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EF 24-70 2.8 II vs. RF 28-70 2.8

  
 
Mike_5D
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p.1 #1 · EF 24-70 2.8 II vs. RF 28-70 2.8


Have any of you used these two lenses side by side? I have the EF lens but the RF 28-70 is lighter, smaller, and adds IS. Besides 4 mm, what would I give up in such a switch? I also have an RF 24-105 STM and 24-240 so I'm OK with the wide-end tricks of such lenses.


Feb 15, 2026 at 01:27 PM
MintMar
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p.1 #2 · EF 24-70 2.8 II vs. RF 28-70 2.8


WR and build? 4mm at the wide end is quite a lot. Also IS is not really important if your RF camera has IBIS.


Feb 15, 2026 at 02:27 PM
Mike_5D
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p.1 #3 · EF 24-70 2.8 II vs. RF 28-70 2.8


MintMar wrote:
WR and build? 4mm at the wide end is quite a lot. Also IS is not really important if your RF camera has IBIS.


Canon claims "Impressive durability and weather-resistant construction equivalent to an L-series lens for use in harsh environments" for the RF 16-28 2.8 and 28-70 2.8 for what it's worth, but I don't doubt that a true L lens is still more robust.

The loss of 4 mm is a bigger concern. Looking in Lightroom, 6% of my shots with the 24-70 are wider than 28mm. I also own an EF 16-35 f/4 but I don't take it out much since I'm not a huge wide angle guy and it's kinda big with the adapter. Maybe if I had the RF 28-70, I'd pair it with the RF 16-28 and be more likely to carry it. Still, there's benefits to getting wider without swapping lenses.

I have an R6 and have pulled off some handheld slow shutter speeds with the 24-105 that I can't match with the EF 24-70. Having f/2.8 and IS in one lens for half the price of the RF 24-70 2.8 is tempting though.



Feb 15, 2026 at 02:40 PM
DustinLevine
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p.1 #4 · EF 24-70 2.8 II vs. RF 28-70 2.8


Yea Canon put WR on the new 28-70mm f/2.8 STM (and 16-28mm) on the rear mount, and on the rings of the barrel, but NOT on the switches.......which I do not understand at all, either make it WR or don't! Rubber gaskets around the 2 switches might have added $2 to the cost.

I shot the EF 24-70mm f/2.8 for 10 years, and now have been shooting the RF 24-70mm f/2.8 for about 5 years.

A few months ago I tested out the 28-70mm side by side with my lens for a day, as the size and weight reduction was too large to ignore. There were a lot of similarities and differences, but in the end I stayed with my 24-70mm.

One reason being that my 24-70 is fully Weather-Resistant, and the 28-70mm ''kind of'' weather-resistant.

Also the filter threads on the 24-70 are metal, and on the 28-70 stm they are plastic, so if you are someone who screws filter on and off frequently, there is the potential for stripping the filter threads on the lens over time with the 2870.

I surpassingly found central sharpness on both lenses at pretty much every aperture, and every focal length to be indistinguishable! They looked identical to me at 100% on my computer.......but the corners on the 2470 L were definitely much sharper, clearer, and had more detail than the 2870.

And if your shooting for subject separation, the Bokeh is much smoother on the 2470, side by side the 2870 stm definitely had ''busier' bokeh, especially in trees and foliage.

But when you factor in the weight reduction, the size difference, and cost difference, the 2870mm is a great lens!

If I did not already own the 2470, I would actually 100% buy the 2870, but if I sold my 2470 now and bought the 2870 (plus I would have to buy the lens hood since it does not come with one, plus I would have to buy a new filter since it's a different size.....eat paypal fees and cover the shipping costs on the sale), I would pocket very little extra cash after the swap, and something just didn't feel right about trading my roughly $2000 lens for a $1000 lens, basically straight up.



Edited on Feb 16, 2026 at 09:22 PM · View previous versions



Feb 15, 2026 at 08:24 PM
campy
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p.1 #5 · EF 24-70 2.8 II vs. RF 28-70 2.8


I think the 28-70 f2.8 stm is what Sigma and Tamron would have put out if they were allowed to and would be selling on the used market for around $700. I have the same problem giving up the EF 24-70 L II for it. I have the RF 24-105 stm and trying to decide if the F4 is worth picking up at the right price. I think Canon's marketing with the STM, VC and L series leaves little room for 3rd party and as long as they sell bodies they have market share that's not going anywhere unless you can afford to run two systems. What I liked about the Sony system is that you can buy and sell many different lenses from different makers without much of a money risk as long as you bought used. With Canon unless you buy VC or L lenses everything seems like vanilla ice cream.


Feb 16, 2026 at 07:26 AM
tomba8tomba
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p.1 #6 · EF 24-70 2.8 II vs. RF 28-70 2.8


I replaced EF 24-70 2.8 L, RF 24-105 f4 L + f4-7.1 with the RF 28-70mm 2.8 IS STM to use it together with RF 14-35 f4 and RF 70-200 f4.
I don’t look back.

