Canon RF 24-240mm F/4-6.3 IS USM

This Canon superzoom arrived in 2019 as an early travel option for the RF mount on Canon's full-frame mirrorless cameras. Its 24–240mm range covers wide scenes and distant detail, so one lens can serve a mixed day of shooting. You could frame a market street at 24mm, then tighten onto a rooftop figure at 240mm without changing lenses.

The cost of that reach is a slow maximum aperture and a short feature list. The widest opening shrinks as you zoom, and the lens carries no weather sealing. In strong daylight those limits matter far less, and the reward is one-lens convenience.

The lens weighs 1 lb 10.5 oz (750 g) and measures 3.17 in (80.4 mm) across and 4.82 in (122.5 mm) long. Consider the weight of the camera and lens together when planning a day out. A screw-in filter attached directly must match the 72mm thread. Keep the front glass protected during transport.

The 24mm end handles interiors, streets and open landscapes. Portraits of companions fit naturally at focal lengths in the middle of the range.

Zooming toward 240mm makes distant subjects larger from the same position. A bird in a tree or a performer across a field are possible subjects. How much of the frame they fill depends on size and distance. Moving the camera changes perspective too, so inspect the background before taking the picture.

The maximum aperture narrows from f/4 at 24mm to f/6.3 at 240mm. A higher ISO may help retain a fast shutter speed in shade or evening light. A close subject can still have a soft background when there is enough space behind it. Choose settings for both movement and depth of field.

Closest focus is 1.6 ft (50 cm) at 24mm, measured from the sensor. The minimum distance becomes longer at 240mm. Maximum magnification is 0.26x at the long end. These limits apply at different settings, so check focus and framing as you zoom toward nearby food, flowers or objects on a market stall.

Built-in image stabilisation helps reduce camera shake during handheld work. Small movements are more visible at the long end. A moving subject still needs enough shutter speed for its movement, even when the camera is steady.

A zoom lock holds the barrel in place, stopping it from creeping out when the camera hangs from a strap. There is no weather sealing, so keep the lens sheltered in rain or dust. It also lacks a fluorine coating, a treatment that on other lenses helps water and grease slide off. Our features score is 26 out of 100.

Canon includes aspherical elements in the design. These shaped surfaces help correct optical faults, including distortion that curves straight edges. That matters for architecture at the 24mm end, where curved lines would show. Low-dispersion glass helps reduce chromatic aberration, the coloured fringes that can appear along high-contrast edges. At 240mm those fringes can show on branches against a bright sky.