Canon RF 35mm f1.8 IN DEPTH review - NO-BRAINER for EOS R! 

In-depth review of the Canon RF 35mm f1.8 Macro lens - a no-brainer for EOS R owners! Check prices or order at B&H: bhpho.to/320KLgc // WEX: tidd.ly/31ZnJpU Buy Gordon a coffee: www.paypal.me/cameralabs Gordon's In Camera book: amzn.to/2n61PfI / Amazon uk: amzn.to/2mBqRVZ Cameralabs merchandise: redbubble.com/people/cameralabs/shop

Yes, please test all of the RF lenses. Thanks.

This is my favorite among the RF lenses. I had the 24-105 and 35mm with me on my business trip last year and I used the 35mm like 95% of the time. I was using the EOS RP on that trip and the EOS RP + 35mm combo was superb.

and yes please test the RF 85 F2 vs the EF 85 1.8 classic. see how this new lens competes 20 years later!

I have 3 RF lenses and 5 EF lenses and this one is probably my favourite due to its weight, IS and macro. Stick it on a gimbal and its light as and pretty fast at 1.8

I would love to see you review all of the RF lenses. I really enjoy your review style.

This was the first RF lens I bought and it is always on my camera. I bought an RF 24-105 RF L, which is a lovely lens, but it mostly stays in my bag. More RF lens reviews please.

Just ordered this lens to replace my very old and underperforming EF 50mm f/1.4. Can't wait to actually try it !

This is the best value Canon lens ever. Super practical to use. You should talk about the design of the lens hood for this lens, it's a lens hood you don't need to take it off for storage. it's only 1mm wider than the filter thread.

Thank you again Grodon, Now please the RF 85mm F2.0 and please compare it with the 85mm f/1.2 :)

Gordon you helped me make a body &lens choice way back in 2009/2010 my art has grown dramatically since. Thankyou for your efforts and glad to see you back doing great work

This is my favorite lens. It's sharp and lightweight. Great for street photography

Good and thorough review. I was impressed by the enlarged images taken with the 35 vs. the 24-105. Very helpful. This also makes a sweet street photography lens. Enjoyed the review.

Would love to see you reviewing every RF Lens! Thanks for the great video!

Dunno why people dislike such an informative videos for no reason...?🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️

If you don't care about size, the Tamron EF 35 1.4 is INCREDIBLE. Image Quality about as good as the RF prime lenses for 1/3 the price.

This is genius move of Canon for their RF F1.8 prime line up, offering way more for less. An inexpensive($450USD) most compact(lightness too) 35F1.8 prime, with 5 stop image stabilizer, 1/2 macro capability, very close MFD, 9 bokeh blades, in addition, center to extreme corner sharpness is pretty decent with some vignetting, distortion and chromatic abbreviations which can be easily fix via software(like Dxolabs). Kudos to Canon and Gordon.....👍👌👏

this lens alone makes worth owning the R system. truly a gem in the industry. had mine since launch. the closest thing is the Nikon Z 35 which is bigger, more expensive, and can’t do macro. this lens is a gem. optically this performs identically to the Z too. at much less cost!

Great review Gordon! As someone who ditched all my lenses in a bag as soon i get my RF35, I can confirm everything you said. Sold my EF35 f2 IS, never looked back. Even on my holiday, never took RF24-105f4 L out of camera bag. Small, portable, sharp @ f1.8 versatile, great for video. Did a lot of video jobs wit it on a gimbal and bought a couple 52mm ND filters. This combo is very small and powerful with my R. Looking to get RF85 f2 in the future and have a perfect combination of lenses. RF power :)

Great review as always👍 this lens is really good, hope Canon releases the Canon 100mm L macro for RF soon.

This is great. As part of my transition to RF I picked this lens up and everything you’ve said about this lens matches my experience with it thus far. On the RP it’s a great combination to walk around with. I’d really love to see canon release an RF mount 40mm pancake prime like their current EF version. That would make an awesome every day carry combination on the RP. Small, light, and compact, with reasonably good picture quality.

