TDP Review of the RF 15-35 f2.8 L IS

Bryan posted his review.

I still can’t get over the vignetting of Canons uwa’s...

https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-RF-15-35mm-F2.8-L-IS-USM-Lens.aspx
Thanks for the link!
Maybe vignetting is the least problematic lens aberration from the point of view of Canon. And I think it is
easy to correct in most situation except if DR is exhausted in some situations.

IMO the most impressive "feature" is the low impact of artifacts just @f/11 which is necessary
in bright sunlight and I am shure it will be decent with the sun inside the frame. And an UWA which does
not work with the sun inside the frame does not work.
 
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Yeah, I’ll take vignetting over fringing etc any day for sure. But, man, 5 stops? F2.8 in the center and f16 in the corners , suddenly pushing 5 stops isn’t so ridiculous.

TDP also says the RF50 has a serious amount of vignetting, but it’s always measured in a seriously worst case scenario so at normal focusing distances I see very low vignetting from the 50.

So I think if one includes foreground quite close it might not show anywhere near five stops, but focus at infinity and shooting anything less than f8 and I suspect it willan issue, and what about filter use? A 10 stop on this lens will be very interesting to see the results with.

does anyone here have the 16-35 III and can comment on the vignetting in actual use?
 
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Yeah, I’ll take vignetting over fringing etc any day for sure. But, man, 5 stops? F2.8 in the center and f16 in the corners , suddenly pushing 5 stops isn’t so ridiculous.

TDP also says the RF50 has a serious amount of vignetting, but it’s always measured in a seriously worst case scenario so at normal focusing distances I see very low vignetting from the 50.

So I think if one includes foreground quite close it might not show anywhere near five stops, but focus at infinity and shooting anything less than f8 and I suspect it willan issue, and what about filter use? A 10 stop on this lens will be very interesting to see the results with.

does anyone here have the 16-35 III and can comment on the vignetting in actual use?
Don't have the 16-35 III, but worst case is likely 16mm @ f2.8. So one question as a starting point is how often are you going to be shooting at 16mm and f2.8 where you are going to be worried about the corners?
 
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does anyone here have the 16-35 III and can comment on the vignetting in actual use?
I guess the wide open indoor architecture would be a good use-case to test this lens' capability.
This review video takes the lens to a cathedral and shoots wide open @15mm f/2.8 (from around 8 minute on): The conclusion was that the corners get a bit soft and some vignetting but not to the level that could make the image unusable.
 
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ethanz

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I guess the wide open indoor architecture would be a good use-case to test this lens' capability.
This review video takes the lens to a cathedral and shoots wide open @15mm f/2.8 (from around 8 minute on): The conclusion was that the corners get a bit soft and some vignetting but not to the level that could make the image unusable.

Yeah he barely mentions the vignetting in that video. So Viggo I think you'll be fine. Just go buy it.
 
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I guess the wide open indoor architecture would be a good use-case to test this lens' capability.
This review video takes the lens to a cathedral and shoots wide open @15mm f/2.8 (from around 8 minute on): The conclusion was that the corners get a bit soft and some vignetting but not to the level that could make the image unusable.
I had already actually seen that video :D
 
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Don't have the 16-35 III, but worst case is likely 16mm @ f2.8. So one question as a starting point is how often are you going to be shooting at 16mm and f2.8 where you are going to be worried about the corners?
If I had that lens I would always be shooting wide open or buy the f4 L IS again :p and with the AF spread using the R I would be using corners more also.
 
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Maybe vignetting is the least problematic lens aberration from the point of view of Canon. And I think it is easy to correct in most situation except if DR is exhausted in some situations.

There were threads discussing how poor Canon images look when underexposed 6 stops with ugly banding etc, specifically when compared to Sony. With the RF 15-35mm f/2.8L vignetting 4-5 stops in the corners, owners will get all the ugly chroma noise, banding, etc there.

If the sensor has 11 bits of DR at IS 1600, then 4 stops of vignetting means the corners get only 7.

For static scenes this could be handled with exposure compensation / exposure blending, but not always.
 
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There were threads discussing how poor Canon images look when underexposed 6 stops with ugly banding etc, specifically when compared to Sony. With the RF 15-35mm f/2.8L vignetting 4-5 stops in the corners, owners will get all the ugly chroma noise, banding, etc there.

If the sensor has 11 bits of DR at IS 1600, then 4 stops of vignetting means the corners get only 7.

For static scenes this could be handled with exposure compensation / exposure blending, but not always.
In all fairness, there is no banding etc with the 1dx2, 5d4 and R sensor (y)
 
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Interestingly the new RF 70-200/2.8 suffers from vignetting as well. Based on the review from the Optical Limits website at 200mm and f/2.8 the edges are -2.6 stops. If you're shooting higher ISOs noise can definitely become an issue.
Indeed.... I’m very disappointed ... to have a 24-70 F2.8 with two stops more vignetting than a 50 f1.2? And the 50 already has too much shading...
Not superb...
 
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BeenThere

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There are no perfect lenses. Always the designer must make trade-offs and compromises. It appears that Canon designers are letting go of the vignetting in order to more nearly optimize sharpness, coma and CA. For some, this will be the correct move. Astrophotographers however will decent. Primes from third parties are probably still best for this application, but currently only in EF mount.
 
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There are no perfect lenses. Always the designer must make trade-offs and compromises. It appears that Canon designers are letting go of the vignetting in order to more nearly optimize sharpness, coma and CA. For some, this will be the correct move. Astrophotographers however will decent. Primes from third parties are probably still best for this application, but currently only in EF mount.
You’re probably right. I hope it’s because Canon has got some brutal new sensor tech that make it a non-issue to fix in post. One can dream, right?
 
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YuengLinger

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Just started thinking about getting the 15-35 again, and wanted to know if people who have used it a bit care to share some examples of corrected and uncorrected corners at 2.8? Or link to some raws I could play with .

Have you seen Christopher Frost's review? The vignetting and distortion examples begin at 5 mins 30 secs.

 
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