Thoughts on the RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM

I'm not yet a professional photographer, but I have some things to say about the lens from the viewpoint of a semi-amateur photographer who shoots sports, landscape, and portrait photography.

I got my EOS RP in early October as a major upgrade from my super-limiting EOS Rebel T100 (or 4000D). I was blown away by the differences and new freedoms I could take in shooting photos.

I've come to understand the limitations of this lens through routinely shooting photos at university basketball, hockey, rugby, soccer, and volleyball events. The 24-105 shines with adequate lighting, but once things start to get dark, shooting becomes slightly more challenging. Shooting across an indoor court is ok when facing a light wall, but harder when facing a shadowy crowd.

The image stabilization helps with shooting at lower speeds and somewhat reduces shake when panning.

The STM motor is silent enough to not be noticeable when focusing in quiet environments or when recording video.

This is a shot at a basketball game I managed to get:

EOS RP - RF 24-105 f/4-7.1 IS STM - f/6.3 - 1/320s - ISO400 - 63mm

One drawback with such a lens is that it becomes hard to achieve lots of background blur when photographing plants and animals. As I review my photos, I often feel dissatisfied with the blur from f/6.3 or 7.1.

Chromatic aberration is also present in some photos but can be fixed in post-processing.

Unfortunately, the 24-105 isn't weather-sealed and lacks a clicky control ring like some other RF mount lenses Canon offers. The EW-73D lens hood isn't included with the lens.

Overall, it's a great kit lens for the EOS RP, but I'd recommend an upgrade to a faster lens when your budget allows it. Once I can, I'm either going for a 24-70mm f/2.8 or a 24-105mm f/4.