Canon 20-50mm f/4L IS USM PZ
Optically-Stabilized Power Zoom
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R1 R3 R5II R5 R5C R6III R6II R6 R6V R R8II R8 RP
Canon: Bodies Compared RF Lenses EF Lenses Flash
Canon RF 20-50mm f/4L IS USM PZ (67mm filters, 14.695 oz./416.7 g, 0.8'/0.24m close focus, 0.33× macro ratio, $1,399). bigger.
I got mine at B&H. I'd also get it at Amazon, at Crutchfield or at Adorama, or get it used at eBay (How to Win at eBay), or get it used at KEH.
My junk-free, all-content website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to the places I use myself when you get anything, and it costs nothing more. I've bought from these places for over 100 combined years because they have the best service, the best selection, the best prices, and usually 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new goodies. As an Amazon Associate and eBay Partner Network Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks! Ken.
September 2026 Better Pictures Canon Reviews RF Lenses EF Lenses Flash All Canon Reviews All Reviews
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Sample Images top
Sample Images Introduction New Same Good Bad Missing Format Compatibility Specifications Accessories
Unboxing USA Version Performance Compared User's Guide Recommendations More
More samples throughout this review at Bokeh, Coma, Falloff, Macro, Sharpness, Spherochromatism and Sunstars.
These are just snapshots; my real work is in my Gallery.
These are all shot hand-held as LARGE NORMAL (
Lifeguard Tower, 6:18 PM, Wednesday, 02 September 2026. Canon R6 V with RF 20-50mm f/4L IS USM PZ at 20mm at f/10 at 1/400 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 15¼), Radiant Photo software to add light. bigger or camera-original 32 MP © 8.2 MB JPG file.
Sea Stone, 6:59 PM, Wednesday, 02 September 2026. Canon R6 V with RF 20-50mm f/4L IS USM PZ at 20mm at f/11 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 11.6), as shot. bigger or camera-original 32 MP © 11.5 MB JPG file.
Since the R6 V has no finder and we're always having to use the rear screen, it encourages shooting from odd angles. This shot is from about a foot (30 cm) off the sand, making a small stone mound look huge.
Sunset, Solana Beach, 7:12 PM, Monday, 07 September 2026. Canon R6 V with RF 20-50mm f/4L IS USM PZ at 41mm at f/4.5 at 1/80 at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 10¾), Radiant Photo software to add light. bigger.
2018 Hand-Finished Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur 911 Turbo S (Sonderwunsch of 500) in Golden Yellow Metallic, 10:04 AM, Saturday, 29 August 2026. Canon R6 V with RF 20-50mm f/4L IS USM PZ at 31mm at f/5 at 1/100 at Auto ISO 100, -0.3 stops exposure compensation (LV 11¼), Radiant Photo software to add light. bigger or camera-original 32 MP © 6.6 MB JPG file.
1988 Porsche 911 in Guards Red, 9:22 AM, Saturday, 29 August 2026. Canon R6 V in square-crop mode with RF 20-50mm f/4L IS USM PZ at 36mm wide-open at f/4 hand-held at 1/25 at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 11¼), Radiant Photo software to add light. bigger or camera-original 32 MP © 8.9 MB JPG file.
Introduction top
Sample Images Introduction New Same Good Bad Missing Format Compatibility Specifications Accessories
Unboxing USA Version Performance Compared User's Guide Recommendations More
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The RF 20-50mm f/4L IS USM PZ is is a compact, inexpensive lens with superb optics and stabilization.
It's a Power Zoom lens, meaning that it zooms by way of a tiny internal motor. The zoom ring is a digital encoder which tells the onboard computers how to comtrol the motors to set the lens. The zoom ring has no mechaincal conneciton to anything. You can turn the zoom ring and the motor will zoom the lens to the focal lenctht you've set like a conventional lens, or turn the zoom ring between "W—T" and you can simply tell the lens to zoom in or out.
Both the R6V and R50V have another "W—T" lever around their shutter buttons so you can zoom it with your shutter finger. More at User's Guide. Any of the "W—T" controls have variable speeds.
It's a great zoom range for nature, landscape, stills, B-roll and estabilshing shots, but a weird choice as a main lens for dialog and dramatic video productions.
New intro top
Canon's first Power Zoom (PZ) for full-frame mirrorless. Its only other PZ is the RF-S 14-30mm IS STM PZ for APS-C.
Canon's first ultrawide-to-normal mirrorless zoom, remeniscent of the stunning EF 17-40mm f/4L USM. The only similar camera-brand mirrorless lens is Sony's FE 20-70mm f/4 G from 2024.
New
New
New
New
New
New
New
New
Same as intro top
Same 40 FPS
Same electronic finder.
Same specifications for autofocus in low-light and numbers of AF areas.
Same shutters and speeds.
Same light meter.
Same rolling electronic shutter which won't work with flash.
Same flippy LCD.
Same body with exactly the same measurements.
Good intro top
Green
Green
Green
Focus lock buttons
Real mechanical manual focus ring with real instant manual-focus override, even if the power is off. Just move the ring and the focus follows, instantly.
AF/MF switch.
Stabilizer switch.
Can save and load settings to and from a card.