Always lot's of information with various samples ! I really enjoy your reviews, Gordon !

Finally, someone comparing this lens side by side to an RF 'L' lens - exactly what I've been wanting to see (trying to decide for new R6). Gordon, thanks!

Switching back to the Canon r system after selling everything off a couple years ago (following first one R7 motherboard death, then an R8’s failure requiring rtn to Canon). Is the mix of features in the R6ii plus the current low price, and telephoto lens options, that has won me back. Thanks for the review.

Thanks Gordon, nice review. I bought the RF 35 right after I bought my EOS R. I really like it and it's pretty good for a walk around lens. I also have the RF 24-105 F4 L which I got with my R. Since I sold all my other lenses when I bought the R, I’ve held off buying anymore. Now with the R5 and R6 out there, I’m going to re-evaluate what I think I need (or want). Thanks for the the great reviews!

While I am more a tele guy I bought exactly this lens with my RP because it is (1) small, (2) light, (3) very good IQ, (4) f/1.8, (5) image stabilization, (6) 1:2 max reprod. ratio which makes it a true all rounder. Especially f/1.8 + IS + full frame extend the tripod-less range vastly! So I confirm your findings!

Cant wait for the 85 f2 review

Gordon, you don't look ridiculous at 10:40 with your EOS RP and 35mm F1.8. Other people are ridiculous for not appreciating your camera setup😂. Thank you for your review 🌻🌼🌷

Keep up the good work, yours are amongst the best reviews out there. No nonsense and to the point telling us what we want to know 👍🏻

Best RF 35mm review I’ve seen 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Now, PLEASE review the RF 85mm f2 vs RF 85mm f1.2 and Samyang AF 85mm f1.4 RF 🙏🏻 I’m a portrait, beach and boudoir photographer... I’m between RF 85mm f2 and Samyang (of course because of budget Hahahah) but want to make sure of my decision!!!!!

Yes, please test all of the RF lenses. I've just purchased a Canon R and your reviews are very helpful

As always a great review from Cameralabs so further reviews on RF lenses would be most welcome. Also really enjoying your excellent book which arrived a couple of days ago! Thanks.

Thank you Gordon. I’ve watched all the reviews. Very helpful!

Love the RF lens tests. Not a whole lot out there directly comparing the RF to the EF versions. Your 70-200 comparison was helpful, but I’d really love to see a RF/ef comparison of the 50mm, 24-70mm, 24-105mm, and 85mm.

Great video as always. Looking forward to your review of the 85mm f2 lens, interested to how it compares against the EF 85mm f/1.2L II as it’s around the same price for a used one

"Don't worry, I wasn't drunk" LOL!

I have been on the fence to get the Canon R and the RF 35mm lens, but this video may have just convinced me! Thank you, Gordon!

Nice compact prime. STM will be good for casual youtubers who use hot shoe mics

I always love your reviews, and this was no exception. I would love to see more RF lens reviews! Specifically I liked your comparison of the 35mm lens with other lenses @ 35mm as well, at varying apertures. For example, I’d like to see how the 35mm 1.8 compares with the 15-35mm 2.8 @ 35mm, or how the 50mm 1.2 compares with the 24-70 2.8 @ 50mm. Cheers!

Great little lens, I use it on my R and R3

Fantastic little lens. Best value for money in a lens since the old 50mm F1.4 imo.

Huge kudos for the brief shot of the pink Ibanez JEM guitar. Terrific review!

It's in my collection! Great little lens!

Informative review Gordon. Thanks for posting it. To answer your question about whether your viewers would like to see reviews of all the Canon RF lenses, my response is "Yes".

Gordon your reviews of the various Canon RF lenses in the line-up is greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to do so. I've come the Canon mirrorless world after shooting with a 5D Mark II for the last dozen years and been wanting to pick up a smaller, lighter-weight AF IS lens for everyday walk around usage to go with the R5. Sounds as though this RF 35 f1.8 might well fill-the-bill (although I wish it were weather sealed). Unless you have another suggestion insofar as a small, light weight, high quality AF IS lens with the RF mount in the f1.4 or 1.8 category (made buy another quality lens manufacturer) that you've tested,I think I just might add this to my small but expanding RF lens collection.

