Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Z Review

The Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Z lens is a fast telephoto zoom lens for Canon EOS R full-frame mirrorless cameras.

This is the latest model in a new generation of hybrid lenses for both photo and video, with Canon saying that there will be plenty of similar cross-over products to come in the future.

Bridging the gap between Canon’s separate ranges of Cinema EOS and RF lenses, the Z at the end of the product name stands for “Power Zoom”, to denote a non-standard lens to which a power zoom accessory can be fitted.

It is the same size as the RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z for easy swapping in video setups, with a slight variation in weight and using the same 82mm filter size.

Canon claims that this new lens offers better optical performance than the existing RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens, especially towards the 200mm focal length.

It features 18 elements in 15 groups including two Super UD, one UD and three Aspherical elements to reduce chromatic aberrations.

Itt has both Air Sphere and Super Spectra coatings to help reduce flare and ghosting, plus a fluorine coating protects the front element from dirt.

The minimum focusing distance is 0.49m at 70mm and 0.68m at 200mm and it has a maximum magnification ratio of 0.3x at 200mm.

This lens has a 11 blade diaphragm which creates an attractive blur to the out-of-focus areas of the image and it’s fully weather-sealed.

An internal focusing mechanism means the lens barrel doesn’t move/extend, unlike the current RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM lens which has an extending design, it has a short 70 degree zoom rotation for quick and precise adjustments, and it uses 82mm filters.

It’s equipped with an optical Image Stabilizer that offers 5.5-stops of built-in stabilisation or up to 7.5-stops when used with an EOS R camera that is equipped with IBIS.

There’s a configurable control ring on the lens barrel which allows you to quickly change the exposure compensation, shutter speed, aperture and ISO settings.

It also boasts a clickless Iris / aperture ring with 32 steps between stops and a lock switch for the Auto position and two configurable lens function buttons.

It offers focus breathing suppression and electronic parfocal focus stability while zooming (unlike video lenses which are optical), thanks to the dual Nano USM motor which controls it.

Black and white versions of this lens are being released. Both cost the same but the white version is 5g heavier (1115g for white vs 1110g for black) due to the white thermal barrier paint.

It is fully compatible with the 1.4x and 2x tele-converter extenders, which change the effective focal range to 98-280mm and 140-400mm respectively.

The Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Z lens will be available from November 14th 2024 priced at £3449.99 / €3929.99 / $2999 in the UK, Europe and USA, respectively.

The PZ-E2 and PZ-E2B power zoom accessories are priced at £1149.99 / €1309.99 (PZ-E2) and £1529.99 / €1749.99 (PZ-E2B) in the UK and Europe, respectively.