Canon RF-S 55-210mm Review
Matching the diminutive dimensions of Canon crop sensor bodies such as the new R100, the new Canon RF-S 55-210mm f/5-7.1 IS STM lens is also incredibly light and compact. There are various compromises to achieve this, the most obvious being the very limited maximum aperture, but are there compromises in terms of quality as well? Let’s take the recently reviewed 24MP Canon R100 body and couple it up with the new lens, to see how it behaves in the field as well as on the test bench.
Canon RF-S 55-210mm Handling and Features
The lens obviously makes extensive use of plastics, weighing in at a very light 270g and measuring just 69mm x 135mm. There is a bayonet fit for the ET-60B lenshood, but sadly this is not supplied as standard. This is a pity as a lenshood effectively protects the front of the lens from impact damage as well as shielding the lens against flare. The proper dedicated hood is also more efficient than using a screw-in hood, and I suspect that few buyers will add the cost of the real thing. Within the hood bayonet is a conventional 55mm filter thread.
The slim lens control/focusing ring is multi-purpose and can be set to manual focus ring or control ring to adjust exposure compensation. Options are controlled via the camera menus.
AF is driven by an STM stepping motor and focus is fast and accurate, as well as being virtually silent. Focusing is down to 0.73m (2.40 feet) at 210mm, for a maximum magnification of 0.28x. This is really useful and brings even small creatures such as butterflies and moths into range. At 55mm, focusing is down to 1.0m (3.28 feet), for a maximum magnification of 0.05x. This is at least the right way round, in that the best magnification is found at the telephoto end of the range, thus giving us room to place lighting and sufficient working distance so as not to distrurb wildlife in the field. The lens also supports in camera focus breathing control, which will be appreciated by videographers.
The wide zoom ring is clearly marked at 55mm, 70mm, 100mm, 135mm and 210mm. The markings seem accurate. Zooming does extend the length of the lens, but focusing is internal.
Optical construction is 11 elements in 8 groups, including 2 UD (Ultra-low dispersion) and 1 Pmo Aspherical (Plastic moulded). The diaphragm comprises 7 blades. The coatings are Canon’s excellent SSC (Super Spectra Coatings) and these do a great job at eliminating flare. IS (Image Stabilisation) is rated at 4.5 stops, or 7 stops if augmented by the camera’s own IBIS. The R100 has no IBIS but the lens rating does seem to be absolutely spot on, at least for this reviewer today. The benefit of IS does help to offset the limited aperture range of the lens.
The 55-210mm range is a very practical and useful one. Canon’s 1.6x crop factor measns that the “35mm equivalent” field of view equates to 88-336mm. The only danger from this is over-enthusiasm and forgetting that the shutter speed does need to be watched. The IS does offset this, and we need it because the f/7.1 open aperture at 210mm is quite limiting. The ISO value of the camera can of course be increased, but with the R100 this is not spectacular. All lenses are a compromise and here the compromises made are clear enough, but in all other respects the lens handles superbly and delivers keenly sharp results.
Canon RF-S 55-210mm Performance
At 55mm, central sharpness is excellent from f/5 to f/11, very good at f/16 and just fair at f/22. The edges are excellent from f/5 to f/8, very good at f/11 and f/16 and fair at f/22.
At 70mm, central sharpness is excellent from f/5.6 to f/11, very good at f/16 and fair at f/22 and f/25. The edges are excellent from f/5.6 to f/11, very good at f/16 and fair at f/22 and f/25.
At 135mm, central sharpness is excellent from f/6.3 to f/11, very good at f/16, fair at f/22 and soft at f/29. The edges are very good from f/6.3 to f/16, fair at f/22 and soft at f/29.
At 210mm, central sharpness is excellent at f/7.1 and f/8, very good at f/11 and f/16, fair at f/22 and soft at f/32. The edges are very good from f/7.1 to f/11, good at f/16, fair at f/22 and soft at f/32.
Canon RF-S 55-210mm F/5-7.1 IS STM MTF Charts
Next
How to read our MTF charts
The blue column represents readings from the centre of the picture frame at the various apertures and the green is from the edges.
For this review, the lens was tested on a Canon R100 using Imatest. Want to know more about how we review lenses?.
CA (Chromatic Aberration) is very low indeed, and there is no real sign of any colour fringing.
Canon RF-S 55-210mm F/5-7.1 IS STM Chromatic Aberration Charts
Next
How to read our CA charts
Chromatic aberration (CA) is the lens’ inability to focus on the sensor or film all colours of visible light at the same point. Severe chromatic aberration gives a noticeable fringing or a halo effect around sharp edges within the picture. It can be cured in software.
Apochromatic lenses have special lens elements (aspheric, extra-low dispersion etc) to minimize the problem, hence they usually cost more.
For this review, the lens was tested on a Canon R100 using Imatest.
