Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM, shown on an EOS R5 (body not included). Photo: Yerpo via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)
HIGHLIGHTS
Canon U.S.A. introduced the RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM on September 5, 2018, alongside the EOS R and three other RF lenses, at $1,099, with US availability set for December 2018. It is a constant-f/4 L-series zoom with 18 elements in 14 groups, including three glass-molded aspherical elements and a UD element, plus Canon's Air Sphere Coating to cut flare and ghosting.
Why it exists. Canon pitched it as the all-round utility lens for the new RF system. Canon says it is about 10.7 mm shorter than the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM, and it was the first L-series lens with a Nano USM motor, for fast stills AF and smooth, quiet focus in video. Image stabilization is rated at 5 stops (CIPA), and like the other launch RF lenses it has a customizable control ring for exposure compensation, shutter speed, aperture or ISO. Canon lists dust- and water-resistant construction.
Our gallery comes from six photographers on four Canon RF models: the airship hangar at Écausseville at 30mm, a red rose at 74mm, a fruit sandwich in a Tokyo café, the tug Mark Moran in Baltimore at 88mm, a stitched 24mm panorama of a Hong Kong housing estate and a black-and-white avenue of ficus trees.
The story
Canon U.S.A. announced the RF 28-70mm F2 L USM, RF 50mm F1.2 L USM, RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM and RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM on September 5, 2018, and said the RF 24-105mm would be available in December 2018 for $1,099 (Canon U.S.A.).
Canon's Camera Museum entry lists it as marketed in October 2018 and notes it also supports Dual Sensing IS for stills and Combination IS with the camera's electronic IS for video (Canon Camera Museum).
Specifications
Key specs for the Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM, from Canon Europe's specifications page, the Canon Camera Museum and Canon U.S.A.'s September 5, 2018 release. Source for each row in brackets.
18 elements in 14 groups; 3 glass-molded aspherical elements, 1 UD element; Air Sphere Coating [Canon Camera Museum]
Angle of view (diagonal)
84° to 23°20′ [Canon Europe]
Close focus / magnification
0.45 m; 0.24x [Canon Europe]
Autofocus
Nano USM (the first in an L-series lens); full-time manual focus in One-Shot AF [Canon U.S.A., Canon Europe]
Stabilization
Optical IS, 5 stops (CIPA, on the EOS R at 105mm) [Canon Europe, Canon Camera Museum]
Controls
Customizable control ring (exposure compensation, shutter speed, aperture or ISO) [Canon U.S.A.]
Sealing
Dust- and water-resistant construction (Canon says it can't completely prevent entry) [Canon Europe]
Filter / hood
77 mm; EW-83N [Canon Europe]
Extenders
Not compatible [Canon Europe]
Size / weight
83.5 × 107.3 mm (retracted); 700 g [Canon Europe]
Announced / price
Sep 5, 2018; $1,099 (US); available December 2018 [Canon U.S.A.]
Sample photos
Six photos taken with the Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM on Canon RF bodies by six photographers, shared on Wikimedia Commons or Flickr under Creative Commons licenses or in the public domain. Each caption gives the settings the file records. Select a photo to enlarge it. More samples from Wikimedia Commons
f/11, ISO 200, 1/80 s, 30mm: the airship hangar at Écausseville, France (Canon EOS RP). Photo: Andreas F. Borchert via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)f/5, ISO 100, 1/800 s, 74mm: a red rose (Canon EOS R). Photo: Moheen Reeyad via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)
f/7.1, ISO 400, 1/60 s, 47mm: a fruit sandwich in a Tokyo café (Canon EOS R5). Photo: Araisyohei via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (resized)f/8, ISO 200, 1/100 s, 88mm: the tug Mark Moran at Pier 13, Baltimore (Canon EOS R5). Photo: Acroterion via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)
f/11, ISO 100, 1/100 s, 24mm: a stitched panorama of the Vista Paradiso estate, Hong Kong (Canon EOS R8; stitched by the photographer). Photo: See-ming Lee via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 (resized)f/13, ISO 6400, 1/160 s, 58mm: an avenue of ficus trees, in black and white (Canon EOS RP). Photo: RG TLV via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 (resized)
Canon: Launched at $1,099 in 2018 (US).
Verdict
Who it's for: full-frame RF shooters who want one sealed, stabilized zoom from wide to short telephoto for travel, events and everyday work, with quiet AF for video.
Look elsewhere if you need a faster aperture for low light or shallow depth of field, or a lighter, smaller kit zoom.
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