The Canon RF 70-200mm F4L IS USM is the world’s shortest and lightest interchangeable 70-200mm f/4 lens.
It has a collapsible design and although when it’s extended it’s almost identical in length to the EF 70-200mm f/4L IS II USM, when it’s collapsed its just 11.9cm long so it will fit in the space normally occupied by a standard f/4 zoom lens. It also weighs just 695g.
The RF 70-200mm F4L IS USM has Air Sphere Coating, four Ultra Low Dispersion (UD) lenses, and a focusing distance of 0.6m – down from 1m with the EF lens. It also has a 9-blade aperture which is a constant f/4 throughout the zoom range.
In addition, it is dust- and weather-sealed while the lens’ front element is fluorine-coated to help repel dirt and water droplets.
The IS in its name indicates that the RF 70-200mm F4L IS USM has Canon’s Optical Image Stabilizer, which in this case offers up to 5 stops of shutter speed compensation. When mounted on the Canon EOS R6 or R5, however, the compensation reaches up to 7.5 stops.
The RF 70-200mm F4L IS USM features Dual Nano USM autofocus motors for near-silent focusing, making it suitable for use when shooting video.
There are three rings on the barrel, one for zooming between focal lengths, another for focusing and the third for adjusting key features. There’s also a focus limited switch and the Image Stabilizer has three modes which are selected by a switch.
Canon RF 70-200mm F4L IS USM Price and Availability
The Canon RF 70-200mm F4L IS USM is set to go on sale in the first week of December for a price of £1699.99 / €1969.99.
Specification
- Lens type: Full-frame telephoto zoom
- Announced: 4th November 2020
- Mount: Canon RF
- Focal length: 70-200mm
- Maximum aperture: f/4
- Stabilisation: Lens-based to 5EV, up to 7.5EV with the Canon EOS R5 or R6
- Weather-sealed: Yes