The Canon mirrorless lens lineup continues to grow with the announcement of the latest RF lens in the F4 collection. I had the pleasure of testing out this lens — the Canon RF14-35mm F4 — with a skateboarding shoot in one of my favorite New York City neighborhoods, the Lower East Side. Here’s how we made it happen.
Testing the Canon RF14-35mm F4 L IS USM Lens
We started at the East River Park Amphitheater — it’s a beautiful piece of architecture for experimenting with this lens’ ultra-wide 14mm capabilities. The morning sun was behind us, so I hid two 600 EX II-RTs behind either side of the stage to bring Shane, our skateboarder, out from the shadows.
I tend to be meticulous when it comes to framing which is why I love the flexibility of zoom lenses. For the first photo, shooting at 19mm allowed me to perfectly frame Shane below the skyline. The wider shot was then created at 14mm to emphasize the entire amphitheater. For both shots, I had Shane place a rock as a marker so he’d pop in the same place every time, ensuring precise center framing between the two fences.
Wide Angle Capabilities
Next, we went behind the amphitheater to create a classic wide angle skateboarding photo. By getting extremely close to the ground and shooting up at 14mm, the obstacle looks larger, making Shane’s trick seem more impressive. You can’t go wrong with this classic composition!
Beyond the amphitheater is an iconic skate spot that stretches across the overpass known as the Alligator Ledges. At this point, I screwed on a B+W circular polarizer filter to bring out the blue sky while minimizing the metal ledge’s glare. While most 14mm lenses have rounded front elements requiring pesky rear filters, this lens is graced with a standard 77mm thread size.
For this first photo, I held the camera over my head and shot downward at 14mm to capture the cars passing below, contextualizing the spot. Then, I zoomed into 35mm and centered myself on the ledge to create a perfectly symmetrical composition. Again, I raised the camera over my head and shot downward, turning the pavement into a clean backdrop on which to frame Shane. Whenever backgrounds are busy, shooting down and using the ground never fails. Big shoutout to the Canon EOS R5’s articulating LCD screen for making this possible!
Zoom Lens Versatility
For our final location, we made our way to the East River Promenade. Here, I rode behind Shane to capture a series of pushing photos. As you’ll see, I started at 14mm, getting Shane’s foot as close to the lens as possible, and then pushed into 35mm when he inevitably speeded past me, making me grateful for this lens’ large zoom range. After a few clean photos at 1/800”, I decided to make things even more complicated fun by shooting at 1/15” to add some motion blur, emphasizing Shane’s speed. I turned on high speed continuous shooting and began to fire away.
There’s a lot that needs to come together for the perfect pushing photo: Both Shane and I need to be riding steadily at the perfect speeds, at the right distance between each other with no distracting passersby, and a neatly composed background. I also like capturing the apex of the push, back leg fully extended, as every other frame looks sloppy. Needless to say, it took quite a few tries before I made an image I was happy with. To be precise, we spent 10 minutes rolling around in circles, during which I shot 235 images. It never hurts having options!
Impressive Minimum Focusing Distance
We ended the shoot with a closeup of my skateboard, testing out this lens’ impressive 7.9-inch minimum focusing distance. This is extremely close compared to your typical wide angle.
This lens is fantastically sharp, lightweight, compact, and extremely versatile. It’s also relatively affordable compared to the Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8, making it a no-brainer for many photographers.
In summary, this lens is wonderful. Here’s a recap of key features to prove it:
- 14mm ultra wide angle shooting with minimal distortion
- 7.9-inch minimum focusing distance
- Unrounded front element with a 77mm thread size (no pesky rear filters)
- Customizable control ring
- All the beloved features of L series glass (weather resistant design, USM for fast and silent focusing, and Image Stabilization)
Canon RF14-35mm F4 L IS USM Lens
Whether you’re shooting sports, travel, landscapes, weddings, street photography, or anything in between, this is an excellent option to have in your camera bag… or as your only lens!
Shop the Canon RF14-35mm F4 L IS USM Lens at Adorama.
