Canon has launched two new RF-S kit lenses to provide budget-friendly, lightweight and versatile optics for the new Canon EOS R7 and Canon EOS R10, in the slender shape of the RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM and RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM.
The new mirrorless APS-C-format lenses offer a 35mm equivalent focal lengths of 29-72mm and 29-240mm respectively. With built-in optical IS, they’ve been developed as the ideal partners for shooting everything from landscapes and portraits to food and vlogs.
Canon RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM
The RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM is a multi-purpose lens for everyday shooting, thanks to its compact design and lens-retraction mechanism which makes it perfect for traveling and packing away in smaller camera bags. With a manual focus override and leadscrew-type STM for smooth, quiet movie autofocus, it’s a lens for all types of photography and video content.
Our first impression of the RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM was how tiny and light it felt, when compacted down it’s no bigger than a pancake prime lens! With a filter size of only 49mm, the lens is just 44.3x69mm when retracted, and weighs a svelte 130 grams!
To start using the lens you simply twist the zoom ring to 18mm and beyond, there’s no lock switch here. Its compact size makes it well suited to the equally small EOS R10 APS-C mirrorless body.
• Read more: Best Canon RF lenses
A high magnification zoom lens covering wide-angle to telephoto lengths, the RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM is capable of a maximum magnification of 0.59x in MF mode to explore macro photography.
In our quick initial tests, we found the RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM lenses felt well-matched on the equally light EOS R7 and is certainly a pretty good kit lens with a large focal length range to cover everything from wide-angle landscapes at 18mm to distant wildlife and smaller subjects at the longer 150mm end.
Canon RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM
The RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM filter size is 55mm (a common size for Canon EF-S kit lenses), and is just 69x84.5mm when retracted, and weighs 310 grams!
Featuring Canon’s advanced optical technology that minimizes chromatic aberrations and offers distortion correction, these lenses aim to offer deliver crisp, sharp images. Working collaboratively with the In Body Image Stabilizer (IBIS) in Canon EOS R7 and Movie Digital IS in Canon EOS R10, these lenses are equipped with Dynamic IS and in-lens optical image stabilization, enabling up to 7-stops of IS in the RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM and 6.5-stops in RF-S 18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM. With a 7-blade circular aperture, photographers can create beautifully soft backgrounds and sharp subjects.
With the release of these two RF-S kit lenses, Canon is set on expanding the RF lens series, which currently features a total of 26 lenses ranging from 5.2mm to 1200mm.
Pricing & availability
Although most people will end up buying these RF-S lenses as a kit with the EOS R10 and R7, they will be available to buy separately from July at the following prices:
Canon RF-S 18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM $299 / £319 / AU$569
Canon RF-S 18-150mm F3.5-6.3 IS STM $479 / £519 / AU$899.
• Preorder the EOS R7 at B&H (USA)
• Preorder the EOS R7 at Wex Photo (UK)
• Preorder the EOS R7 at Ted's Cameras (Aus)
• Preorder the EOS R10 at B&H (USA)
• Preorder the EOS R10 at Wex Photo (UK)
• Preorder the EOS R10 at Ted's Cameras (Aus)
Read more:
Canon EOS R5 review
Canon EOS R6 review
Canon RF roadmap
