Canon RF 70-200mm f/4L IS Review (fantastic sharpness and image quality)

RF 70-200mm F/4L IS Review
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Here is a new Canon RF 70-200mm f/4L IS review. This is a very interesting and rather affordable lens, and it is getting some pretty good reviews.

Canon RF 70-200mm f/4L IS at a glance:

  • RF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
  • Aperture Range: f/4 to f/32
  • Four Ultra-Low Dispersion Elements
  • Air Sphere and Fluorine Coatings
  • Dual Nano USM AF System
  • Optical Image Stabilizer
  • Customizable Control Ring
  • Weather-Sealed Construction

How does this lens perform, and how does it compare to its faster sibling, the Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS (which is also heavier and bulkier)? Photography Blog posted their exhaustive Canon RF 70-200mm f/4L IS review. From the conclusion:

[…] this is arguably the 70-200mm zoom that the majority of Canon EOS R-series camera owners should buy – it’s literally a better fit for the smaller R-series bodies than the F2.8, whilst costing considerably less.

[…] It offers fantastic sharpness and image quality at the centre and edges of the frame throughout both the zoom and aperture ranges, from the widest aperture of F4 to the longest telephoto length of 200mm.

[…] Auto-focusing proved to be very quick, accurate and reliable on the Canon EOS R6 camera that we tested the lens with, while the very effective optical image stabilisation system that’s worth up to 5-stops on its own worked even better when paired with the R6.

Compared to the DSLR version of this lens […] the new RF 70-200mm F4 is shorter thanks to its retractable design and because you have to use an adapter with the EF version. It also offers even better image quality, a much

Read the review at Photography Blog…

The final rating by Photography Blog is “highly recommended” and a 4.5/5 score. Here is another Canon RF 70-200mm f/4L IS review.

Canon RF 70-200mm f/4L IS:

America: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA
Europe & UK: Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon IT, Canon IT, WEX Photographic, Canon FR, Canon UK, Canon DE

Canon RF 70-200mm f/4L IS description after the break.

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Deal: Adobe Photoshop Elements 2021 – $59.99 (reg. $99.99, Mac/Win, DVD & Download)

Photoshop Elements 2021
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A recurring deal and a good one. In case you missed it last time. Today only (02/22/21) Adorama has a 40% discount on Adobe Photoshop Elements 2021.

At a glance:

  • Photo Editing and Organization Software
  • Adobe Sensei AI Technology
  • Intuitive Home Screen and Auto Creations
  • Add Motion to Still Images
  • Face-Tilt and Facial Feature Adjustments
  • Quote Graphics and 58 Guided Edits
  • Smart Tags and Facial Recognition
  • Automatic Catalog Structure Backups
  • Built-In Prints and Gifts Service
  • For macOS 10.14/10.15 & Windows 10

Get Adobe Photoshop Elements 2021 on sale at $59.99. Compare at $99.99. Mac and Windows versions, DVD or download.

Hand-picked deals are listed here.

Deal pages:

Refurbished lenses and DSLRs at Canon Store (best deals to be found here)

Save $10 on Luminar 4 and/or Aurora HDR 2019 and/or Luminar AI using our code “WATCH” at checkout.

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Canon Patent: 15-45mm f/4.6-8 For Fixed Lens Full Frame Mirrorless Camera

Fixed Lens
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Here is an interesting Canon patent for a lens featured on a fixed lens full frame mirrorless camera.

Canon might be set to release a camera with a full frame sensor and a fixed lens. Something other manufacturer already offer, like the Sony RX1 R. Canon patent application P2021-26196A (Japan) discusses the optical formulas for a lens to be featured on this kind of camera, a 15-45mm f/4.6-8.

  • Zoom ratio: 2.92
  • Focal length: 14.95 28.12 43.68 mm
  • F number: 4.62 6.22 8.00
  • Half angle of view: 55.35 37.57 26.35
  • Image height: 21.64 21.64 21.64 mm
  • Lens length: 92.22 86.07 89.94 mm
  • Back focus: 4.95 17.00 30.06 mm

I wouldn’t be surprised if Canon brings the EOS R technology to a fixed lens full frame mirrorless camera. And I am pretty sure we will see some rumors pointing in that direction soon after this patent makes its rounds ;-)

We think the technology discussed in the patent might get into production within the next years. More Canon patents are listed here. Some particularly interesting patent applications we think might get into production are these:

[via Hi Lows Note]

The Camera Industry 2010-2020 – A Big Decline And It Won’t Recover Any Time Soon

Camera Industry
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No secret that the camera industry is not going through a stellar moment. Now it seems it’s worse than expected.

