Key specs
Type: Prime lens
Focal length: 24mm
Maximum aperture: f/1.4
Lens mount: Canon RF
Weight: 18.17 oz / 515 g
Dimensions: 3.01×3.90 in / 76.5×99.3 mm
Filter thread: 67mm
Release date: October 2024
Prime lenses are coveted for their image quality and fast maximum apertures, and although the Canon RF 24mm f/1.4L VCM relies heavily on in-camera or in-software lens corrections, depending on the file type you are capturing, image quality is still what you’d expect from an L-Series lens. Throw in the excellent build quality and weather sealing, and this lens is instantly attractive to photographers and videographers alike.
We tested this lens with the Canon EOS R5 Mark II and found the RF 24mm f/1.4L to be ideal for landscape, cityscape, interior and astrophotography, with the latter being of most interest to Space.com visitors. Pair this lens with one of the best cameras for astrophotography, albeit a Canon camera, and you’ll undoubtedly have a fantastic combination for capturing the night sky. This is a hybrid lens that’s designed for photography and video.
This is one of a trio of hybrid Canon RF prime lenses that all share the same dimensions and the 67mm filter thread, although the weight of the three lenses does differ slightly. The other two lenses in the VCM range include the 35mm f/1.4L and the 50mm f/1.4L.
This means that videographers using gimbals will have minimal adjustments to make when swapping between the three lenses. Our focus in this review was photography, where still images are much more unforgiving than video because poor image quality has nowhere to hide.
Canon RF 24mm f/1.4L VCM lens review
Canon RF 24mm f/1.4L VCM: Design
- Compact and lightweight
- Excellent build quality
- Weather sealed
In terms of design, the RF 24mm f/1.4L is pretty simple, but the look and feel of the lens is undoubtedly of a high quality and this can be attributed to it being an L-Series lens. It’s also compact and lightweight, which makes it the perfect companion for outdoor photographers.
To give you a sense of size and weight, the dimensions of the lens are just 3.01×3.90 in / 76.5×99.3 mm with a weight of 18.17 oz / 515 g. Canon claims this is 20% lighter than the EF mount equivalent for DSLRs. There is a rear filter holder included with the lens for gel filters to be used, but with the 67mm filter thread on the front of the lens, it’s ultimately more convenient to use circular and square filters.
This is a weather-sealed lens with just a few controls on the side. These include an AF/MF switch, a Custom Function button and a switch to activate the Iris /manual aperture ring and move back into the A setting for camera control of the aperture. There’s also a lens control ring at the front end of the lens in front of the manual focus ring.
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The lens control ring can be programmed in-camera to adjust some camera settings, but this is best left inactive when shooting astrophotography. This is simply because it’s easy to accidentally turn the ring instead of the manual focus ring when shooting in the dark and doing so would adjust a setting if one is applied to the ring.
The manual aperture ring is stepless, so no clicks, and is designed for video use. You can, of course, use this for photography, but it can be easy to knock, so setting the aperture to the A setting allows for safer camera control.
It’s a shame that there isn’t a click switch like on Sony lenses so you can feel the aperture change and it sits at the desired setting more effectively, but it’s certainly not a deal breaker.
Canon RF 24mm f/1.4L VCM: Functionality
- No optical Image Stabilization
- Short minimum focus
- Fast autofocus
The RF 24mm f/1.4L is fairly minimal in terms of features, except for the manual aperture ring, the Custom Function button and the lens control ring mentioned in the previous section. There’s no Optical Image Stabilization, but this isn’t a huge issue if you own a Canon mirrorless camera with In-Body Image Stabilization. Also, for astrophotography, this isn’t relevant since the camera will be tripod-mounted for long exposures.
The lens is made up of 15 elements in 11 groups with two UD and one GMo Aspherical lens, while the aperture is made up of 11 blades, which produces a circular aperture. The minimum focusing distance is 9.45 in / 24 cm, which is close and can be useful for creative approaches to landscape and nature photography, but it’s certainly not going to produce a macro level of close-up photography.
Autofocus is incredibly fast, silent and accurate, which is useful for both photography and video, although videographers like astrophotographers will be more interested in manual focus. The manual focus ring provides a comfortable amount of resistance that allows for fast and precise manual focus, although manual focus is fly-by-wire, so it’s not quite as responsive as traditional manual focus.
