Canon is listening to consumer input, and comments on the price point and size of L lenses in the standard zoom segment. This sort of input does seem to suggest that Canon wants to fill the void of third party lenses for the full-frame RF mount.
There is an L lens with a fixed F2.8 for the 24-70mm. While this lens has been highly evaluated in the market as an L lens, we have also heard complaints that the price, size, and weight are too high. This product was conceived with the idea that “there may be users who want a fixed F2.8 lens, but cannot afford an L lens”.
One of the interesting design choices that Canon came up with for the RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM is the use of a UD (Ultra-low Dispersion glass) for the front element, usually these elements are used inside of a lens. Canon first used this design choice for the brilliant RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L USM.
This allowed Canon to decrease the size needed for the lens design.
We used an expensive lens called a “UD lens” at the very front. Usually, the lens diameter is smaller on the inside, so we place it there. The larger it is, the higher the selling price will be. But in order to achieve a compact size and high performance, we decided to go ahead and use a large UD lens at the front.
Canon has also been working hard to improve STM focus motors. These motors significally reduce the cost of lens production. USM motors, while fantastic are large and expensive to produce. Canon is now able to move groups twice as heavy with STM motors with their latest advancements. These are the areas of R&D that don’t get enough attention, the small things can make a big difference in the products that reach the market.
We’ve also improved the focus mechanism, known as a “lead screw type STM (Stepping Motor).” The focus mechanism installed in this lens has been upgraded to the point where it can move lenses that are about twice as heavy as the lenses we used to move.
Another topic the developers touch on, are the many advantages of RF over EF. RF allows for much better lens performance when working in tandem with the processing power in the camera bodies these days. While there is a demographic that prefers all of this stuff to be done in the optical design itself, you can’t do that stuff and have a lens this small, light and relatively expensive.
The RF 28-70mm f/2L USM exists if you want premium optical performance without relying on the camera to help.
Things that were not possible with the EF mount due to the small amount of communication traffic are now possible with the RF mount thanks to its large capacity and high speed communication. For example, electronic correction of aberrations and IS coordinated control. The amount of data that can be written to the lens itself has also increased, and is several dozen times larger than previous mounts.
This is one of the better interviews about product development that I have seen from Canon, and the whole interview is quite interesting, be sure to check it out.
Source: Canon Japan
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Edit: Do I see an IS switch there? Absolute banger lens :O
Only for EF-S in the 17-55 that I can recall off the top of my head.
Anything would be better than the 24-50!
Brian
I wonder if it has macro capabilities.
Also it will probably have quite a bit of software correction on the wide end -- mainly for dark corners and barrel distortion.
“Good” and “affordable” are relative terms. Skeptical me is skeptical.
I think what happens is that it will extend all the way to maximum length at 28mm from the storage position, and then it gradually retracts somewhat as you zoom in to 70mm.
It is the same with the RF 24-50 -- the shortest physical length is when the lens is in the collapsed state, and the longest physical length of that lens is at 24mm. That lens retracts somewhat at 35mm and extends a bit again at 50mm (though not to the length when it is at 24mm).
My guess is $1199 or $1299 for this one, if is uses significant software corrections, or more if it has optical corrections.
Sounds like a very interesting lens, that can sell very well. I could be wrong, but my guesses are heavy vignetting, lots of barrel distortion on the wide end, a very decent level of sharpness, probably significant focus breathing, small size (possibly another twin to the 24-105 and 15-30mm) super lightweight, cool autofocus.