Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM Review

Verdict

I enjoyed using the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro during my time with it. The light weight and strong image quality, combined with the affordable price, means that it deserves a place in a lot of photographers’ bags. It’s also quite a feature-rich little lens, with image stabilization, great close-focus capabilities, and extensive manual controls.

Unfortunately, Canon has packaged these impressive optics in a lens that has some serious build quality compromises. The lack of weather sealing isn’t the end of the world on its own, but combined with the externally-focusing design, it significantly dampens the lens’s versatility. Canon also cheapened out by not including a lens hood in the package with the RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro, which is definitely disappointing.

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

Pros:

• Strong optical performance in almost every metric, from sharpness to flare
• Surprisingly advanced handling features for an inexpensive lens, with extensive manual controls
• Built-in image stabilization is unusual for a 35mm prime and works well
• Impressive close-up capabilities make it a very flexible lens
• Lightweight and portable design
• Good value at $499

Cons:

• No weather sealing
• Externally focusing design feels cheap and is less weatherproof
• Vignetting is on the high side
• Lens hood is not included (and if you do get one, it attaches to the moving portion of the barrel)
• Focusing is loud and hunts more often than most Canon RF lenses in low light
• Noticeable color fringing in out-of-focus regions

All in all, this makes for a versatile 35mm prime lens with strong optical performance and more features than expected for the price. However, there are considerable compromises in build quality, and the focusing performance is not as good as I had hoped. It’s still a strong lens, but you should be aware of these issues before you buy it.

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