For years, a fast f/2.8 standard zoom on Canon’s RF mount meant one thing: the big, expensive RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L. The Canon RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM, launched in September 2024 at $1,099, changed that. It’s compact, it’s stabilized, it’s sealed against weather to Canon’s L-series standard, and it costs less than half as much.

It’s the lens Canon owners had asked for, especially those with smaller bodies like the R8 and R6 Mark II, and one Sony and Nikon owners had long enjoyed from Tamron.