Shooting the Curl: A First Look at the Canon RF 10-20mm f/4 IS STM for Surf Photography
The world of ocean photography has always thrived on the edge—capturing the split-second moment when a surfer drops into the wave or when the ocean reveals its raw, untamable power by throwing the lip out wide creating lines and colors unique to this perspective right up close to the action. As a surf or ocean photographer, you’re always seeking that perfect tool to complement your craft, and Canon’s new RF 10-20mm f/4 IS STM lens has drawn much interest among water photographers, ourselves included.
The Anticipation and Release: Canon’s Super-Wide Game-Changer
When Canon announced the RF 10-20mm f/4 IS STM in the last quarter of 2023, there was some genuine excitement across the photography community. For water photographers, especially those who shoot in the surf, this lens represents the perfect marriage ultra-wide angle and versatility. With a range of 10-20mm, this lens opens up a world of opportunities, but for us, it’s all about that widest angle—capturing the full scope of the wave from the water. Enhancing those in the barrel shots and being able to achieve amazing ‘split-shots’ over and under the water without crazy distortion.
Wide-Angle Lenses: The Backbone of Surf Photography
Super-wide lenses have long been a staple in surf photography. Countless covers and double page spreads taken deep within the chambers of the world’s best waves like Pipeline and Padang Padang. There’s something about the way a wide-angle captures the power of the ocean inside the crazy curve of a heavy wave, and the dramatic perspective of a surfer slicing through it. The Canon RF 10-20mm f/4 brings that classic wide-angle magic with a modern twist. But what’s truly exciting is that this lens offers the flexibility of a zoom—allowing you to experiment with different focal lengths while keeping the same immersive feel
Specs that Impress
The 10-20mm focal length alone should be enough to catch any water photographer’s eye. But Canon didn’t stop there. With a constant f/4 aperture, you’re promised consistent performance, even in shifting light conditions. Add to that Canon’s renowned Image Stabilization (IS) technology, especially beneficial to the film makers out there, and you’ve got a lens that thrives in challenging, fast-moving environments like inside the surf zone of the world’s best waves. The STM (Stepping Motor) also provides smooth, quiet autofocus, which is key when you’re rapidly trying to lock onto a surfer as they carve through a wave, as well as for video work.
What really caught my attention, though, is how compact and lightweight this lens is. As water photographers, we’re often treading water with camera housings—every gram can make a difference to your swimming experience. Canon clearly kept this in mind, creating a lens that’s light in the hand, without
Fisheye vs. Super-Wide: What’s the Difference?
Now, let’s talk about something many photographers may wonder: What’s the difference between this lens and a traditional fisheye? Fisheye lenses, like the Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L, are a popular choice for surf photography, known for their exaggerated, distorted perspective. They bend the world into a circular, almost bubble-like view that creates some really fun, artistic shots, especially when you’re close to the action.
The Canon RF 10-20mm, on the other hand, gives you that sweeping, ultra-wide field of view without the extreme distortion. You still capture the full scope of the scene, but with a more natural, rectilinear perspective—straight lines stay straight, and the image doesn’t feel like it’s been warped. For surf photographers who want to immerse their viewers in the moment but still keep their horizons level, this lens is a dream.
The Zoom Range: 10-20mm, But It’s All About 10mm
While the 10-20mm zoom range gives you versatility, I’ll be honest—when it comes to shooting in the water, it’s all about using the lens at 10mm. At its widest focal length, the RF 10-20mm lets you get up close and personal with your subject, while still capturing the full majesty of the wave and its surroundings. Being in the water, you’re already physically close to the action. At 10mm, you can emphasize that intimacy and really pull the viewer into the scene, giving them a perspective they can’t get from shore.
That being said, the ability to zoom out to 20mm provides flexibility. Maybe you’re shooting from in front of the wave when getting caught out by a larger set, you want to isolate a single element of the scene or simply want to diversify the imagery you get from one shoot by taking some portrait photos on your way in or out of the water. You can adapt on the fly without changing lenses – a huge plus when you’re shooting around in the ocean with your gear safely inside one of our water housings.
At 20mm
At 15mm
One thing to note, which was the only minor flaw of the lens is that when shooting at 10mm, the camera will automatically show you a ‘corrected’ version that is slightly cropped in to remove vignette. When viewed on the computer and turning corrections off, you see the full 10mm but with the vignette showing. However, it turns out to be not really something to complain about as the perspective still looks so pleasing on the eye, the photos turn out so sharp edge to edge, albeit with a ‘stretching’ kind of look to some of the pics. The colours and contrast are so great that the images really impressed anyone that was lucky enough to have this lens capture them in the ocean.
Using this Lens with the Canon R6 in our C2090 Water Housing
The Team at Liquid Eye had the opportunity to use this lens whilst on location in East Indonesia. Using this lens in our L-LD-6016 16cm dome, the 16cm was a great choice (our medium sized dome) as it is still a reasonable size to swim with and travel with and use in big waves, whilst it can still be used to produce those over under photos that can be very satisfying to achieve. The waves were good, although not big, for a few days and the water clarity wasn’t the greatest. So, we are really looking forward to trying this lens in some clear water for under the wave scenes sometime in the future.
The C2080 and C2090 now use a cinematic standard 0.8 mod zoom gearing, so the zoom while is the housing is so smooth it makes it an option to zoom mid video clip without ruining the footage. The new Canon mirrorless cameras are almost all able to shoot in extremely high frame rates, making the most expensive DSLR’s of yesteryear seem like dinosaurs in comparison. This comes very much in handy when shooting in critical situations. Indeed, shooting at 20 frames per second with the Canon R6 it is amazing how many extra frames you get. Looking back through the photos after we would think it must be the last clean frame and then we would be surprised by there being another 3 or 4 frames before going under the water, sometimes that can be the difference between a good shot and a great shot.
Final Thoughts: A Must-Have for Water Photographers
The Canon RF 10-20mm f/4 IS STM isn’t just another wide-angle lens—it’s a versatile tool for capturing the ocean in all its beauty, from its expansive seascapes to full on slabs. For surf photographers like ourselves, it ticks all the right boxes. Lightweight, weather-sealed, image stabilized and boasting stunning edge to edge image quality, this lens is as reliable in the water as the tides themselves.
If you’re like us, always hunting for that perfect wave shot and fresh perspective, the RF 10-20mm might just be the next addition to your arsenal. At its widest, you’ll feel like you’re a part of the wave, fully immersed—and at the end of the day, that’s what ocean photography is all about.