Distortion starts off with +1.29% pincushion at 55mm and then it is pincushion all the way, measuring +1.70% at 70mm, +2.18% at 135mm and +2.19% at 210mm. This is an impressive result for such a compact lens and much better than the results from some much more expensive optics.
Bokeh is very smooth and pleasant and results in a lovely backdrop to portraits and flower studies in particular. This would of course be even better with a wider aperture, but as the lens can focus quite closely then a very pleasing result can be obtained anyway.
Flare is not a problem, despite the absence of a lenshood. Even the severe lighting test shows virtually no sign of any artefacts.
Vignetting is also extremely modest, returning some impressively low figures.
.borders { border: 1px solid #ccc !important; border-collapse: collapse; } .borders td,.borders tr { border: 1px solid #ccc !important; }
| Aperture | 55mm | 70mm | 135mm | 210mm |
| f/5 | -1.3 | |||
| f/5.6 | -1.2 | -0.5 | ||
| f/6.3 | -0.7 | |||
| f/7.1 | -0.5 | |||
| f/8 | -1.2 | -0.5 | -0.7 | -0.5 |
| f/11 | -1.1 | -0.5 | -0.7 | -0.5 |
| f/16 | -1.1 | -0.5 | -0.6 | -0.4 |
| f/22 | -1.1 | -0.5 | -0.6 | -0.4 |
| f/25 | -0.5 | |||
| f/29 | -0.6 | |||
| f/32 | -0.4 |
Canon RF-S 55-210mm F/5-7.1 IS STM Sample Photos
Next
Canon RF-S 55-210mm F/5-7.1 IS STM Aperture range
Next
You can view additional images in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.
[HOOK]position_1[/HOOK]
Value For Money
The [AMUK]Canon RF-S 55-210mm f/5-7.1 IS STM|canon+rf+55-210mm[/AMUK] lens is priced at £429.00
There are not many options at this point for RF-S crop format, but we do have: [AMUK]Canon RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM|canon+rf+18-150mm[/AMUK], £519
- [AMUK]Fujifilm XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS|fujifilm+xf+55-200mm[/AMUK], £579
- [AMUK]Nikon Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR|nikon+z+50-250mm[AMUK], £379
- [AMUK]OM System M.Zuiko 40-150mm f/4 PRO|om+system+40-150mm[/AMUK], £799
- [AMUK]Sony E 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 OSS|sony+e+55-210mm[/AMUK], £229
Of course, price is only one aspect of VFM, and overall the new Canon lens seems to be fairly priced and good VFM.
Canon RF-S 55-210mm Verdict
There is so much to be said for a compact, light lens that performs well, doesn’t break the bank to purchase and has a really useful range of focal lengths. This lens seems to have it all, at a cost though in terms of maximum aperture, which is very restricted, lack of dust or moisture sealing and lack of a supplied lenshood. However, equally well as a travel lens in sunnier climes it is a real winner and in the end the results will sparkle. Ideally it should be coupled up with a camera body that has really good high ISO performance, and which will then make up for the limited apertures. Otherwise, we have fantastic sharpness, effective IS, very close focusing and a realistic price. The results speak for themselves and the verdict is that the [AMUK]Canon RF-S 55-210mm f/5-7.1 IS STM|canon+rf+55-210mm[/AMUK] lens can be Highly Recommended.
Canon RF-S 55-210mm Pros
- Excellent sharpness
- Moderate distortion
- Low CA
- Minimal vignetting
- Effective stabilisation
- Low flare
- Light and compact
- Close focusing
- Good price
Canon RF-S 55-210mm Cons
- Limited maximum aperture
- No dust or moisture sealing
- No lenshood supplied as standard
[REVIEW_FOOTER]R_features=4|R_handling=4.5|R_performance=4.5|R_value=4.5|R_overall=4.5|A_level=4.5|A_text=Highly recommended – A compact, light lens with useful telephoto reach and excellent performance.|E_id=7963[/REVIEW_FOOTER]
Canon RF-S 55-210mm F/5-7.1 IS STM Specifications
| Manufacturer | Canon | |
| General | ||
| Lens Mounts |
|
|
| Lens | ||
| Focal Length | 55mm – 210mm | |
| Angle of View | 6° – 23° | |
| Max Aperture | f/5 – f/7.1 | |
| Min Aperture | f/22 – f/32 | |
| Filter Size | 55mm | |
| Stabilised | Yes | |
| 35mm equivalent | 88mm – 336mm | |
| Internal focusing | Yes | |
| Maximum magnification | 0.28x | |
| Focusing | ||
| Min Focus | 73cm | |
| Construction | ||
| Blades | 7 | |
| Elements | 11 | |
| Groups | 8 | |
| Box Contents | ||
| Box Contents | Not stated | |
| Dimensions | ||
| Weight | 270g | |
| Height | 135mm | |
Source: Photography News
Canon RF-S 55-210mm Review
{$excerpt:n}
59 total views, 1 today