Edited on Feb 16, 2026 at 07:39 AM · View previous versions



Feb 16, 2026 at 07:36 AM
johnctharp
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p.1 #7 · EF 24-70 2.8 II vs. RF 28-70 2.8


DustinLevine wrote:
Yea Canon put WR on the new 28-70mm f/2.8 STM (and 16-28mm) on the rear mount, and on the rings of the barrel, but NOT on the switches.......which I do not understand at all, either make it WR or don't! Rubber gaskets around the 2 switches might have added $2 to the cost.


I have to wonder if that's much of a problem. Like, if you're photographing through a downpour or getting drenched by a wave or whatever else, yeah, I'd want the full L-grade weather resistance too.

Just regular use with occasional mist or water drops? Never had that be a problem even with lenses that had to weather sealing, and haven't heard of folks having problems either.

But I'd agree that it's a personal risk vs. reward question. I wouldn't have any concerns running the 28-70/2.8 myself.



Feb 16, 2026 at 07:37 AM
movingmelodia
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p.1 #8 · EF 24-70 2.8 II vs. RF 28-70 2.8


If weight is a concern, use the RF28-70stm. If you can carry it, consider the RF24-70F2.8. For family use, opt for a smaller lens. Taking out the camera during shopping, dining, or strolling with the kids will feel more relaxed and natural, without being too formal


Feb 16, 2026 at 11:01 AM
 


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AmbientMike
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p.1 #9 · EF 24-70 2.8 II vs. RF 28-70 2.8


I have heard IS + IBIS gives crazy low ss.

I used to use 28 or 35 + 50 so 28mm probably not a deal breaker for me



Feb 16, 2026 at 12:07 PM
Mike_5D
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p.1 #10 · EF 24-70 2.8 II vs. RF 28-70 2.8


AmbientMike wrote:
I have heard IS + IBIS gives crazy low ss.



Yeah it's impressive. I've managed 1 second handheld at 24mm with the 24-105 STM on the R6. That's a bit of an exception, but 1/4-1/2 sec are pretty reliable.



Feb 16, 2026 at 12:27 PM
MintMar
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p.1 #11 · EF 24-70 2.8 II vs. RF 28-70 2.8


Mike_5D wrote:
Yeah it's impressive. I've managed 1 second handheld at 24mm with the 24-105 STM on the R6. That's a bit of an exception, but 1/4-1/2 sec are pretty reliable.


Interesting. I need to test it in the evening, I do have 24-105 STM. Nevertheless I was able to get pretty good hand held results with just IBIS on R6/2 at 24mm or longer (this is 42mm) at half a second, but of course, to completely remove the effect of pushing a shutter button I used the serial shooting.




Feb 17, 2026 at 03:22 AM
Mike_5D
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p.1 #12 · EF 24-70 2.8 II vs. RF 28-70 2.8


MintMar wrote:
Interesting. I need to test it in the evening, I do have 24-105 STM. Nevertheless I was able to get pretty good hand held results with just IBIS on R6/2 at 24mm or longer (this is 42mm) at half a second, but of course, to completely remove the effect of pushing a shutter button I used the serial shooting.



I don't think you can have just IBIS enabled when the lens has IS. But yeah, you gotta take a few of shots at such slow shutter speeds to get a good one.



Feb 17, 2026 at 11:59 AM
MintMar
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p.1 #13 · EF 24-70 2.8 II vs. RF 28-70 2.8


Mike_5D wrote:
I don't think you can have just IBIS enabled when the lens has IS. But yeah, you gotta take a few of shots at such slow shutter speeds to get a good one.


Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention I made the picture with EF 24-70/2.8 L II. Nevertheless, lenses have physical switches to switch off the IS, don't they? So I guess it's just IBIS then.

But I meant to test 24-105 STM with both IS systems active.



Feb 17, 2026 at 04:42 PM
tomba8tomba
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p.1 #14 · EF 24-70 2.8 II vs. RF 28-70 2.8


The switch on a lens with IS switches off/on both, IS and IBIS. If the body has IBIS.


Feb 17, 2026 at 05:40 PM
Toertel76
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p.1 #15 · EF 24-70 2.8 II vs. RF 28-70 2.8


Hi All,

I’ve had the 24-70 GMII on my Sony and used it rarely. I found out that I am somehow happy with lenses <600g tops, but nothing heavier to lug around.

That leaves me after my switch to Canon with loving the 28-70 f2.8. Sharp enough for my taste, nicely designed, good enough bokeh. Awesome lens for a reasonable price point. The better Standard Zoom for me.

Cheers,
Toertel



Feb 18, 2026 at 07:41 AM
MintMar
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p.1 #16 · EF 24-70 2.8 II vs. RF 28-70 2.8


tomba8tomba wrote:
The switch on a lens with IS switches off/on both, IS and IBIS. If the body has IBIS.


Ah, OK.



Feb 18, 2026 at 07:53 AM







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