The RF 70-200 f2.8 L IS

Jun 12, 2015
852
298
I am excited to report that I have received my RF 70-200 f2.8 L IS today.

I love the size and weight of it. The EOS R and the RF 70-200 is shorter than the 5DIV with the 200 f2.8 LII attached. It balances nicely even without the battery grip.

The IS seems to be outstanding. The build appears to be top notch.

The AF is very fast, and it is very quiet.

With regards to image quality, I haven't been able to take any serious test pictures yet, but I did some hand held indoor test shots for checking the far corner performance, and it seems to do great at f 2.8 at all focal lengths.

For those of you who have read the pre review made by the digital picture, you may have noticed that Bryan complains about missing steel bearings for the tripod ring. I for one appreciate Canons decision on the construction of the tripod ring; the lens is designed with the priority of not using it. By that I mean that the lens has no physical elements (steel bearings) sticking out when the mount is of, making the lens look and feel much nicer when the tripod ring is detached. Those of you who use a 70-200 on a tripod will definitely agree with Bryan though...

After playing with I have little doubt that this lens is a slam dunk for Canon.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
Jun 12, 2015
852
298
This is not the time of year for outdoor photography where I live, but I got a few shots this weekend. Nothing exciting, but perhaps better than nothing:




In real world use, I find the lens to be sharp at all focal lengths, all the way to the corners.

I did take some family portrait photos with it as well. I am not sharing those, but I can honestly say the ones I did take look really good, and I am spoiled with the RF 50 f1.2 and RF 85 f1.2.

So far I have only praise for this lens.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0

Maximilian

The dark side - I've been there
CR Pro
Nov 7, 2013
5,664
8,491
Germany
This is not the time of year for outdoor photography where I live, but I got a few shots this weekend.
It's all about taking the time to find an interesting subject. Even in autumn.

Nothing exciting, but perhaps better than nothing:
At least the duck pic is really great. Good light, good colors, I can see, how the bokeh is behaving.
Good eye (y)

I did take some family portrait photos with it as well. I am not sharing those,
Fully agree and understand. Same opinion here.

but I can honestly say the ones I did take look really good, and I am spoiled with the RF 50 f1.2 and RF 85 f1.2.
That sounds really great.

Thanks for sharing and have a lot of fun with that piece of glass. :)
 
Upvote 0
Dec 13, 2010
4,932
1,608
I had a chance to look at the 70-200 the other day. It’s a highly interesting lens, even for me. But, is the IS suppose to be so slow to engage? I tried holding the camera very still before engaging also, but I had to wait 3-5 seconds before the viewfinder image was properly stabilized. The vertical IS engaged faster, so thought maybe the camera thought I was doing panning or something, but it was in mode 1. I’ve noticed this before if I’m moving a bit too much when engaging IS, but even standing very still it took forever...
 
Upvote 0
Dec 13, 2010
4,932
1,608
Has anybody noticed frontfocus issues on the RF 70-200. Mine has frontfocus at 200m, F2,8 and distance near or less 1 meter.
The frontfocus is 5 mm approximately.

German and american forums have also lot of posts about this issue.
Also the new firmware 1.0.5 did not solve the issue.
Yeah, I also read about that. Seems like it’s a real issue since it’s already a lot of people experiencing it. It seems the issue and AF is incredibly consistent so the AF is at least very, very good. I’m sure it will be fixed with a lens firmware and the issue is gone.
 
Upvote 0

jd7

CR Pro
Feb 3, 2013
1,064
418
I briefly handled an RF 70-200 f/2.8L IS in a shop today. I haven't really given it a proper test of course, but it seemed awesome to me. The lesser size (when retracted) and weight compared to the EF versions really did feel very substantial. It's almost enough to make me get over my dislike of EVFs and get an EOS R! :) Maybe if/when the RF gear gets a bit cheaper it might just be the thing which gets me there yet.

PS if there is any front focus issue, like Viggo I assume Canon will get it sorted out before too long
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0
Dec 13, 2010
4,932
1,608
I briefly handled an RF 70-200 f/2.8L IS in a shop today. I haven't really given it a proper test of course, but it seemed awesome to me. The lesser size (when retracted) and weight compared to the EF versions really did feel very substantial. It's almost enough to make me get over my dislike of EVFs and get an EOS R! :) Maybe if/when the RF gear gets a bit cheaper it might just be the thing which gets me there yet.

PS if there is any front focus issue, like Viggo I assume Canon will get it sorted out before too long
I felt the same way about it, 0.7m mfd, it’s small and lighter than my 85, seems like nicer bokeh than the EF’s, so I’m tempted .. I’m also tempted by the other 2/3 of the trinity ..
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0

jdavidse

R5
CR Pro
Sep 13, 2012
141
179
Has anybody noticed frontfocus issues on the RF 70-200. Mine has frontfocus at 200m, F2,8 and distance near or less 1 meter.
The frontfocus is 5 mm approximately.

German and american forums have also lot of posts about this issue.
Also the new firmware 1.0.5 did not solve the issue.

