Canon RF 28-70mm F2 L USM

Testers agree the centre of the frame is superb at every focal length, already at f/2, and that contrast, colour and lateral colour correction are excellent. They differ on the corners: one lab found 28mm the strongest setting with the frame edges excellent and only a mild drop at 70mm, while another measured disappointingly soft corners at 28mm and 35mm at wide and medium apertures. Raw files show close to 3 stops of vignetting at f/2 and moderate barrel distortion at 28mm, both handled by in-camera correction. Bokeh is smooth, with some fringing at f/2 that is largely gone by f/4.

The reservations are physical. Reviewers call it huge, heavy and front-heavy for a mirrorless body, tiring over a full day and awkward on a tripod without a collar. Autofocus from the ring USM is very fast and close to silent, but focus breathing is substantial, which makes it a weaker choice for video than for stills.

Owners are mostly wedding, portrait and event photographers, and many say it replaced two to four primes so they can shoot a whole job without changing lenses. They praise sharpness that looks like prime output across the range, quick and accurate focus, the subject separation at f/2, and the extra light for dark venues and nightclubs. Several traded an EF or RF 24-70mm for it and do not regret it.

The complaints are consistent: it is big and heavy, the price is high, and some wish it had optical stabilisation and a 24mm wide end. Owners on bodies with IBIS say the missing IS matters less to them.