Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM Review – digitalcameras.ie

The Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro is a light-weight prime able to 1:2 shut focus images. At $499, it’s positioned as a price possibility moderately than one in all Canon’s high-end L-series lenses, but it surely nonetheless has some methods up its sleeve. Must you add the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro to your bag? Learn on to seek out out!

After I initially determined to begin reviewing Canon lenses, the RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro was the one of many first two lenses I requested. It appears to be like extraordinarily promising on paper – small, gentle, brilliant, and with nice options like picture stabilization and near-macro capabilities. Relying upon the way it carried out, I knew that the RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro may flip into one in all my favourite lenses.

As you’ll see later on this overview, whereas there are some drawbacks to this lens (particularly by way of construct high quality), it actually holds its personal and makes for a flexible alternative for nearly any sort of images. Beneath is my full overview of the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro after utilizing it for a number of months of images within the discipline in addition to testing it extensively within the lab for sharpness, vignetting, distortion, and chromatic aberration. I hope you discover it helpful!

Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro Specs

These are so-so specs for a $499 lens. On the intense aspect, the inclusion of picture stabilization and in depth handbook controls is way more superior than anticipated. Nonetheless, the external-focusing design and lack of climate sealing point out a comparatively low-cost building.

Construct High quality

Though the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro is a comparatively cheap lens, the standard of the plastic itself feels the identical as costly lenses just like the Canon 15-35mm f/2.8 L side-by-side. I’ve no challenge with the lens’s use of high-quality plastics for the principle barrel. Nonetheless, the RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro doesn’t have climate sealing, and the entrance component will not be fluorine coated (helpful for repelling mud and water).

One of many greatest points with the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro’s construct high quality is that it’s an externally focusing lens, with the lens barrel extending as you focus extra intently. The kind of plastic used within the extending barrel feels distinctly cheaper than the high-quality primary barrel of the lens. Additionally, every time that you just activate the digicam, the lens initializes by racking out and in – identical to point-and-shoot cameras of yore.

None of that is good if you happen to plan to make use of the lens in harsh climate or dusty environments. To make maters worse, the barrel of the lens clearly wobbles barely when it’s prolonged (below 1 mm in any route, however you possibly can distinctly really feel it). I don’t suppose this may be sufficient to trigger optical issues, but it surely does enable grit to get into the mechanism extra simply.

Having mentioned all that, I nonetheless used the lens fairly a bit in wet and dusty situations within the discipline. I didn’t run into any malfunctions in my time with it (though I additionally took lots of care to maintain it clear and dry). The actual drawback is for long-term utilization, the place I might really feel much more snug with an internally focusing lens that has climate sealing. It undoubtedly harms the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro’s in any other case spectacular versatility.

Dealing with

The Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 has a powerful set of dealing with options for a comparatively cheap lens. There are devoted switches each for autofocus/handbook focus and for picture stabilization on/off. There’s additionally the same old focus ring in addition to a customized management ring. The extent of those options is one thing discovered extra usually on costly lenses, and it’s good to see that Canon didn’t minimize corners right here. Even so, I might have appreciated to see a spotlight limiter change as effectively, contemplating that it is a near-macro lens.

Picture stabilization works nice on the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro, permitting you to shoot handheld with the lens in low-light environments even with cameras just like the EOS R8, R10, or R50 that don’t have in-body picture stabilization. I used to be snug working handheld with a shutter velocity from about 1/sixth to 1/tenth second, and I in all probability may have pushed it additional if I loosened my requirements or took extra pictures to be able to choose the sharpest one later. It’s an important system.

That mentioned, one thing price noting in regards to the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 is that it doesn’t ship with a lens hood. That is simply low-cost on Canon’s half. The official Canon EW-52 lens hood for the 35mm f/1.8 prices $45, which feels excessive for a small piece of plastic that ought to have been included within the first place. There are knock-off lens hoods out there on Amazon for roughly $15, which I’d get as a substitute.

Because it occurs, there’s a separate challenge even if you happen to do purchase a lens hood: The hood attaches to the portion of the RF 35mm f/1.8 barrel that strikes when focusing. This makes it a questionable alternative for shielding the lens (one of many two primary duties of a lens hood), because the transferring barrel may very well be broken by a heavy affect that hits the hood.

Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Focus Pace and Efficiency

Beginning with the excellent news, the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro focuses precisely and constantly, even in stringent lab situations. There isn’t a challenge on that entrance.

Nonetheless, I discovered that the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 had extra points with trying to find focus in comparison with most different Canon RF lenses. In low gentle, particularly if capturing each close to and much topics, the lens would typically take some time to seek out focus or surrender fully. It didn’t occur sufficient to make the lens unusable, simply sufficient to be annoying – and in good gentle, the lens was fairly snappy. I proceed to suppose {that a} focus limiter change would have been a really helpful addition to this lens.

