Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L DS Review (incredibly seductive bokeh, Photography Blog)

Canon RF 85mm F/1.2 DS Review

After the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L, Photography Blog also posted their Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L DS review. The “DS” is for Defocus Smoothing, a proprietary optical technology by Canon.

The Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L DS is one of the boutique lenses for the Canon EOS R system, i.e. a lens that showcases what you can do with the new RF mount.

Photography Blog gave the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L DS a “Highly Recommended” rating and 5/5 stars. From their conclusion:

The Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM DS is the almost perfect lens for portrait photographers looking for that extra pizzazz in their images.

With its unique DS coating, the already enthralling bokeh produced by the standard, non-DS RF 85mm f/1.2L USM lens becomes even softer and more dreamy, without sacrificing any of the outstanding sharpness that both lenses offer in spades.

The main trade-off for the buttery-smooth bokeh is the loss of light – effectively 1 1/3 stops darker when shooting at f/1.2 – which means that you’ll need to slow your shutter speed or bump up the ISO to compensate, neither of which are a great option.

The Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM DS creates an incredibly seductive bokeh effect that’s hard to ignore once you’ve tasted it, though. It may be one of the most niche lenses that we’ve ever tested, and one of the most expensive, but it’s also one of the most distinctive…

Read the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L DS Review at Photography Blog

More Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L DS review stuff is listed here.

Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L DS: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L DS key features and description:

  • RF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
  • Aperture Range: f/1.2 to f/16
  • Defocus Smoothing Coating for Soft Bokeh
  • Blue Spectrum Refractive Optics Element
Click here to open the rest of the article

Canon Patent: RF 17-70mm Lens For EOS R Camera System

Canon Patent

Might this Canon patent application lead to a product that will actually hit the shelves? We’ve not made up our mind so far.

Canon patent application 2020-012922 (Japan) discusses optical formulas of what might become a future kit lens for the Canon EOS R full frame mirrorless system. The patent literature discusses formulas for two 17-70mm and a 16-60mm lens, and for both the EF and the RF mount. We think the RF mount lens is the one to have an eye on. The discussed lenses:

Canon EF mount:

  • Focal length 17.40 35.00 68.00  
  • F-number 3.33 4.09 5.88  
  • Half-field angle (degree) 51.19 31.72 17.65  
  • Image height 21.64 21.64 21.64  
  • Total lens length 168.42 153.33 168.42  
  • BF 38.32 53.44 84.11  
  • Focal length 16.30 35.00 60.00  
  • F-number 3.31 4.22 5.88  
  • Half angle of view (degrees) 53.01 31.72 19.83  
  • Image height 21.64 21.64 21.64  
  • Total lens length 68.46 153.33 168.42  
  • BF 38.35 56.15 83.82 

Canon RF mount:

  • Focal length 17.40 34.99 67.97  
  • F-number 3.31 4.12 5.88  
  • Half angle of view (degrees) 51.20 31.73 17.66  
  • Image height 21.64 21.64 21.64  
  • Total lens length 168.41 154.99 168.39  
  • BF 8.36 52.48 81.91 

More Canon patent applications are listed here. Some particularly interesting patent applications we think might get into production are these:

Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L Review (exemplary performance, DPReview)

Canon RF 85mm F/1.2L Review

DPReview posted their Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L review. The RF 85mm f/1.2L is one of the so called “boutique lenses” for the EOS R full frame mirrorless camera system, which means it is expensive.

From their conclusion:

The Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM is about as removed as it could be from the sea of small, light mirrorless lenses we’ve seen in recent years, whose handful of optical foibles are intended from the outset to be masked by in-camera corrections. It’s unashamedly big, weighty and pricey, and those photographers prepared to tolerate this will be rewarded with exemplary performance.

There’s little to grumble with its build quality, and the stated weather resistance is reassuring. Focusing speeds are impressive – albeit not class-leading – for a lens this substantial. While the motor itself isn’t the quietest – and consequently not really suitable for use during video recording – speed and accuracy is arguably more important here than discretion. Manual focus users may prefer a more tactile focusing ring, but the process of manually focusing itself is positive, particularly once you adjust the focusing ring’s response and call on the various in-camera focusing aids.

[…] minor frustrations aside, this lens shines brightly. Very brightly. Sharpness is superb wide-open, and this continues to be the case as you close down the aperture.

Read the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L review at DPReview

More Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L review stuff is listed here, and you won’t find a review that’s not praising this lens.

Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L key features and description:

  • Focal length: 85mm
  • Aperture range: F1.2-16 (1/3 EV stops)
  • Filter thread: 82mm
  • Close focus: 0.85m (2.79 ft.)
  • Maximum magnification: 0.12x
  • Diaphragm blades: 9 (rounded diaphragm)
  • Hood: ET-89 round-shaped hood (supplied)
  • Length / Diameter: approx. 103.2 x 117.3 (4.06 in. x 4.62in)
  • Weight: approx. 1,195g (approx. 2.63lbs)
  • Optical construction: 13 elements in nine groups
Click here to open the rest of the article

Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS Review (a lot to offer, Photography Blog)

Canon RF 24-240mm F/4-6.3 IS Review

Photography Blog posted their Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS Review.

The Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS is a compact and lightweight zoom lens for the Canon EOS R full frame mirrorless system, and it’s one of the less expensive lenses for the system.

From their conclusion:

The Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS is the most versatile all-in-one lens currently available for the EOS R camera system, and thankfully it bucks the trend of most super-zooms by actually being a good performer in terms of the image quality.

[…] In conjunction with the EOS RP, this is truly a combination that you could carry round all day without noticing, without any real compromises in terms of the build quality. Sure, some degree of weather-proofing would have been nice, but given the price, this is hardly a surprising omission.

In terms of features, the RF 24-240mm has a lot to offer for what is after all a non-L-series lens, most notably built-in image stabilisation worth up to 5-stops. It’s also the first full-frame lens to feature Dynamic IS for smoother results while shooting video.

Read the Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS review at Photography Blog

More Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS review stuff is listed here.

Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Click here to open the rest of the article

Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS Review (image quality simply amazing, Photography Blog)

Canon RF 70-200mm F/2.8L IS Review

Photography Blog posted their Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS review, and they seem to be pretty fond of this lens.

They gave the Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS 5/5 stars and an “Essential” rating. Have a look at the review conclusion:

[the RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS] offers fantastic sharpness and image quality throughout the zoom range, great build quality, and an outstanding feature-set and performance.

Image quality is simply amazing. It’s outstanding at almost every focal length, with epic levels of sharpness virtually throughout the aperture range.

Chromatic aberrations are almost non-existent and flare is only ever an issue when shooting directly into the sun or if you choose not to use the large lens hood.

The only optical issue of note is a slight drop-off in sharpness when shooting wide-open at f/2.8 at the 200mm focal length – otherwise this lens is a stellar performer.

Auto-focusing proved to be very quick, accurate and reliable on the Canon EOS RP mirrorless camera that we tested the lens with, while manual focus over-ride is a great feature, as is the effective built-in optical image stabilisation system that’s worth up to 5 stops.

Read the Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS review at Photography Blog

Guess the only drawback of this stellar performer is the price, $2,699.

More Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS review stuff is listed here, and it’s worth to have a look also to the teardown.

Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Click here to open the rest of the article