Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L Developers Answer Questions (interview)

Canon RF 85mm F/1.2L Review
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Canon RF 85mm at a glance:

  • RF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
  • Aperture Range: f/1.2 to f/16
  • Blue Spectrum Refractive Optics Element
  • One UD Element, One Aspherical Element
  • Air Sphere Coating
  • Ring-Type Ultrasonic Motor AF System
  • Customizable Control Ring
  • Rounded 9-Blade Diaphragm

Canon Europe posted an interview where the developers of the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L lens for EOS R systems answer 10 questions.

Canon Europe spoke to product planning expert Kaishi Kawai of Canon’s Image Communication Business Operations (ICB) Optical Business Group; optical design pro Satoshi Maetaki, manager of Canon’s ICB Optical Products Development Center; electrical designer Masami Ichinose, senior engineer at the ICB Optical Products Development Center; mechanical designer Yasushi Murakami of the ICB Optical Products Development Center; and BR Optical Element and DS Coating Design expert Tomohiko Ishibashi of the Optics Technology R&D Center.

Some excerpts from the interview:

Can the bokeh get any creamier?

Tomohiko: “The strong bokeh produced by the large aperture of the Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM is one feature of the lens. However, lenses with significant chromatic aberration suppression tend to have slightly clearer bokeh contours.

[…]

Is the autofocus up to the L-series lens standard?

Masami: “The Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM lens uses the same ring-type ultrasonic motor (USM) as on the super telephoto lenses, which has the most powerful torque of any Canon lens, making focusing extremely fast despite the large optics.”

Why is the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM longer than its EF mount counterpart?

Satoshi: “In terms of optical design, the total length is measured from the focal plane (the position of the imaging sensor or film). If you compare the EF and RF mounts, the lens mount is closer to the sensor on the RF mount than is the case with the EF mount. Because of this the EF version of some lenses can be shorter as the extra distance is taken up by the longer distance between the lens mount and the sensor in a DSLR camera. This naturally makes the RF version longer in total length to compensate for the difference in sensor-to-mount distance.

Read the interview….

Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L:

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 EOS R full frame mirrorless system:

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 Doesn’t Use Technology That Hasn’t Thoroughly Tested, IBIS is Coming (Interview)

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Russian site Photar.ru interviewed the head of Canon Russia’s department of product and consumer expertise, Artem Lezhnev.

Answering the most common critics (all excerpts are machine translated):

People who criticize Canon are divided into two types. The first does not like the skinton, form factor or some particular points. The second – do not digest the marketing policy of the company. Why, for example, in one of the new Canon cameras – neither in the flagship, nor the middle or entry level, is it not possible to record 4K video without a crop? The company is technologically unable to carry out this task?

– We did not set such a function intentionally. We have a series of Cinema EOS – movie cameras. Canon separates EOS R and Cinema EOS from each other. This series is aimed at shooting professional video. Camera Canon C700 – there certainly is 4K from the whole frame.

Might there be some truth in the fact that Canon doesn’t “want to cannibalize” their video segment?

Is there a new Canon camera in the pipeline?

Could it be that the company is already testing a new camera, which will later be announced, for example, before the Olympiad?

“I’m sure Canon is already developing next-generation cameras, because testing usually starts at least a year before the camera enters the market.”

And when does testing end?

– A few months before the camera announcement. We have a very serious program of ambassadors, a very tough selection. Canon has the whole EMEA region – the whole of Europe, the whole of Africa, the Middle East and Russia – only 40 people. These are people with publications, participants of professional exhibitions of various genres, people who have really proved their professionalism, and we are working with them on testing .

What about IBIS (In Body Image Stabilisation)?

– We already have three patents on IBIS – on a mobile matrix and stabilisation, but we continue to work on them.Canon never uses technology that has not yet been tested.It took us so much time, because the technology itself requires a very detailed study, because the moving matrix is ​​good, on the one hand.On the other hand, go to any service and ask how many cameras they have there with broken moving dies. The stabilization system is a very fragile thing.

So, let’s hope IBIS will soon come to Canon DSLRs and MILCs, and let’s hope future Canon optics will be less expensive.

[via Photar.ru]

Interview With Sigma CEO, Company Might Make Native Lenses For Canon EOS R

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Imaging Resource had the chance to interview Sigma’s CEO Kazuto Yamaki during the CP+ tradeshow in Tokyo.

While most of the interview is about the “L-Mount Alliance“, there are also some bits about the competition. Some excerpts:

IR: I don’t know if this is information you can share or not, but we’re curious because you make lenses that fit a number of manufacturers: Can you share any information about the sales of different mounts? Do you sell a lot more Canon than Nikon, or vice versa, or…?

Kazuto Yamaki: I can’t tell you the exact numbers, but the most popular right now is Canon, and next is Nikon. Sony E-mount is growing.

[…]

IR: I have another question: Have there been any plans to make lenses in Canon RF or the Nikon Z-mount?

Kazuto Yamaki: We are still checking their systems, and it’s a bit too early to make comment. But right now, we’re checking the compatibility between our lenses and their mount adapter. We already know that it works almost perfectly, but in some specific settings and [for some] operations, our lens does not work perfectly [with their adapter yet], like continuous burst mode…

Read the interview at Imaging Resource

Canon To Announce EOS R Camera That’s More Entry-Level Than EOS RP?

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Canon execs are giving a lot of interviews as for late. Here is one more.

