Canon 15-30mm
RF IS STM: $399!
World's Best Full-Frame Ultralight Ultrawide Zoom
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Canon RF 15-30mm IS STM (67mm filters, 13.5 oz./384g, 0.92'/0.28 meters close-focus, 0.16× macro ratio, (0.42'/5"/0.128m or 0.52× in manual focus), $399). bigger. I got mine at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live — but I receive nothing for my efforts if you get it elsewhere. Canon does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, dropped, incomplete, gray-market, store demo or used lens — and all of my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new lens. I've used many of these sources since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new lens before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
August 2023 Better Pictures Canon Reviews Mirrorless RF Lenses EF Lenses Flash All Reviews
Canon RF 14-35mm f/4L IS USM Review
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Sample Images top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications USA Version
Performance User's Guide Recommendations
More samples throughout this review at Bokeh, Falloff, Macro, Spherochromatism and Sunstars.
These are all shot hand-held as NORMAL (▟ stairstep icon) JPGs; no tripods, FINE (quarter circle) JPGs or RAW CR3 files were used or needed.
Sunset, East of Walker Lake, Bridgeport, California, 5:59 P.M., 17 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, RF 15-30mm IS STM at 17mm, f/6.3 at 1/100 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 12.0). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Blue Door on Red Brick Wall, Bodie, California, 4:20 P.M., 18 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, RF 15-30mm IS STM at 30mm, f/9 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 100, -2/3 stops exposure compensation (LV 13.4). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Valero Station, Bridgeport, California, 6:37 P.M., 18 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, RF 15-30mm IS STM at 15mm, wide-open at f/4.5 hand-held at 1/10 at Auto ISO 400 (LV 5¾). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Crosswalk, Bridgeport, California, 6:40 P.M., 18 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, RF 15-30mm IS STM at 15mm, wide-open at f/4.5 hand-held at 1/10 at Auto ISO 2,500 (LV 3.1). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Mono County Courthouse, Bridgeport, California, 6:41 P.M., 18 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, RF 15-30mm IS STM at 15mm, wide-open at f/4.5 hand-held at 1/10 at Auto ISO 1,000 (LV 4.4). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Ken's Sporting Goods, Bridgeport, California, 6:42 P.M., 18 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, RF 15-30mm IS STM at 15mm, wide-open at f/4.5 hand-held at 1/10 at Auto ISO 3,200 (LV 2¾). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Colorful Aspens off Parker Lake Road, Mammoth Lakes, California, 10:00:01 A.M., 19 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, RF 15-30mm IS STM at 15mm, f/22 at 1/30 at Auto ISO 100, -1/3 stop exposure compensation (LV 14.0). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
I used f/22 for a deliberately huge sunstar, while below f/11 is sharper for you people counting leaves since diffraction is less of a problem at larger apertures:
Aspens, Eastern Sierra Nevada, California, 10:00 AM, Wednesday, 19 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, Canon RF 15-30mm IS STM at 15mm at f/11 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 100, -0.3 stops exposure compensation to keep the saturated leaves from overloading the red channel (LV 14.0), Perfectly Clear. bigger or full-resolution 20 MP, 10 MB JPG file.
Silver Maple Inn, Bridgeport, California, 6:39 P.M., 19 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, RF 15-30mm IS STM at 21mm, wide-open at f/5 hand-held at 1/10 at Auto ISO 1,000 (LV 4⅔). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Busted! I forgot how I edited this photo, other than knowing that this published result has had the darker areas brightened in either Perfectly Clear and/or Skylum Luminar Neo.
General Store, Bridgeport, California, 6:42 P.M., 19 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, RF 15-30mm IS STM at 15mm wide-open at f/4.5 hand-held at 1/10 at Auto ISO 800, -2/3 stops exposure compensation (LV 4¾). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
The Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy as seen from Stoneman Meadow, Yosemite National Park, California, 8:39 P.M., 21 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, Tungsten white balance to make it blueish, RF 15-30mm IS STM at 15mm, f/6.3 for 80 seconds on a tripod at ISO 6,400 (LV -7.0, or minus 7.0!). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
See the flat diagonal blob in the middle right? That's M31, the Andromeda Galaxy. It's much brighter in this photo than it looked to the eye.
