Canon’s new, affordable 24-50mm and 55-210mm Lenses Revealed

After plenty of rumors about their arrival in February, Canon’s two newest, highly affordable lenses are officially on the way.

These are the full-frame RF 24-50mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM and the RF-S 55-210mm f/5.7-7-1 IS STM APS-C models. Both are now available for pre-order and are remarkably affordable considering their reported quality.

Starting with the more hotly anticipated RF 24-50mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM, it’s a compact standard zoom optic that’s designed for Canon’s R-Series ESO cameras.

The RF 24-50mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM is extremely versatile, with a range that runs from wide-angle to standard zoom. The new 24-50mm can also be used with the brand’s APS-C cameras while delivering a 35mm full-frame coverage equivalent of 38-80mm.

It comes made out of eight elements in eight groups that include two aspherical elements. It also has a seven-bladed diaphragm.

This RF 24-50mm lens’s focus system is powered by a screw-type STM and gives it a close focusing distance of 0.3 meters or 11 inches, which makes this optic quite versatile for close shooting.

Canon’s internal optical image stabilization in the new lens covers up to 4.5 stops of shake minimization.

The RF-S 55-210mm f/5.7-7-1 IS STM lens on the other hand is a telephoto zoom model that’s designed for giving its best performance with APS-C cameras such as Canon’s R50 and other compact RF-mount models.

Canon has built the RF-S 55-210mm out of 11 elements in eight groups that include two UD lenses, and this model also comes with a seven-bladed diaphragm just like its 24-50mm cousin.

The RF-S 55-210mm f/5.7-7-1 IS STM offers 35mm coverage that’s equivalent to that of an 88-336mm lens while also being solid for telephoto photography and videography.

Moreover, it comes with 4.5 stops of optical image stabilization and close-focus power along with a minimum focusing distance of 0.7 meters, or 2.4 feet, at 210mm and 1 meter, or 3.3 feet at its 55m setting. This gives it quite a lot of versatility despite it being a telephoto zoom lens.

The optical image stabilization in the RF-S 55-210mm f/5.7-7-1 IS STM gives it 4.5 stops of shake reduction too.

This internal stabilization is particularly useful in these lenses for the specific reason that they happen to be kit lenses for Canon’s new R50 and R8 cameras, which lack their own image stabilization systems.

The 24-50mm edition is available with the Canon EOS R8 while the 55-210mm telephoto zoom model is available in one of the Canon EOS R50 kits.

The overall performance of both lenses has already been established as reasonably good to great depending on the scenario in which they’re used.

Both optics also offer an excellent resolution, minimal flaring from backlights, and deliver good image coverage when used with their respective sensor sizes.

Canon will start shipping both of these lenses as of early spring, probably in April. However, they can both already be pre-ordered. The RF-S 55-210mm f/5.7-7-1 IS STM is selling for a superb price of $350 and the RF 24-50mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM lens is retailing for just $300.

Again, photographers who want either lens with a superb camera neatly included can also pre-order Canon R8 camera kits that include the RF 24-50mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM for $1,699 or Canon’s R50 APS-C camera with the RF-S 55-210mm f/5.7-7-1 IS STM and one other lens for $1,029.

Header image credit: B&H Photo Video

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