Wi-Fi.
Bluetooth.
Threaded to use a standard threaded cable release.
Made in Japan.
Takes normal SD cards.
MADE IN GERMANY WEST GERMANY ITALY FRANCE.
100% U.S.A.-based high-quality technical support at (800) OK-CANON.
Bad intro top
Heavy.
Expensive.
Like most cameras, the Live View image displayed in the high-resolution finder is actually a lower-resolution video feed, not an image that takes advantage of the extreme resolution of the screen itself as playback images do. Therefore you can't necessarily focus manually just looking for sharpness as you could in an optical finder.
Unlike every iPhone, it will not rotate the playback images as you rotate the camera while viewing them. If you rotate the camera during playback, the images will not flip as they do on an iPhone. It flags vertical images as shot so verticals are vertical, but it's not smart enough to flip them as you rotate the camera on playback. Arrgh.
Still uses the old menu conventions that require us to select an item, rotate the selection back and forth between ENABLE or DISABLE, and hit OK to toggle a setting back and forth. Modern menu systems just let us toggle these in one tap instead of several.
Production dumped to Taiwan Korea Thailand Malaysia Vietnam The Philippines Indonesia China, not made domestically in Japan.
Cards not titled.
Playback scrolling while zoomed often doesn't work; often the directional controller is ignored and has to be tried again.
Crappy plastic filter threads are easy to cross thread, typical of consumer lenses in 2026 🤮.
Plastic mount.
No AF/MF switch 🤮.
No Stabilizer switch 🤮.
Red
Red
Red
Yellow
Missing intro top
No AF/MF switch 🤮
No Stabilizer switch 🤮.
Mounting index dot not raised so it can't be found by feel in the dark.
Mounting index dot is the same white as everything else, so it doesn't stand out when you need to find it to mount your lens.
No AF/MF switch.
No Stabilizer switch for in-camera stabilization.
No aperture ring.
Only stops down to f/16, not f/22.
No always-active manual-focus override, unless you set that in a menu.
No case included.
No hood included.
No focus or depth-of-field scales.
No infra-red focus indices.
No focus lock buttons.
No focus-distance recall feature.
Will not work with any teleconverters.
No
No
No
No
No
RF 20-50mm f/4L IS USM PZ on a Canon EOS R6 V. bigger.
Canon RF 20-50mm f/4L IS USM PZ. bigger.
Specifications top
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Compatibility & Format specifications top
This lens only works on Canon's EOS-R series of mirrorless cameras.
It won't work with any teleconverters.
It won't fit on, and cannot be adapted to, any DSLR because a DSLR has too much distance between its sensor and its lens mount flange.
This is a full frame lens and I'm reviewing it as such.
While it works fine on APS-C cameras, you're paying a premium price for the privilege of covering full frame. Using it on an APS-C camera throws away more than half of the image from this lens. For use on APS-C, the very inexpensive RF-s 18-45mm IS STM does mosrtly the same thing for a quarter of the of the price, and the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 does even more for a half of the price.
Name specifications top
Canon calls this the Canon RF 20-50mm f/4 L IS USM PZ:
RF: Works only on Canon's EOS-R Mirrorless cameras.
L: Expensive as L.
IS: Image Stabilization.
USM: UltraSonic (autofocus) Motor.
PZ: Power zoom with an internal motor.
Optics specifications top
Canon RF 20-50mm f/4 L IS USM PZ. Regular Optical Glass, UD glass and Aspherical elements. Red box shows the Image Stabilzer secrion. Dashes show the Air-Sphere coating.
13 elements in 11 groups.
3 UD Glass extra-low dispersion elements, which help reduce secondary axial chromatic aberration.
2 Aspherical elements.
Super Spectra multicoating, also has an Air Sphere variable-refractive index coating (ASC) on the inside of the front element.
Internal motorized zoom. Nothing moves externally.
Diaphragm specifications top
Canon RF 20-50mm f/4L IS USM PZ. bigger.
9 rounded blades.
Electronically actuated.
Stops down to f/22.
Filters specifications top
Plastic 67mm filter thread.
Focal Length specifications top
20-50mm.
When used on Canon's APS-C cameras, it sees the same angle of view as a 32 ~ 80mm lens sees when used on a full-frame or 35mm camera.
See also Crop Factor.
Angle of View, Full-Frame specifications top
94 ～ 46 diagonal.
84 ～ 40 horizontal.
62 ～ 27 vertical.
Focus specifications top
No external movement as focussed, so no air or dust is sucked in.
One nano USM focus motor.
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.
Zooming specifications top
Power zoom only with two nano USMs; no direct mechanical control.
Zooms either by setting a precise focal length on the zoom ring, or with a "W—T" setting.
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
0.8 feet (9.5 inches or 0.24 meters).
Maximum Reproduction Ratio specifications top
1:3 (0.33×) at 50mm.
1:7.1 (0.14×) at 20mm.
Image Stabilizer specifications top
Rated 6 stops improvement on any camera, and 8 stops on any internally-stabilized camera!
Caps specifications top
Canon E-67II 67mm front cap, included.