The blurry smears are caused by the rotation of the earth, not the camera or lens.
Barn Interior, Yosemite National Park, California, 10:57 A.M., 22 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, RF 15-30mm IS STM at 15mm, f/8 at 30 seconds on a tripod at ISO 100, +2/3 stops exposure compensation (LV 1.0), split-toned print. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Interior, The Ahwahnee, Yosemite National Park, California, 4:47 P.M., 22 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, RF 15-30mm IS STM at 15mm, wide-open at f/4.5 hand-held at 1/8 at Auto ISO 1,250, +2/3 stops exposure compensation (LV 3¾ IPS). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Introduction top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications USA Version
Performance User's Guide Recommendations
I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below. |
The RF 15-30mm is an ultrasharp and ultralight lens at an ultra-low price. With its superb stabilization it's more than fast enough to let me shoot at night handheld.
Given an unlimited budget I prefer the slightly broader zoom range of the bigger and heavier RF 14-35mm f/4L IS USM, however the pictures are the same and the 14-35mm f/4L costs three times as much!
Nothing from Nikon or Sony comes close; no one else makes an inexpensive full-frame mirrorless ultrawide. Nikon and Sony's least expensive full-frame ultrawides cost at least twice as much and lack stabilization, so are you still wondering why I prefer Canon?
I got my RF 15-30mm IS STM at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
New intro top
World's first ultralight, low-priced, ultra-high-performance 15-30mm full-frame lens.
World's closest-focussing ultrawide zoom, 0.42'/5"/0.125m from the image plane, which is right at the filter thread!
1:1.9 (0.52×) macro ratio in manual focus.
Good intro top
Ultra sharp corner-to-corner, especially wide-open.
Takes normal 67mm filters.
Smaller, lighter and a fraction of the price of the world's other best ultrawide zooms, the RF 14-35mm f/4L IS USM and RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS.
Programmable control ring (programmable to be focus or other functions).
Extremely close focus: 5" (0.42 feet or 0.128 meters).
Exceptional macro ratio: 1:1.9 (0.52×) — but it's so close you're almost inside the front of the lens!
Stops down to f/22 ~ 32.
Image Stabilization rated 5.5 stops improvement; 7 stops on R5, R6 and R7. (actual real-world performance is 2 to 3 stops.)
Image Stabilization switch.
100% U.S.A.-based high-quality technical support at (800) OK-CANON.
Bad intro top
Nothing, other than not being free.
Missing intro top
No AF/MF switch.
Like all mirrorless systems other than Nikon's; there is no always-active manual-focus override except if you set it for some modes in your camera's menu system.
No fluorine coatings to resist dirt and smudges, but so what; I use a protective filter.
No case included. So?
No hood included. So? It doesn't need one.
Canon RF 15-30mm IS STM. bigger.
Compatibility top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications USA Version
Performance User's Guide Recommendations
I got my RF 15-30mm IS STM at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
This lens only works on Canon's EOS-R series of mirrorless cameras.
It will not even mount on any other camera.
Specifications top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications USA Version
Performance User's Guide Recommendations
I got my RF 15-30mm IS STM at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Name specifications top
Canon calls this the Canon Lens RF15-30mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM:
RF: Works only on Canon's EOS-R Mirrorless cameras.
IS: Image Stabilization.
STM: STepper (autofocus) Motor.
Optics specifications top
Canon RF 15-30mm IS internal optical construction. Aspherical and UD elements. IS section.
13 elements in 11 groups.
1 Aspherical element.
2 UD extra-low dispersion elements which help reduce secondary axial chromatic aberration.
The front section extends about 0.35" (9 mm) as zoomed from 30mm to 15mm.
Diaphragm specifications top
Canon RF 15-30mm IS STM (diaphragm not seen). bigger.
