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Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM Lens

BH #CA1628RF • MFR #5051C002
 145 reviews
Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM Lens
Key Features
  • RF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
  • Aperture Range: f/2.8 to f/22
  • One Aspherical Element
  • Super Spectra Coating
Ultra-wide field of view mixed with a compact and portable design, the Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM is a sleek everyday wide-angle prime. Blending a compact, lightweight design with a bright maximum aperture, this rectilinear ultra-wide comes in handy when photographing interiors and architectural subjects, as well as broad landscape views and astrophotography scenes.
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$249.00
Price $299.00
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Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM Overview

By B&H Photo's
Ultra-wide field of view mixed with a compact and portable design, the Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM is a sleek everyday wide-angle prime. Blending a compact, lightweight design with a bright maximum aperture, this rectilinear ultra-wide comes in handy when photographing interiors and architectural subjects, as well as broad landscape views and astrophotography scenes.

One aspherical element is featured in the optical design, which limits distortion and contributes to a high degree of sharpness for accurate rendering. This unique lens also sports a close 5.1" minimum focusing distance for close-up shooting and the STM AF motor enables smooth and quiet focusing performance to suit both photo and video applications. The lightweight design and broad field of view also make this lens an enticing option for vlogging and content creation.
Sleek ultra-wide-angle prime is designed for use with full-frame Canon RF-mount mirrorless digital cameras.
Bright f/2.8 maximum aperture suits working available lighting conditions, helps control depth of field, and contributes to a sleek form factor.
One aspherical element helps control distortion and promotes a high degree of sharpness.
Super Spectra Coating has been applied to minimize flare and ghosting for improved contrast and color fidelity when working in strong lighting conditions.
STM stepping motor offers fast, quiet, smooth, and accurate autofocus performance that is ideal for video recording as well as still shooting.
Minimum focusing distance of 5.1", along with a maximum magnification of 0.26x, makes this a unique option for close-up shooting while retaining great depth of field.
Configurable Control Ring can be used to adjust a variety of exposure settings, including aperture, ISO, and exposure compensation.
Rounded seven-blade diaphragm contributes to a pleasing bokeh quality.

Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM Specs

Key Specs
Focal Length
16mm
Maximum Aperture
f/2.8
Lens Mount
Canon RF
Lens Format Coverage
Full-Frame
Focus Type
Autofocus
Image Stabilization
No
Filter Size
43 mm (Front)
Maximum Aperture
f/2.8
Minimum Aperture
f/22
Lens Mount
Canon RF
Lens Format Coverage
Full-Frame
Angle of View
108° 10'
Minimum Focus Distance
5.1" / 13 cm
Maximum Magnification
0.26x
Optical Design
9 Elements in 7 Groups
Diaphragm Blades
7, Rounded
Focus Type
Autofocus
Image Stabilization
No
Filter Size
43 mm (Front)
Dimensions (ø x L)
1.6 x 2.7" / 40.1 x 69.2 mm
Weight
5.8 oz / 165 g
Packaging Info
Package Weight
0.575 lb
Box Dimensions (LxWxH)
4.7 x 3.8 x 3.7"

Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM Reviews

among the worst Canon lens I've owned

By Thomas
Rated 1 out of 5
Date: 2023-09-27

I really really REALLY wanted to like this lens. I love shooting wide, and a tiny fast ultrawide would let me have one on hand everywhere all the time. Unfortunately, the rendering of this lens is quite poor. To be sure, you can still get good results depending on how and what you shoot. If you give it good lighting, forgiving scene, lots of post work... sure, you can get it to produce decent images. But the lens is very finicky and fragile (not physically, but in image quality). There are plenty of other reviews about how distorted the image is before it's corrected computationally. I have many other lenses that do this, too, and I have no problems with this technique in general, but this lens seems to have to correct so much that it still ends up with a pretty poor distortion and sharpness falloff. The contrast on this lens is also frustratingly inconsistent, regularly leading to an almost HDR-like flatness when the light isn't bright sunlight. An f/2.8 lens is supposed to be usable in the shade and indoors, and yet this lens just doesn't look good. Even when the image is technically fine and at its best, it's aggressively lacking in that ineffable rendering quality of microcontrast or the [Zeiss/Leica] look or 3D pop that people argue over. I've looked at samples from other photographers to see if I had a bad copy, but I see the same thing there, too. If the samples generally look good to you, maybe this won't bother you, and you'll be happy with this lens. But I have to say this is one of the worst-rendering Canon lenses I've ever owned. It's really too bad, because it's so easy on the pocket and pocketbook. If you don't have to go so wide, the 28/2.8 pancake is a much better option.

Makes my R5 into a glorified Iphone

By Michael
Rated 2 out of 5
Date: 2023-07-31

If I had lost it, I can't see it being worth the money to repurchase this lens. Sure, it's got some attractiveness in the price dept., But the picture itself just isn't worth it, it isn't special in any regard. Not to say that It isn't bad, its just slightly better than your iPhone will get you.

So far, so good

By William
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2023-07-30

For the $200 sale price, this lens is fine. It's not L quality, but you can't expect that for a fraction of the L price. If you want a budget ultra wide angle lens, this is a good one.

Great service! Love the lens

By Chalei
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2023-07-30

I was able to get such a good deal on the rf 16mm lens. I couldn't believe it and bought instantly. My order shipped quicker than expected because I live in Hawaii and it usually takes weeks from other websites. I have been scouting for my next purchase on B&H because I know the quality and service is great. I will definitely be a return customer once I save up for my next lens!

Better than the kit zoom

By Scott
Rated 4 out of 5
Date: 2023-07-29

I would really love the Sigma 14mm F/1.4 that I had for my M50 II for the R50. This was the closest subsitute I could get. I use it for YouTube videos at a desk, and it's better than the 15-45 kit zoom, and it's pretty inexpensive.

Perfect supper wide angle lens and light

By Steven
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2023-07-26

I bought this lens to replace the EF16-35 L lens. This lens is much lighter, cheaper and I don't need the adopter for R6. I use it much more frequently then the EF16-35, because of its size and weight, also it produce about the same picture quality as of the EF L lens. The only negative is not able to zoom.

Great lens

By BPS
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2023-08-29

This lens is so crisp. I love shooting with it. Incredibly wide and with software lens corrections, the distortion is non-existent.

Surprisingly good

By Mark
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2023-08-07

At f2.8 it's very sharp in the center but definitely softer near the corners. Stopped to f5.6 it's just as sharp at the corners as the RF24-105 f4 which is a notoriously sharp lens. You must stop to f5.6 to get the full effect tough; f4 isn't any better than f2.8. With IBIS and electronic stabilization on my R6mkII you have enough stabilization for good looking hand-held walking-around video. Not GoPro stable but pretty stable. I would have preferred separate focus/control rings and L-series build, but the rear-most element APPEARS to be fixed so any dust/moisture that enters the lens may not get into the camera... I'm a mechanical engineer but I can't tell for sure. I am happy with my purchase.

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