I have not tested any of Canon’s “economy” line of RF lenses, such as their 24mm and 35mm Macro STM primes. The three zooms I tested are all “L” lenses, designating them as premium-performance models. Rumours are a 12mm, 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm are coming! But when? As of this writing in late 2022, Canon has yet to release any premium primes for their RF mount shorter than 50mm. From L to R they are: RF15-35mm, RF28-70mm, and RF70-200mmĪ good thing, because with Canon we have little choice! For top-quality glass in wide-angle focal lengths at least, zooms are the only choice for their mirrorless R cameras. The “holy trinity” of Canon zooms tested were purchased in 20. Can we have it all? The new zooms come close to delivering.
It’s nice to have the flexibility of a zoom without sacrificing the optical quality and speed so important for astrophotography. While usually slower than top-of-the-line primes, the advantage of zoom lenses is their versatility for framing and composing subjects, great for nightscapes and constellation shots. The shorter lens-to-sensor “flange distance” offered by mirrorless cameras, along with new types of glass, provide lens designers more freedom to correct aberrations, particularly in wide-angle lenses. The new zooms’ optical performance is proving to be as good, if not better than the older generation of prime lenses for DSLR cameras, models often designed decades ago. The new generation of premium zooms for mirrorless cameras, from Canon, Nikon and Sony, are dispelling the old wisdom that primes are better than zooms.
Many older zooms just didn’t cut it for discerning astrophotographers, myself included. Stars are the severest test of a lens, revealing optical aberrations that would go unnoticed in normal images, or even in photos of test charts. In years past, zoom lenses were judged inferior to fixed-focal length “prime” lenses for the demands of astrophotography. In a detailed review, I test a “holy trinity” of premium Canon RF zoom lenses, with astrophotography the primary purpose.
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