7 rounded blades.
Electronically actuated.
Stops down to f/22 ~ 32.
Filters specifications top
67mm filter thread, plastic.
Coverage specifications top
Full-Frame (24 × 36mm) and APS-C (15 x 23mm).
Angles of View specifications top
110º 30' ～ 71º 35' diagonal on full frame.
100º 25' ～ 61º 55' horizontal on full frame.
77º 20' ～ 43º 35' vertical on full frame.
Autofocus specifications top
STM.
No external movement as focussed, so no air or dust is sucked in.
Focus Scale specifications top
No.
Not on lens, but may be displayed in-camera.
Infinity Focus Stop specifications top
No.
You have to focus somehow to get precise focus at infinity, just like at every other distance.
Depth of Field Scale specifications top
No.
Not on lens, but may be displayed in-camera.
Infrared Focus Index specifications top
No.
Close Focus (distance from subject to image plane) specifications top
Autofocus: 0.92 feet (11" or 0.28 meters) at 15mm.
Manual Focus: 0.42 feet (5" or 0.128 meters) at 15mm, but it's a special effects mode with potentially fuzzy sides and the subject is so close that it's hard to light.
Maximum Reproduction Ratios specifications top
Autofocus
1:6.2 (0.16 ×) at 30mm.
1:11.1 (0.09 ×) at 15mm.
Manual Focus
1:6.2 (0.16 ×) at 30mm.
1:1.9 (0.52 ×) at 15mm, but it's a special effects mode with potentially fuzzy sides and the subject is so close that it's hard to light.
Reproduction Ratio Scale specifications top
No.
Image Stabilizer specifications top
Rated 5.5 stops improvement.
Rated 7 stops improvement on R5 and R6.
Actual real-world performance is 2 to 3 stops.
Caps specifications top
Canon E-67II 67mm front cap and Rear Lens Dust Cap RF (p/n 2962C001) included.
Hood specifications top
Optional EW-73E hood.
Oddly I can't find it for sale, except as a knock-off by JJC at Amazon.
Case specifications top
Optional LP1116 carry sack.
Size specifications top
3.02" ø maximum diameter × 3.48" extension from flange at 30mm (gets a little longer set to 15mm).
76.6 mm ø maximum diameter × 88.4 mm extension from flange at 30mm (gets a little longer set to 15mm).
Weight specifications top
13.530 oz. (383.5 g) actual measured weight
Rated 13.8 oz. (390 g).
Quality specifications top
Canon RF 15-30mm IS STM. bigger.
Made in Taiwan.
Announced specifications top
11 July 2022.
Included specifications top
Canon E-67II 67mm front cap.
Rear Lens Dust Cap RF (p/n 2962C001).
Canon's Model Numbers specifications top
Product code: 5775C002 (5775C001 in Japan).
Model number: RF15-30ISS.
JAN code: 4549292-207347.
Packaging specifications top
Glossy black corrugated cardboard box.
Lens wrapped in bubble wrap.
Instruction sheet and USA warranty card dropped on top of the bubble wrap.
Box, Canon RF 15-30mm IS STM. bigger.
Price, U. S. A. specifications top
August 2023
$399 at B&H and $499 at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
About $375 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
March - April 2023
$549 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
About $375 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
February 2023
$499 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
About $449 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
October 2022
$549 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
Getting a Legal U. S. A. Version top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications USA Version
Performance User's Guide Recommendations
I got my RF 15-30mm IS STM at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
This section applies in the U. S. A. only.
Canon RF 15-30mm IS STM USA Warranty Cards. bigger.
Your lens must include a U. S. A. warranty card like the one shown above from Canon U.S.A., Inc. It should be on top inside your box as you open it. The serial number on the card must match the serial number on the bottom of your lens.
If not, you got ripped off with a gray market version from another country. This is why I never buy anyplace other than from my personally approved sources. You just can't take the chance of buying elsewhere, especially at any retail store, because non-U. S. A. versions have no warranty in the U. S. A., and you probably won't be able to get firmware or service for it — even if you're willing to pay out-of-pocket for it when you need it!
