Canon has been making cameras for professionals and hobbyists for a very long time, and the EF lens mount that it introduced in 1987 saw well over 100 million lenses produced for it. That all changed in 2018 when Canon released the first EOS R camera, a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that had a new lens mount, known as RF.
The RF mount is wider than EF, though the older lenses can still be used with Canon’s newer cameras thanks to an adapter. There are so many EF lenses out there that this means excellent bargains can be found if you don’t mind using the older technology. Sticking with the native RF lenses will net you superior image quality and the latest features, however, along with the other advantages a mirrorless system brings to its lenses, such as reduced size and weight.
RF lenses come in two types. There is RF itself, which produces an image circle that covers the area of a full-frame sensor, and RF-S which is designed for the smaller APS-C sensors. Canon has been slower than other camera manufacturers to allow third-party lens companies access to its new mount, and as such there are few options for RF lenses that aren’t made by Canon itself. Those that are available tend to be manual-focus specialist lenses too, such as the 85mm f/5.6 2x Ultra Macro from Laowa.
After launch, the RF range was weighted in favour of expensive, pro-grade lenses, but as time has passed more affordable options have entered the available selection. Whatever style of photography you prefer, you’re sure to find a lens in the RF mount that will help you achieve your artistic goals. Here are some of the best.
Best Canon RF lenses at a glance:
Find out more below
Canon RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM
Best for: a full-frame standard zoom
Canon makes three lenses in this range; A 24-70mm f/2.8 aimed at pros, a 28-70mm f/2 that costs over £3,000 and this one, which keeps the fast f/2.8 aperture but doesn’t zoom out quite as far as 24mm.
This is easily made up for with a dedicated wide-angle lens and means this little lens can undercut many other options on price while retaining some excellent image quality and building in image stabilisation. It’s a great fit for Canon’s full-frame R-series cameras.
Buy now £1249.00, Wex Photo Video
Canon RF 24-105mm f4L IS USM
Best for: an alternative standard zoom
If you prefer a longer range to your standard zoom, and can’t quite stretch to the £3,439 RF 24-105mm f2.8 L USM, then this is the RF lens you want. The f/4 aperture means you’ll need a stop more sensitivity in your ISO setting, and you won’t get quite the same level of background blur as with an f/2.8 lens.
But the added convenience of a wider zoom range means you’ll have to change lenses less frequently, which can be a boon if you’re outside and trying to work out of a camera bag. The 24-105mm is part of Canon’s top-end L series of lenses, so you’ll be getting excellent image quality at all focal lengths.
Buy now £1179.00, Amazon
Canon RF 35mm F1.8 IS Macro STM
Best for: wide captures
This little prime lens offers a wide maximum aperture and extra-close focusing, giving it an edge over the typical 35mm lens. Giving an angle of view slightly wider than the human eye, the 35mm makes an excellent companion for any of the smaller full-frame R-series cameras, such as the EOS R8, and will find its way into the camera bags of any photographer who needs a compact lens to complement a longer telephoto.
That it produces 0.5x magnification is an extra bonus that means you can get closer to your subjects.
Buy now £479.00, Amazon
Canon RF 200-800mm F6.3-9 IS USM
Best for: wildlife photography
Where other super telephoto zooms top out at 600mm, Canon takes things a step further, offering a mighty 800mm. Its aperture value of f/9 at the long end is slow, so you may need to invest in a sturdy tripod for support (though it does have built-in image stabilisation) and bump up your camera’s ISO if you’re not shooting on a sunny day, but few lenses allow you to get this close to distant or small subjects so easily and without paying a lot more.
Buy now £2299.00, Wex Photo Video
Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 DC DN
Best for: an APS-C zoom
Third-party lenses are still a rarity in the RF mount, but this little zoom from Sigma has snuck its way into the system. Compatible with APS-C cameras such as the EOS R10, the 18-50mm offers a 29-80 focal length equivalent, and a constant f/2.8 maximum aperture to help keep your shutter speeds up.
It’s compact and light too, playing into the APS-C system’s strengths in that area. Canon’s closest competitor is the RF-S 18-45mm f4.5-6.3 IS STM, a much slower lens in terms of aperture, so the Sigma currently has little competition.
Buy now £479.00, Wex Photo Video
Canon RF 16mm f2.8 STM
Best for: a wide-angle prime
Being small and cheap isn’t easy for a wide-angle prime lens. The way the glass needs to be manufactured to bend the light in such a way as to produce an angle of view much wider than the human eye requires expert manufacturing, and Canon has shown its mastery of the techniques with this 16mm lens.
Its f/2.8 aperture and quiet STM autofocus will endear it to video shooters as well as photographers, and it’s small enough to tuck in a bag alongside larger lenses.
Buy now £249.00, Amazon
Canon RF 28mm f2.8 STM
Best for: the ultimate in portability
This pancake lens is very small indeed and makes Canon’s smaller R-series camera bodies almost pocketable. It’s a lens you’ll buy for convenience, perhaps carrying it alongside a longer macro lens, portrait prime or tele-zoom, but videographers will appreciate how easily it allows them to balance their camera on a gimbal or other support.
It helps that the image quality it produces is pretty good, and the autofocus is quiet and accurate.
Buy now £344.00, Wex Photo Video
Canon RF 70-200mm F4L IS USM
Best for: a compact tele-zoom
The f/4 version of the classic 70-200mm lens doesn’t get as much love as its f/2.8 bigger sibling, but if you’re shooting outdoors (or don’t mind pushing your ISO sensitivity up a notch) then it can be just as useful while being smaller and lighter. Unlike many 70-200mm lenses, this one extends as you zoom, which means it can be more easily kept in a bag in its retracted position when you’re not using it.
Being an L-series lens the image quality is sky-high, and the built-in image stabilisation system helps offset any disadvantage of the smaller aperture. The fact it’s over £1,000 cheaper than Canon’s 70-200mm F/2.8 L will help bring it to the attention of photographers too.
Buy now £1464.00, Amazon
Verdict
There's an RF-mount lens for everyone, but many photographers find they use the moderate wide-angle to short-telephoto range the most. Canon’s RF 28-70mm f2.8 IS STM lens is an ideal companion for an R-series camera, as it covers this widely used range with a fixed maximum aperture of f/2.8, allowing plenty of light to reach the camera’s sensor and allows you to blur the background for portrait shots.
There are plenty of other options, of course, including specialised primes and huge telephotos, but a fast standard zoom is a fine companion for your Canon mirrorless camera.