RF II Rear Lens Cap (p/n 7464C001), or the older RF Rear Lens Cap (p/n 2962C001) included, depending on when your 20-50mm was made.
Hood specifications top
The EW-73H Hood is included:
Case specifications top
Nice LP1219 pseudosuede sack included:
Canon LP1219 Lens Sack. bigger.
Size specifications top
3.146" ø maximum diameter × 3.874" extension from flange.
79.9 mm ø maximum diameter × 98.4 mm extension from flange.
Weight specifications top
14.695 oz. (416.7 g), actual measured weight.
Rated 14.81 oz. (420 g).
Quality specifications top
Made in Japan.
Environment specifications top
Rated to work down to xxº C (xxº F).
Announced specifications top
13 May 2026.
Promised for specifications top
Late June 2026.
Included specifications top
The EW-73H Hood is included.
Packaging specifications top
Microcorrugated cardboard box:
Box. bigger. |
Box end. bigger. |
With corrugami internal supports.
Model Numbers specifications top
Model number: RF20-5040LISPZ.
Product code: 7286C002 (7286C001 in Japan).
JAN code: 4549292-251227.
Price, U. S. A. specifications top
May ~ September 2026 (Introduction)
$1,399 at B&H, at Amazon, at Crutchfield and at Adorama.
213,400 ¥ in Japan.
Performance top
Sample Images Introduction New Same Good Bad Missing Format Compatibility Specifications Accessories
Unboxing USA Version Performance Compared User's Guide Recommendations More
Overall Autofocus Manual Focus Breathing Distance Recording Bokeh Coma Distortion Ergonomics OLED Display Exposure Eyeblow Falloff Filters Finder Blockage Flare & Ghosts Flash Focal Lengths, actual Full Frame, use on Hood Image Quality Lateral Color Fringes Lens Corrections Macro Maximum & Minimum Apertures Mechanics Noise & Vibration OLED Display Peripheral Color Sharpness Sound, Noise & Vibration Spherochromatism Stabilization Sunstars Teleconverters Tripod Collar Weather Sealing
Overall performance top
This is an ultrasharp, lightweight and great-handling lens.
If you need the 20-50mm focal length, this is a great choice.
Autofocus performance top
Autofocus is nearly instantaneous, even at the 50mm ebs and having to go from infitty to close-up, and it's just baotu silent.
I can't recall ever usung a lens with faster autofocus.
Manual Focus performance top
Manual focusing is entirely electronic; the manual focus ring isn't connected to anything other than a digital encoder.
Focus Breathing performance top
Focus breathing is the image changing size (growing and shrinking slightly) as focused in and out. It's important to cinematographers that the image not breathe (change size) as focus gets pulled back and forth between different actors as they speak. The image is said to breathe because it expands and contracts as the focus follows the dialog back and forth.
THe image from this lens shrinks slightly as focused more closely at 20mm and shrinks more at 50mm, while in most of the range there is no breathing. It's as if the system is usung the power zoom system to compensate this optically as you zoom, but it has to give up at the ends of the zoom range.
But seriously, this is an awfully short lens for shooting dialog between two people.
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 swell. Nothing ever gets that far out of focus with a lens this slow and wide, and when it does, it's smoth.
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 6357 Vantage Vue Wireless Sensor Suite (use with WeatherLink console), Monday, 31 August 2026. Canon R6 V, RF 20-50mm f/4L IS USM PZ at 1/2,500 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 15.4).
Click either for the © camera-original file.
As always, if you want to throw the background as far out of focus as possible, shoot 50mm at f/4 and get as close as possible.
Distortion performance top
This lens uses electronic distortion correction as an integral part of its optical design. Therefore this correction cannot be turned off.
If you shoot raw data rather than JPG images, whatever software you use to create visible images from raw data may or may not correct the distortion as is done in-camera as JPGs. You're on your own there; I don't bother with raw data.
Using these factors on images made without in-camera correction still leaves higher-order waviness on images made at XXX and shorter.
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.
For more critical scientific use, use these corrections in Photoshop's lens correction filter to JPG images. No, I have no idea why my EOS RP doesn't correct the distortion completely.
These aren't facts or specifications, they are the results of my research that requires hours of photography and calculations on the resulting data.
On Full-Frame at 30' (10m) |
Correction factor to use with images made with correction ON in R6 V |
20mm |
+1.25 |
24mm |
+0.20 |
28mm |
+1.50 |
35mm |
+0.40 |
50mm |
+0.20 |
© 2026 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.
Ergonomics performance top
|
|
Canon RF 20-50mm f/4L IS USM PZ. bigger. |
Canon RF 20-50mm f/4L IS USM PZ. bigger. |
There may not be an always-responsive instant manual-focus override unless you enable this in a menu. Manual focus override never works in SERVO AF; while the lens will focus manually as you turn the ring, as soon as you stop the AF system takes over again.
There's no AF/MF switch; you have to set this in a menu.
Exposure performance top
Eyeblow performance top
The MMmm has no eyeblow; no air pumps in or out of the back of the lens as zoomed.
Falloff performance top
Falloff on FX and 35mm is ------
It won't be an issue at all on DX (see crop factor).
Falloff on Full Frame and 35mm is ----
It won't be an issue at all on APS-C (see crop factor).