Shifty dealers may include color copies of a card from a legitimate U. S. A. lens in a gray-market box, hoping you won't check serial numbers and catch their fraud. A card with the wrong serial number means nothing other than that you have no warranty coverage.
The serial number on the box doesn't have to match, but it should. It will be hidden someplace on the sticker with all the bar codes. If not, it means a shady dealer took things out of boxes and was too sloppy to put them back correctly — and it means you got a used lens if anyone other than you took it out of the box.
If a gray market version saves you $250 the risk might be worth it, but for $100 or less I wouldn't risk having no warranty or support.
Always be sure to check yours while you can still return it, or just don't buy from unapproved sources or at retail so you'll be able to have your camera serviced and get free updated firmware as needed. Get yours from the same places I do and you won't have a problem.
Performance top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications USA Version
Performance User's Guide Recommendations
Overall Autofocus Manual Focus Breathing
Distance Recording Bokeh Distortion Ergonomics
Falloff Filters Flare & Ghosts Lateral Color Fringes
Lens Corrections Macro Min & Max Apertures
Mechanics Sharpness Spherochromatism
Stabilization Sunstars Weather Sealing
I got my RF 15-30mm IS STM at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Overall performance top
The Canon RF 15-30mm IS STM is optically superb, super light and compact, and costs nearly nothing. Get one!
Autofocus performance top
Autofocus is swell; focus speed is never a problem with ultrawides.
Manual Focus performance top
Manual focusing is entirely electronic; the manual focus ring isn't connected to anything other than a digital encoder.
How to get manual-focus override.
Focus Breathing performance top
Focus breathing is the image changing size as focused in and out. It's important to cinematographers that the image not breathe because it looks funny if the image changes size as focus gets pulled back and forth between actors. If the lens does this, the image "breathes" by growing and contracting slightly as the dialog goes back and forth.
There is no focus breathing, bravo!
Focus Distance Recording performance top
The focused distance is recorded in the EXIF data.
I read this in the lower left of my screen in Photoshop's lens correction filter.
Bokeh performance top
Bokeh, the feel, character or quality of out-of-focus areas as opposed to how far out of focus they are, is very good — but with a lens this wide and this slow, you'll probably never have anything far enough out of focus to notice.
Here are photos from headshot distance wide-open. I'm focused on the DAVIS logo. Click either for the © camera-original file:
Made-in-U. S. A. Davis 6250 weather station, 28 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, Canon RF 15-30mm IS STM at 15mm at f/4.5 at 1/1,000 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 14.4). bigger or camera-original © file.
Made-in-U. S. A. Davis 6250 weather station, 28 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, Canon RF 15-30mm IS STM at 30mm at f/6.3 at 1/500 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 14.4). bigger or camera-original © file.
As always, if you want to throw the background as far out of focus as possible, shoot at 30mm at f/6.3 and get as close as possible. Good luck!
Distortion performance top
The RF 15-30mm has no visible distortion as shot on EOS R cameras, which correct for it automatically.
At least on my EOS R6, Distortion Correction is always ON and cannot be turned off.
With this correction active, there is no visible distortion at any setting:
Mono Market, Lee Vining, California, 1:09 P.M., 18 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, RF 15-30mm IS STM at 15mm, f/9 at 1/60 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 12.4). bigger or fit-to-screen.
For more critical scientific use, you might want to use these corrections in Photoshop's lens correction filter to JPG images, or just not bother as they are so small:
On Full-Frame at 30' (10m) |
Correction factor to use with images made with correction ON in EOS R6 |
15mm |
±0.00 |
20mm |
±0.00 |
24mm |
+0.30 |
28mm |
+0.50 |
30mm |
+0.50 |
© 2022 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.
These aren't facts or specifications, they are the results of my research that requires hours of photography and calculations on the resulting data.