Additionally, the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro focuses fairly loudly relative to lots of fashionable lenses. This generally is a drawback for videography if you happen to’re working with an on-camera mic, which is a disgrace, as a result of it’s in any other case lens for fast video work.

Lastly, the close-focusing capabilities are – as anticipated from the lens’s title – wonderful. It’s price noting that the RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro will not be a true macro lens that may attain life-size magnification (AKA 1:1 or 1x magnification). Even so, the lens can focus to half life-size, or 1:2 magnification (2x), which continues to be wonderful for a 35mm prime.

Nonetheless, remember the fact that 35mm is a fairly extensive angle, so that you’ll have to get very near your topic if you wish to do any near-macro images. Because the lens barrel extends at shut focus, the issue is exaggerated even additional. You could end up scaring away any skittish creatures that you just’re photographing, and even seeing the shadow of the lens barrel seem in a few of your pictures with this lens. Maintain all that in thoughts earlier than you begin to think about it as an alternative choice to an extended macro lens.

Distortion

The Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 has pretty low ranges of distortion, measuring in at -1.49% barrel distortion in a lab setting. That’s nonetheless sufficient to profit from corrections when taking pictures structure, but it surely’s not sufficient of an issue to trigger extreme stretching within the corners.

Right here’s a simulation of -1.49% distortion on a flat grid:

Vignetting

In uncorrected photos, the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro has fairly typical ranges of vignetting for a quick prime. Right here’s a full chart of vignetting ranges:

This can be a completely good efficiency. Vast open, the lens reaches virtually 2 stops of vignetting at infinity focus, which is excessive however not drastic. Vignetting at shut focus is best managed. As you cease down, the lens shortly improves. Vignetting is already fairly negligible at f/2.8, even at infinity focus.

Right here’s a picture displaying the worst-case vignetting towards a grey discipline, which exaggerates the difficulty.

Lateral Chromatic Aberration

There’s a low quantity of lateral chromatic aberration on the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 at each aperture, hovering across the 1 pixel vary. Right here’s the chart:

Typically talking, lateral chromatic aberration is sort of inconceivable to note in real-world photos if it measures below one pixel in our lab assessments. The Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro hovers proper round that mark, which is excellent efficiency. Whether or not you activate chromatic aberration corrections or not, you’ll hardly ever see any lateral CA with this lens. I couldn’t spot it in any of my real-world pictures.

Sharpness

The Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro is a pointy lens, with the one (unsurprising) weak point being nook efficiency extensive open. Right here’s the way it performs as measured in our lab:

Central and midframe sharpness is nice even extensive open, and the middle is already wonderful by f/2.8. The lens hits its peak central sharpness at f/4, whereas the sharpest aperture from nook to nook is f/5.6. That mentioned, for panorama images or macro images, I wouldn’t hesitate to make use of f/11 or f/16 with this lens if extra depth of discipline is required.

As for the corners at f/1.8 and f/2, most wide-aperture primes wrestle to seize excessive ranges of nook sharpness till they’re stopped down a bit, and this lens isn’t any exception. It’s unusual for many photographers to wish sharp corners at f/1.8 anyway, aside from Milky Method images; extra on that in a second.

Within the discipline, the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro stays very sharp even at near-macro distances, though you’ll often have to cease right down to a minimum of f/4-5.6 to be able to get sufficient depth of discipline.

By comparability, right here’s how Nikon’s Z 35mm f/1.8 S (an $850 lens, albeit one that usually goes on sale for $700) performs:

It’s a fairly attention-grabbing comparability, with the “winner” (if such a factor is even a contest) swapping locations relying upon which aperture and portion of the body you’re inspecting. The simplistic abstract is that the Canon is sharper within the middle at extensive apertures, so it might be a greater avenue/occasion/portrait lens, whereas the Nikon is sharper within the corners all through the aperture vary, so it might be preferable for landscapes. In any case, it is a fairly good displaying for the Canon 35mm f/1.8 Macro contemplating that it’s solely $500 and might focus to near-macro distances.

For some extra context, inside Canon’s personal lineup, right here’s how the RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro compares to the high-end RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L at 35mm:

As we’ve seen many instances earlier than at Pictures Life, even a high-end zoom usually falls wanting fundamental prime lenses in most sharpness. Whereas these two lenses are very aggressive in nook and midframe efficiency, the RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L by no means reaches the excessive central sharpness that the RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro achieves at f/2.8 and f/4.

