Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM

Reviewers find it extremely sharp across the zoom range, with an excellent centre at f/2.8 and very good borders that improve further at f/4. The one soft spot is a slight drop wide open at 200mm. Lateral CA is very low, and distortion runs from mild barrel at 70mm to pincushion at the long end. Uncorrected vignetting is heavy at 200mm f/2.8, about 2.6 stops, but largely gone by f/5.6 and well handled by in-camera correction. Optically it matches the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L III with fewer elements and two-thirds of the weight.

Bokeh is smooth, especially in front of the subject, though corner highlights turn cat's-eye wide open. The dual Nano USM AF is very fast and quiet, and IS beat its 5-stop rating in at least one handheld test. The criticisms are noticeable focus breathing, which reduces the real gain from the closer focus, a focus shift when stopping down that firmware addressed for AF, and a launch price well above the EF version.

Owners repeatedly call it their go-to lens. Sports, concert and dog-sport shooters praise the fast, reliable autofocus, sharpness wide open across the range, and the smaller, lighter body compared with EF 70-200s. Several like that the retracted lens fits a small bag, and the hood window for polarisers and variable NDs gets mentions.

The complaints are about the price, weight on long shoots, and a clicky, stiff control ring that is awkward for video. Early buyers reported front-focusing at close range wide open, which a firmware update fixed. One owner who used it in rain and dust reported no problems with the extending barrel.