While Canon's own software probably also corrects this from RAW CR3 files, be warned that other brands of raw processing software probably won't correct the distortion, and Heaven only knows what distortion you may see then.
Ergonomics performance top
Ergonomics are great; everything is where you want it and the zoom ring is most of the lens.
It has a Stabilizer switch right under your thumb where you want it, however there is no AF/MF switch. Instead you have a FOCUS/CONTROL switch to select what the front ring does:
|
|
At 15mm. bigger. |
At 30mm. bigger. |
|
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At 15mm. bigger. |
At 30mm. bigger. |
The front ring is manual focus with the switch set to FOCUS. It always turns smoothly. While Canon claims "Full-Time Manual Focus Override," it only works under certain settings, so it's not really full time.
You can select other functions for the front ring like Aperture or Exposure Compensation in your camera's menu system with the switch set to CONTROL.
The big rubber-covered rear zoom ring is a direct mechanical ring, while the smaller front ring is purely electronic.
Falloff performance top
With Peripheral Illumination Correction left at its default of ON, falloff is invisible.
I've greatly exaggerated the falloff by shooting a gray field and placing these on a gray background; it will not look this bad in actual photos of real things:
Canon RF 15-30mm IS STM Falloff, Peripheral Illumination Correction ON.
© 2022 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved. |
If you're silly enough to turn off the peripheral illumination correction and then go looking for it, like all ultrawide lenses you'll see some.
Shooting gray targets emphasizes falloff. Sometimes I use this for deliberate artistic effect:
Canon RF 15-30mm IS STM Falloff, correction OFF.
© 2022 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved. |
Filters, use with performance top
There's no need for special thin filters on full frame.
Go ahead and use your standard rotating polarizer and grad filters, but at 15mm you can't use more than one filter at a time before you'll get vignetting. If you want to use more than one filter or see vignetting, look at your corners and zoom-in a little or use your camera's 4:3, square or 1.6× crop modes.
Avoid polarizers at the 15mm setting; the sky's natural polarization will appear as a dark band in the sky .
Flare & Ghosts performance top
No problem here.
See examples at Sunstars.
Lateral Color Fringes performance top
There are no color fringes when shot as JPG with the default Chromatic Aberration Correction (inside the Digital Lens Optimizer) left ON.
if you go out of your way to turn this OFF (or shoot raw and then use non-manufacturer software to process that data into images) then there can be some red-blue fringes at the corners at all focal lengths.
Lens Corrections performance top
Other cameras may vary as the years roll on, but my EOS R3, EOS R5, EOS R6 and EOS RP all have options to correct for falloff (Peripheral Illumination Correction), Distortion and a Digital Lens Optimizer which correct for a suite of other aberrations. The EOS R has this, too; I just don't have one handy to check the specifics with this lens.
Falloff, Distortion and the Digital Lens Optimizer are ON by default.
Distortion correction can't be turned OFF; it's always ON.
If you turn off the Digital Lens Optimizer, you are then offered à la carte ON/OFF options for Chromatic Aberration Correction and Diffraction Correction — at least on my EOS R3, EOS R5, EOS R6 and EOS RP.
Macro Performance performance top
Shooting macro with an ultrawide is best reserved for use as a special effect.
In autofocus mode it gets close, and it's very sharp even wide-open, but because this lens is so wide it doesn't look that close:
Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at close-focus distance at 30mm at f/6.3, 27 October 2022. bigger or camera-original © file.
1,200 × 900 pixel (4.56× magnification) crop from above. bigger or camera-original © file.
The texture you're seeing is on the watch face.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 9¼ × 14" (25 × 35 cm) at this same magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 18½ × 28" (50 × 70 cm) at this same magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 37 × 56" (1 × 1.4 meters) at this same magnification.
For special effects, you can focus manually right up to the front of the lens at the 15mm setting. When you're this close it's nearly impossible to light your subject, so in this case my Apple Watch ULTRA is self-lit while it sits inside my lens:
Apple Watch ULTRA at closest manual-focus distance at 15mm at f/6.3, 27 October 2022. bigger.