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:
f/4 |
f/5.6 |
f/8 |
|
20mm |
 |
|
|
24mm |
|
|
|
35mm |
|
|
|
50mm |
|
|
|
If you save only raw data rather than create JPG images in-camera, whatever software you use to create visible images from that raw data later may or may not correct this as is done in-camera as JPGs. You're on your own there; I don't bother with raw data.
If you go out of your way to turn off the correction, or possibly in some raw software, this is what you get:
Falloff on full-frame at infinity, Vignetting Peripheral Illumination correction at its default of ON NORMAL deliberately turned OFF:
© 2026 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved. |
Filters, use with performance top
There's no need for thin filters. I can stack several standard 77mm filters with no vignetting at any setting on full-frame.
Go ahead and use your standard rotating polarizers and rotating grad filters.
Unless you create your own special rig or use a matte box, there are no front threads to which to attach a front filter.
The only way to use filters is to cut a gelatin filter to the right size (see the template in the user's manual) and slide it in.
Genuine gelatin filters are very, very delicate and expensive. Resist using Rosco or Lee filters, which aren't optically flat and are designed for putting over lights — not in an imaging path.
Avoid polarizers with ultrawide lenses; the sky's natural polarization can appear as a dark band across the sky.
Be careful; a lens this long will be sensitive to poorly made filters. Check any filter you hope to use with this lens for flatness. Take photos with and without the filter, or even better, just hold it over the front of one side of a pair of binoculars or a small telescope. The image should be perfectly clear with or without the filter. If the filter is even slightly unflat, the image seen through the telescope will look awful! So long as it looks good when held in front of your scope, it will be perfect for pictures. This test instantly makes even slightly bad filters look absolutely awful, so if it looks OK through your scope, you're good.
Flare & Ghosts performance top
Flare and ghosts are well controlled.
If you do this, you'll see that you'll get more ghosts if you use a filter. If you're getting ghosts in your images, pull off your filter. Remember that you'll see more ghosts in your finder than you'll see in your final images because viewfinder optics usually have more ghosts than this lens!
See examples at Sunstars.
Flash, Use with performance top
This is a huge lens, so with a tiny flash like the SB-400 as I prefer one can get a dark shadow at the bottom of the picture when set wider than 40mm.
If this bothers you (it doesn't bother me), use a regular flash that sits above the camera rather than sits all the way down as does the SB-400.
Focal Lengths, actual performance top
If you do this
Full Frame, use on performance top
Hood specifications top
Image Quality performance top
Lateral Color Fringes performance top
There are no lateral color fringes when shot as JPG with the default Chromatic Aberration Correction 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 is
If you shoot raw data rather than JPG images you may — or may not — be responsible to correct this on your own.
If you go out of your way to turn off the correction, or if you shoot raw data rather than JPG images and whatever software you use to create visible images from raw data doesn't correct the distortion as is done in-camera, there are
There is spherochromatism, which can cause color fringes on things that aren't in perfect focus at large apertures. Spherochromatism is a completely different aberration in a different dimension than lateral color fringes. More at Spherochromatism.
Lens Corrections performance top
Other cameras may vary as the years roll on, but my EOS R1, R3, R5 II, R5, R6 III, R6 II,R6 R6V R R8 RP R7 R10 R50 R50V and R100 all have options to correct for falloff (Peripheral Illumination Correction), Distortion and a Digital Lens Optimizer which corrects for a suite of other aberrations.
These are all ON by default. You can turn off falloff (peripheral) correction and/or the Digital Lens Optimizer.
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.
This lens integrates electronic distortion correction as part of its optical design so the Distortion setting is grayed-out because it can not be turned off.
This lens has very little distortion, so Distortion correction is OFF by default. Feel free to turn it on for critical use.
If you shoot raw data rather than JPG images, whatever software you use to create visible images from raw data may or may not correct these as is done in-camera as JPGs. You're on your own there; I don't bother with raw data.
It corrects automatically for falloff (peripheral illumination), lateral color fringes (chromatic aberration), distortion and diffraction. You can turn each of these ON or OFF.
Macro Performance performance top
Mondaine A132.30348.11SBB at close-focus distance at , September 2026. bigger or camera-original © file.
Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at close-focus distance, September 2026. bigger or camera-original © file.
Kienzle Flieger Automat 800/2843 at close-focus distance, September 2026. bigger or camera-original © file.
MADE IN GERMANY GPW Military Titanium Watch at close-focus distance, September 2026. bigger or camera-original © file.
1,200 × 900 pixel (10× magnification) crop from above. bigger or camera-original © file.
The texture you're seeing is the watch face solar cell.
32 & 33 MP (5.8× R6 III & 5.84× A7 IV)
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (8cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 12 × 18" (30 × 45 cm).
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 23 × 35" (59 × 89 cm).
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 47 × 70" (119 × 178 cm).
Mechanical Quality performance top
This is one of Nikon's finest lenses of all time. It is made to even better standards than LEICA's lenses because Nikon uses even longer-life lubricants good for about 40-50 years and that don't cloud the glass, rather than the 15- to 20- years over which LEICA's lubricants work and thereafter cloud the glass.
