The Canon 24-105mm F2.8 - The Unicorn Lens Is Here!!

Today we look at the INSANE brand new Canon RF 24mm-105mm F2.8 AF/IS lens. This beast of a zoom checks so many boxes, its hard not to love it. In this video we dive into performance, in both video and photo. Bonus points for WICKED close focus!

[@ScandinavianCoward]

This is the holy grail of documentary lenses.

[@ScandinavianCoward]

In case anyone is wondering, the minimum focal distance is 17.7" (450mm).

[@CaseyPreston]

This lens is a game changer as a Canon user. I didn’t think Canon had it in them. While I have a large number of cine primes, I still use Canon L zooms for their autofocus and image stabilization, but i truly dislike them due to the normal problems of bad focus rings, extending zooms, poor IS that is jumpy on certain lenses, losing transmission while zooming at anything other than wide open, focus breathing, etc.Somehow, through design and digital tricks, Canon managed to make a lens that defeats all of these problems while also being the fastest, longest AF zoom that they make. It has some issues, like I lose the ability to use my Kippertie, The parfocal, focus breathing, and constant transmission are maintained by digital tricks and motor manipulation. Crash zooms aren’t really an option. I wish the button on the front of the lens could be assigned to a one touch AF. Built in gear rings would have been nice. But I think this lens means that I’m retiring my C500 MK II’s and just using my R5c’s from now on. It’s that good. I can see this lens making people switch from Sony back to Canon.

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

the parfocal ability does allow for some fun crash zooms on it, due to its size and placement of the zoom ring you can almost get a full rotation from using your thumb when having your hand on the focus. Its really fun.

[@CaseyPreston]

When the lens is stopped down, you can see some ramping of the iris while zooming in order to maintain transmission. It is still better than the loss of more than stop of transmission on the 24-105 /f4L when you zoom when not wide open, though. Also, there is a bit of focus correction that occurs. It's not unusable, though. It gives a bit of that reality show crash zoom feel. It is also a very controllable zoom as you said. You don't even need the zoom controller to get usable zoom shots.

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

@@CaseyPreston yes we actually did notice this even wide open on our raptor. It seem to darken ever so slightly in the 35-70 range but we had to look for it. We only really went through it wide open for performance.

[@alexlubensky]

well yes and no, my advice is to look at CVP review of this lens, and digital corrections do seem not to keep up with the image while zooming (which kinda ruins the cabrio version of this lens). But as a variable prime it's not bad, I see this lens used a lot for run and gun. But not a competitor to proper cine zooms or primes, especially with a wide range in competing price bracket that we have nowadays

[@CaseyPreston]

@@alexlubensky I have the lens. The weird distortion while zooming is fixed. You can notice a slight amount of focus and transmission correction on a crash zoom, but nothing that normal viewing picks up. A slow zoom is unnoticeable. In this price range, I can’t think of a single zoom that competes with this unless you are running with a fully implemented FIZ unit Ann’s your most important criteria is a metal body with hard stops.

[@ErisedMediaCo]

This lens is my dream lens.

[@OculusFilm]

Wow, looks fantastic for run n gun!

[@Team_399]

It looks like you are you using the 2.4:1 7k for the well-lit shots then switching to the 17:9 7k for indoors where it is darker. How far do you have to zoom in before you are not seeing the edge of the barrel on the R5C? 30 mm? The reason it will cover the R5C in 8K video when they are both the same resolution is that, for the 17:9 ratio, the R5C is using roughly 36mm x 19mm of the sensor where the RED is using 40.96 mm x 2160 mm (or all) of the sensor?

[@whiterock1865]

I'm sorry you're saying on canon's full frame photo cameras it vignettes? But the vignette is probably corrected in camera with the likes of R5, R6 mk II, R3, R5c, etc?

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

Weirdly in photo mode on r5c you can see edges of the barrel at 24mm. You can see it in the very last photo in the video in that wide angle close up.

[@storyministry]

The manual aperture ring doesn’t work on the v-raptor correct?

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

I think you can assign it now.

[@RileyEndicott]

Does it vignette with Raptor in 8k?

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

It does. Why our tests are in 7k

[@mmolokichrystie9760]

What is the sensor size of the Red camera being used?

[@BrandonTalbot]

40.96 x 21.6 mm

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

It’s 7k on raptor so FF ish.

[@mmolokichrystie9760]

Thanks@@NorthwestCameraCo

[@teovisuals368]

what ND / VND did you use on test?

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

For the video stuff outdoors it was the tilta mirage system.

[@teovisuals368]

@@NorthwestCameraCo I'm considering to buy this lens and I'm going crazy to with VND get at the moment I have the breakthrough.photography and Simmod, owned KomodoX

[@scottmh]

It is full frame. 8k on the Raptor is quite a big larger than full frame.

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

This is why we shot in 7k which is a FF 16:9 equivalent. Which they cover just fine. This lens does not however cover photo full frame on r5c when shooting 3:2 FF images at 24mm

[@zebius4157]

​@@NorthwestCameraCo hard or soft vignette?

[@birthright94]

Is it parfocal?

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

From our testing it appears to be.

[@birthright94]

@@NorthwestCameraCo thank you