Here is a review of the rather rare Canon EF 1200mm f/5.6L USM lens. Read on if you’re interested.

The Canon EF 1200mm f/5.6 L USM review posted by JuzaPhoto is in Italian but the automatic translation is very decent. So you won’t miss anything.

The review comes with many sample pictures and insights, but the most interesting part (in my opinion) is where the author narrates his experience with the lens. From his conclusion:

Even though due to the enormous value and rarity of the lens I was only able to shoot in non-ideal conditions, trying the 1200 F5.6 was an exceptional experience and I was able to get many of the answers I was looking for, first and foremost whether the performance was still good by current standards (and surprisingly it is, at least on the 1DX II sensor). The photos I have published are the first and only ones ever taken with this lens on JuzaPhoto, and in general among the very few that can be found on the internet (perhaps the only ones published at full resolution).

Although it has now become a collector’s item, in its day the Canon EF 1200mm f/5.6 L USM was a true working tool, designed not to be displayed in a glass case but to be used and abused at sporting events, by naturalists and for real field use. Its weight and price made it a very niche lens, but in the 80s and 90s it allowed the lucky few who used it to take home photos that would otherwise be impossible.

Well, if you are interested in rare and sophisticated lens, then this review is for you. I recommend you have a look.

Here is a Canon RF 35mm F1.4L VCM review.

At a glance:

• Full-Frame Format | f/1.4 to f/16
• Extremely Fast Design, Advanced Optics
• Voice Coil Motor (VCM) for Rear Focus
• Nano USM for Fast Floating Autofocus
• Manual Iris/Full-Time Focus Rings
• Air Sphere (ASC) Coating
• Two Aspherical Elements, Two UD Elements
• Rounded 11-Blade Diaphragm
• Weather-Sealed Design
• Attachable Rear Gel Filter Holder

Dustin Abbott posted an exhaustive Canon RF 35mm F1.4L VCM review, as usual with everything you might ask from a serious review. From his conclusion:

The Canon RF 35mm F1.4L VCM is a rather complicated lens, and it has already become clear that it will be somewhat polarizing.

[…] Autofocus in particularly stands out to me as being exceptional in this lens. This is definitely the fastest focusing of the big L series primes that I’ve reviewed on RF thus far. Autofocus is near instantaneous in all situations, and the ability to keep up with fast action gives this lens further value for sports, reportage, and even in critical wedding situations. 

Pros:

• Over 30% lighter than the EF lens
• Great build with additional features
• Advanced weather sealing
• Very fast and confident autofocus
• Exceptional video AF performance
• Extremely sharp
• Good contrast
• Good color
• Cheaper than the EF lens by a good margin

Cons:

• Bokeh and rendering isn’t at the level of the EF 35L II
• A shocking amount of distortion for a 35mm lens
• Very heavy vignette
• Very confusion implementation of an aperture ring
• Some flare issues

Sample pictures can be seen here. If you prefer to watch the review, here you are:

Canon RF 35mm F1.4L VCM: [shoplist 72559]

[via Dustin Abbott]

Here is a new Canon patent application for a 70-150mm F1.8 lens (70-200mm F2.8 and 70-150mm F2 lenses are also mentioned in the patent literature)

Canon patent application 2024-154138 (Japan, published 10/30/2024) discusses optical formulas and methods for a 70-150mm F1.8 lens with inner zoom mechanism.

From the patent literature:

• To provide a large-aperture zoom lens that is compact yet has high optical performance.
• In recent years, in digital still cameras and video cameras, the number of pixels in solid state image sensors such as CCD and CMOS sensors has increased, and therefore optical systems used in image pickup devices using these image sensors are required to have high optical performance. Furthermore, large-aperture zoom lenses are required to take advantage of the blur effect.
• If the diameter of the zoom lens of Patent Document 1 is increased further, the positive lens group in the focus group will become larger in the outer diameter direction, making it difficult to sufficiently miniaturize the zoom lens by using an actuator or the like that is arranged on the outer periphery of the positive lens group.

Example 1

• Focal length: 72.10-145.50
• F-number: 2.05
• Half angle of view: 16.70-8.46
• Image height: 21.64
• Overall length: 227.00
• Back Focus: 13.99

Example 2

• Focal length: 72.10-194.00
• F-number: 2.91
• Half angle of view: 16.70-6.36
• Image height: 21.64
• Total length: 221.00
• Back Focus: 17.04

Example 3

• Focal length: 72.10-145.50
• F-number: 1.89
• Half angle of view: 16.70-8.46
• Image height: 21.64
• Total length: 240.00
• Back focal length: 14.34

More Canon patents are listed here.

[via asobinet]

Canon announced new lenses today, all RF lenses. Three are hybrid “L” lenses and one is for VR applications.

The Canon RF 24mm F1.4 L VCM and RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM lenses are expected to be available in December at $1,499 and $1,399 respectively. The Canon RF 70-200 F2.8 L IS USM Z lens is expected to be available in November at $2,999.

Here is the press release for the hybrid RF lenses, the press release for the VR lens is here.

Pre-order links for all four lenses are live at B&H Photo.

