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Canon 15-30 STM RF

  
 
Taytum03
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p.1 #1Canon 15-30 STM RF
What are some of the thoughts of this lens I’m thinking about purchasing it but I’d like some feedback on some owners of it
Jun 25, 2026 at 06:45 PM
garyvot
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p.1 #2Canon 15-30 STM RF
I've not owned this one, but judging by the test results at TDP, the image quality is about what you would expect for a budget zoom - okayish. It may be fine depending on your needs.

https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=1624

Both the RF 16-28mm f/2.8 IS STM and RF 14-35mm f/4 L IS would be considerable steps up in quality. (I have owned both and can recommend.) Refurb copies of the 16-28 are sometimes on sale for $820 from Canon Direct.

All of these lenses require digital corrections, in case that is a consideration for you.

If you shoot things with a tripod and are looking for a quality wide angle with good sharpness across the frame, also consider the EF 16-35mm f/4 L IS. Still one of the best wide-angle zooms Canon has made.
Jun 25, 2026 at 10:53 PM
Z250SA
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p.1 #3Canon 15-30 STM RF
Got a used one at a nice price last winter as I wanted more flexibility than e.g. the RF16 provides and wider FoV than the 24-105STM. As I mostly use the latter at 24mm, the 15-30 has proved very successful and has been glued to my R5 since I found the IQ to be very good indeed.

I use it almost 100% for landscape and slightly stopped down with no interest in blur or whatever intentional unsharpness is called. With DPP and lens correction I see nothing of the baddies some testers find so appalling. So what if the lens is designed to be digitally corrected. The images are great.

I really like the size and lightness of this lens. Originally I had my eyes on the 14-35 f/4 which is not all that much heavier. But my experience with several of the "cheap" STM´s are very positive, so why thow good money on something expensive if something lighter and cheaper gets to goods home? It is sellable after all if dissatisfaction comes creaping.
Jun 27, 2026 at 10:28 AM
Taytum03
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p.1 #4Canon 15-30 STM RF
Yeah I was looking at some of the EF 14-35s on the forums but they were 2x more expensive than a 15-30 I’ve seen for sale.
Jun 27, 2026 at 11:17 PM
 


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rscheffler
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p.1 #5Canon 15-30 STM RF
There was some discussion about the 15-30 a few years back when it was first released:

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1770909/1

I was very tempted to get one as an alternative to my EF 16-35/4, which when adapted to R, feels a lot larger. I didn't pull the trigger. Today I'd probably opt for the 16-28/2.8 instead as it appears to be slightly stronger, optically and also has the f/2.8 option if needed. Yes, it's more expensive.
Jun 27, 2026 at 11:43 PM
gavin_emmons
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p.1 #6Canon 15-30 STM RF
I have used a copy of the 15-30 lens for a couple years and for my needs it has been a good lens. It is light, small, and relatively cheap. I tend to use it stopped down for landscape photography with my R5, and it does decently well in allowing sharp focus from close foreground elements to infinity.

It's not the absolute sharpest lens, and the corner performance may not be totally spectacular, but for a small and cheaper lens that I can take hiking or backpacking - along with a 24-240mm lens - I feel it does quite well. It performs better at 24-30mm than the 24-240mm lens - I know that's not surprising, but it allows me to easily swap out the longer zoom for the 15-30 when I want a bit better performance for wider angle compositions.
Jun 28, 2026 at 02:30 PM
Gochugogi
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p.1 #7Canon 15-30 STM RF
I own the RF 15-30 and, for the price, it's a very good optic for travel and hiking: petite, good IS and smooth STM AF. I don't mind the slow aperture as I mainly use it stopped down for landscapes and interiors. It's reasonably sharp on my 24 and 32 MP cameras. I suspect a R7 or R5 would be more revealing of its shortcomings. I think I recently saw refurb units on sale at Canon Direct.
Jun 29, 2026 at 01:50 PM
Z250SA
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p.1 #8Canon 15-30 STM RF
It does well on the R5. Only the outermost corners are weaker. But show me a zoom that is perfect in the corners. Oh, Germany-Paraguay is still 1-1. Must see
Jun 29, 2026 at 04:26 PM


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