The Apple Watch ULTRA's titanium case looks black because its face is inside my front filter threads!
Maximum & Minimum Apertures performance top
Maximum Aperture |
Minimum Aperture |
|
| 15mm | f/4.5 |
f/22 |
| 20mm | f/5 |
f/25 |
| 21mm | f/5 |
f/25 |
| 22mm | f/5.6 |
f/29 |
| 24mm | f/5.6 |
f/29 |
| 28mm | f/6.3 |
f/32 |
| 30mm | f/6.3 |
f/32 |
Mechanical Quality performance top
Canon RF 15-30mm IS STM. bigger.
This is a well-crafted, mostly-plastic lens with a metal mount.
Finish
Black plastic.
Front Bumper
None.
Filter Threads
Plastic.
Hood Bayonet Mount
Plastic.
Front Barrel
Plastic.
Front Function Ring
Plastic.
Zoom Ring
Rubber-covered plastic.
Rear Barrel Exterior
Plastic.
Slide Switches
Plastic.
Identity
Printed around front of lens on a ring between the front element and the filter threads, also "15-30" printed on top of barrel.
Internals
Seem like mostly plastic with some metal.
Dust Gasket at Mount
No.
Mount
Chromed metal.
Markings
Paint.
Serial Number
Canon RF 15-30mm IS STM. bigger.
Laser engraved in black-on-black on bottom of barrel.
Date Code
None found.
Noises When Shaken
Minor clicking.
Made in
Canon RF 15-30mm IS STM. bigger.
Made in Taiwan (marked on top of rear light shield above).
Sharpness performance top
Yes, it's super sharp:
Aspens, Eastern Sierra Nevada, California, 10:00 AM, Wednesday, 19 October 2022. Canon EOS R6, Canon RF 15-30mm IS STM at 15mm at f/11 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 100, -0.3 stops exposure compensation to keep the saturated leaves from overloading the red channel (LV 14.0), Perfectly Clear. bigger or full-resolution 20 MP, 10 MB JPG file.
Lens sharpness has nothing to do with picture sharpness; every lens made in the past 100 years is more than sharp enough to make super-sharp pictures if you know what you're doing. The only limitation to picture sharpness is your skill as a photographer. It's the least talented who spend the most time worrying about lens sharpness and blame crummy pictures on their equipment rather than themselves. Skilled photographers make great images with whatever camera is in their hands; I've made some of my best images of all time with an irreparably broken camera! Most pixels are thrown away before you see them, but camera makers don't want you to know that.
If you're not getting ultra-sharp pictures with this, be sure not to shoot at f/11 or smaller(as I did above) where all lenses are softer due to diffraction, always shoot at ISO 100 or below because cameras become softer at ISO 200 and above, be sure everything is in perfect focus, set your camera's sharpening as you want it (I set mine to the maximum) and be sure nothing is moving, either camera or subject. If you want to ensure a soft image with any lens, shoot at f/16 or smaller at ISO 1,600 or above at default sharpening in daylight of subjects at differing distances in the same image.
People worry waaaaay too much about sharpness. It's not 1968 anymore when lenses often weren't that sharp and there could be significant differences among them; today they are all pretty much equally fantastic.
This Canon RF 15-30mm IS STM is super sharp edge-to-edge and corner-to-corner at every setting, as we expect in 2022.
Canon RF 15-30mm MTF at f/4 at 10 cyc/mm (black) and 30 cyc/mm (blue). Sagittal (solid) and meridional (dashed).
Spherochromatism performance top
Spherochromatism, also called secondary spherical chromatic aberration or "color bokeh," is an advanced form of spherical and chromatic aberration in a different dimension than lateral chromatic aberration. It happens mostly in fast normal and tele lenses when spherical aberration at the ends of the color spectrum are corrected differently than in the middle of the spectrum. Spherochromatism can cause colored fringes on out-of-focus highlights, usually seen as green fringes on backgrounds and magenta fringes on foregrounds. Spherochromatism is common in fast lenses of moderate focal length when shooting contrasty items at full aperture. It goes away as stopped down.