Metal Plastic
Exterior Finish mechanics performance top
Black Anodized aluminum.
Black paint.
Black plastic.
Pearlescent white paint.
Hood mechanics performance top
Plastic bayonet.
Solid alloy.
Front Bumper mechanics performance top
Rubber.
Plastic.
None.
Filter Threads mechanics performance top
Metal.
Plastic 🤮
Hood Bayonet Mount mechanics performance top
Metal.
Plastic.
Gold ED Band mechanics performance top
Solid 14 karat gold filled.
None.
Front Barrel Exterior mechanics performance top
Plastic.
Metal.
Zoom Ring mechanics performance top
Rubber-covered plastic metal.
Mid Barrel Exterior mechanics performance top
Section with focus lock buttons: plastic.
Focus Ring mechanics performance top
Rubber-covered plastic metal.
Hard plastic metal.
Focus Helicoids mechanics performance top
Brass and aluminum: smooth and silky with no play or need for damping grease.
Slide Switches mechanics performance top
Plastic.
Rear Barrel Exterior mechanics performance top
Section with focus distance window: plastic.
Tripod Collar mechanics performance top
Metal.
The collar doesn't come off the lens, but the foot does come off from the collar.
If you lose the foot, the collar's stub has a standard ¼″ × 20 tripod thread.
¼″ × 20 TPI and ⅜″ × 16 TPI
Identity mechanics performance top
Engraved and filled with paint on ring between front element and filter threads.
Engraved and filled with paint on top of rear barrel.
Printed around the front of the lens, also printed on top of barrel.
14 karat gold-filled debossed metal plate around focus distance window.
Gold-look plastic plate around focus distance window.
Internals mechanics performance top
Plastic.
Seem like all metal!
Dust Gasket at Mount mechanics performance top
Yes.
No.
Mount mechanics performance top
Dull chromed metal.
Aluminum.
Plastic.
Markings mechanics performance top
Everything is engraved and filled with paint.
Just paint; nothing's engraved.
Paint.
Plastic zoom ring focal length markings molded as engraved and filled with paint.
Serial Number mechanics performance top
Laser engraved in warm black on black on the bottom of the barrel.
Engraved and filled with paint on a little piece glued into a recess on the bottom of the tripod collar.
Laser engraved in black-on-black on bottom of barrel.
It's almost completely invisible in actual use; it's visible above because this photo is enlarged and lit by lots of light in my studio.
Laser engraved in black-on-black on bottom of aperture ring.
Sticker glued into recess in the bottom of the lens barrel, neither an acceptable nor a permanent way to do this for a product that's handled all day.
Sticker glued on bottom of the lens barrel, neither an acceptable nor a permanent way to do this for a product that's handled all day.
Date Code mechanics performance top
The serial number contains a date code.
My serial number starts with xxx, which means it was made in xxx 2026.
Noises When Shaken mechanics performance top
Mild to moderate clunking.
Truth & Ethics mechanics performance top
Made in U. S. A. Germany GERMANY WEST GERMANY ITALY Japan Taiwan Production dumped to Korea Thailand Malaysia Vietnam The Philippines Indonesia China, not made domestically in Japan.
Made in Taiwan, a leading first-world democracy and technological powerhouse with a highly advanced economy, a huge step up from the developing economy of Thailand or China. If it's not made domestically in Japan, I'll take made-in-Taiwan any day.
Never disclosed in any advertising, marketing or online offers for sale.
Peripheral Color Shifts performance top
for ultra-ultrawide lenses
The problem is that lens coatings shift their color transmission away from the center of the image because their effective thickness changes as light hits the glass at different angles.
Sharpness performance top
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 where all lenses are softer due to diffraction, always shoot at ISO 100 or below because cameras become softer at ISO 200 and above, avoid shooting across long distances over land which can lead to atmospheric heat shimmer, 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 lens sharpness. It's not 1968 anymore when lenses often weren't that sharp and there could be significant differences among them; ever since about 2010 all new lenses are all pretty much equally fantastic.
This lens is super sharp corner-to corner at every aperture, limited by your vision as an artist and of course by heat shimmer and by diffraction at the smallest apertures. Avoid f/16 and smaller unless you really need them for extreme depth of field because diffraction takes its toll. See also How to Calculate the Sharpest Aperture.
This lens is sharp, limited of course by diffraction at the smallest apertures and atmospheric heat shimmer at the longest zoom settings.
Used properly, all of Canon's RF lenses are equally sharp. The differences are in maximum apertures and focal lengths, but none of them are soft if you know how to use them. Lens sharpness has nothing to do with picture sharpness.
Canon MTF wide-open (black) and at f/8 (blue), at 10 cyc/mm (bold) and 30 cyc/mm (light). Sagittal (solid) and meridional (dashed).
Canon MTF wide-open at f/xx at 10 cyc/mm (black) and 30 cyc/mm (blue). Sagittal (solid) and meridional (dashed).
