Canon Announces New 28-70mm f/2.8 Lens, Its Smallest RF Zoom

Canon announces its third lens of 2024 and the smallest and lightest zoom lens of the RF lineup, the RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM for full-frame and APS-C EOS R-series mirrorless cameras. Equally suited for stills and video, the lens’ innovative design benefits both the image quality and the lightweight, compact form factor. Its bright maximum aperture and versatile field of view makes it ideal for content creators seeking a high-quality, all-day imaging solution.

The somewhat niche 28-70mm zoom lens has long been a Canon specialty. The company fielded a similar EF-L lens from 1993 to 2002 and introduced an extra-bright and extra-bulky f/2 version when it launched the RF mount back in 2018. This latest iteration shows just how far lens design has come in the last 30 years, bringing the bodyweight down to 1.1 lb, while introducing state-of-the-art autofocus and image stabilization capabilities.

The lens’ optical design reduces its footprint while promoting high-quality imaging across the frame. Canon achieves this through two ultra-low dispersion elements, including one at the front of the lens, to correct chromatic aberrations and consolidate the lens’ center of gravity, along with two aspherical lenses that promote sharpness and suppress various aberrations. Canon also leverages electronic distortion correction to ensure edge-to-edge image quality. The lens’ bright f/2.8 maximum aperture affords a rich bokeh throughout the entire zoom range, while a minimum focusing distance of 9.4” is possible with manual focus at the wide end.

The autofocus design uses a leadscrew-type STM focusing motor to achieve the heights of speed and accuracy possible with Dual Pixel CMOS AF on compatible EOS R-series cameras. The motor is quiet, and Canon says the lens should exhibit minimal focus breathing when moving throughout the zoom range while shooting video.

Another area where Canon has made significant strides with the RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM is its optical image stabilization. Canon completely redesigned the OIS unit for the new lens, making it smaller to lighten the overall bodyweight while still affording 5.5 stops of correction. When used in conjunction with a compatible EOS R-series camera, that number jumps to 7.5 stops in the center of the frame and 7 stops in the corners.

Finally, much like its EF-L ancestor, Canon built the lens to be dust and weather resistant with a high threshold for durability.

For more information about the new lens, including additional features, specs, and highlights, be sure to check out the detailed product page for the Canon RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM Lens. Or drop us a line below, and we’ll do our best to answer all of your comments and questions.