Customer Reviews for Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM Lens (2973C002)
20 reviews
Most helpful positive review
Posted May 14, 2024
Sharp, lightweight, amazing results at a great price!
This lens is cheap enough anyone can get their hands on it, but still has amazing results. Definitely a lens to buy!
VS
Most helpful critical review
Posted Nov 18, 2018
Disappointing
I was so excited to get my first native lens for the EOS R which I love. I love the ability to adjust ISO or Aperture or SS with the ring. I attached the lens and did a few shots and thought everything looked rather soft and that the lens focused slowly. I did a few more shots and then attached the 24mm 2.8 EF-S pancake and found that the pancake not only was faster but...
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jwoodring
Reviewed at:
canon.com
Posted May 27, 2025
Great Walk Around Lens
I purchased this lens as a smaller and lighter alternative to my RF 24-70 f/2.8 L and 24-105 f/4 L for street photography. The lens produces sharp and colorful photos but I wouldn't use it for videos. The macro capabilities come in handy when walking around and want to photograph smaller, detailed subjects to expand my range of possibilities. This is something my two zo...
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disneyislove
Reviewed at:
canon.com
Posted May 14, 2024
Sharp, lightweight, amazing results at a great price!
This lens is cheap enough anyone can get their hands on it, but still has amazing results. Definitely a lens to buy!
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Adam Z
Reviewed at:
canon.com
Posted Jan 15, 2024
Great for low light
Took it to Arizona and Alaska this winter with an EOS RP. Captures a great deal of stars (greater if you amplify whites using Adobe Lightroom). The RP doesn't have IBIS so the 35mm with optical IS really helps, and even allowed me to photograph stars from the plane.
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cfkaraaslan
Reviewed at:
canon.com
Posted Dec 22, 2023
Great Lens with Crazy Focus Problem
it is a fantastic lens for price and size, but the focus is quite a big problem. It should have a focus limiter like the 85, because when you are on a documentary project and it is dark inside the focus starts to hunt and go to macro mode, which takes too much time and you loose some scenes and shots, that is really bad.
I think it would be an easy fix if canon engine...
I think it would be an easy fix if canon engine...
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Mike Shrout
Verified Buyer
Reviewed at:
canon.com
Posted Mar 3, 2023
Great lens
Great lens for the price. I am using as my go to lens over a 50mm lens. Gives a little more viewing options. Images turn out great. Camera R5.
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sylvias
Reviewed at:
canon.com
Posted Nov 28, 2022
in love
I just love…
Look at this colors, perfect for portrait
Look at this colors, perfect for portrait
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NikkiG
Reviewed at:
canon.com
Posted Nov 23, 2022
The lens I love to hate
Pros - This lens takes great photos that are very sharp and the colors are great. It is lightweight and a good size.
Cons - It is so noisy! And that noise is exacerbated by the fact that it has to hunt for focus way more often than any of my other RF lenses. Also, when it looses focus it retracts all the way back so it takes a maddeningly long time to find it again. ...
Cons - It is so noisy! And that noise is exacerbated by the fact that it has to hunt for focus way more often than any of my other RF lenses. Also, when it looses focus it retracts all the way back so it takes a maddeningly long time to find it again. ...
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Verified Buyer
Reviewed at:
canon.com
Posted Jun 14, 2022
RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM
Very sharp. Autofocus works great for my commercials when I’m short crewed or gimbaled. Light weight and the macro is amazing. IS makes gimbal unnecessary in some circumstances. Great value. Every RF owner should have this little jewel.
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Nugget
Reviewed at:
canon.com
Posted May 2, 2022
It’s solid
For what you’re paying for this 35mm is quite good and very fun. The fact it also has image stabilization and a half macro feature allowing you to take photos incredibly close to your subject also make this lens so much fun. The sharpness is a little soft wide open but not badly in the center of frame and you can always stop down to F2.2 for a sharper image that’s still...
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Indie Photos
Verified Buyer
Reviewed at:
canon.com
Posted Feb 22, 2022
Not as expected
I wanted to love this lens based on the reviews but found it had a really hard time focusing on my subject in low light, whereas my 24-70 f2.8 @ 35mm caught the focus on the same subject matter immediately. I don't know if it was a defect out of the box or just a problem with this particular lens but moving forward it looks like Ill have to break the bank and stick with...
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MarkT
Reviewed at:
canon.com
Posted Oct 29, 2021
Great Lens!
