New Lenses from Canon for RF Mounted Cameras

Canon has once again been busy, this time releasing a set of lenses designed specifically for cameras with the RF mount. These include some telephoto lenses, a lens suggested ideal for portrait and events, another for landscape and architectural usage and a new 7.8mm dual lens for VR imagery creation.

New Telephoto Lens in Black or White

The RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Z, RF 50mm F1.4L VCM and RF 24mm F1.4L VCM lenses are part of a new range of hybrid optics that offer video features such as a smooth operation iris ring with an 11-bladed circular aperture, fast and effective low light performance as well as advanced optics and minimal focus breathing.

Canon suggests the RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Z is ideal for sport, wildlife, news and hybrid shooting where flexibility and reach is important. They say it offers professionals critical filmmaking features such as electronic parfocal performance and focus breathing suppression, plus servo zoom via optional Power Zoom Adapters, a built-in 5.5-stop Optical Image Stabiliser and dedicated Iris Ring for smooth aperture control.

The lens is compatible with Canon’s optional RF extenders, and for smooth zooming the optional Power Zoom Adapters – PZ-E2 or PZ-E2B – can be used by hand or remotely via Canon’s Camera Connect / EOS Utility applications, Browser Remote function or using Canon’s XC Protocol with compatible cameras. The PZ-E2B’s 20-pin interface also supports Canon’s Zoom Servo Grip for more comfortable control as well as Zoom/Focus demands for more studio-based applications.

Close to the Human Eye

The RF 50mm F1.4L VCM offers sharpness and outstanding image quality, along with a natural angle-of-view, close to that of the human eye, making it suitable for low light portraits, reportage or weddings and event videos with a cinematic look. It is 40 percent lighter than the RF 50mm F1.2L USM.

Conversely, the RF 24mm F1.4L VCM, which is around 20 percent lighter than its EF predecessor, offers a wide focal length making it great for landscapes, architecture and interiors, plus environmental portraits, filmmaking and video interviews where showing the subject in context is important.

3D Alive and Well?

For those of us that think 3D imagery is still potentially a thing, the RF-S 7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens, designed to make realistic, high-quality 3D still and video creation more accessible for entry level enthusiasts. When paired with an APS-C camera body, this lens offers a compact and attainable entry point to the world of spatial video – whilst retaining the high optical performance of the EOS R System.

It delivers a natural 63-degree field of view, closely mirroring human vision, to create immersive experiences with an extra dimension, providing emotional depth and vivid realism. Currently compatible with the EOS R7, the RF-S 7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens allows creators to capture spatial video to be experienced not only on higher-end VR headsets, but also on smartphones via VR glasses, cardboard headsets, and even handheld viewing devices for printed images.

Weighing only 130g, coupled with a user-friendly STM AF system, it opens up 3D shooting possibilities for stills and video to a wide variety of users, enabling easy creation of more lifelike capture of cultural performances, high-end product reveals or walk-through videos for real estate and hotels in spatial stills and videos.

The EOS VR Utility app will be updated to create spatial video for Apple Vision Pro headsets, enabling content captured on Canon EOS VR System products to be exported in MV-HEVC codec when using an Apple Mac computer.

At this point, footage can only be edited using Canon’s own system or with a special plugin for Adobe Premiere Pro, somewhat limiting its potential I feel. Hopefully, Canon will also update their plugin to suit non-proprietary platforms for editing packages such as DaVinci Resolve, Vegas pro and similar, thus greatly broadening the appeal.

Pricing for all the lenses is as per Canon’s policy, at “dealer discretion but the RF-S 7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens is expected to be around $799.

The RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Z, available in black or  white, is priced at $5399 RRP, the RF 50mm F1.4L VCM is priced at $2429 and the RF 24mm F1.4L VCM, $2699 RRP.