Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM: Canon's do-everything RF prime, with 0.5x macro and IS
A light, stabilized 35mm prime that also focuses close enough for half-life-size macro, for Canon's full-frame and APS-C RF cameras. Launched at $499.99 in 2018.
Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM. Photo: Chris Calvin via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)
HIGHLIGHTS
The RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM was one of the first four lenses Canon made for its RF mount, announced on September 5, 2018 alongside the original EOS R at $499.99. It's still Canon's go-to small prime: a 35mm f/1.8 that weighs about 305 g and measures 74.4 × 62.8 mm. On full frame it covers 63° diagonally, a natural view for street, travel, environmental portraits and everyday shooting. On an APS-C RF body such as the EOS R50 it frames like about a 56mm lens.
Two features set it apart from most small primes. It focuses down to 0.17 m for 0.5x magnification, half life-size, so flowers, food and small objects fill much of the frame. And it has optical image stabilization rated at 5 stops (CIPA, with the EOS R), with Hybrid IS to correct both angular and shift shake during close-ups. Inside are 11 elements in 9 groups and a 9-blade aperture, driven by an STM stepping motor. A control ring can be set to aperture, ISO or exposure compensation, and filters are 52 mm. The EW-52 hood is sold separately.
The trade-offs are mostly in handling. Photography Life found it focuses fairly loudly and sometimes hunts in low light, and wished for a focus limiter; The-Digital-Picture notes strong focus breathing and moderate color fringing at f/1.8, and TechRadar heard AF noise in stills. Vignetting is heavy wide open, about 2.5 stops at f/1.8 by Photography Life's measurement, but it's largely gone by f/2.8. There's no weather sealing, and the front barrel extends as it focuses. Pair it with the RF 16mm F2.8 STM and RF 50mm F1.8 STM for a light three-prime kit.
The story
Canon U.S.A. introduced the RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM on September 5, 2018, with the RF 28-70mm F2 L USM, RF 50mm F1.2 L USM and RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM, as the first lenses for the new RF mount. It was due in December 2018 at $499.99 (Canon U.S.A.).
Photography Life's review called it a sharp lens whose one weakness is the corners wide open, and DPReview found the stabilization very effective but the STM focusing audible on internal audio.
Specifications
Key verified specs for the Canon RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM, from Canon Europe's specifications page, Canon U.S.A.'s Sep 5, 2018 release and the Canon Camera Museum, and reviews by Photography Life, The-Digital-Picture and TechRadar. Source for each row in brackets.
Format / mount
35 mm full frame; Canon RF mount [Canon]
Focal length
35 mm (about 56 mm equivalent on 1.6x APS-C RF bodies) [Canon]
Optical IS, up to 5 stops (CIPA, with EOS R); Hybrid IS for close-ups; Dual Sensing IS and Combination IS with supported bodies [Canon]
Close focus / magnification
0.17 m; 0.5x [Canon]
Filter
52 mm [Canon]
Controls
Focus ring; customizable lens control ring [Canon]
Weather sealing
None; front element not fluorine coated [Photography Life]
Size / weight
74.4 × 62.8 mm; about 305 g [Canon]
Vignetting
About 2.5 stops at f/1.8 and infinity uncorrected; negligible by f/2.8 [Photography Life]
Hood
EW-52, sold separately [Canon]
Announced / price
Sep 5, 2018; $499.99 at launch [Canon]
Sample photos
Six photos taken with the RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM on full-frame and APS-C Canon EOS R bodies by independent photographers, shared under Creative Commons licenses. Each caption names the camera. Select a photo to enlarge it. More samples from Canon
f/2.8, ISO 100, 1/640 s: an ACTV water bus on a canal in Venice (Canon EOS R5 Mark II). Photo: GodeNehler via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)f/2.2, ISO 100, 1/1250 s: looking over Agrigento, Sicily, to the sea (Canon EOS R5 Mark II). Photo: GodeNehler via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)
f/5, ISO 100, 1/1000 s: “Abeja en flor”, a bee on a flower up close (Canon EOS R50, APS-C). Photo: Daniel Sebastián via Flickr, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)f/1.8, ISO 3200, 1/80 s: “Window Drops”, rain on glass with city lights behind (Canon EOS R). Photo: thetechhimself1 via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 (resized)
f/1.8, ISO 100, 1/320 s: “Glass bokeh” (Canon EOS R10, APS-C). Photo: Henry Söderlund via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 (resized)f/2.8, ISO 200, 1/500 s: “Väderblomma”, a flower at close focus (Canon EOS RP). Photo: Kaj Schmidt via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 (resized)
Canon: Launched at $499.99 in 2018.
Verdict
For Canon RF shooters who want one small prime that does a bit of everything, this is the easy pick. It's light, bright, stabilized and focuses close enough for real close-up work, and it suits full frame as a 35mm or APS-C as a short normal lens.
It isn't the quietest or fastest-focusing lens, the corners are dark wide open and focus breathing is strong for video. If you mostly shoot stills and leave lens corrections on, that rarely matters.
Pros
0.5x magnification at 0.17 m
5-stop optical IS with Hybrid IS
305 g; 52 mm filters
Customizable control ring
Cons
Audible AF; can hunt in low light (Photography Life)
Strong focus breathing (The-Digital-Picture)
About 2.5 stops of vignetting at f/1.8 (Photography Life)
