Canon RF 24mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM Review

This is an interesting and somewhat unusual lens. The ability to focus a 24mm lens to 1:2 magnification is already exciting and opens up compositional possibilities that few other lenses can achieve. In terms of image quality, it’s not all perfect, but the central area is sharp throughout the aperture range, and the bokeh is really nice at close focus distances. It also makes a sharp lens for landscape photography, with the corners looking good once you’ve stopped down to f/4 and narrower. And because of the small size and weight of the RF 24mm f/1.8, it’s easy to carry along almost anywhere.

That’s what I liked about this lens. What I didn’t like is that the RF 24mm f/1.8 Macro is externally focusing without being weather-sealed. External focusing (or external zooming) isn’t a big deal on its own, although it does make me pay attention a bit more in rainy and dusty conditions. Pair that with a non-weather-sealed construction, however, and I start to question the lens’s sales pitch as a take-anywhere kind of prime.

Certain aspects of the Canon RF 24mm f/1.8 Macro’s image quality also leave a lot to be desired. While some photographers will focus on the weak corners at f/1.8, that doesn’t bother me very much, because your corners will rarely be in focus at f/1.8 anyway. The bigger issues are the extremely high distortion and vignetting – both of which can be corrected in post, but not without causing problems elsewhere (in particular, blurrier and noisier corners).

Here’s how I’d sum up the pros and cons.

Pros:

• 1:2 magnification at 24mm allows for exciting and unique close-up photos
• Excellent central sharpness throughout the aperture range
• Very good corner sharpness at f/4 and narrower
• Beautiful, soft bokeh at close focus distances
• Low levels of lateral chromatic aberration
• Small, light, and portable
• Good handling features for the price, including image stabilization and a customizable control dial

Cons:

• Very high distortion that necessitates corrections, which can harm corner sharpness
• Very high vignetting, especially at infinity focus
• High field curvature and poor corner sharpness at f/1.8 and f/2 (only relevant for specialized applications)
• Externally focusing, non-weather-sealed design is a problem in adverse conditions
• No lens hood included with purchase

Overall, there’s a lot to like about the Canon RF 24mm f/1.8 Macro, but also a lot to criticize.

Where this lens shines the most is close-up photography. Focusing closely shows off the lens’s nice bokeh, and it reduces the vignetting significantly. If you’re interested in the genre of close-up, wide-angle work, I would add this lens to your bag without a second thought. It also makes a strong choice for travel photography, so long as you keep the lens dry if it starts to rain.

For me, the $600 price is neither a pro nor a con. It feels high for an externally-focusing lens that doesn’t have weather resistance, but it’s also lower than other name-brand 24mm f/1.8 lenses. If forced to pick, I’d say that $500 would have been a more appropriate price, but $600 isn’t bad.

The drawbacks, of course, are the cheap build quality, high distortion, and iffy image quality at maximum aperture (especially with regards to corner sharpness and vignetting). Whether these are relevant to your style of photography is something only you can decide.

Before I conclude this review, I should bring up the fact that Canon doesn’t have any obvious alternatives to the RF 24mm f/1.8 Macro at the moment (short of adapting something). If you want a wide-angle, wide-aperture lens, the RF 16mm f/2.8 and RF 28mm f/2.8 are more than a stop dimmer and may not be the focal lengths you had in mind. The RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L is a good lens but far larger, heavier, and more expensive, while still only reaching f/2.8. Perhaps the most similar lens in Canon’s lineup at the moment is the RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro, which obviously isn’t as wide and and has many of the same pros and cons as the 24mm Macro!

I hope that Canon soon releases a 20mm f/1.8 or 24mm f/1.4 for their mirrorless system with an emphasis on image quality and build quality. Other brands have managed it with lenses like the Sony 20mm f/1.8 G, Sony 24mm f/1.4 GM, Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S, and Nikon Z 24mm f/1.8, which are four excellent lenses – I know that Canon can do the same if they choose to. For now, though, the 24mm f/1.8 Macro is the only RF prime lens at this focal length, and it gets only a conditional recommendation from me.

I hope that you found this review of the Canon RF 24mm f/1.8 Macro to be helpful in making your decision! If you want to purchase the lens, you can thank us at Photography Life for the work that went into this review by using the links below:

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