As you’d expect, the RF 24mm f/1.4L can be used with APS-C R-Series cameras like all full-frame lenses, and this provides an equivalent focal length of 38.4mm due to the 1.6x crop factor of Canon APS-C cameras. This gives you a close equivalent to a 35mm lens and the ability to continue to use the lens at its native 24mm focal length if you upgrade to a full-frame camera in the future.
Canon RF 24mm f/1.4L VCM: Performance
- Fantastic image quality
- Excellent Sharpness at f/1.2
- Sharpest at f/8
Let’s get started by saying that image quality is great overall with excellent sharpness at f/1.4, which is perfect for astrophotography. During testing, f/8 appeared to be the sweet spot of the lens where the images produced are the sharpest despite not producing the largest possible depth-of-field. This would be produced by the minimum f/16 aperture.
This is a lens that relies on in-camera and in-software lens corrections, with uncorrected images exhibiting strong barrel distortion and vignetting, with the latter being the front of the lens barrel. The uncorrected results are horrendous, but with lens corrections applied the images produced are absolutely fine with corrected distortion and sharp detail.
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It seems a little odd for manufacturers to take this approach as a photographer striving for the best image quality possible. But if the lens corrections work well and the result is sharp and high-quality images where detail is resolved well, it’s arguably unfair to be too critical. Working with digital photos is completely different in some ways from shooting film, where image quality must be firmly rooted in the lens itself.
Flare and ghosting are handled well thanks to the Air Sphere and Super Spectra coatings, while the ASC coatings maintain color balance across the frame. Canon’s Subwavelength (SWC) treatment also works well to eliminate reflections. Many, but not all, modern lenses, including professional offerings, rely heavily on lens corrections alongside featuring advanced lens technology like this lens, so it’s nothing out of the ordinary.
Canon RF 24mm f/1.4L VCM: Price
The Canon RF 24mm f/1.4 L VCM is priced as you’d expect for a premium prime lens of this type and being a Canon L-Series lens, it’s designed for professional use. The lens costs $1499 / £1499, so it’s certainly not cheap but what you’re paying for is a versatile wide-angle prime that can be used for photo and video capture.
In the box, you get the lens, a lens hood, front and rear lens caps, a lens case and a rear filter holder. The latter is for gel filters to be positioned on the rear of the lens, which may work for some photographers but using front-mounted circular and square filters will be a much more convenient option for most.
Canon RF 24mm f/1.4L VCM: User reviews
Online reviews for this lens are minimal, but from those that are available, users are happy with the quality and overall performance. Users are also happy about the compact size of the lens, with one user saying, ‘It is small, lightweight, tack sharp and has minimal barrel distortion’.
How we tested the Canon RF 24mm f/1.4L VCM
The Canon RF 24mm f/1.4L VCM was tested in combination with the Canon EOS R5 Mark II, which offers an unforgivingly high resolution. The lens was tested at night with a focus on astrophotography, and in daylight to assess sharpness, distortion and general functionality.
Should you buy the Canon RF 24mm f/1.4L VCM?
✅ You need a standard wide-angle prime: A 24mm f/1.4 lens is something of a versatile sweet spot for capturing the night sky.
✅ You need a compact prime lens: This is a compact and lightweight lens that balances well with Canon R series bodies.
❌You want a wider lens: If you’d like to go wider than 24mm, there are 16mm lenses available that will provide a much wider field of view.
❌If you’re on a budget: There is a less expensive 24mm f/1.8 macro lens available at a much lower cost.
If you shoot with a Canon R-Series mirrorless camera and need a wide-angle prime, the Canon RF 24mm f/1.4 L VCM is a great option that produces fantastic image quality despite the heavy reliance on lens corrections. The fast maximum aperture is perfect for astrophotography, while the focal length also makes it ideal for landscape, cityscape and interior photography.
The lens is a hybrid offering, meaning it’s designed for photo and video, and the stepless manual aperture is fantastic for video. The lens is also weather-sealed sealed so you can shoot outdoors in a range of weather conditions with confidence. What’s more, since Canon has only just opened up the lens mount to third-party lens manufacturers, there remains a shortage of direct alternatives.
If this lens isn’t for you
If you’d prefer a versatile ultra-wide-angle zoom, the Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM is the best available for Canon R-Series cameras despite its slower f/2.8 maximum aperture.
The Canon RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM is one of three lenses that have the same dimensions as the 24mm f/1.2 and this focal length provides a highly versatile yet slightly longer wide-angle field of view.
If you require a fast and short telephoto lens, the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM lens is an absolutely stunning lens with an incredibly fast maximum aperture, if you can justify the price.
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