Expanding the Range of Expression: Canon Announces Three New L Series Hybrid Lenses

MELVILLE, NY, October 30, 2024 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, has announced the launch of three new RF L series hybrid lenses: RF24mm F1.4 L VCM, RF50mm F1.4 L VCM and RF70-200 F2.8 L IS USM Z. Designed for professional visual storytellers who need to switch between photography and video, these three lenses continue Canon’s steadfast commitment to meeting the demands of high-level photo and video content creators.

RF24mm F1.4 L VCM & RF50mm F1.4 L VCM

If you are on a quest for impressive, dramatic content, RF24mm F1.4 L VCM and RF50mm F1.4 L VCM lenses would be excellent additions to your gear bag. For those who are professional photo/video users, journalists or in-house production creators, these two lenses are designed for hybrid use and optimized for those switching from photo and video needs quickly. They feature an optical design that utilizes the RF mount to achieve high quality across the entire image area. Quiet, fast and precise AF are thanks to Canon’s latest actuator and focusing system and the unified exterior helps with easier gimbal adjustments for more efficient shooting. The expressive power of a f/1.4 aperture in combination with a wider field of view than what the human eye can capture, makes perspective more prominent and brings images vividly to life. Additional features include:

• Compact, with a length of 3.9 inches, and lightweight: RF24mm F1.4 L VCM is 18.1 ounces and RF50mm F1.4 L VCM is 20.4 ounces
• With a combination of VCM and Nano USM actuators, stable video composition with little breathing
• Customizable with an iris ring for controlling aperture during shooting, lens function button and customizable control and focus rings

RF70-200 F2.8 L IS USM Z

A telephoto lens that is versatile across the spectrum – including sports, fashion and news reporting – the RF70-200 F2.8 L IS USM Z is an RF L series lens that takes into consideration functions end-users value most. Taking the same exterior case design and internal mechanics of the RF24-105mm F2.8 L IS USM Z, the RF70-200 F2.8 L IS USM Z lens balances well as a companion on gimbals and rigs. Compatible with extenders, the RF70-200 F2.8 L IS USM Z produces high-quality images with its large f/2.8 zoom aperture and has minimal focus breathing, ideal for content creators. Its iris ring enables fine-tuned video recording and its compatibility with power zoom adapters makes it a strong addition for video production needs. Additional features include:

• Close up shooting with a maximum magnification of 0.3x
• Image stabilization equal up to 5.5 stops in the center on the lens alone, or up to 7.5 stops in the center, up to 7.0 stops in the corners in coordinate control within-body IS
• Dust and drip resistant construction as well as light weight at approximately 1,100 grams

Pricing and Availability

The Canon RF24mm F1.4 L VCM and RF50mm F1.4 L VCM lenses are expected to be available in December at estimated retail price of $1,499.00^* and $1,399.00,^* respectively. The Canon RF70-200 F2.8 L IS USM Z lens is expected to be available in November at estimated retail price of $2,999.00^*.

For additional information, please visit www.usa.canon.com.

Great deal on two Canon EOS R100 kits at B&H Photo.

EOS R100 at a glance:

• 24.1MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
• DIGIC 8 Image Processor
• 4K 24p Video with Crop, Full HD 60p
• Dual Pixel CMOS AF with 143 AF Zones
• 6.5 fps Electronic Shutter
• 2.36m-Dot OLED EVF
• 3″ 1.04m-Dot LCD Screen
• Creative Assist Mode
• Silent Mode for Quiet Operation
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth with SD Card Slot

B&H Photo has two Canon EOS R100 kits on sale with concrete discounts:

• Canon EOS R100 body only on sale at $299 ($180 off)
• Canon EOD R100 with 18-45mm and 55-210mm lenses on sale at $499 ($330 off)

There are more deals on offer, also for Nikon cameras, click here and scroll down a bit.

More selected deals:

• Get Excire Foto (AI powered photo managment) with 15% discount by using code “canonwatch” at checkout
• USA: Canon USA | B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon US
• Germany: Amazon Germany
• Refurbished lenses and DSLRs at Canon Store (best deals might be found here)

Canon published their investor relations documents. All is good, Canon is not yet doomed and will produce more outstanding. mirrorless cameras.

Excerpt from the relations about the imaging sector of Canon’s activities:

This year, the interchangeable-lens camera market is expected to be 6.1 million units, slightly higher than last year, due to the active promotions by each company to stimulate demand and the growing demand among young people in China.
In the third quarter, we secured more orders than expected for the EOS R5 Mark II, a core model in our lineup for professionals and enthusiasts, launched in August, which was highly evaluated for its significantly improved still image and video performance. This led to an increase in our average selling price and sales growth of 5.3%.
Furthermore, in November, we plan to launch the EOS R1, which will be our flagship mirrorless camera model. Professional photographers have already tried it out in the field, and its outstanding autofocus performance has earned it a high reputation as a professional camera. Due to the launch of high-value-added models, we also expect sales of RF lenses to increase and are aiming to significantly expand sales by over 20% in the fourth quarter.

All investor relations material is publicly available and can be downloaded here.