Verdict
The Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM is everything you
want a nifty fifty to be. It’s cheap, compact and
capable, delivering great image quality (on par in
some areas with the RF 50mm f/1.2L, which costs
over 10 times as much!) in a truly pocket-sized lens.
It’s a fantastic everyday optic that pairs well with
any R-series body – particularly the Canon EOS RP.5.0 A best-in-class product
4.0Features5.0Performance5.0Valuehe Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM is exactly what
Canon’s RF ecosystem needed: an affordable nifty
fifty. When the Canon EOS R launched in 2018, it was
accompanied by the astonishing – and, at over two
grand, astonishingly expensive – RF 50mm f/1.2L
USM. Until this year, the RF system was dominated by prestige
lenses and premium-grade optics – but little in the way of everyday
glass that people can actually afford. The RF 50mm f/1.8 STM fills
one of the few remaining glaring gaps in the EOS R lens lineup:
a cheap, compact and capable standard lens to replace
the venerable EF 50mm f/1.8 STM.
Don’t worry, though – this is far from a quick cut-and-shut
of an old lens with a new mount. The optical formula has been
redesigned, and the build quality has been markedly improved; the
result is a truly essential (and affordable) lens for the EOS R family.
The headline stepping motor (STM) offers quick and quiet focus,
which is fast enough for stills and smooth enough for video. An
aspheric element contributes to centre-to-edge sharpness, and
Canon’s Super Spectra Coating improves overall image quality
without affecting colour rendition.Performance
The Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM punches well above its weight,
delivering images with impressive image quality across the
entire aperture range. It’s also a darn fun lens to use.
Open it up to f/1.8 and you can achieve great subject separation,
background blur and low-light performance without sacrificing
too much sharpness. Stop down to f/2.8 and beyond, though,
and you’ve got a tack-sharp performer that captures all the
detail you could ask for.
The focusing mechanism is very quiet, although if you’re using
the internal microphones on your camera, you might pick up a
hint of motor noise while you’re recording video. James ArtaiusT
1
This is far and away the
smallest and lightest
lens for the RF mount,
measuring just 41mm
long and weighing a
paltry 160g.2
The reduced real
estate comes with
a compromise: the
lack of independent
focusing and control
rings. The control ring
pulls double duty for
focusing, by way of
a switch that toggles
between the two
functions.3
While the RF 50mm
f/1.8 STM is basically
the same size and
weight as the EF
version, it feels a
lot more ‘premium’.
It isn’t weather-
sealed, however.Canon RF 50mm
f/1.8 STM
£219/$199
An essential for EOS R owners – and a bargain
Specifications
Mount: Canon RF
Full-frame: Ye s
Autofocus: Ye s
Image stabilisation: No
Lens construction:
Six elements in five groups
Diaphragm blades: Seven
Minimum aperture: f/22
Minimum focusing distance: 0.30m
Maximum magnification ratio: 0.25x
Filter size: 43mm
Dimensions: 69 x 41mm
Weight: 160g5.0Build &
handling312Fringing 0.25
With in-camera corrections disabled, the RF 50mm
f/1.8 produces noticeable, though not distracting,
levels of fringing. This reduces to become almost
unnoticeable by f/8 (the score given here).Distortion -0.36
Although we disable in-camera distortion correction
during our lens testing, the RF 50mm f/1.8 still
produces impressively little distortion. There’s
just a trace of barrel distortion.Sharpness05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,000f/1.8 f/2 f/2.8 f/4 f/5.6 f/8 f/11 f/16 f/22
Centre Middle EdgePrime lens Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM
124 DIGITAL CAMERA^ MARCH 2021 http://www.digitalcameraworld.comK i t Z o n e
Sharpness
Centre sharpness is respectable wide open and
at f/2 – and by f/2.8, it’s simply superb. These
centre sharpness scores are actually comparable
to the far pricier RF 50mm f/1.2!