Best kit lens upgrades: Which full-frame zoom should you choose?

Canon kit lenses – the lenses that routinely come bundled with a camera when you buy it, such as the Canon RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM and RF 24-50mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM – provide a focal length range that's great for getting started with creative photography. Compact, lightweight and versatile, these zoom lenses enable you to capture everything from portraits and family occasions to landscapes, architecture and close-up details.

But what if you're ready to go beyond your kit lens? What if you want to explore a specific type of photography, get creative with depth of field or shoot in low light – both being benefits of using a lens with faster aperture – or you'd simply like to squeeze more into the frame or pull more distant objects into view ?

Upgrading to a new zoom lens enables you to take your photography further, but the choice available can be overwhelming. So, what are the features you should you look for when you're ready to buy your next camera lens? And what lens should you get after a kit lens?

Bear in mind that (except for just a few specialist lenses such as the Canon RF 5.2mm F2.8L DUAL FISHEYE, which require certain cameras) all RF lenses can be used with any EOS R System camera. However, if you have a camera with an APS-C sensor, such as the EOS R7 or EOS R10, then the effective focal length of the lens will be increased by a factor of 1.6x. Find out more about APS-C cameras and the focal length multiplier.

The first consideration is the focal length. Do you want something that enables you to go a little wider, to capture more of a landscape, or longer, to photograph wildlife or other more distant subjects?

The maximum or largest aperture is another important feature to look for. This controls how much light is let into the camera, with larger apertures (lower f-numbers) delivering better image quality when you shoot in low light. In addition, the size of the aperture also affects the depth of field – how much of an image appears sharply focused. A lens with a large maximum aperture such as f/2.8 will make it easier to achieve a shallow depth of field, blurring foreground and background details that might otherwise distract a viewer.

Large apertures also enable you to use shorter exposures (faster shutter speeds) to freeze movement. Note that some zoom lenses have a variable maximum aperture, like the RF 24-240mm F4-6.3 IS USM – this means it offers f/4 at the 24mm end of the zoom range and the maximum aperture gets smaller as the lens is zoomed, with f/6.3 at the 240mm end.

If you're using a camera that doesn't have an In-body Image Stabilizer (IBIS) then a lens that has a powerful Optical Image Stabilizer will help you to capture sharper shots and smoother video when shooting handheld. (If your camera does have IBIS, then this works in tandem with optical IS in a lens for even greater stabilisation, so it's still worth considering a lens with IS.)

If you enjoy using your camera in wild and rugged locations, then a lens that has some degree of weather sealing is going to provide some peace of mind. And if you travel a lot and carry your camera all day, then you'll probably want a lens that's relatively small and lightweight.

To help you choose your next most-used lens, here's a list of recommendations, which between them span a focal length range of 15mm to 240mm. Canon Europe Product Marketing Specialist Mark Kendrick also offers his insight into what makes each such a great option.

This kit lens upgrade packs an array of features that open up new creative possibilities. For a start, there's that f/2.8 maximum aperture, which remains constant throughout the zoom range. Coupled with the lens's 5.5-stop Image Stabilizer, the bright aperture makes the RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM an outstanding choice for creative and low-light photography – whether you're shooting portraits indoors or landscapes in the blue hour.

"While it doesn't go as wide as the RF 24-50mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM or the RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM, this lens allows you to really take advantage of the shallow depth of field that f/2.8 offers," Mark explains. "Using this lens at 70mm, you're going to be able to take beautiful portraits that are really crisp where they need to be, but also have a really nice quality to the background blur."

It's a handy lens for the great outdoors too, with a compact, lightweight and weather-resistant design that includes rubber seals around the combined Control/focusing ring, the zoom ring and the RF lens mount. The RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM's powerful image stabilisation means that you won't have to carry a tripod to achieve sharp and stable images.

If you're looking to upgrade to your first Canon L-series lens and want a zoom that provides a range of focal lengths for day-to-day photography and video recording, then the RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM is a very practical choice.

It's a similar size and weight to the RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM, so the choice ultimately comes down to whether you need a faster f/2.8 aperture or a longer zoom with L-series build quality.

The RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM features a dust- and drip-resistant construction, complete with fluorine coatings on the front and rear lens elements that repel dirt and make the lens easier to clean. A 5-stop Image Stabilizer helps to suppress the effects of camera shake, while dedicated Control, focusing and zoom rings provide quick and precise manual adjustments.

"It's a lens that you're going to be able to rely on, day in, day out, for a very long time," Mark says. "It offers a broader focal length range than the RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM, so if you want a lens that's capable of taking on any subject, capturing a wider angle plus zooming in a bit further , then this is one to go for."

A superzoom such as the 10x RF 24-240mm F4-6.3 IS USM gives you the flexibility to shift seamlessly from shooting wide-angle landscapes to wildlife close-ups without having to change the lens. Pairing the RF 24-240mm F4-6.3 IS USM with a full-frame EOS R System camera, you'll have the freedom to shoot spontaneously and react more quickly.

Mark suggests that this is a very practical travel lens. "It weighs only 750g and packs down to little more than 12cm in length. So, it's easy to carry, and its 5-stop Image Stabilizer means that you can stay mobile and still achieve sharp handheld shots. It's equipped with a fast and near-silent Nano USM focusing motor as well, which we normally see just on high-end or professional L-series lenses."

If you're stepping up to the RF 24-240mm F4-6.3 IS USM from a standard kit lens such as the RF 24-50mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM, the creative opportunities are massively expanded by the wealth of focal lengths you'll have available. It doesn't have the fast maximum aperture of the RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM or the professional construction of the RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM, but it makes up for that in sheer versatility.

A kit lens gives you a lot of different framing options when it comes to landscape and cityscape photography, enabling you to zoom out to capture a wide view and then punch in a little to isolate interesting features in the scene. If you've developed a taste for the wide-angle look, though, then the ultra wide angle full-frame RF 16-28MM F2.8 IS STM lens is going to be a fine replacement for a kit zoom.

"It's a go-to lens for people who want to capture the grandeur of a location, be it a city view or a landscape," Mark says, "but its ultra-wide field of view also complements architecture, interiors and handheld vlogging. Its constant f/2.8 maximum aperture throughout the zoom range makes it an excellent lens for shooting in low light and for astrophotography too."

The RF 16-28MM F2.8 IS STM has a similar design to the RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM, complete with 5.5-stop Image Stabilizer, 9-blade aperture, a combined Control/focusing ring, and weather-resistant construction. Image quality is very high too, approaching that of an L-series lens, making the RF 16-28MM F2.8 IS STM one of the best ultra wide zoom lenses on the market.

To maintain its diminutive size – only 445g in weight and approximately 9cm long when retracted – any wide-angle distortion is corrected by in-camera image processing rather than optically in the lens. "The EOS R System cameras are capable of processing the image and correcting it in real-time," Mark explains. "If we had to do it all optically, then lens elements would have to be larger, so the lens would be bigger and more expensive.

"By using the power of the EOS R System, Canon is able to design more compact, lightweight and affordable lenses with next-generation image quality."

The RF 15-30mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM is a more economical ultra-wide-angle replacement for a kit lens. It covers a similar focal length range to the RF 16-28MM F2.8 IS STM but goes longer and wider. Every millimetre of focal length makes a big difference when it comes to wide-angle photos and video – and 15mm captures a surprising amount more than 16mm.

The RF 15-30mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM doesn't have the same weather-resistant build as the RF 16-28MM F2.8 IS STM, but it offers an identical 5.5-stops of optical image stabilisation and it's able to capture images at closer distances – right down to 12.8cm in manual focus mode, enabling you to show a small subject in detail while still pulling a large amount of the scene into the frame.

"It does have a slower aperture compared to the RF 16-28MM F2.8 IS STM, which means it's not as good for low-light shooting, or for exploring more creative depth of field effects either," Mark adds. "But where the RF 15-30mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM does excel is that it's even wider, even smaller and more than 50g lighter. So, if you're looking for a really pocket-sized ultra-wide zoom lens, then this is the one for you."

If you need help choosing a lens, Canon's handy lens finder tool will tailor recommendations based on your camera, the genre you want to shoot, and which features you value most. If you have a particular genre in mind, find out more about getting the most from your kit in portrait photography, landscape photography, action and sports photography, and wildlife photography.


Written by Marcus Hawkins