Here are Sony's MTF charts at 10 cyc/mm and 30 cyc/mm, radial (solid) and tangential (dotted):
Here are Sony's MTF charts at f/4 and f/8 at 10 cyc/mm (heavy) and 30 cyc/mm (thin), radial (solid) and tangential (dotted):
Sony's MTF charts at 10 cyc/mm and 30 cyc/mm, radial (solid) and tangential (dotted). These are fairy-tale calculations from Sony's marketing department ignoring diffraction and flare, and certainly do not represent actual measured performance.
LEICA Modulationsübertragungsfunktion or Modulationsuebertragung These are measured with white light at infinity at 5, 10, 40 und 40 line pairs per millimeter.
 |
 |
MTF at 24mm at f/2.8. |
MTF at 24mm at f/8. |
 |
 |
MTF at 70mm at f/2.8. |
MTF at 70mm at f/8. |
Nikon's MTF charts at 10 cyc/mm and 30 cyc/mm. Sagittal (radial) shown as solid lines. Meridional (tangential) shown as dashed lines.
Sony MTF at 18mm. f/3.5 and f/8, 10 and 30 cyc/mm. |
Sony MTF at 135mm. f/5.6 and f/8, 10 and 30 cyc/mm.
|
Sony's MTF charts at 10 cyc/mm and 30 cyc/mm, radial (solid) and tangential (dotted). These are fairy-tale calculations from Sony's marketing department ignoring diffraction and flare, and certainly do not represent actual measured performance.
Sony's Nikon's MTF at f/1.4 and f/8 at 10 cyc/mm and 30 cyc/mm. Sagittal (radial) shown as solid lines. Meridional (tangential) shown as dashed lines.
MTF: 10 cyc/mm (bold) and 30 cyc/mm (light).
While it's usually valid to compare rated MTFs between different lenses of similar vintage from the same maker, every maker measures or simply calculates MTF very differently, and therefore one cannot compare these curves between brands. For instance, Sony seems to ignore diffraction and simply calculate overly optimistic MTFs that hug 100%, which no real lens can do at f/8, while other brands are more realistic and include diffraction. Only Canon offers any insight on how they arrive at their curves.
See also my article on MTF and Canon's article on MTFs.
Spherochromatism performance top
Spherochromatism, also called secondary spherical chromatic aberration or "color bokeh," can cause colored fringes on out-of-focus highlights, usually seen as green fringes on background highlights and magenta fringes on foreground highlights.
Spherochromatism is common in fast lenses of moderate and long focal lengths when shooting contrasty items at full aperture.
Spherochromatism goes away as stopped down.
Spherochromatism is seen when the spherical aberration at the red and blue ends of the color spectrum (which together make magenta) is corrected differently than in the middle of the spectrum (green).
Spherochromatism is an advanced form of spherical and chromatic aberration in a different dimension than lateral color fringes and therefore cannot be corrected with software or automatic corrections.
cool fringes behind and warm fringes ahead of the plane of perfect focus:
It has a xxx amount of spherochromatism, with yellow-green fringes behind and violet fringes ahead of the plane of perfect focus.
violet/yellow-green
cyan/red
bluish-green and violet
Mondaine A132.30348.11SBB at close-focus distance at , September 2026. bigger or camera-original © file.
Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch, September 2026. bigger or camera-original © file.
Kienzle Flieger Automat 800/2843, September 2026. bigger or camera-original © file.
MADE IN GERMANY GPW Military Titanium Watch, September 2026. bigger or camera-original © file.
1,200 × 900 pixel (10× magnification) crop from above. bigger or camera-original © file.
32 & 33 MP (5.8× R6 III & 5.84× A7 IV)
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (8cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 12 × 18" (30 × 45 cm).
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 23 × 35" (59 × 89 cm).
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 47 × 70" (119 × 178 cm).
Image Stabilization (IS, OSS, VC or VR) performance top
Optical Image Stabilization (OIS, IS or VR (Vibration Reduction)) works
"Percent Perfectly Sharp Shots" are the percentage of hand-held, free-standing with no support or bracing, frames with 100% perfect tripod-equivalent sharpness as viewed at 300% on a 100 DPI monitor.
Looking at images from my Z5 II at 300% on my 100 DPI monitor from 2½ feet (76cm) away are the same as scrolling around a 15 × 10 foot (4.5 × 3 meters!) print, from just 2½ feet (76cm) away — and images are still perfectly sharp most of the time hand-held at 1/8 of a second. Bravo!
Of course we all will get different results hand-holding. While your speeds will vary, the number of stops of improvement should be the same for all of us regardless of who's shooting or how picky you are about what constitutes "perfect" sharpness.
