Review: Canon RF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM

Friday 14 May 2021, 11:33 by Nando Harmsen | 6,573 views | 0 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

A large and heavy 70-200mm zoom lens with an f/2.8 aperture throughout the range is not necessary for everyone.

For those who prefer to travel light and can manage perfectly well with an f/4 aperture, there is also a lovely compact 70-200mm f/4 for the Canon R system. Canon Nederland provided me with a sample for this review.

The 70-200mm zoom is one of the most versatile zoom lenses available. It is perfect for more intimate landscapes, portraits, semi-macro and much more.

In addition, these telephoto zoom lenses almost always have a fixed maximum aperture throughout the range.

Rapeseed on the banks of the Aa. The compressing effect of a longer focal length can be very desirable for this type of landscape (Canon EOS R5 + RF70-200mm f/4L @ 124mm, ISO400, f/11, 1/320sec)
A 70-200mm with an f/2.8 aperture produces a lovely shallow depth of field. But not everyone will need this. The greater weight of an f/2.8 lens with this zoom range can also be a problem.

Canon has released a beautifully compact 70-200mm for these photographers using the R system, with f/4 as its maximum aperture.

The Canon RF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM is particularly compact. With this lens, there is no longer any reason to leave it at home.

Compact, lightweight and fully equipped

The Canon RF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM is a very special lens. It is almost the same size as the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM and even weighs slightly less. It can focus as close as 60 cm, achieving a magnification of 0.28x.

You only really notice how small and compact this lens is when you hold it in your hand.
The built-in image stabilisation provides 5 stops of benefit. When you use the lens on a camera with built-in image stabilisation, this increases to no less than 7.5 stops.

Although it will not freeze movement in your subject, it does help you take handheld photos at slower shutter speeds.

The Canon RF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM in detail.
The lens has a whole range of buttons that will look familiar if you have used a similar Canon lens before. There are switches for image stabilisation, the focus limiter and AF/MF. New to this lens is the zoom lock. This prevents the lens from extending unintentionally.

The lens becomes considerably longer when zooming. The lens hood now has a matching colour.
The wide zoom ring makes zooming easy. If you want to focus manually, there is a narrow focus ring. Right at the front is the programmable control ring.

Because of the compact design, these rings are relatively close together.

In use

The compact design takes some getting used to if you have always used the larger versions. I had to get used to it, but once I did, I found it very pleasant to use.

For action photography, the f/4 may mean setting the ISO one stop higher. (Canon EOS R5 + RF 70-200mm f/4L @ 169mm, ISO250, f/4, 1/2000sec)
I also used the Canon RF 70-200mm f/4 for a few portrait sessions. At these times, I would have liked the shallower depth of field of the f/2.8. Fortunately, it is rarely necessary to use the minimum depth of field for portraits.

If you work in studio environments and at f/8, the RF70-200mm f/4 performs excellently. If you want a minimal depth of field, the f/4 can be limiting (model: Ilke, Canon EOS R5 + RF 70-200m f/4L @ 70mm, ISO100, f/8, 1/200sec, Profoto B10 flash with 2"octabox
The small size and low weight were really useful when photographing landscapes. You often do not need an extremely shallow depth of field for this type of photography. An f/4 aperture is more than sufficient.

Taking a 70-200mm with you is genuinely inviting with this lens. It almost (!) fits in your jacket pocket.

It is wonderful to head out with such a small lens and still have such a useful zoom range (Canon EOS R5 + RF 70-200mm f/4L @ 70mm, ISO100, f/9, 1/200 sec)

Image quality and focusing speed

There is little to complain about when it comes to image quality. The corners are slightly less sharp at the maximum aperture, but this is only noticeable if you zoom in heavily on those areas. Stopping down the aperture increases the slight softness in the corners.

Vignetting does increase as you zoom in further. At f/4 and 70mm, it is about 1 stop, rising to almost 3 stops at 200mm. Vignetting is also very easy to correct in post-processing. Stopping down the aperture prevents this vignetting as well.

Although some vignetting does occur, it can often be corrected automatically in the camera or in post-processing. Stopping down the aperture also reduces the vignetting. (Canon EOS R5 + RF 70-200mm f/4L @ 148mm, ISO200, f/11, 1/250 sec)
The Canon RF 70-200mm f/4L suffers little from flare, and some chromatic aberration occurs with large contrast differences.

This too is easy to remove in post-processing. The maximum aperture of f/4 does not produce as shallow a depth of field as its larger f/2.8 sibling, but it is enough to separate your subject from the background.

With the maximum aperture of f/4, it is possible to separate your subject, the cuckoo flowers, from the trees in the background. The effect is even stronger at 200mm instead of 70mm. (Canon EOS R5 + RF 70-200mm f/4L @ 70mm, ISO200, f/4, 1/640sec)
The autofocus of the Canon RF 70-200mm f/4L is extremely fast and silent. Combined with the eye AF systems of the Canon EOS R5 and Canon EOS R6, keeping moving subjects in focus is easy and accurate. Even when the subject is small in the frame.

Small and particularly fast: a fledged juvenile great tit. The autofocus of the Canon RF 70-200mm f/4L keeps it in focus (Canon EOS R5 + RF 70-200mm f/4L @ 200mm, ISO100, f/4, 1/250sec)

Conclusion

During the weeks I was able to use the Canon RF 70-200mm f/4L, I became very fond of this small powerhouse.

It is easy to take with you. It takes up little space in your bag, and at 695 grams, the weight is no reason to leave it at home. It is a pleasure to use this lens.

Those who like photographing with a minimal depth of field may prefer an f/2.8 aperture. An f/4 may also be less suitable for photographers who rely on very fast shutter speeds.

After all, f/2.8 lets in twice as much light. If you do not need that, the RF 70-200mm f/4L is a very good choice.

An aperture of f/4 is sufficient for most portraits. (model: Mariska, Canon ESO R5 + RF 70-200mm f/4L @ 158mm, ISO200, f/4, 1/200sec, Profoto B10 with 2"octabox)
The balance of this lens on a camera from the R system is perfect. Although the lens becomes considerably longer when zoomed out, the centre of gravity remains close to the camera.

This is the first 70-200mm lens with which I have been able to take photos one-handed without any difficulty. Together with the 5-stop image stabilisation, or 7.5 stops with the EOS R5/R6, a sharp photo is almost guaranteed.

I have considered the pros and cons of the Canon RF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM. Although the vignetting and chromatic aberration mentioned earlier are present and can be considered disadvantages, they are easily corrected with lens correction in the camera or in post-processing.

All things considered, I can only be positive about this lens. If you do not need f/2.8, this lens comes highly recommended.

With thanks to Canon Nederland for providing this lens.

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