LensVid is not new to camera market analysis, Now they published their extensive look at the camera industry in the last 10 years and how the big fall happened. They also make some predictions about the future, and it looks grim as the past.

We recommend you read LensVid’s extensive article to get the story. For those who want it quick, have a look at the infographic below. The used data comes from the Camera, and Image Products Association (CIPA).

Venus Optics Releases Laowa RF 11mm f/4.5 FF RL For Canon EOS R

Laowa RF 11mm
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Another third party lens joins the Canon EOS R party. Venus Optics released the Laowa RF 11mm f/4.5 FF RL lens for the RF mount.

The Laowa RF 11mm f/4.5 FF RL sells at $699 and is available at Venus Optics. Along with the 11mm, they also released the Nikon Z mount version of the Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2x Ultra-Macro APO. There are a lot of interesting Laowa lenses for Canon cameras.

Specifications Laowa 11mm f/4.5 FF RL

Focal Length11mm
Max. Aperturef/4.5
Min. Aperturef/22
Angle of View126°
Format CompatibilityFull Frame
Lens Structure14 elements in 10 groups
Aperture Blades5
Min. Focusing Distance7.4” (19cm)
Max. Magnification0.1x
Filter Thread62mm
Dimensions⌀ 63.5mm x 58mm
Weight254g (8.9 oz.)
MountsLeica M, L mount, Sony FE, Nikon Z, Canon RF

Press release:

Venus Optics announces the add of Canon RF mount for Laowa 11mm f/4.5 FF RL lens
and Nikon Z mount for Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2x Ultra-Macro APO

(FF = Full Frame, RL = Rectilinear)

Anhui China, 19 Feb, 2021 – Venus Optics, the manufacturer specialized in making unique camera lenses, now offers more variants to 2 popular Laowa lenses. Added Canon RF mount for the Laowa 11mm f/4.5 FF RL lens (Full Frame) and Nikon Z mount for Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2x Ultra-Macro APO (APS-C). Offering Canon Full-frame (R, RP, R5 & R6) users an exceptional ultra-wide experience and the high magnification power on Nikon APS-C body (Z50).

Laowa 11mm f/4.5 FF RL

Laowa 11mm F4.5 FF RL is an extremely compact rectilinear(RL) wide-angle lens for full-frame (FF) mirrorless cameras. The remarkable 126° angle of view with 19cm minimum focus distance can be found in this 6.3cm(2.5 inches) long and 254g(8.9oz) lens. It allows you to capture the stunning landscape, precious travel moments and beautiful cityscape without any burden. The lens also includes 2 aspherical elements and 3 extra-low dispersion elements to guarantee the sharpness, suppress chromatic aberrations and distortion to the minimum.

Conveniently a 62mm filter can be screwed onto the lens directly, or a 100mm-wide filters can be used. The 5-bladed aperture able to create a clean and appealing stunning 10-point sunstars.

Laowa 11mm f/4.5 FF RL is now available in Leica M, Sony FE, Nikon Z, Canon RF and L mount. MSRP in US is US$799(Leica M) and US$699(other mounts).

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Canon Patent For Eye-Controlled Focus For Mirrorless Cameras

Eye-controlled Focus
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A technology already seen on Canon film cameras might come to last generation mirrorless camera technology, sooner or later.

Canon patent application US20210051265 (USA) discusses how to implement eye-controlled focus on a mirrorless camera.

An image capture apparatus detects a subject in a captured image. The image capture apparatus further recognizes its user based on an eyeball image of the user. The image capture apparatus then selects a main subject area from among the detected subject areas, based on information regarding subjects captured in the past and stored being associated with the recognized user.

There is a significant difference if compared with the eye-controlled focus technology used inn the old days for film cameras. The patent discusses some sort of intelligent algorithm that not only recognizes the user but also remembers where the user looked and how frequently.

We think the technology discussed in the patent might get into production within the next years. More Canon patents are listed here. Some particularly interesting patent applications we think might get into production are these:

Source: Canon Rumors