Noisy miner take off All photos Canon EOS R10 with RF-S 55-210mm lens. |
I posted my initial review of the Canon RF-S 55-210mm f5-7.1
IS STM lens in April 2023. This post is a follow-up after 8 months of use.
The quick take ? The more I use this lens the more I
appreciate it. The RF-S 55-210mm is
sleeper. A really good product which has attracted little attention.
In October 2023 Canon announced the end of their APSC crop sensor EF-M system after 11 years.
In its place we have APSC crop sensor bodies and lenses
using the larger RF mount which was introduced in 2018.
Now all Canon’s mirrorless interchangeable lens models use
the same RF mount.
Lenses designed with a small image circle suitable for
bodies with an APSC crop sensor are designated RF-S.
The main appeal of EF-M lenses was and still is for those
who own them, compact size and light weight with good image quality.
It appears Canon is on the same pathway with their RF-S
lenses.
It is early days for the RF-S subsystem but we already have
four lenses specifically designed for crop sensor RF mount cameras.
As of November 2023, RF-S camera bodies available are the R7, R10,
R50, R100.
The four RF-S lenses released to date are:
2022: RF-S 18-45mm f4.5-6.3 IS STM standard kit zoom. New
design for RF-S.
2022: RF-S 18-150mm f3.5-6.3 IS STM premium kit zoom. This
is a re-housed version of the EF-M 18-150mm lens with improved close-up
capability.
2023: RF-S 55-210mm f5-7.1 IS STM. New design for RF-S and
the subject of this review.
2023: RF-S 10-18mm f4.5-6.3 IS STM. New design for RF-S, due
for sale in December 2023.
Each of these lenses features similar styling and all
plastic construction, including the lens mount, which by the way, has proven to
be durable and reliable in the EF-M system with no problems reported on user
forums as far as I am aware.
The RF lens mount has an outside diameter of 69mm. Each of the lenses to date has an outside
diameter of 62mm which is 1mm greater than the erstwhile EF-M lens series.
As a result the RF-S lenses are easily recognised with their
outer barrel diameter being smaller than their mount diameter, producing the
characteristic step-down appearance of RF-S lenses.
Canon has a history of making crop sensor lenses in the
medium tele range.
In 2013 we saw the EF-S 55-250mm f4-5.6 for APSC crop sensor
DSLRs.
In 2014 the EF-M 55-200mm f4.5-6.3 was introduced. A
reduction in focal length range and aperture allowed the EF-M lens to be
substantially smaller and lighter than the EF-S lens.
Now in 2023 we have the RF-S 55-210mm version of the same
theme but with a completely different optical formulation. The EF-M lens had 17
elements in 11 groups.
The new RF-S lens has 11 elements in 8 groups. Length is
94mm, barrel diameter 62mm, mass 270 grams, filter size 55mm.
The combined mass of an EOS R10 with battery and card plus
the RF-S 55-210mm lens with protect
filter and lens hood is only 724 grams. The overall length including camera
body is 160mm. This makes a remarkably light, compact versatile medium tele
zoom kit which is also moderately priced at around AUD 2000 and that includes
the 18-45mm kit lens which comes with the camera.
The R5 plus RF 100-300mm f2.8 L combination on the left cost 11 times as much as the R10 plus RF-S 55-210mm combination on the right and is much heavier. |
Full frame equivalent aperture range is f7.2-11.4.
The RF 55-210mm can form part of a two lens kit with the
RF-S 18-45mm standard kit lens or take the medium tele role in a three lens kit
with the RF-S 10-18mm ultrawide and the RF-S 18-45mm standard.
I sometimes read complaints in photography forums about the
lack of wide aperture, high grade lenses in Canon’s APSC crop sensor catalogue.
I think these complaints are from people who don’t altogether appreciate the
logistics of the relationship between full frame and crop sensor lenses.
To illustrate my point with an example let us look first at
the Canon RF 50mm f1.8 “nifty-fifty” standard full frame prime lens. In
Australia today it costs AU$305. Length is 43mm and mass 160grams. I own and
have often used one of these. From about f4 it delivers excellent image quality
right across the frame.
If we wanted an equivalent lens in APSC format it would
require a focal length of about 32mm and a maximum aperture of f1.13.
Fujifilm offers an XF 33mm f1.4 for APSC which comes close
enough for our discussion. This lens is twice the size, twice the mass and over
twice the price of the Canon full frame lens.
I could go on offering similar examples across the range of
prime and zoom lenses.
My point is that the primary appeal of crop sensor
interchangeable lens cameras and lenses is compact size, light weight and
moderate price. When camera/lens makers make wide aperture optics for APSC they
end up larger, heavier and more expensive than a full frame lens with
equivalent focal length and aperture.
RF-S 55-210mm on EOS R10 |
I could not find many published reviews about the lens and
no long term user experience reports. Most so-called reviews are just promo
pieces by photography gear vendors. Some are quickie posts from websites
prioritising rapid publication over experience in use.