Mine has the issue. I sent mine into Canon and am waiting to hear back. Not sure what my next move will be when it comes back the same- obviously if this issue is universal it needs a firmware fix. But do I hang onto the lens and hope for the best, or just send it back for a refund and buy it much later?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0
Dec 13, 2010
4,932
1,608
Mine has the issue. I sent mine into Canon and am waiting to hear back. Not sure what my next move will be when it comes back the same- obviously if this issue is universal it needs a firmware fix. But do I hang onto the lens and hope for the best, or just send it back for a refund and buy it much later?
Would greatly appreciate if you post here when you hear from Canon (y)
 
Upvote 0
Yeah, I also read about that. Seems like it’s a real issue since it’s already a lot of people experiencing it. It seems the issue and AF is incredibly consistent so the AF is at least very, very good. I’m sure it will be fixed with a lens firmware and the issue is gone.

I thought fornt- and back focus issues were eliminated with mirrorless? Is that just a myth?
 
Upvote 0
Has anybody noticed frontfocus issues on the RF 70-200. Mine has frontfocus at 200m, F2,8 and distance near or less 1 meter.
The frontfocus is 5 mm approximately.

German and american forums have also lot of posts about this issue.
Also the new firmware 1.0.5 did not solve the issue.
See too :

I noticed the front focus at f 2.8 200mm - 160mm , distance about 1 meter !
That's really, really obvious that something ist going wrong with the focus ( focus in the eyebrow not the eye..),

It's a real expensive lens and it was expected to be fantastic. I expect there will be lot's of reviews /youtube in the new weeks and I hope, they take care of this huge problem and Canon will react quickly with firmware updates. But...

hard to believe, that Canon didn't notice the front focus-problem yet.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0
Dec 13, 2010
4,932
1,608
See too :

I noticed the front focus at f 2.8 200mm - 160mm , distance about 1 meter !
That's really, really obvious that something ist going wrong with the focus ( focus in the eyebrow not the eye..),

It's a real expensive lens and it was expected to be fantastic. I expect there will be lot's of reviews /youtube in the new weeks and I hope, they take care of this huge problem and Canon will react quickly with firmware updates. But...

hard to believe, that Canon didn't notice the front focus-problem yet.
Have you sent a report to Canon? If no one does they don’t know it’s an issue.
 
Upvote 0

YuengLinger

Print the ones you love.
CR Pro
Dec 20, 2012
3,751
2,268
USA
JUST SPOTTED the RF 70-200 IN THE WILD!

Ok, on TV. A photographer behind a witness named Goldman during the House Judiciary impeachment proceedings, about 11:25 am EDT. I noticed right away she was holding a very stubby white lens on a Canon body with a low profile bulge on top. Then she zoomed and the lens extended.

So, this shows not only is there confidence in the new lens, but in the EOS R. Yes, I grumbled about a single card slot, blah, blah, blah, but I bought it anyway!

So, for all the R naysayers, all I can say is, "Grow up, and nani-nani booboo."
 
Upvote 0
Jun 12, 2015
852
298
I had a chance to look at the 70-200 the other day. It’s a highly interesting lens, even for me. But, is the IS suppose to be so slow to engage? I tried holding the camera very still before engaging also, but I had to wait 3-5 seconds before the viewfinder image was properly stabilized. The vertical IS engaged faster, so thought maybe the camera thought I was doing panning or something, but it was in mode 1. I’ve noticed this before if I’m moving a bit too much when engaging IS, but even standing very still it took forever...
I tried my RF 70-200 just now. At first, I thought your suspicion could be correct, until I realized that the IS is engaged when I look through the EVF, and that I don’t need to click the shutter button to engage it. It became very obvious when comparing to the 200 f2.8 LII that I have, and when turning the IS off on the RF lens. So, no. I don’t think the IS is slow to stabilize. :)
 
Upvote 0
Jun 12, 2015
852
298
See too :

I noticed the front focus at f 2.8 200mm - 160mm , distance about 1 meter !
That's really, really obvious that something ist going wrong with the focus ( focus in the eyebrow not the eye..),

It's a real expensive lens and it was expected to be fantastic. I expect there will be lot's of reviews /youtube in the new weeks and I hope, they take care of this huge problem and Canon will react quickly with firmware updates. But...

hard to believe, that Canon didn't notice the front focus-problem yet.

I took a few test shots with my RF 70-200 just now, all of them hand held, at close distances at 200mm. From what I can see, the focus isn’t all that consistent. Some where in perfect focus, others where slightly out of focus. I can’t rule out user error, but it seems that focus can be a bit hit and miss at close focus distance, and 200mm.

I haven’t had enough experience with the lens to tell if this will be an issue for me, or not.

Edit: I did a better test, sitting down supporting my hands. At 200mm and 0,7 meters, I get sharper focus when using MF and focus peaking. When using AF in the same scenario, it does seem to front focus a few mm. The sharpness difference though, isn't that significant. I am not sure I would ever notice it if I didn't look for it. The "out of focus" shot still shows much finer detail than I am able to see when using my own eyes, going as close as I can. I doubt that this will be a real world issue to me.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0