Canon RF 24mm F1.4 L VCM Lens - First Impressions

I wanted small light fast weather sealed primes forsaking just about everything else and I got them… along with a shocking issue I didn’t expect.

Size

Nice and small. Just what I have wished for as full-frame prime lenses got so bloated in recent years. Slightly shorter than the adapter EF24mm 1.4. Overall mirrorless lenses have maintained a longer form factor but this one feels quite nice and balanced.

Weight

Relatively light. Feels great on the R6 body. Slightly lighter than the EF 24mm 1.4 but with weight distributed closer to the body making it feel much lighter when in use.

Sharpness

Beautifully sharp corner to corner from f1.4. The EF version was never known for being a super sharp lens so a sharper upgrade is welcome. Although the older version was sharp “enough” in the center it really suffered closer to the corners. This new lens is wildly sharper at f1.4.

Bokeh

I find the bokeh pleasing. It is quite comparable to the EF 24mm I have although I may give the edge to the older lens but it is pretty close. I tried some close-up shots but I’d need to look at it in more situations to really get a feel for it. Bottom line, the out of focus areas look wonderful.

Distortion

Mind-blowingly bad. The distortion is so bad I don't think I can look past it and accept how much better it performs in every other way. It costs almost $1500 and needs software to perform properly. WTF!

Is this in the name of minimizing focus breathing or maintaining a smaller form while retaining sharpness? Is focus breathing not fixable with software? Is distortion the preference here? I don’t understand but I’m sure there were many boardroom debates before landing on this being the solution.

If this is the trend for Canon lenses I don’t think the internet will let them live this down. Or maybe people will get used to it in this age of computational photography.

Either way, this level of distortion on L-series glass is currently earning them a bad reputation, even though in practice, the VCM lenses are producing great results when corrections are left on.

To add insult to injury you must lose a few megapixels with the correction. The files that come out of lightroom seem to claim they are the same resolution but I can imagine how that is the case.

Now I don’t know how much of a problem focus breathing is and if videographers hate correcting it with software but to build a lens with minimal focus breathing but in turn needs massive distortion correction seems wild. I wonder if it was also a function of having a sharper image corner to corner, wide open?

Now that complaint is out of the way. If corrections are left on the image looks pretty amazing. But I’m always going to know that it needed software to get there. It’s like a dirty secret being swept under the rug. Everything might look buttoned up and polished but there’s something ugly lurking out of sight.

Flaring

The RF 24 has a bit of flare when shooting into the sun but it’s not too prominent and I don’t think it’s super ugly. The older version flares more which can be beautiful. Particularly once the sun is out of the frame the EF is still flaring but the RF seems to have it controlled. The EF is known for a super cool 8-bladed sun star when stopped down to f22. Which is another thing. The RF version will only go to f16 and the has many more points on the sun star. Personally, I like the 8 bladed sun star better but I can take it or leave it. Both look good here.

Auto-Focus

Fast and completely silent. I have no complaints here. The floating element rattles like IBIS which may make some people question longevity but for the most part I trust Canon’s build quality.

The RF 24mm f1.4 on the Canon R6 with tracking AF works as well or better than the old EF one.

Image Stabilization

Doesn’t have it. People will moan about that. IS would ass some size, I like that they kept it small but the internet may also crucify them for no IS.

Materials

Rough plastic. Doesn’t feel as nice as the older 24mm 1.4 but I guess it helps keep it light and I still feel like it’s sturdy. I think the finish will mark easier than the EF model

Switches/Buttons

It has a customizable button on the side. It’s the first lens I’ve had with this and I don’t know what I’d like to map it to, if anything. It has the usual af mf button and the other switch releases or locks the aperture ring for video. It also has the usual control ring which I have never used and generally forget about other than using it to fidget because it has a satisfying click. 

The focus ring is a good size and is rubberized. It has some resistance and is stiffer than the 50 1.2 but is still very smooth.

Multiple Exposures

For some reason, you can’t do multi-exposure with this lens. This angers me almost more than the distortion. It’s software… why not? To be fair I usually use that feature with the 50 but it takes away an option and I don’t like that. You can’t even take the first image with the RF 24 and switch to another lens to finish the double exposure. I assume it has something to do with the level of distortion.

Conclusion

The Canon RF 24mm f1.4 L VCM lens seems like a bit of a gamble for Canon. They have certainly took some steps to make the lens smaller and lighter while keeping hybrid photo/video creators in mind. The 24mm has the same size, weight, and form factor that the 35 and 50 variants have. So it seems like some of the issues it uses software to correct may be because of the physical constraints that Canon was working with to make these lenses so similar. The downside of this is if you have a few lenses that are all so similar, you may have a harder time distinguishing between them in dark environments or fast-paced moments. It remains to be seen if these lenses are so revolutionary for hybrid creators that they sell well regardless of the downsides.

For the last few years I had been eagerly awaiting the mid sized fast primes with professional level build but now that I have held one, I feel deflated. I want to love this lens. It is sharper and feels better in my had and on my R6 but it is such a let down that I am going to keep using my old beat up EF 24mm f1.4 ii and I will send the RF version back.