Canon EF 70–200mm f/2.8L IS III USM vs Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Z

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EF 70–200mm f/2.8L IS III USM compared with RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Z

	CanonEF 70–200mm f/2.8L IS III USM	CanonRF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Z
Overview
Released
Released	September 2018	November 2024
Optics
Lens type
Lens type	Zoom	Zoom
Focal length
Focal length	70–200 mm	70–200 mm
Maximum aperture
Maximum aperture	f/2.8	f/2.8
Minimum aperture
Minimum aperture	f/32	f/22
Optical construction
Optical construction	23 elements in 19 groups; retains the optical layout of the EF 70–200mm f/2.8L IS II USM	18 elements in 15 groups
Special elements
Special elements	One fluorite and five UD elements	Three aspherical elements including two glass-moulded and one replica; two Super UD elements and one UD element, with the UD glass-moulded aspherical element also counted among the asphericals
Coatings
Coatings	Air Sphere Coating and revised optical coatings; fluorine coating on front and rear element surfaces	ASC and Super Spectra; fluorine coating on front element
Aperture detail
Aperture detail	–	Constant f/2.8 maximum and f/22 minimum; smooth electronic iris ring
Diaphragm
Diaphragm	Eight blades with a circular aperture	11 circular aperture blades
Angle of view
Angle of view	Diagonal 34°–12°; vertical 19°30′–7°; horizontal 29°–10°	29°–10° horizontal, 19°30′–7° vertical and 34°–12° diagonal on full frame
Mount and compatibility
Mounts
Mounts	Canon EF	Canon RF
Image circle
Image circle	Full frame	Full frame
Compatibility
Compatibility	Canon EF mount full-frame and APS-C cameras	Canon EOS R cameras; full-frame image circle; stills iris-ring operation depends on camera support
Teleconverter support
Teleconverter support	EF1.4X III gives 98–280 mm f/4 and 0.30× maximum magnification; EF2X III gives 140–400 mm f/5.6 and 0.44×; autofocus remains available but is slower	RF 1.4x gives 98–280 mm f/4 with 0.42× maximum magnification; RF 2x gives 140–400 mm f/5.6 with 0.6×; autofocus and stabilisation retained
Focus and stabilisation
Autofocus
Autofocus	Yes	Yes
Minimum focus distance
Minimum focus distance	1.2 m	0.49 m
Maximum magnification
Maximum magnification	0.21×	0.3×
Optical stabilisation
Optical stabilisation	Yes	Yes
Autofocus detail
Autofocus detail	Ring-type USM; full-time manual override after One-Shot autofocus while holding the shutter button halfway	Dual Nano USM motors independently drive two focusing groups for electronic floating focus control; full-time manual focus
Focus distance detail
Focus distance detail	Internal focusing; maximum 0.21× magnification at 200 mm	Closest focus 0.49 m at 70 mm and 0.68 m at 200 mm; separate AF/MF distance modes not published
Magnification detail
Magnification detail	–	0.2× at 70 mm and 0.3× at 200 mm (Canon Japan)
Stabilisation detail
Stabilisation detail	Up to 3.5 stops under CIPA testing at 200 mm on an EOS-1D X Mark II; Mode 1 for still subjects and Mode 2 for panning; Canon notes tripod results depend on the tripod and shooting conditions	Lens OIS 5.5 stops at centre with EOS R8 at 200 mm; combined OIS/IBIS 7.5 centre and seven corner stops with EOS R1 at 200 mm under Canon's CIPA-2024 conditions
Video features
Video features	–	Optically suppressed focus breathing and electronic floating focus control; optional PZ-E2/PZ-E2B adapters provide motorised zoom; iris operation in stills depends on camera and firmware
Design
Dust and moisture resistant
Dust and moisture resistant	Yes	Yes
Filter diameter
Filter diameter	77 mm	82 mm
Maximum diameter
Maximum diameter	88.8 mm	88.5 mm
Length
Length	199 mm	199 mm
Weight
Weight	1,480 g	1,115 g (better)
Controls
Controls	AF/MF, IS on/off and IS mode switches; focus limiter selects 1.2 m–infinity or 2.5 m–infinity	Control, focus, zoom and iris rings; iris Auto lock; lens function buttons
Zoom design
Zoom design	Internal zooming maintains physical length (Digital Camera World)	Internal zoom with 70° rotation; barrel length remains constant
Filter detail
Filter detail	–	82 mm front screw-in filter thread
Weather resistance
Weather resistance	Dust- and moisture-resistant construction with a rubber gasket at the mount	Dust and moisture resistant construction with mount gasket; maker states it cannot completely prevent ingress and requires attachment to a camera
Dimensions detail
Dimensions detail	88.8 mm maximum diameter × 199 mm length, measured from the mount to the lens front; add 24.2 mm for front and rear caps	Approximately 88.5 mm maximum diameter × 199 mm length; same barrel size for white and black versions
Weight detail
Weight detail	Approximately 1,480 g lens only according to Canon's instruction manual, UK store and Camera Museum; a Canon USA one-page specification chart instead lists approximately 1,440 g	White 1115 g and black 1110 g, excluding tripod mount; headline uses photographed white model
Tripod mount
Tripod mount	Included removable rotating B (W II) tripod mount ring; detach the lens from the camera before removing the collar	Tripod foot removable; PetaPixel notes no Arca-Swiss profile or 90° collar click stops
Lens hood
Lens hood	ET-87, with release button and reversible mounting for storage	White ET-88C (WIII) or black ET-88C (B); LZ1328 case and E-82 II/Lens Dust Cap RF listed as accessories
In the box
In the box	ET-87 hood and LZ1326 lens case according to the UK store; tripod mount ring included according to Canon's instruction manual	ET-88C lens hood (Web Cameraman)
Release detail
Release detail	Marketed in September 2018 according to Canon Camera Museum; Canon USA's 7 June announcement had scheduled US shipping for August 2018	Canon Camera Museum confirms marketed November 2024; Photography Blog preview reports 14 November UK/Europe/US, while Web Cameraman reports 29 November Japan; precise regional retail days are secondary and headline retains maker-confirmed month