First Impressions of the Canon RF 10-20mm F/4.0L IS STM Lens
MAY 27, 2024
The Canon 11-24mm f/4.0L USM lens has been one of my favourite lenses. With a super wide field of view it offers a unique perspective that can make images stand out from the crowd. So when the Canon RF 10-20mm f/4.0L IS STM lens was announced, I was keen to get my hands on one and see what improvement had been made.
I still use EF lenses and this is only my second RF lens. Taking the 10-20mm out of the box for the first time and fitting it to my R5 , I was really impressed with its size and weight. The old 11-24mm f/4.0L USM is a chunky and awkward piece of glass to use and I would often leave it behind in an effort to save size and weight. The RF 10-20mm is a fraction of the size and weight.
To test the optical performance of the lens, I picked two locations. Fingal Head on the northern New South Wales Coast and the Shorncliffe Pier outside of Brisbane. I thought they would be good locations because they both offer strong frontal lighting and this really tested the performance of the 11-24mm lens, particularly when it came to sharpness, contrast and lens flare.
The RF 10-20mm performed really well on both tests. It is by no means the sharpest lens, but it performs really well around the edge of the frame at 10mm. It is certainly much sharper than the 11-24mm at all focal lengths. Lens flare looking directly into the sun was also pretty good, but you still need to be careful. Like the 11-24mm, a small speck of dust or drop of water on the front objective can ruin an image. Another improvement is the image stabiliser, previously missing from the 11-24mm. Canon claims up to six stops image stabilisation performance on the 10-20mm. Some of the test images that I captured are shown below (I tried to apply minimal edits, mainly just edits to tonality and colour).
It is still early days, and this is by no means a comprehensive test, but so far what don't I like? Just one small complaint. Like the 11-24mm, you cannot fit frontal filters (but there is a holder as the rear of the lens for gelatin or glass filters). Let's hope the RF 10-20mm sells well as this might encourage a few companies to take up the cause and make front filters that don't break the bank.
With the type of photography that I do, this lens feels like a solid addition to my kitbag. It will get a lot more use in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for more images across my feeds and of course, let me know what you think and if you have any questions.
Cheers,
Russell
