Canon’s EOS R series launched without stabilization and with high-end lenses that didn’t quite match the entry level body specs — but that’s changing with the company’s latest lens launch. Announced on Monday, July 8, the Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM is the RF system’s first telephoto zoom, but also meets a first for all full-frame Canon lenses with Dynamic IS.
Covering a 10x zoom range, the lens is the longest yet for the EOS R and EOS RP. Despite hitting that 240mm reach, the lens still covers a 24mm wide angle, allowing the lens to encompass both the widest and longest focal lengths yet in the young RF series.
The zoom lens’ Dynamic IS image stabilization system is also a first among all Canon full-frame lenses, the company says. Going beyond earlier stabilization systems, the lens incorporates five stops of stabilization. While stabilization is always helpful for low light, the feature becomes increasingly important the longer the lens gets, which makes the spec a big perk for a 10x telephoto zoom lens.
The lens is constructed from 21 elements in 15 groups. The lens can focus as close as 1.64 feet from the subject at the widest angle while offering a 0.26x magnification at full zoom.
Canon says that, mounted on the EOS RP, the camera-lens combo is about as heavy as using a crop sensor camera and similar EF-S zoom lens. The lens alone weighs 26.4 ounces and the design also includes a customizable control ring.
The fifth lens in the RF series designed for Canon’s full-frame mirrorless bodies, the RF-24-240mm f/4-5.6 IS USM also helps fill a big price gap for the series. While the EOS RP and EOS R are considered entry to mid-level camera bodies, a majority of the first RF lenses launched have more pro-level specs and prices, with two lenses priced over $2,000 and a third priced over $1,000. (The RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM is an exception at $500).
While those lenses have faster apertures than the latest announcement, the price for the 24-240mm may be better matched for the same users eyeing the lower price of the EOS RP. And supporting that theory, Canon will offer the new 24-240mm lens paired with the EOS RP body as a $2,200 kit. The lens will also be sold individually, listing at about $900. The lens is slated for a September ship date.
