Canon RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z price, specs announced

Canon has announced the RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z, a groundbreaking lens that is the first in its new RF Hybrid Line. This lens is engineered for the modern age of multimedia creation, blending features suitable for both still photography and videography.

Designed to work in harmony with the EOS R5 C (a camera that straddles the line between the cinema range and digital stills cameras) as well as models like the Canon R5, which is more familiar to photographers, the new lens aims to be a versatile tool for creatives. It fuses elements from Canon’s cine and broadcast lenses with the capabilities of standard RF lenses, effectively bridging the gap between the two.

Read our hands-on Canon RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z review

The RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z has a constant f/2.8 aperture, which means that the exposure settings don’t have to change when zooming from one focal length to another, and there’s consistent depth of field control.

There’s also image stabilisation built-in, offering up to 5.5 EV of shutter speed compensation, but it can be pushed to up to 8 EV stops when combined with In-Body Image Stabilisation (IBIS).

A total of 23 elements are arranged in 18 groups with 4 Ultra-Low Dispersion (UD) elements and 3 aspherical elements, 2 of which are glass moulded. There are also ASC (Air Sphere Coating) and Super Spectra Coatings to reduce flare and ghosting, along with a fluorine coating on the front element to protect it from dirt and smudges.

Focusing is handled by Dual Nano USM Motors to deliver quick and silent autofocusing in video and stills mode. Focus Breathing is also said to be suppressed for smoother video capture.

In addition, the lens has Electronic Parfocal Stability, which means the focus is maintained while zooming.

Canon has given the RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z 2 customisable function buttons, an aperture ring and a dedicated control ring for ease of use. The aperture ring allows adjustments in 1/3 EV steps and has an ‘Auto’ setting that hands control over to the camera. Currently, the aperture ring only works in video mode and not stills mode. Hopefully, that will change with a firmware update.

While the Canon RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z has a broad zoom ring, the ‘Z’ in its name stands for ‘Power Zoom’, which in this instance means it is compatible with the two Power Zoom Adapters that Canon is launching at the same time. The Power Zoom Adapter PZ-E2 and Power Zoom Adapter PZ-E2B are essentially the same, but the PZ-E2 has a USB-C terminal while the PZ-E2B has a USB-C terminal and a 20-pin connection that enables additional functionality.

Canon RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z price and availability

The Canon RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z’s price is $2999 / £3,439 / €3,9299.99, and it will go on sale in December 2023. In addition, the Canon Power Zoom Adapters are priced at:

Power Zoom Adapter PZ-E2 (with USB-C) $999 / £1,149.62 / €1,309.99
Power Zoom Adapter PZ-E2B (with 20-pin interface and USB-C) $1299 / £1,529.99 / €1,749.99