Canon RF 35mm F 1 8 IS STM Macro Review | 54 Data compared

The Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM lens is an exceptionally compact, lightweight, and versatile prime lens designed to perfectly complement the Canon EOS R and RP full-frame mirrorless camera bodies. Tipping the scales at a mere 305g and measuring just 74x63mm, it provides a portable alternative to much heavier RF glass, making it highly suited for travel, architectural, and street photography. A key benefit of this lens is its 5-stop hybrid image stabilizer, which corrects for x-y shift during close-ups and works seamlessly with a camera's digital stabilization for steady video capture. Performance-wise, the lens earns a full 5/5 score for image quality, delivering ace center-sharpness and beautiful bokeh even when shooting wide-open at its bright f/1.8 aperture, though some uncorrected vignetting is noticeable at that maximum setting. The review highlights several critical pros and cons to help users weigh their options. On the positive side, its primary strengths include its small, lightweight, and well-balanced build, alongside a quick and remarkably quiet STM autofocus system that transitions smoothly during video recording. The front-mounted control ring is another asset,...

The Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 STM IS macro is an affordable, fast prime lens that delivers impressive image sharpness across most of the frame at f/1.8, reaching peak performance with excellent center and very good corner resolution between f/4 and f/5.6. It features low native distortion (~1%) and a highly efficient 5-stop image stabilizer perfect for low-light, handheld photography. The lens also offers a pleasing, silky background bokeh and unique 1:2 macro capabilities. However, the lens suffers from massive native vignetting (~3.8 EV) at f/1.8, requiring digital auto-correction that boosts corner noise. Its stepping motor (STM) autofocus is slower than average and produces a high-pitched noise rather than being silent. Additionally, noticeable bokeh fringing (LoCA) and residual spherical aberrations (RSA) cause focus shifts when stopping down, which compromises AF accuracy. Finally, the plastic build lacks weather-sealing, and the double-lined foreground blur is less than ideal.

The Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM is a small, lightweight, and relatively inexpensive lens ($500) that serves well for macro shots, travel photography, and as a backup lens. Its primary pros include a highly versatile 0.5x magnification macro ratio suitable for wedding detail shots, and exceptional image quality that delivers center-to-corner sharpness comparable to much more expensive lenses. Additionally, it features a programmable control ring and a wide field of view that prevents compressed perspectives, making it easier to capture fine internal engravings on items like rings. However, the lens has several notable cons, particularly regarding its electronic focus ring, which requires too many slow rotations to shift from infinity to minimum focus. A significant disappointment is the image stabilization, which fails to produce sharp, hand-held macro shots at shutter speeds slower than 1/80 of a second due to enhanced hand-shake close to objects. Furthermore, because it is not an L-series lens, its plastic build lacks robust durability, the rings lack a satisfying mechanical click, and the bokeh is slightly smaller and less smooth. The 35mm focal length...

The Canon RF 35mm f1.8 IS Macro STM is a highly versatile, lightweight wide-angle prime lens designed for Canon’s full-frame mirrorless EOS R system. Priced around $500, it serves as an excellent all-around option for street, landscape, architectural, and casual portrait photography. One of its standout features is its macro capability, providing a 1:2 (50%) magnification from a close focusing distance of 17cm, allowing photographers to tightly frame small objects. Additionally, the lens features a bright f1.8 aperture that delivers shallow depth-of-field effects, a dual-ring setup featuring a customizable control ring, and built-in optical stabilization providing up to five stops of compensation to steady handheld shooting and video work. While highly recommended, the lens does come with some notable trade-offs. On the downside, it completely lacks weather sealing, and its STM autofocus motor is far from silent when shooting stills, though it does automatically slow down to become virtually inaudible during video recording. Optical testing also reveals a bit of softness and vignetting in the corners when shooting wide-open at f1.8, meaning you will need to stop down to f4...

In this review, Daniel Lee from ⁠The Photography Enthusiast highly praises the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS STM lens as an exceptionally versatile prime lens suitable for genres ranging from landscapes and portraits to product photography. Tested over 15 months on a Canon EOS R6 body, the reviewer finds it to be a long-term keeper due to its standout pros, which include elite wide-open sharpness (noticeably outperforming the RF 50mm f/1.8), pleasant bokeh rendering for subject isolation, highly effective built-in image stabilization, and a lightweight, travel-friendly footprint—all wrapped up at a very fair and budget-friendly price point. Despite its strong performance, the review highlights notable cons centered around the autofocus and physical build. The biggest drawback is the autofocus motor, which is audibly noisy in quiet environments and slower compared to modern linear focus motors found on competing Sony lenses. Additionally, the reviewer dislikes the lens's extending front element and notes that it is not 100% free of vignetting and chromatic aberrations, though the latter can be mitigated easily using in-camera corrections. Ultimately, receiving an overall rating of 3.5 out...

The Photography Life review characterizes the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM as a versatile, budget-friendly, and lightweight prime lens offering impressive central sharpness at f/1.8, 5-stop image stabilization, and a 0.5x magnification ratio. Ideal for street and travel photography, this compact lens delivers high-quality results for general shooting and close-up, half-life-size macro work. Conversely, the lens suffers from heavy vignetting at wide apertures and noticeable longitudinal chromatic aberration, alongside a relatively loud, slow STM autofocus motor. Physical limitations include a lack of weather sealing, a cheaply-built extending barrel, and the exclusion of a lens hood, which affects its usability in demanding environments.

The Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS STM Macro is described as a highly versatile, lightweight (10.8 oz), and budget-friendly prime lens, offering a bright f/1.8 aperture for smooth bokeh and effective low-light performance. Key advantages include integrated optical image stabilization and an impressive 0.50x (1:2) magnification for close-focusing capabilities. Conversely, to achieve this compact, cost-effective design, the lens exhibits moderate focus shift, noticeable color fringing at wide apertures, and strong focus breathing. It is characterized as a high-value, portable option suitable for general, travel, and macro photography, despite lacking the weather sealing of higher-end L-series alternatives.

According to Ken Rockwell, the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM is an essential, highly versatile lens for the EOS R system, praised for its exceptional sharpness, 5-stop image stabilization, and 1:2 macro capability. It combines a lightweight, portable form factor with a fast f/1.8 aperture, making it an affordable, high-performance option for various shooting scenarios. However, the review notes specific drawbacks, including an electronic manual focus ring with a slow, non-mechanical feel and an autofocus motor that produces a faint, audible hum. Additionally, the design lacks physical focus/depth-of-field scales and features a, unconventional,,,exposed front element,.

The Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM is described by Dustin Abbott as a competent and highly functional lens, noted for its compact size, lightweight build, and reasonable price point. Key performance benefits include strong center sharpness, accurate autofocus, effective image stabilization, and versatile 1:2 macro magnification. Conversely, the lens shows some compromises, with the review highlighting heavy vignetting, prominent barrel distortion, and busy bokeh rendering. Further limitations include a somewhat noisy STM autofocus motor and light transmission that is slightly lower than the designated f/1.8 aperture.