Coma

Associated to sharpness is coma, a lens aberration that may make dots of sunshine within the nook of a photograph appear like smears. Coma isn’t often seen in on a regular basis images, however for one thing like Milky Method images, it may be an element. The Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro wouldn’t be my first alternative for Milky Method images contemplating the longer focal size – usually, one thing 24mm or wider is preferable. Even so, due to the f/1.8 most aperture, I needed to place it to the take a look at. Right here’s the picture that I began with:

The crops proven within the picture under are excessive crops from the top-right nook of the Canon EOS R5 with the 35mm f/1.8 Macro lens. I cropped the EOS R5’s 45-megapixel sensor right down to tiny 2-megapixel crops and didn’t do any resizing. Click on to see the next photos full dimension, that are direct excerpts from the picture with solely Lightroom’s default sharpening and noise discount utilized:

As you possibly can see, the coma at f/1.8 is fairly unhealthy, but it surely’s principally gone at f/2.8. That is enough efficiency, and whereas I received’t be utilizing the RF 35mm f/1.8 as my main Milky Method lens by any stretch, it really works in a pinch. I undoubtedly suggest stopping right down to f/2.8, nonetheless, although it necessitates a better ISO.

Bokeh

Bokeh is one other phrase for the qualities of the background blur in a photograph. “Good” bokeh could be subjective, but it surely’s often preferable to have spherical, uniform, and soft-edged qualities in any out-of-focus specular highlights.

The Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro has lovely bokeh when targeted at macro distances, however considerably busy bokeh if targeted additional. Listed below are some photos and crops to point out the way it appears to be like in observe:

You could discover that in a few of these photos, there’s seen longitudinal chromatic aberration, often known as coloration fringing in out-of-focus areas. Whereas this isn’t uncommon to see on wide-aperture lenses, it’s nonetheless larger on the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro than I would love. Right here’s the worst instance of it that I used to be capable of seize:

Longitudinal CA is harder to appropriate in comparison with lateral CA, and it reveals up most importantly when photographing shiny objects like watches and rings. The excellent news is that, as you cease down with the RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro or focus additional away, the quantity of longitudinal CA decreases. It’s solely this unhealthy at f/1.8 and shut focus distances.

Sunstars and Flare

I discovered the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro to have good sunstars at small apertures, as you possibly can see under:

You possibly can see a little bit of flare within the picture above (some inexperienced specks somewhat decrease and to the fitting of the solar) however they aren’t unhealthy, both. Right here’s a extra demanding scene showcasing the lens’s good management of flare:

Whereas there’s clearly a big speck of flare on the backside proper, plus some traditional crimson dot flare across the solar, the picture nonetheless has superb distinction contemplating how backlit it’s. This can be a sturdy efficiency from the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 and higher than I’ve seen on lots of wide-angle lenses.

That mentioned, I did discover one constant challenge with flare when focusing at close-up distances. You’ll have seen it within the Bokeh part earlier, too: Traces of flare seem within the out-of-focus areas. It happens no matter aperture and isn’t simply an remoted occasion. Right here’s essentially the most vital instance that I noticed:

To me, the flare above is definitely sort of an attention-grabbing visible component within the picture, and I don’t see it as a serious destructive. However I needed to level it out, since you could disagree.

Verdict

I loved utilizing the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro throughout my time with it. The sunshine weight and superb picture high quality, mixed with the inexpensive worth, implies that it deserves a spot in lots of photographers’ baggage. It’s additionally fairly a feature-rich little lens, with picture stabilization, nice close-focus capabilities, and in depth handbook controls.

Sadly, Canon has packaged these spectacular optics in a lens that has some critical construct high quality compromises. The dearth of climate sealing considerably dampens the lens’s versatility, and the externally-focusing design exacerbates the difficulty. Canon additionally cheapened out by not together with a lens hood within the bundle with the RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro, which is certainly disappointing.

Right here’s how I’d sum up the professionals and cons.

Execs:

• Robust optical efficiency in virtually each metric, from sharpness to flare
• Surprisingly superior dealing with options for a cheap lens, with in depth handbook controls
• Constructed-in picture stabilization is uncommon for a 35mm prime and works effectively
• Spectacular close-up capabilities make it a really versatile lens
• Light-weight and transportable design
• Good worth at $499

Cons:

• No climate sealing
• Externally focusing design feels low-cost and is much less weatherproof
• Lens hood will not be included (and if you happen to do get one, it attaches to the transferring portion of the barrel)
• Focusing is loud and hunts extra usually than most Canon RF lenses in low gentle
• Noticeable coloration fringing in out-of-focus areas

All in all, this makes for a flexible 35mm prime lens with sturdy optical efficiency and extra options than anticipated for the worth. Nonetheless, there are appreciable compromises in construct high quality, and the focusing efficiency is inferior to I had hoped. It’s nonetheless a robust lens, however try to be conscious of those points before you purchase it.

I hope that you just discovered this overview of the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro to be useful in making your resolution! If you wish to buy the lens, you possibly can thank Pictures Life for all of the work that went into this overview through the use of the hyperlinks under:

Pictures Life will get a small proportion of every buy made by way of the affiliate hyperlinks above, even if you happen to purchase one thing aside from the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro, with out costing you something further.

Extra Pattern Photographs

The photographs and textual content on this overview are copyright © Spencer Cox, all rights reserved. Copying or replica will not be permitted with out written permission from the writer.