Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 MACRO IS STM Review (competent but not exceptional, D. Abbott)

Canon RF 35mm f1.8 IS STM
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Dustin Abbott posted the full, real world review of the Canon RF RF 35mm f/1.8 MACRO IS STM lens, the less expensive native lens for the Canon EOS R system.

Abbott’s review is not without criticism:

[the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 MACRO IS STM is a] lens that left me a little underwhelmed.  It is competent, but not exceptional.  I can live with some of the basic flaws (vignette and distortion), but I didn’t find the images I took with the lens to show any particular “sparkle”. 

Not all is bad, considering this is not a Canon L-tier lens:

It is the only reasonably priced native RF mount lens at the time of this review, and the focal length, aperture, and macro abilities make this a very versatile lens.  It is highly functional and will get the job done in a lot of situations.  For many users that will be enough, and I don’t want to discourage you away from the lens.  But for those looking for something more exceptional in either build or performance, you might be better served looking elsewhere.

Dustin Abbott’s exhaustive review comes with a large set of test photos and sample pictures. For those more inclined to watch a review, the videos below with the full review might the right choice.

Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 MACRO IS STM:

America: B&H Photo, 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, 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

Three New Canon RF Lenses Coming Early 2020 (24mm/1.4, 135mm/1.8, macro)

Canon RF 85mm
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While we are still waiting for Canon to release five Canon RF lenses they already announced, the rumor mill already has new RF lenses suggestions in the pipeline.

It’s suggested Canon might announced three new lenses for the Canon EOS R system in early 2020. Among them there might be an RF 24mm f/1.4L and an RF 135 f/1.8L (the latter was just revealed through a patent a few days ago). The third one is said to be an undisclosed macro lens that will be the “first of its kind macro lenses”. Aren’t all unreleased lenses undisclosed?

All three RF lenses might be announced before CP+ 2020, which happens at the end of February.

We are a bit puzzled because of the many rumors about RF mount lenses we get in our inbox and others are reporting. Some of these rumors are contradicting, others just nonsense. There is another rumor suggesting there are eight new RF lenses on Canon’s agenda.

It can be taken for granted that Canon is building a solid lens ecosystem for the Canon EOS R. All these RF lens rumors are just suggesting RF mount versions of the most popular (and used) lenses in the full frame DSLR world. Without any crystal ball or magic intuitive skills, it’s to expect that Canon will sooner or later release all those lenses murmured on rumor outlets. No real surprises here to expect.

Stay tuned.

Source: Canon Rumors

You Can Now De-Click Your Canon RF Lenses (Control Ring Modification)

canon eos r price
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Canon offers a service to de-click RF mount lenses, i.e. lenses for the Canon EOS R full frame mirrorless system. After modifying the control ring it will be possible to switch between normal functionality and de-clicked.

Canon advisory:

What is the Control Ring’s Clicking Sound Modification Service?

Canon’s control ring’s modification service offers RF lenses and Control Ring Mount Adapter EF-EOS R owners the opportunity to remove/reapply the control ring’s clicking sound.

Why might this be needed.

The click action of the control ring allows the user to have a sense of how much it is being turned. However, if used during video shooting, the sound of the control ring operation may be recorded.

Pricing

ModelPrice*
RF Lenses$79.99
Control Ring Mount Adapter EF-EOS R$59.99

*Tax and freight fee are NOT included 
*All pricing is subject to change

Thank you, 
Customer Support Operations 
Canon U.S.A., Inc.
 
 
Contact Information for Inquiries 
Canon Customer Support Center 
Phone:1-800-OK-CANON (toll free)
1-800-652-2666
For additional support options:usa.canon.com/support

Here Is The Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L Lens With Blue Spectrum Refractive Optics

Canon RF 85mm
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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

Announced time ago, leaked a few days ago, here is the latest optic for your Canon EOS R mirrorless system, the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L. Pre-order it for $2,699 at B&H Photo (save on sale taxes with Payboo)| Adorama. Shipping starts in June 2019.

World-wide pre-order:

America: B&H Photo, 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

Press release:

The Go-To RF-Mount Portrait Lens: Canon U.S.A. Announces The RF 85mm F1.2 L USM

The New L-Series Lens is Canon’s First RF Lens to Feature Blue Spectrum Refractive Optics Helping to Greatly Reduce Chromatic Aberration

MELVILLE, NY, May 8, 2019 – Continuing the company’s commitment to providing photographers with core focal-length lenses for the EOS R Full-Frame mirrorless camera system, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced the RF 85mm F1.2 L USM standard prime lens. The fifth lens in the RF family, the RF 85mm lens provides another vital tool for photographers using the EOS R or EOS RP cameras, in particular, those shooting portrait photography.

“Optics is at the core of Canon’s heritage. It is engrained in our DNA and the top priority when developing the EOS R Camera System around the RF mount and accompanying lenses,” said Kazuto Ogawa, president and chief operating officer, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “Canon is very enthused to now bring the lenses we shared in the RF lens development announcement, starting with the RF 85mm F1.2 L USM. We envision this product as being the quintessential workhorse lens for portrait photographers of all skill levels.”

The new lens features a bright f/1.2 aperture which, along with the 85mm focal length, encompasses an ideal lens for portrait photographers. 85mm is often the preferred focal length selected by photographers when shooting portraits because it provides an appropriate depth and perspective of the subject relative to the background, helping to capture high-quality imagery with beautiful and desirable bokeh. The focal length also allows for the photographer and subject to maintain optimum distance apart to support strong communication, while not being too close.

The most unique feature of the RF 85mm F1.2 L USM lens is Canon’s proprietary optical technology, Blue Spectrum Refractive (BR) Optics that helps to greatly reduce chromatic aberrations that could occur with large aperture lenses. The BR optical element, first introduced in the EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM, is inserted into the lens and refracts blue light between the concave and convex lenses. This enables the convergence of the entire wavelength of light to one point, resulting in higher image quality from the center to the edges of an image. 

Additional Features of The Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM Include: 

  • Minimum focusing distance of 2.79 feet/0.85 meters
  • Customizable control ring that allows photographers to adjust exposure compensation, shutter speed, aperture or ISO
  • One Aspheric and one UD Lens, along with BR optics help to reduce chromatic aberration
  • 12-pin communication system
  • L-Series dust and weather resistant build with fluorine coating
  • Air Sphere Coating (ASC) helps minimize lens flare and ghosting

Pricing and Availability 

The Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM lens is scheduled to be available June 2019 for an estimated retail price of $2699.00*. For additional information, please visit, usa.canon.com.

Canon Might Have a 50mm f/1.8 and a 28mm f/1.8 For The EOS R System On Their Agenda, Patent Suggests

50mm f/1.8
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Canon patent application 2019-0113711 (USA) describes the optical formula for an RF 50mm f/1.8 and RF 28mm f/1.8 lens, both for the Canon EOS R full frame mirrorless system.

Focal length 48.50
F-number 1.85
Half angle of view (degrees) 24.04
Image height 21.64
Total lens length 95.00 
BF 15.80

Focal length 28.80
F-number 1.85
Half angle of view (degrees) 36.91
Image height 21.64
Total lens length 80.30 
BF 7.00 

It’s likely Canon will launch these non-L lenses sooner than later. Both are popular focal lengths on full frame, and it’s also likely Canon is set to offer some less expensive (aka budget) lenses for the EOS R system.

More Canon patent applications are listed here. Some particularly interesting patent applications we think might get into production in the next few years are these:

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.