Michael Burnhill, European Technical Support Manager at Canon Europe, talked about the Canon EOS R system with EOS Magazine. The interview touches the usual topics already discussed in previous interviews. For instance IBIS (In Body Image Stabilisation).

Many of your competitors have introduced in-body image stabilisation (IBIS). Does Canon intend to introduce this technology?

MB: In-camera stabilisation – moving the sensor – is good for wide-angle and standard lenses, but as the focal length increases IBIS becomes less effective. There’s a very sharp drop-off. If you look at our competitors, all those who use IBIS still have an optical stabiliser in their longer lenses.

[…]

There is a high demand for IBIS, but we want to make sure we get it right. It’s on our drawing board, but when, or if, we implement it is still to be decided.

Basically, Canon is saying they will feature IBIS when it will be ready and satisfying their quality standard. Which is what we are used to see from Canon.

Fear not, Canon will continue to develop DSLRs.

Will Canon be introducing more DSLR cameras?

MB: Yes. Canon still sees demand for all sorts of cameras – including DSLR and mirrorless – so we will continue to produce across multiple product lines. We’ve only just phased out the EOS-1 film camera because there were still people buying it in certain markets, and we will see the same with the DSLR cameras.

There are certain technologies where we don’t think mirrorless is quite ready – the electronic viewfinder for instance – compared to the SLR system where there is zero lag through the viewfinder.

And finally, the question we featured in the title of this article. Apparently an EOS R model with a price below the EOS RP might be in Canon’s agenda.

Do you see a full-frame camera coming in at a price below the RP?

MB: Yes.

What?? So, did I get this right? Canon will launch a full frame mirrorless camera with a price below the Canon EOS RP ($1,299). They for sure have the technology.

What about the a pro model in the EOS R series?

And a pro version before the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo?

MB: Well, that’s the million dollar question…

There is a lot to come from Canon, in 2019 and especially in 2020. We expect Canon to announce a high resolution EOS R model before end of 2019. Stay tuned with us.

Canon EOS R mirrorless system:

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

[via EOS Magazine]

There Is More To Come From Canon in 2019, Interview Suggests (high resolution EOS R?)

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Once again an interview with Canon execs debunks some hasty rumouring.

Imaging Resource sat down with Canon execs to discuss a lot of photographic topics but mainly the new Canon EOS R system.

There have been some rumors stating we will see little new stuff from Canon in 2019, and that we won’t see Canon’s high resolution EOS R model. Well, this seems to be wrong according to the interview. The high resolution EOS R might well be a 2019 affair at the end. IR sums up the interview:

[the] takeaway from this discussion was that Canon will continue investing in photographic technology, saying that imaging is fundamental to everything that they do, and that we should therefore expect to see significant developments in the photo arena over the next period of time. I have been concerned — as have others — by what it meant that the EOS-R and EOS-RP were built around the sensor from the EOS 5D Mark IV, a camera that’s now nore than two-and-a-half years old. Without giving specifics, they did note that they had a lot in the pipeline for 2019, so it sounds like we can expect to see a lot more from Canon before the end of the year. Hopefully that will include a new-generation full-frame sensor, possibly even the full-professional mirrorless body they’ve promised will be coming at some point, although of course, they didn’t hint directly at that this time around.

[Imaging Resource] discussed lens strategy, and […] was pleased to hear that they’ll be developing a traditional set of f/2.8 zooms (presumably covering ranges lke 14-24, 24-70 and 70-200mm). While the 28-70mm f/2 covers part of that focal length range, it’s a bulky and heavy special-purpose lens and lacks IS, so there’s still a need for a conventional 24-70mm f/2.8. Also coming soon will be a 24-240mm “vacation zoom”, aimed at and priced for consumers. This should make a good companion to the EOS RP for many entry-level users, and we’ll look forward to testing that one for you once available.

Read the interview…

We were pretty sure that Canon would release a high resolution EOS R model before this interview and we are more confident now after this interview.

Stay tuned…

Canon EOS R mirrorless system:

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 Lens Designers Talk About Latest RF Mount Lenses in Interview

Canon RF 85mm
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DPReview sat down with Canon lens designers (Manabu Kato – Head of EF + RF mount R&D, Yoichi Sato – EOS camera electronics R&D, Shogo Yamaguchi – Optical planning specialist).

The interview was about the new Canon EOS RP, the six RF lenses Canon is set to announce soon, and in general what’s going to happen with the EOS R system.

Excerpts from the interview:

How do you prioritize which [RF mount] lenses to develop?

So the idea for the initial four lenses was we wanted to deliver the surprise factor, so we decided to deliver the 28-70mm, as well as the 50mm F1.2, with stunning resolution. That was the concept behind these two lenses.

With 24-105mm we thought it would be the best match as a standard zoom lens to the EOS R camera, and the 35mm F1.8 was supposed to be an affordable and compact travel companion. Those were the concepts behind the four initial lenses.

With the six additional lenses that we introduced as development announcements this time, we believe we will be able to deliver more surprise factors, for some models compactness. These two concepts with the addition of these models.

About the Defocus Smoothing technology.

Can you give any insight into the DS technology?

With lens such as the 85mm F1.2 bokeh is a really important factor, because it’s a portrait lens. We really wanted to deliver something that was not possible with the conventional lenses, so we decided to develop this technology of defocus smoothing.

The fact with our DS technology is that it’s a coating technology, so it’s relatively easy to apply this technology to a range of different lenses. This is all we can say at this moment.

Read the interview at DPReview.