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:
| % Perfectly Sharp Shots | 1s |
1/2 |
1/4 |
1/8 |
1/15 |
1/30 |
1/60 |
1/125 |
1/250 |
| Stabilization ON | |||||||||
| Stabilization OFF | |||||||||
| 100 | 100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| Tenths | 10 |
20 |
30 |
40 |
50 |
60 |
70 |
80 |
90 |
| Ninths | 11 |
22 |
33 |
44 |
56 |
67 |
78 |
89 |
100 |
| Eighths | 0 |
12½ |
25 |
37½ |
50 |
62½ |
75 |
87½ |
100 |
| Sevenths | 0 |
14 |
27½ |
43 |
57 |
71 |
86 |
100 |
100 |
| Sixths | 0 |
5 |
16⅔ |
33⅓ |
50 |
66⅔ |
83 |
100 |
100 |
| 0s | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
I see ¼⅓½⅔¾ stops of real-world improvement.
| % Perfectly Sharp Shots | 1/2 |
1/4 |
1/8 |
1/15 |
1/30 |
1/60 |
1/125 |
1/250 |
1/500 |
1/1,000 |
| Stabilization ON | ||||||||||
| Stabilization OFF |
| % Perfectly Sharp Shots | 1/2 |
1/4 |
1/8 |
1/15 |
1/30 |
1/60 |
1/125 |
1/250 |
1/500 |
1/1,000 |
1/2,000 |
| Stabilization ON | |||||||||||
| Stabilization OFF |
Are you seeing how fantastic is modern stabilization? I'm looking at these images at 300%, far, far more closely than we ever could do with film. With film we had a 1/focal length rule-of-thumb which suggested the slowest safe hand-held speed would be 1/xx.
As you can see, while 1/85 may have been "good enough" back on film, with 32MP digital even 1/250 often gives imperfect shots even with my rock-steady hands — while with the in-camera stabilization of my R6 III I get perfect sharpness 90% of the time at ⅛ and even get perfect sharpness about half the time at a quarter second. "10%" at one second means that at 1 second handheld I get one perfectly sharp shot for every ten frames.
Sunstars performance top
With a xx-bladed rounded diaphragm, I get mild xx-point sunstars on brilliant points of light mostly at the smallest apertures.
Ignore the vertical smear at large apertures. This is a sensor artifact called interline transfer smear and is a camera, not a lens, defect.
Likewise ignore the crazy rainbow dots at small apertures; these are sensor artifacts caused by interference among the divisions between pixels on the sensor. These are made visible because we're using enough exposure to show the dark underside of a huge palm tree, and then putting the blinding disk of the mid-day sun in it. Doing this will show everything due to the insane lighting range.
Click any to enlarge:
Click any to enlarge.
Teleconverters performance top
It works great with the Nikon Z TC 1.4× or 2× teleconverters, but only one at a time.
Works brilliantly with either the RF 2× Extender or RF 1.4× Extender teleconverters, but only one at a time.
Does not work Works with the Canon EF 1.4× II or Canon EF 2× II extenders.
Not compatible.
It will not work with any teleconverters.
There is not enough room in the back of the lens to accommodate the protuberances from either of the Canon RF 1.4× or Canon RF 2× extenders.
Tripod Collar performance top
The tripod collar is
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 24 - 240mm 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 have worried way too much about this ever since camera companies started FUD campaigns to make us think that our gear will dissolve unless it has weather sealing. How do you think we shot in the rain for the first 200 years of photography?
Compared top
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User's Guide top
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Canon RF 20-50mm f/4L IS USM PZ. bigger.
Zoom
AF - MF Switch user's guide top
There's no AF/MF switch; you have to set this in a menu.
In the EOS RP, set it at MENU > CAMERA page 7 > Focus Mode.
In the EOS R5, set it at MENU > AF 1 > Focus mode.
I add this menu option to my My Menu so I can get to it easily.
On most Nikons, use whatever Fn or other button is assigned to Focus Mode, and then use that. Alternately, the Focus Mode is usually an option at the 𝒊 button.
AF - CONTROL - MF Switch user's guide top
AF: Use this. It gives you Autofocus, and possibly manual-focus override depending on your other settings.
CONTROL: The front ring now can be set to things like White Balance or exposure compensation rather than manual focus, but since it has no clicks I find it too weird for these settings.
MF: Manual focus only; Autofocus is disabled. Use this for things like astronomy where you want to focus it and then not have it vary between shots.
Manual-Focus Override user's guide top
Older EOS R cameras need a menu setting changed for manual-focus override, otherwise the focus ring is always ignored in AF. Newer cameras have this set by default.
Find the "Lens electronic AF" or "Electronic full-time MF" option in your AF menu (AF 6 in R5 II, R6 II, R7, R8 and R10, AF 4 in EOS R5 and EOS R6 or CAMERA 8 in EOS RP), and set it to either "One‑Shot‑> enabled," "One‑Shot‑> enabled (magnify)" or ON. Canon should have it set this way by default, but they didn't in older models. No big deal now that I figured it out, and it usually works by default in newer cameras.
Once set, manual-focus override works well in ONE SHOT AF (AF then lock) mode after the camera has finished autofocusing, but in SERVO AF mode all Canon EOS-R cameras as of September 2026 continue to autofocus as soon as you stop turning the manual focus ring! Sadly only Nikon has this all figured out today.
AF - MF Switch user's guide top
There is no AF/MF switch, so you need to select Manual Focus in your camera's menu system if needed.
I add this option to my My Menu so I can get to it easily.
EOS R5
Select manual focus at MENU > AF 1 > Focus mode > MF.
In manual focus you have options of 6× or 15× magnifiers. I assign this to my SET button at MENU > CUSTOM 3 > Customize buttons > SET > Magnify. Now just tap SET and it toggles among 1×, 6× and 15×.
