Canon RF 15–35 mm F2.8L IS USM | Hands-On Review

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Canon’s new RF mount already has many interesting (and costly) lenses. This article reviews the 15-35mm wide-angle lens released by Canon in 2019.

Here are the lens details in a nutshell.

Name: Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM

Bright F2.8
L-Series Ultra Wide Angle
5-Step Image Stabilizer
Nano USM Focus
Weight: 840g
Minimum focusing distance: 28 cm
Customizable adjustment ring at the front of the lens
Price: € 2,300 or so
Buy from Amazon*

At the time of writing, I’ve been using the lens for about a month on Canon EOS RP. (Update: Lately I’ve also been using it with the Canon R6). I’ve been shooting mainly interiors, events, nature and products.

Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8: Extremely Good and Really Valuable

First things first: I haven’t done a full technical review of the lens and I don’t have experience with other wide angle lenses, so I can’t say how well the lens is technically doing. The Ken Rockwell review has more test images and technical information for those looking for it.

However, the Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8 lens can be summed up like this: really good and really valuable (expensive). If money is not an issue and you need a RF mounted wide-angle lens, there’s nothing to stop you from getting this lens.

I liked:

Bright wide angle (15 mm is wiiiiiide)
High-quality build
Quiet and focuses fast
Image stabilization saves you from blurry images

I didn’t like:

Nothing I didn’t like (my wallet disagrees)

Hands-on Review: Canon’s Wide-Angle Lens in Action

I have been using mostly the Canon RF mounted telezoom (RF 70-200mm F 2.8L*) and this wide angle. Both are fast L-series masterpieces that are nice to hold and admire even when you’re not taking any shots.

The 15–35 mm lens has opened up my photography to new areas. With this wide-angle lens, I have mainly taken product and nature pictures. Switching between this and the 70–200 F2.8 you can manage almost any situation encountered in non-professional situations. Or even some semi-professional shoots. I personally have not missed the third Trinity lens, i.e. the 20-70mm F2.8L lens.

Focus is fast, quiet, and accurate. Usually, it just snaps into the right object from the get-go.
Image quality is not an issue. I’m not a good enough photographer to miss anything on lens quality. I believe the same can be said for many other photographers. The lens quality won’t be an issue.
What you shoot affects how often you need this. I’ve enjoyed the 15–35 mm especially in cramped interiors where it does the job brilliantly. However, the 70-200mm telephoto zoom is more familiar to me so I tend to gravitate towards that.

To sum up: if your wallet is thick enough and you need a wide-angle lens, then the Canon L-Series lenses are a sure choice.

Canon RF 15-35mm with Canon R6

Since first getting started with this lens I’ve upgraded the body to a Canon R6. It features in-body image stabilization and even though it’s a bit heavier than the RP, it’s on a whole new level in terms of dependability.

I’m not really a pro photographer, even though I do some product and event photography on the side. That said, I feel a lot more confident with my two L-series lenses and R6 than I did with my RP.

It feels like I can’t fail.

The autofocus is snappy, the stabilization is great and more often than not I get the shot that I want. I shoot in RAW so that gives me the ability to fix things in post (yeah, I said it) that I didn’t get right in the camera.

So, while gear doesn’t make anyone a great photographer it has helped be succeed more often.