Conclusion

A 70-200mm lens is a must-have optic for any camera system, and thankfully the new RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM delivers the goods for the fledgeling Canon full-frame mirrorless system.

It offers fantastic sharpness and image quality throughout the zoom range, great build quality, and an outstanding feature-set and performance.

Image quality is simply amazing. It's outstanding at almost every focal length, with epic levels of sharpness virtually throughout the aperture range.

Chromatic aberrations are almost non-existent and flare is only ever an issue when shooting directly into the sun or if you choose not to use the large lens hood.

The only optical issue of note is a slight drop-off in sharpness when shooting wide-open at f/2.8 at the 200mm focal length - otherwise this lens is a stellar performer.

Auto-focusing proved to be very quick, accurate and reliable on the Canon EOS RP mirrorless camera that we tested the lens with, while manual focus over-ride is a great feature, as is the effective built-in optical image stabilisation system that's worth up to 5 stops.

Priced at £2,699.99 / $2699.99, the RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM is undeniably expensive, some £$500 more than the EF DSLR version, but it's smaller, lighter and shorter than its DSLR cousin, whilst offering even better levels of image quality.

In our view, the RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM is well worth its asking price, and a very worthy winner of our coveted 5-star Award.

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	5
Features	5
Ease-of-use	4.5
Image quality	5
Value for money	4