Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM Review: The Ultimate Everyday Workhorse Lens

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Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM Review: The Ultimate Everyday Workhorse Lens.

Buying into a new mirrorless camera system usually brings up one immediate, agonizing question: which lens do I buy first? You want something wide enough for sweeping landscapes, tight enough for flattering portraits, and fast enough to capture moving subjects. For years, the default answer was the 24-70mm, but many photographers found themselves constantly wishing for just a little more reach. That is precisely the gap the Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM was built to fill.

Often bundled as a “kit lens” with high-end bodies like the EOS R5 or R6, slapping that label on this piece of glass feels like a massive disservice to its pedigree. This is a true L-series lens, complete with the iconic red ring, professional weather sealing, and pristine optical quality. By trading the f/2.8 aperture of heavier, more expensive lenses for a constant f/4, Canon managed to extend the zoom range significantly without turning the lens into a massive, heavy brick.

I’ve kept this lens attached to my camera for everything from casual street walks to demanding commercial video shoots. It occupies a rare space in the photography gear world—a genuine “do-it-all” tool that rarely asks you to compromise. Let’s strip away the technical jargon and look at how this versatile zoom actually performs when you are out in the wild.

Key Features & Specifications

  • Focal Range: 24-105mm (Wide-angle to medium telephoto)
  • Maximum Aperture: Constant f/4 across the entire zoom range
  • Autofocus Motor: Nano USM for blisteringly fast and silent focusing
  • Image Stabilization: Up to 5 stops of optical IS
  • Lens Mount: Canon RF (Full-frame mirrorless exclusive)
  • Customization: Dedicated, programmable Control Ring
  • Build Quality: L-Series weather sealing against dust and moisture
  • Filter Size: 77mm

Performance & Real-Life Use

The pure joy of using the 24-105mm focal length is how rarely you have to change lenses. Standing in a tight city alleyway? Zoom out to 24mm to capture the entire scene. See an interesting architectural detail or a person’s expression down the block? Twist the barrel to 105mm and you instantly have a tightly compressed, intimate shot. The constant f/4 aperture means your exposure doesn’t magically darken as you zoom in, which is an absolute nightmare to deal with on cheaper, variable-aperture lenses.

Some purists argue that f/4 isn’t “fast enough” for professional work, but modern mirrorless cameras have radically changed that math. The high-ISO capabilities of bodies like the R6 mean you can easily bump your ISO in dim lighting without ruining the image with digital noise. Furthermore, shooting a portrait at 105mm at f/4 still delivers gorgeous, buttery background blur that makes your subject pop right off the screen.

Autofocus is where this lens genuinely feels like a cheat code. The Nano USM motor is terrifyingly fast. When paired with Canon’s modern eye-tracking algorithms, the lens snaps onto moving subjects instantly. For video creators, the Nano USM is completely silent. You can pull focus during a quiet interview without picking up any mechanical clicking or grinding on your audio track.

Design & Build Quality

Picking up the RF 24-105mm F4, you immediately feel the L-series DNA. It isn’t a featherweight plastic toy, nor is it an impossibly heavy burden. Weighing roughly 1.5 lbs (700g), it strikes a perfect balance on full-frame mirrorless bodies, avoiding the front-heavy fatigue that can plague photographers during a long day of shooting.

The barrel is crafted from high-quality engineering plastics over a metal mount, and it features rigorous weather sealing. I’ve been caught in unexpected rain showers with this lens, and the dust-and-moisture resistant design provided total peace of mind. The zoom ring itself is broad, well-damped, and offers enough resistance that you won’t experience annoying “lens creep” when walking with the camera pointed down at your side.

Ease of Use & Controls

Canon introduced a brilliant physical innovation with the RF mount: the Control Ring. Located at the very front of the lens, this textured ring can be customized in your camera’s menu to adjust crucial settings like ISO, aperture, or exposure compensation. It clicks satisfyingly as you turn it, allowing you to make rapid exposure changes without ever taking your eye away from the viewfinder.

Further down the barrel, you have easily accessible tactile switches for toggling autofocus and turning the Image Stabilizer on or off. Everything is exactly where your fingers expect it to be, creating a seamless, intuitive shooting experience.

Special Features: Masterful Stabilization

If you enjoy shooting handheld, the optical Image Stabilization built into this lens will blow your mind. Rated for up to 5 stops of correction, it effectively combats the natural trembling of your hands. When you pair this lens with a camera body that features In-Body Image Stabilization (IBIS), the two systems communicate to provide up to 8 stops of correction.

In practical terms, this allows you to shoot remarkably sharp photographs at shutter speeds as low as 1 second without using a tripod. For video shooters, it smooths out walking shots and handheld panning so effectively that you can often leave your heavy motorized gimbal at home.

Maintenance & Upkeep

Canon understands that a versatile lens is going to end up in some dirty environments. They applied a specialized fluorine coating to both the front and rear glass elements. This coating acts as a shield, naturally repelling water droplets, smudges, and oils.

If you accidentally plant a fingerprint on the front glass, you don’t need to scrub it with harsh chemicals. A gentle swipe with a dry microfiber cloth clears it instantly. Keeping a simple blower and cloth in your bag is all the maintenance this rugged piece of equipment really requires.

✅ Pros

  • Incredibly versatile focal range covers 90% of daily shooting needs.
  • Nano USM motor provides lightning-fast and dead-silent autofocus.
  • Superb 5-stop optical image stabilization for low-light handheld shooting.
  • Professional L-series weather sealing and rugged build quality.
  • Programmable Control Ring dramatically speeds up your workflow.

❌ Cons

  • f/4 aperture might struggle in pitch-black environments without a flash.
  • Slight vignetting and barrel distortion at the 24mm wide end (easily fixed in post-production).
  • Heavier and pricier than non-L series kit lenses.

Who Should Buy This Product?

This is the definitive lens for travel photographers, hybrid video creators, and landscape enthusiasts. If you are packing for a trip across the globe and only have room for one single lens in your bag, the RF 24-105mm F4 is the one you bring. It handles sweeping vistas and tight street portraits equally well.

It is also a fantastic investment for wedding and event shooters who need a reliable daytime workhorse that won’t break their back. However, if you are strictly an astrophotographer or you exclusively shoot in dark, indoor clubs, you might want to look at heavier, more expensive f/2.8 or f/1.2 alternatives.

Final Verdict

The Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM masterfully proves that you don’t need a bag full of heavy prime lenses to capture professional-quality imagery. It is a triumph of balance—offering a massively useful focal range, stunning L-series sharpness, and rugged durability, all while keeping the weight manageable.

By relying on incredible image stabilization and blazing-fast autofocus rather than a massive aperture, Canon created a lens that simply gets out of your way and lets you create. If you are building a new RF mirrorless kit and want a foundational piece of glass that will stay bolted to your camera body 80% of the time, this is undeniably the smartest investment you can make.

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