Select the in-finder focus-distance scale at MENU > CAMERA 7 > Shooting info. disp. > Focus distance disp.
Focus peaking is enabled and set at MENU > AF 2 > MF peaking settings.
EOS R6
Select manual focus at MENU > AF 2 > Focus mode > MF.
In manual focus you have options of 5× or 10× magnifiers. I assign this to my SET button at MENU > CUSTOM 3 > Customize buttons > SET > Magnify. Now just tap SET and it toggles among 1×, 5× and 10×.
Select the in-finder focus-distance scale at MENU > CAMERA 7 > Shooting info. disp. > Focus distance disp.
Focus peaking is enabled and set at MENU > AF 2 > MF peaking settings.
EOS RP
Select manual focus at MENU > CAMERA page 7 > Focus Mode > MF.
AF - MF Switch user's guide top
AF: Auto Focus. You have instant manual focus override by turning the focus ring at any time. It will try to ignore minor accidental bumps.
AF: Auto Focus, with instant manual focus override in ONE SHOT if set.
MF: Manual Focus only.
A/M - M/A - M Switch user's guide top
A/M: Auto Focus. You have instant manual focus override by turning the focus ring at any time. It will try to ignore minor accidental bumps.
M/A: Auto Focus. You have instant manual focus override by turning the focus ring at any time, and will respond even to the slightest turn of the focus ring.
M: Manual Focus only.
Color histograms user's guide top
Color histograms are required if shooting in color, but most cameras don't have them. The usual monochrome histograms of Nikon and Sony are useless if you have any color saturation.
Enable these at MENU > CAMERA 9 > Shooting info. display > Histogram disp. > RGB.
While here, I prefer the SMALL option.
Full / ∞-6m-∞ Switch user's guide top
This is a focus limiter.
Leave it in FULL.
The ∞-6m-∞ position prevents the lens from autofocusing closer than 6 meters (20 feet). Use this setting only if you're having a problem with the lens attempting to focus on irrelevant close items, or if for some reason the lens is "hunting" from near to far while looking for distant subjects.
Vibration Reduction (VR) Switches user's guide top
ON / OFF
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.
Normal / Sport
I leave it in Normal.
Use Sport if you're trying to track objects which change direction unpredictably.
Mode 1 / 2 / 3
Mode 1: Normal.
Mode 2: Panning.
Mode 3: Random motion. Use this for sports.
Mode 3: Same as mode one, but saves power by only working when you take the picture.
CANON
MODE 1 (For still subjects): Corrects camera movement in all directions.
MODE 2 (For panning on smooth motion like trains and airplanes): When panning, corrects camera movement perpendicular to the direction of panning.
MODE 3 (For sports & animals): Same as MODE 2, but only compensates during exposure, not as you're viewing. It saves energy and is better for random motion.
AF-L MEMORY RECALL AF-ON user's guide top
Nikon forgot to label this switch as the AF BUTTON FUNCTION. This sets what the four little rubber buttons around the front of the lens do.
AF-L is what I use. Pressing any of the buttons locks focus. I use this as things get in the way of a moving subject as I track it around, or if I want to set portrait focus and recompose.
AF ON turns the four front AF buttons into AF ON buttons.
MEMORY RECALL lets us save and recall a distance, like home plate or the bird feeder. Once saved, tap any of the four front buttons and the lens immediately refocuses to that distance.
To use the MEMORY RECALL:
1.) Be sure the slide switch is set to MEMORY RECALL.
2.) Focus on your preferred subject.
3.) Press the MEMORY SET BUTTON.
4.) To recall the set distance, tap any of the four front AF buttons. You don't need to hold it; one tap and it will spin all the way to your set distance.
Recommendations top
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Be sure to get it only from my recommended sources so that you can just send it back if you don't love it. You never have to guess about how well it will work for you; order it and see for yourself. That's why I've used B&H and Adorama since I was a kid in the 1970s: I can try it in my own environment with my own other gear and if I don't love it, back it goes.
67mm filters
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 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.
The least expensive coated filter is the Chiaro 67mm 95-UVAT UV, which I haven't tried but ought to be swell.
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.
You may need a neutral-density filter to shoot at f/1.4 in direct sunlight. I prefer the Made-in-U. S. A. Tiffen 67mm ND 0.9 (3 stop) neutral density filter because the glass Tiffen filters are genuinely neutral, devoid of the color casts I often find in other brands who sometimes resin (plastic) filter materials.
You could try a 67mm polarizing filter to shoot at f/1.4 in daylight (my very favorite is the exquisitely well made Nikon Circular Polarizer II), however polarizers may not be dark enough and of course they add other effects you might not want if you're just trying to shoot at f/1.4.
Nikon's 67mm Circular Polarizer II is excellent.
For color slides like Fuji Velvia 50, I use a 67mm 81A, preferably multicoated, outdoors.
For B&W film outdoors to make clouds look natural in the sky I use a 67mm Hoya HMC K2 Yellow, or usually a 67mm Hoya HMC Orange for a stronger effect, or a 67mm Hoya HMC Red for the most dramatic skies or to hide pimples on skin.
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.
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. XX 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, gray-market, store demo or used XX — 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 XX. I've used many of these stores 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 XX 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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