RF vs RF-S glass on the R7

CompleteUtterNonsense · Dec 7, 2022

My understanding is that the RF-S lenses have been designed specifically for the APSC format of the R7/R10.

Other than the obvious quality difference between the two, what are the differences between the RF and RF-S lens designs and how they interact with the body/sensor?

gcrimmins · Dec 7, 2022

RF lenses have an image circle that covers a full-frame sensor while RF-S lenses have an image circle that covers an APS-C sensor.

antonio-salieri · Dec 7, 2022

Yep, exactly. RF-S is just a sub-category of RF (and in fact they're fully compatible with all RF bodies, even FF ones, which will switch to crop mode automatically). All the usual principles about RF lenses apply here.

JohnMoyer · Dec 7, 2022

CompleteUtterNonsense said:
My understanding is that the RF-S lenses have been designed specifically for the APSC format of the R7/R10.

Other than the obvious quality difference between the two, what are the differences between the RF and RF-S lens designs and how they interact with the body/sensor?

The crop sensor will use only the center part of a full frame lens which is usually the best part.

EF-S and RF-S lenses will weigh less and cost less than the equivalent full frame lens.

For the same price, the RF-S lens may be better quality than the RF lens.

Photato · Dec 7, 2022

JohnMoyer said:
CompleteUtterNonsense said:

My understanding is that the RF-S lenses have been designed specifically for the APSC format of the R7/R10.

Other than the obvious quality difference between the two, what are the differences between the RF and RF-S lens designs and how they interact with the body/sensor?

Click to expand...

The crop sensor will use only the center part of a full frame lens which is usually the best part.

EF-S and RF-S lenses will weigh less and cost less than the equivalent full frame lens.

For the same price, the RF-S lens may be better quality than the RF lens.

A RF lens is not automatically better than RF-S because is larger FF.
I just compared the Canon RF 24-105 kit lens to the R7 18-150 kit lens and this RF-S lens is better in all matching FL, except on vignetting, where almost all FF lenses would do better.
No surprise , the RF-24-105 is cheaper.

CompleteUtterNonsense · Dec 7, 2022

JohnMoyer said:
CompleteUtterNonsense said:

My understanding is that the RF-S lenses have been designed specifically for the APSC format of the R7/R10.

Other than the obvious quality difference between the two, what are the differences between the RF and RF-S lens designs and how they interact with the body/sensor?

Click to expand...

The crop sensor will use only the center part of a full frame lens which is usually the best part.

EF-S and RF-S lenses will weigh less and cost less than the equivalent full frame lens.

For the same price, the RF-S lens may be better quality than the RF lens.

That is what I was wondering. So there is not a light gathering advantage to an RF lens because of the bigger glass. The R3/5/6 would gather more light with and RF lens than the R7/10.

To get more light in the pixels would require larger glass in an RF-S format.

mm · Dec 7, 2022

All I know is that the RFS18-150 is a flyweight and sharp as a tack.

Franz Kerschbaum · Dec 7, 2022

No. Not more light in a corresponding RF lens. On the contrary. A RF lens "wastes" light on a apsc body since the outer part of the image cercle ist not used because of the smaller sensor. A corresponding rfs lens can be smaller and cheaper since it does not have to illuminate the larger image cercle a FF camera needs to be covered.

davel33 · Dec 7, 2022

Photato said:
A RF lens is not automatically better than RF-S because is larger FF.
I just compared the Canon RF 24-105 kit lens to the R7 18-150 kit lens and this RF-S lens is better in all matching FL, except on vignetting, where almost all FF lenses would do better.
No surprise , the RF-24-105 is cheaper.

Maybe a better comparison would be with the RF 24-105 STM. Right now Canon has the RF 24-105 STM refurb on sale for $119 and it is a better lens

Photato · Dec 7, 2022

davel33 said:
Photato said:

A RF lens is not automatically better than RF-S because is larger FF.
I just compared the Canon RF 24-105 kit lens to the R7 18-150 kit lens and this RF-S lens is better in all matching FL, except on vignetting, where almost all FF lenses would do better.
No surprise , the RF-24-105 is cheaper.

Click to expand...

Maybe a better comparison would be with the RF 24-105 STM. Right now Canon has the RF 24-105 STM refurb on sale for $119 and it is a better lens

I bought it cuz it was dirt cheap and thought it might add something to my collection.
Unfortunately, to my surprise, its image quality is inferior or at best, a match to the 18-150 kit, so there is no point to own one in my case..
The 18-150 IQ is so good, that I'm suspecting my R10 applies lens corrections to the kit lens even in Raw! but I'm currently trying to figuring this out now to give a final verdict.

antonio-salieri · Dec 7, 2022

Photato said:
The 18-150 IQ is so good, that I'm suspecting my R10 applies lens corrections to the kit lens even in Raw! but I'm currently trying to figuring this out now to give a final verdict.

The answer is very simple. RAW images are always uncorrected.

JPEGs are corrected. The JPEG preview embedded in a RAW file will be corrected if the corrections are turned on. Turning corrections on and off will affect the JPEGs and embedded previews only. None of this affects RAW images.

Note: there are a few lenses Canon Makes for which some corrections cannot be disabled (such as distortion on the ridiculously distorted 16mm). This still only applies to the JPEGs and previews. The RAW images are always uncorrected.

SteveinLouisville · Dec 7, 2022

It is outstanding on the R7. Too cheap to pass up. Just buy one

Steve Fink · Dec 7, 2022

SteveinLouisville said:
It is outstanding on the R7. Too cheap to pass up. Just buy one

I have this combo as well an agree it's better than expected. It better than the EF niffty 50 1.8 lens.

Franz Kerschbaum · Dec 8, 2022

But the Canon RF 24mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM is much nicer in every aspect (but the price).

thunder storm · Dec 8, 2022

Franz Kerschbaum said:
But the Canon RF 24mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM is much nicer in every aspect (but the price).

The EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM is more affordable. It focuses faster. And it has less distortion on a full frame body. It's IS might be good enough as well giving the short focal length.

SteveinLouisville · Dec 8, 2022

Franz Kerschbaum said:
But the Canon RF 24mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM is much nicer in every aspect (but the price).

$79 v $599. It better be nicer at that price.

ipsMSD · Jun 2, 2023

If the RF-S image circle covers the aps-c sensor on an R7, shouldn't that mean no crop factor if used on R7?

Sittatunga · Jun 2, 2023

ipsMSD said:
If the RF-S image circle covers the aps-c sensor on an R7, shouldn't that mean no crop factor if used on R7?

No, the crop factor is a comparison to the classical 35mm film format, 36x24mm. A 50mm lens is a 50mm lens is a 50mm lens, but on 44x33mm it will cover 47°x36°, on 35mm film format, 40°x27°, on the R7, 25°x17° and on micro4/3, 20°x25°.

An RF-S lens will automatically cause an RF mount camera to crop to 22.3x14.9mm but it's still described with its actual focal length. That is how a full-frame 28-70mm f/7.1-10 on an R8 would be equivalent to the RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 on an R7.

Canon_Guy · Jun 2, 2023

CompleteUtterNonsense said:
My understanding is that the RF-S lenses have been designed specifically for the APSC format of the R7/R10.

Yes.

CompleteUtterNonsense said:
Other than the obvious quality difference between the two, what are the differences between the RF and RF-S lens designs and how they interact with the body/sensor?

No other differences.

RF vs RF-S glass on the R7

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