I owned the EF f2 for a while and used it on the EOS R before selling it to get this RF f1.8 version. The EF f2 had the advantage of USM focusing, not extended while focusing and a real lens hood. This RF F1.8 has the advantage of not having to use an adapter, a control ring and most of all the shorter minimum focus distance. I do miss that lens hood though!

I was on the fence but this video convinced me I made the right choice. I will get it.

I dont see canon rushing to fill out the lower end of the RF lens market. With the lowest current body going for 3k, going full modern RF modern setup is 4k with taxes (US). That said, these rendering looks FANTASTIC. My 35f2 IS is good but in comparison has rakish, noisy bokeh and can do some ridiculous hazing in some instances. Now whats the chance canon actually makes a cheap 50 thats not an L. They thumbed their nose at users that needed/wanted a modern basic 50mm. Thank goodness my 501.4 hasn't skipped a beat in 8 years. Thanks again for all the info gordon!

Thank you Gordon! I’m going to go a little bit against the current and ask if you could do a comparison between the RF 85 f2 Macro and the new Samyang RF 85 1.4: both definitely great 85mm lenses, but seeing a true comparison would be cool!

Just wanted to say thanks for this excellent video - the comparisons (especially to the 24-240mm lens) really helped make my decision in buying this 35mm. Haven't come across your channel before - but have subscribed now!

Great review (as ever). The rendering of this lens is nice with smooth out of focus details. It would be interesting to see how well it can do against the 45MP sensor. Good idea these 2.0 reviews of the RF catalogue!

Thanks for the great review! Was just looking for this.

Sharpness aside, I think the corner sharpness comparison on Brighton seafront shows the RF 35mm to have superior micro contrast than the zoom (probably due to the lower element count). This difference will be even more apparent when producing C-type prints from raw derived tiff files. Excellent video as always Gordon!

I am loving this lens and the R6. I always enjoy your videos mate. Thanks for making this wonderful channel. Also I love your book

Great review as usual!

.... and if they do get to close you can always prod them with the tripod Gordon! Nice useful review. And yes, of course I would like to see more RF lenses covered, especially at the more 'reasonable' price points. Thanks. BobUK.

Indeed, this is my favourite as well. although I am not a huge fan of its look, the image quality is fantastic.

Thanks for this great review. I enjoy your reviewing style, so I wouldn't mind you reviewing all the RF-lenses.

Yes! I’ve been waiting for this review from you 👍🏽 I have the RP along with the ef50mm 1.8 and I have repeatedly desired a wider and faster lens. Thanks for also comparing it to all the other lenses! I really appreciate it and would enjoy it if you were able to compare other rf lenses too. Looking forward to the 85mm which would likely be the one to get after the 35. (I didn’t think I’d have money for the 70-200 so I got the 24-240 as my first lens to go with the RP) Thank you Gordon and looking forward to the 85mm review!

Nicely presented and easy to follow. And Standen NT House and garden too!

Slam Dunk Looking forward to mounting this on my R6. R6 right now please!

This was the first rf lens I got after my kit 24-105/4. But if I had to do it again, I probably wouldn’t get it. After I slowly replaced my EF lenses over the past year and some months with the 70-200,15-35. I started getting primes, 50,85, etc.. and I ended up making the decision to get the 28-70(the magical lens) recently and that made the 35 superfluous. In my opinion if I had to do it again, I would keep the kit till I was ready and just get the 28-70. It’s just a completely so-so lens, not good enough for a pro, and pointless for a amateur...

Thanks for the brilliant review. I always enjoy your on the money reviews. I previously had one of these and used it a few times with my Canon C70. I sold it and bought a Sigma 50mm Art, but I'm not really sure if that lens is any better?

