Canon has announced the RF 14-35mm F4L IS USM, its widest RF lens to date. The new lens is said to offer quiet autofocus and 5.5-stop optical image stabilisation while its 14-35mm focal length makes it a great choice for landscape and architectural photography, as well as vlogging.
Thanks to the RF Mount communication system, the RF 14-35mm F4L IS USM can utilise combined lens and in-body image stabilisation on compatible EOS R-series cameras to deliver 7 stops of shutter speed compensation.
Compact size
The Canon RF 14-35mm F4L IS USM weighs 540g, the RF 14-35mm F4L IS USM and joins the compact, lightweight RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM and RF 70-200mm F4L IS USM lenses to deliver a range of f/4 lenses. It has the same 77mm filter thread and compact form factor, making the trio convenient for travel.
According to Canon, the RF 14-35mm F4L IS USM features a class-leading minimum focus distance of 0.2m and a 0.38x magnification.
Optical construction
The RF 14-35mm F4L IS USM employs an advanced optical design of three ultra-low dispersion and three glass moulded aspherical lens elements – one of which is both UD and aspherical. These components feature a non-spherical curvature so they gather light at a single point to reduce aberration and create pin-sharp images, replicating the image quality of Canon’s prime lenses.
These elements are also said to ensure high resolution from edge to edge of the image, which is particularly challenging in wide angle lenses where spherical aberrations greatly increase.
Combined with Canon’s advanced proprietary Subwavelength Structure Coating (SWC) and Air Sphere Coating (ASC), which prevent ghosting and flare, the RF 14-35mm F4L IS USM is claimed to achieve exceptional sharpness and contrast.
Stills and movie performance
The RF 14-35mm F4L IS USM has a rear focus design that enables its close focusing ability and reduces focus breathing to less than a third of the EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM. In addition, its Nano USM focus motor delivers fast, smooth, and quiet autofocus; while the wide-angle, fixed f/4 aperture stays constant over the full focal length range ensuring there is no variation in shutter speed or ISO when zooming.
When combined with the 5.5-stop Image Stabilizer (IS), increasing to 7-stops when used with Canon’s EOS R5 and EOS R6, the RF 14-35mm F4L IS USM delivers steady footage while photographers can shoot handheld, even at very low shutter speeds.
The RF 14-35mm F4L IS USM has a control ring to give direct control of the TV, AV and ISO settings without the need to delve into menus or look away from the viewfinder. There’s also a full-time manual focus ring .
Canon has also given the lens L-series weatherproofing so photographers and filmmakers can shoot in all conditions.
Canon RF 14-35mm F4L IS USM Key Features:
- Ultra-wide 14-35mm focal length
- Fixed f/4 aperture for shooting in low-light conditions
- Three aspherical and three UD elements, one which is both UD and aspherical, ensure the highest resolution from edge to edge of the image
- 5.5-stop optical image stabilisation or 7-stops when used with a camera with in-body image stabilisation (IBIS)
- Nano USM motor for fast, smooth, quiet operation ideal for video
- Control Ring – giving direct control over Tv/Av/ISO settings
- Minimum focusing distance of 0.2m with 0.38x magnification
- SWC (Sub Wavelength structure Coating) and ASC (Air Sphere Coating) prevents flare and ghosting
Canon RF 14-35mm F4L IS USM price
The RF 14-35mm F4L IS USM will retail at £1,749.99 / $1,699 / €1,999.99.