This Is The Only Lens You Need (and Why)

PhotographyLensesGear

Aug 28

Written By Bryan Dijkhuizen

I just got back from a trip to Switzerland. The country of cheese, expensive watches, and of course mountains.

That’s why we’re there for.

And that’s particularly interesting for photographers, landscape photographers in particular.

I like street and travel (landscape) photography and then stood for the dilemma of what lenses I should bring. I packed my bag quite full and didn’t want to get stuff out again.

There was only 1 lens I needed: the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM.

It’s the perfect all-around lens for travelers because it has such a broad focal range going all the way from 24mm to shoot landscapes and street photos to 105mm perfect for distant nature and portraits.

Build Quality

The Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L is an L-series lens that is known for its really good build quality and is weather-sealed.

These premium features are typical of a high-end lens, and the cost reflects that.

The Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L is priced at $1300, placing it among the pricier f/4 midrange zooms on the market.

However, purchasing it as part of a kit with a Canon full-frame mirrorless camera can reduce the price to around $1000-1100, depending on the specific camera model you choose.

Technical Specs

Focal Length & Maximum Aperture: 24-105mm f/4
Image Stabilization: Yes, 5-stops IS.
Autofocus: Yes
Closest Focusing Distance: 1.48 ft. / 0.45m
Filter Size: 77mm

Sounds like a good lens, right?

I’ve had zoom lenses like the RF24-240mm before, but those have variable apertures ranging from F4 to F6.3 - that’s not what you want.

But with this lens, at all focal lengths, it' stays F4, allowing it to still create kind of a bokeh effect when zoomed in due to compression.

How It Feels

It’s quite big, but it feels nice. This lens has three rings: the standard zoom and focus rings, along with an additional customizable ring located at the front.

The control ring offers quick access to various settings, such as aperture, ISO, and exposure compensation, allowing for greater flexibility in your photography.

On the left side of the lens barrel, you'll find two switches.

The first is a straightforward AF/MF switch for toggling between autofocus and manual focus modes. The second is an On/Off switch that controls the lens's built-in Image Stabilization system.