This lens is as sharp or shaper than my two "L" lenses. 24-105 f4 and the 70-200 f4. Very impressive. It's small, light and sharp. maybe I just got a good one, but I'm happy and frankly surprised by its' performance, My only complaint is the lack of weather sealing.
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grandpag
Reviewed at:
canon.com
Posted Dec 28, 2020
So far, so good!
I got this lens a couple of weeks ago. I have already used it for a gig (group photos). I think it's beautiful, especially for the price. I tested it in low light and didn't have an issue with it hunting for focus. It focused fast. Then again, I also just upgraded my whole camera set-up, so it could just be that I am used to a slower camera & slower focusing lenses. I t...
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jigglygooop
Reviewed at:
canon.com
Posted Dec 20, 2020
A superb lens to have
1.5 years ago I wrote a review on this site that I tested two copies of this lens at wide open aperture shooting a tall brick building across the street and found a peculiar result that the center is blur but four corners are sharp. Eventually I bought the EF 35mm f2 IS USM for my R camera, but it becomes 'big' and 'heavy' with the EF-to-R adaptor.
Recently I retes...
Recently I retes...
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Optics Patent
Reviewed at:
canon.com
Posted Dec 4, 2019
Noisy but necessary
Pros:
• This is the lightest and most compact RF lens and a great choice for street and family photos. Great pairing for EOS RP. But not a “pancake”
PROS:
• This is the lightest and most compact RF lens and a great choice for street and family photos. Great pairing for EOS RP. But not a “pancake”.
• Fastest RF lens in its price range.
• Very close macro, but ...
• This is the lightest and most compact RF lens and a great choice for street and family photos. Great pairing for EOS RP. But not a “pancake”
PROS:
• This is the lightest and most compact RF lens and a great choice for street and family photos. Great pairing for EOS RP. But not a “pancake”.
• Fastest RF lens in its price range.
• Very close macro, but ...
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Daniel
Reviewed at:
canon.com
Posted Nov 23, 2019
Essential compact low light lens
Paired with the RP camera, this lens makes for a very small and light kit you can take anywhere. As a matter of fact, this lens on the RP just feels perfect in hand. My experience with the lens is that it's very quick to focus and very accurate in locking onto subjects. The macro is very, very handy, especially when combined with focus stacking. Image stabilization comb...
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Jigglygoop
Reviewed at:
canon.com
Posted Apr 21, 2019
Can not focus at infinity
I am a faithful user of Canon for 4 decades. I love the R system. I wanted to buy this lens. I tried two RF 35mm samples on my R shooting at f1.8 and found both could not focus correctly far at 150 feet away building (‘infinity’), sharp only at 30 feet. With identical condition, the EF 35mm f1.4 L mk2 was so sharp corner to corner at wide open.
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Kfed
Verified Buyer
Reviewed at:
canon.com
Posted Apr 19, 2019
Best RF Lens for price!
I bought this a month ago. It’s amazing for the price, I promise you won’t regret. The macro feature was a big selling point for me.
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Sonoma Bear
Reviewed at:
canon.com
Posted Nov 26, 2018
Small, fast, stabilized, amazing image quality
I own both the EF35/1.5L and the RF35/1.8. Even in very low light situations, the IS more than makes up for the ⅔ stop lower aperture.
The balance on the R is perfect. Carry all day for street photography. The EF35f1.4L feel great on the other EOS bodies.
I feel that 1.8 is a great aperture, especially with IS. Autofocus is just instant.
Image Quality: the res...
The balance on the R is perfect. Carry all day for street photography. The EF35f1.4L feel great on the other EOS bodies.
I feel that 1.8 is a great aperture, especially with IS. Autofocus is just instant.
Image Quality: the res...
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1Moreshot
Reviewed at:
canon.com
Posted Nov 26, 2018
Love this Lens!
I have been waiting for this lens since it was announced. It finally came a little before it's rumored release. The lens is fast, sharp, and light weight. I guess the first reviewer got a bad copy? Very happy with it so far.
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hanumanbob
Reviewed at:
canon.com
Posted Nov 18, 2018
Disappointing
I was so excited to get my first native lens for the EOS R which I love. I love the ability to adjust ISO or Aperture or SS with the ring. I attached the lens and did a few shots and thought everything looked rather soft and that the lens focused slowly. I did a few more shots and then attached the 24mm 2.8 EF-S pancake and found that the pancake not only was faster but...
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