Zooms are always a poor choice from my perspective because they always sacrifice sharpness to become zooms. A camera like the R5 is meant to be shot with the RF 85mm F/1.2 which is sharp at F/1.2 and hits maximum sharpness at F/2 (but not that much sharper from F/1.2).

Love your work. RF Lens Cap Hack. Just get some bright Red Nail polish and paint it in the notch lens cap. This will make it so much easier to line up the cap to the lens! Why Canon didn't do it I do not know.

Really good video! Keep up the great work!

Great lens. I got mine for £379 after a canon cashback offer. I feel for this price the lens is great. For the full RRP I feel the lens lacks a little. For the full price the lens should have some light weather sealing and a better focusing motor.

Great review. I'm planning to switch to the RF system sometime in the next year. I wrote the 35 off as a softer option when looking into things originally, but from your review it looks like I may have judged too soon. A hypothetical RF 35 1.2 would be great, of course, but this would be so much smaller/lighter in the bag.

Excelent review, got mine on Tues, took it around Lincoln yesterday , one thing I was suprised by , I thought it would have a wider view than it does have, I expected to be able to capture the cathedral totally, but it is not that wide ! I am very pleased with the close up bokeh effects as well .

Excellent review and wonderful lens, the real surprise for me with this lens was on my EOS-RP while tethered to my computer and controlling it with Canons, Digital Photo Professional 'Remote Shooting'. I obtained the best macro results while controlling each focus step through the software's remote shooting, for each focus movement and stacking the photos afterwards. Using Canons Digital Photo Professional 'Remote Shooting' with the Canon R series would make a great review subject.

Best reviews ever! Well done sir!!

You are exceptional at what you do!

More reviews please! This review was very helpful.

I bought this lens at the same time I bought my EOS R. It's a good lens, but I haven't been using it much recently.

I wish Fuji did primes with image stabilization as well...

Great walk around lens

Yes please definitely want to see more RF lens reviews new to all this have the Rp with the 24-240mm and the 35mm deciding what else I need want a good zoom maybe the 100-500 a proper macro to do bugs ect and a good ultra wide ( current using samyang 14 mm ) so help would be great

I wish you had commented on the contrast and color saturation of the lens compared to the others. Particularly, how well it does against the L lens. Other than that, I enjoy your reviews.

Thanks Gordon, always been tempted by this lens. But I have the RF15-35, so apart from the macro side seems like its not needed. It would have been good to see the comparisons using the 15-35 at 35mm in this video as well. What are your thoughts if you have used both.? Rf35 still a great lens though.

Thanks! I’d watch more RF lens videos.

I wanted to buy a R5 with a starter lens, a 24-105 STM. But instead, i got this one. I think its a better choice....

That`s my gear, nice to hear such a good review

Yeah I'm interested in any reviews of RF lenses and comparisons between them. Primes are my interest. Zooms aren't sharp.

Just ordered it for video

A bit late to the party but better late then never! Thank you for Great reviews!!

Nice review! Would love to see a Samyang 85mm 1.4 for RF review. Thanks for all that you do, Gordon!

waiting for RF85 f2 macro review........

Thanks for a very informative review. How do you find the vignetting on this lens? Looking forward to your review on RF85 F2.0!

Great review thankyou!

A versatile budget lens indeed..! Thanks for the review sir♥️🙂 Will Sigma release R mount lenses in near future?? 🤔

This lens is a beast !

Dear Gordon, did you try this lens with the r5? I’m wondering how it will handle the 45mp. Love your reviews! Thanks

Gordon, following your question at 13:30, what happens if you point an EOS R5/R6 at a crowd of people? How will it decide to focus when it sees multiple people?

Please do all the RF lenses.

Would love to see those test

The Entire RF Line of Lenses Please & Thanks❗️📷 🙏🏽

We want to see more RF lenses reviews :)

Thank you Gordon, I think it’s time for me to get an RF lens....

I would like to see reviews of the other rf lenses

Thanks now im contemplating if i should sell my EF 35mm F2 and replace it with the RF mount verison :D (i still havent managed to get an ef/rf adapter after waiting for a year, they are hard out of stock in switzerland :-( )