It has only the tiniest bit of spherochromatism which will never be visible in actual photos. This lens is so slow and wide that it's just not a problem:
Mondaine A132.30348.11SBB at close-focus distance at30mm at f/6.3, 27 October 2022. bigger or camera-original © file.
1,200 × 900 pixel (4.56× magnification) crop from above. bigger or camera-original © file.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 9¼ × 14" (25 × 35 cm) at this same magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 18½ × 28" (50 × 70 cm) at this same magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 37 × 56" (1 × 1.4 meters) at this same magnification.
Image Stabilization performance top
This lens has its own internal Optical Image Stabilization (OIS or IS) and also works with in-camera stabilization.
Stabilization is very good, giving me three solid stops of real-world improvement and letting me get perfectly sharp shots most of the time at 1/8 of a second hand-held on my stabilized Canon EOS R6.
"Percent Perfectly Sharp Shots" are the percentage of frames with 100% perfect tripod-equivalent sharpness I get when I'm shooting hand-held while free-standing with no support or bracing. Hand tremor is a random occurrence, so at marginal speeds some frames will be perfectly sharp while others will be in various stages of blur — all at the same shutter speed. This rates what percentage of shots are perfectly sharp, not how sharp are all the frames:
At 15mm on stabilized EOS R6
| % Perfectly Sharp Shots | 2s |
1s |
1/2 |
1/4 |
1/8 |
1/15 |
1/30 |
1/60 |
1/125 |
| Stabilization ON | 0 |
50 |
50 |
67 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| Stabilization OFF | 0 |
0 |
0 |
17 |
0 |
67 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
I see about a 3 stop real-world improvement on my stabilized Canon EOS R6, which lets me get perfectly sharp shots half of the time at 1 full second.
At 21mm on stabilized EOS R6
| % Perfectly Sharp Shots | 2s |
1s |
1/2 |
1/4 |
1/8 |
1/15 |
1/30 |
1/60 |
1/125 |
| Stabilization ON | 0 |
0 |
17 |
67 |
67 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| Stabilization OFF | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
17 |
58 |
83 |
100 |
100 |
I see a 2 stop real-world improvement on my stabilized Canon EOS R6, which lets me get perfectly sharp shots most of the time at 1/4 and all the time at 1/8.
At 30mm on stabilized EOS R6
| % Perfectly Sharp Shots | 2s |
1s |
1/2 |
1/4 |
1/8 |
1/15 |
1/30 |
1/60 |
1/125 |
| Stabilization ON | 0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
67 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| Stabilization OFF | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
17 |
8 |
17 |
100 |
100 |
I see a 2⅓ stop real-world improvement on my stabilized Canon EOS R6.
This is for perfect sharpness as seen at 300% on an 80 DPI monitor. For most uses you can shoot at much slower speeds and still get great results.
Sunstars performance top
With a 7-bladed rounded diaphragm, I get very good 14-pointed sunstars on brilliant points of light at the smallest apertures.
Ignore the the vertical smear at large apertures. This is a sensor artifact called interline transfer smear and is a camera, not a lens, defect.
Click any to enlarge:
California's Eastern Sierra Nevada, 19 October 2022. Click any to enlarge.
Weather Sealing performance top
This lens claims no weather sealing. Neither does any LEICA M lens, nor did anything other than dedicated underwater cameras claim this up until a few years ago. "Weather sealing" is mostly a marketing feature to get you to pay more for more expensive lenses.
I've shot my RF 15-30mm in moderate rain, and it works fine. If it really starts to rain I work under an umbrella. If a few drops of rain hit my lens, no big deal: i just wipe it off.
People worry way too much about this ever since camera companies started FUD campaigns to make us think that our gear will melt unless it has weather sealing. How do you think we shot in the rain for the first 190 years of photography?