The most thorough review I found is from The Digital Picture
which describes sharpness as “reasonable” at 55-70mm but “a bit soft” at
135-210mm.
RF-S 55-210mm at 210mm the whole frame. The house is 1.6 kilometers from the camera on a hazy dull day about to rain. Hand held f8 |
This is a very heavy crop from the photo above. The foliage details hold up very well. Pretty good for a budget lens in unfavourable conditions |
The rear element looks like an optical flat presumably to keep dust out. |
An overworn but still true aphorism says that the best
camera or lens is the one we have with us when a photo op appears. In the case
of the RF-S 55-210mm lens and the EOS R10 body which is a perfect match for the
lens, the kit is so light and compact it can be taken anywhere in a small bag.
I use a LowePro Toploader Zoom 45 AW Mk2 which fits as if bespoke with plenty
of room for spare batteries, memory cards and cleaning cloths.
I leave a 55mm Hoya HD Protect filter mounted permanently.
My tests show no adverse effect on lens function and in wet, dusty or salt
spray conditions the filter sure is easier to clean than the front element of
the lens.
I have a JJC reversible lens hood fitted. I slightly prefer
the genuine Canon ones as they appear to be made of a more rigid material but
the JJC alternative is less expensive and more readily available.
The main criticisms I have read about small aperture crop
sensor lenses are
* Plastic construction including the mount and probably the aspheric
optical element. I think this is just prejudice. I have been using plastic or
“engineering polycarbonate” if you prefer, bodies and lenses for years and have
never had a structural problem with any of them. Actually polycarbonate is much
less prone to scratches, marks or dents than metal.
* Small maximum aperture. This comes with the territory. In the good old DSLR days lenses would not
focus reliably at apertures smaller than f5.6. These days with Canon Dual Pixel
AF there is no problem with autofocus at small apertures, even f16 in good
light.
However there are two real issues.
The first is than in low light conditions small apertures
(high f-numbers) mean we must use higher ISO sensitivity settings with consequent
increase in digital noise and loss of fine detail. The partial fix for this
comes in the form of Adobe Denoise AI which we activate via the “enhance”
command in Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom.
This is remarkably effective in reducing even blizzard-like
grain and manages to do this while retaining all the detail in the original
file, a feat which standard noise reduction algorithms cannot do effectively.
The second issue is that small apertures make it difficult
to smoothly blur out busy backgrounds. Again Adobe Camera Raw comes to the
rescue with a workable fix.
If the photo has a clearly defined subject and background,
for instance a bird in a bushland setting we can select the subject (bird) and
background separately and subject each to different editing adjustments.
Thus we can brighten and sharpen the subject and lower
contrast, texture and clarity in the background thus creating a smoother out of
focus rendition. The effect is not quite as convincing as that given by
original capture with a wide aperture lens but is a positive step in the
desired direction and plenty good enough for most photos.
* No weather sealing.
You want weather sealing ? Spend
more money. That’s the deal.
* No lens hood in the box ! ! ! Come on Canon. I would be surprised if a
simple bayonet hood like the one for this lens cost as much as a dollar to
make. Please, please, just put one in the box with every lens. You will make
many friends.
Here are some details about the RF-S 55-210mm lens.
The focus/control ring at the front of the barrel is easily
located by feel and turns smoothly. I actually would prefer if it offered a bit
more drag. It can be used for manual focus or as a control ring as defined in
the relevant menu.
There are no levers or switches on the lens barrel. This is
standard practice with EF-M and RF-S lenses. Set AF/MF and IS on/off in the
menus.
Autofocus on the EOS R10 is fast, accurate, quiet and
reliable.
The image stabiliser is reliably effective giving
approximately 3 EV step benefit.
I have already talked about sharpness. The lens is also
decently resistant to flares of various kinds with the sun shining on the front
element.
The out of focus rendition (bokeh) is decently smooth with
little evidence of double lining and ni-sen.
Close-ups are readily achieved with a maximum magnification
of 0.28x at 210mm zoom. This is really handy for capturing little things
without having to get too close to the subject.
Distortion is minimal barrel at most focal lengths with
Adobe Raw conversion profile.
Peripheral shading is evident at the widest aperture at each
focal length, becoming less so as the aperture is reduced (larger f-number) and
is easily removed in post processing if desired.
Color fringing is minimal even with foliage against a hot
sky in the periphery of the frame.
Overall I rate the optical and mechanical performance of
this lens at the high end of the very good level on a scale of unsatisfactory,
acceptable, good, very good, excellent, outstanding.
As to portability, likeability and value for money I rate it
as excellent.
Summary
The Canon RF-S 55-210mm lens has quietly slipped onto the
market without fanfare. Reviewers and
commentators have largely ignored it.
What a pity. It is a really good lens which is very
versatile and capable.
I recommend it highly for any Canon user thinking about or
in the process of building an RF-S body/lens kit.
The Rainbow lorikeets love to have a bath |
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