Canon RF 24-240mm Review

The Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM is a lens I’ve found myself reaching for when I need flexibility without compromise on practicality. Its versatility makes it an excellent choice for travel, everyday photography, and even casual video work. Spanning an impressive 10x zoom range from wide-angle to telephoto, it covers a vast array of shooting scenarios, whether you’re capturing sprawling landscapes, zooming in on distant subjects, or framing mid-range portraits. It’s the kind of lens that gives you confidence that you’re ready for almost anything, and that convenience is its greatest strength.

The build quality, while not weather-sealed, feels robust for its price point, with a retractable design that keeps the lens compact when stored. At 750g, it’s not ultralight, but for a 24-240mm lens, it’s remarkably portable and balances well on Canon’s EOS R-series cameras. The zoom ring operates smoothly, though there’s a bit of extension creep at the longer focal lengths when the lens is pointed downward, which is worth noting. The lens also features Canon’s multifunction control ring, which can be customised for settings like aperture or ISO adjustment, adding a layer of practicality to its operation.

Optically, the RF 24-240mm delivers respectable performance across its range, though not without some compromises. At the wide end (24mm), centre sharpness is excellent, though the corners show some softness that improves as you stop down. Mid-range performance is solid, making it great for portraits or general-use shooting. At the telephoto end (240mm), sharpness decreases slightly, and chromatic aberrations can appear in high-contrast situations, but they’re not egregious and can be corrected easily in-camera or in post. Distortion and vignetting are noticeable, particularly at 24mm and wide open, but Canon’s RF cameras apply automatic corrections that significantly mitigate these issues.

When it comes to colours, this is where the lens shows its limitations compared to Canon’s L-series glass. While the results are perfectly good, they lack the richness, vibrancy, and micro-contrast that the higher-end RF lenses deliver effortlessly. However, in most real-world applications, especially for casual or travel photography, this is a minor trade-off for the sheer convenience of having such a wide focal range.

The lens’s f/4-6.3 maximum aperture is a limitation for low-light performance and depth-of-field control, but Canon’s excellent 5-stop image stabilisation compensates well, allowing for slower shutter speeds in handheld shooting. Paired with the RF system’s autofocus capabilities, driven by the Nano USM motor, the lens focuses quickly and quietly, performing reliably for stills and video alike. The 0.5m minimum focus distance is versatile enough for close-ups, though it won’t replace a dedicated macro lens.

In practice, the RF 24-240mm has consistently impressed me with its ability to adapt to nearly any situation. It’s not a lens for pixel-peeping perfectionists or those chasing the ultimate in image quality, but it excels at being “good enough” in nearly every scenario. For me, the wide reach and convenience have made it a valuable addition to my kit, particularly when travelling light or working in unpredictable environments. It’s the lens you bring when you don’t want to think about swapping glass and just want to be ready for whatever comes your way. That kind of versatility is rare and makes the Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM a standout option in the RF lineup.

Examples

Here are some recent photos I captured using the Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM lens. These shots highlight the lens’s performance across different conditions, settings, and subjects. To view the complete collection of photos taken with this lens, the link.