User's Guide top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications USA Version
Performance User's Guide Recommendations
I got my RF 15-30mm IS STM at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
How to Use Ultra Wide Lenses
Canon RF 15-30mm IS STM. bigger.
FOCUS - CONTROL Switch user's guide top
This sets the front ring to be a focus ring, or to be a programmable control ring for other functions as set in your camera's menu system.
STABILIZER Switch user's guide top
Leave it ON unless you're on a very sturdy tripod, or if you're making exposures longer than a second on any kind of tripod.
It controls both the in-lens optical stabilization and any in-camera stabilization at the same time; there is no way to use just one system at a time in cameras with built-in stabilization. You either get both systems working together, or none.
Manual-Focus Override user's guide top
By default, there is no always-responsive instant manual-focus override as we take for granted in our DSLRs.
EOS R cameras need a menu setting changed for manual-focus override, otherwise the focus ring is always ignored in AF.
Find the "Lens electronic AF" option in your AF menu (AF 6 in R7 and R10, AF 4 in EOS R5 and EOS R6 or CAMERA 8 in EOS RP), and set it to either "One‑Shot‑> enabled" or "One‑Shot‑> enabled (magnify)."
Canon should have it set this way by default, but they don't. No big deal now that I figured it out.
In ONE SHOT mode manual focus now takes over and stays wherever you set the focus manually, however in SERVO mode this setting lets the lens focus manually as you turn the ring, but as soon as you stop turning the ring the AF system takes back over and keeps tracking focus! Oh well.
Recommendations top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications USA Version
Performance User's Guide Recommendations
This is the world's best low-cost ultralight ultrawide zoom.
The larger Canon RF 14-35mm f/4L IS USM is a stop faster and has a slightly broader zoom range, but takes the same pictures and costs three times as much.
The even larger Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM is two stops faster, but weighs over twice as much and costs four times as much and takes the same pictures.
The tiny Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 is also superb, and even less expensive, a fraction of the size and two stops faster — but doesn't zoom and doesn't have any stabilization. The 16mm is a great choice if you're bringing any lens that covers 24mm or 28mm; you don't need a zoom to go to 30mm if your other zoom starts at 28mm or 24mm.
I got my RF 15-30mm IS STM at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Ultrawide lenses are by far the most difficult to use well. They are never about "getting it all in;" they're all about letting you get closer. Be sure you know How to Use Ultra Wide Lenses.
I use a clear (UV) protective filter instead of a cap (exactly like an iPhone) so I'm always ready to shoot instantly. I only use a cap when I throw this in a bag with other gear without padding — which is never. The UV filter never gets in the way, and never gets lost, either.
The very best protective filter is the nearly indestructible Hoya multicoated HD3 67mm UV which uses hardened glass and repels dirt and fingerprints.
For less money, the B+W 67mm XS-PRO MRC-nano 010M, Nikon 67mm NC (No Color/Neutral Clear), Hoya 67mm NXT Plus UV and Hoya 67mm UV MC are all excellent filters, but the Hoya HD3 is the toughest and the best.
If I was working in nasty, dirty areas, I'd use an uncoated 67mm Tiffen UV filter instead. Uncoated filters are much easier to clean, but more prone to ghosting.
Filters last a lifetime, so you may as well get the best. The Hoya HD3 stays cleaner than the others since it repels oil and dirt.
All these filters are just as sharp and take the same pictures, the difference is how much abuse they'll take and stay clean and stay in one piece. Since filters last a lifetime or more, there's no reason not to buy the best as it will last you for the next 50 years. Filters aren't throwaways like digital cameras which we replace every few years, like it or not. I'm still using filters I bought back in the 1970s! The Hoya HD3 stays cleaner than the others since it repels oil and dirt, and you'll be using it long after you've thrown this lens away in 50 years.
I got my RF 15-30mm IS STM at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live — but I receive nothing for my efforts if you get it elsewhere. Canon does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, dropped, incomplete, gray-market, store demo or used lens — and all of my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new lens. I've used many of these sources since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new lens before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
Thanks for helping me help you!
Ken.
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