I’ve got to buy an RF lens, the RF 85mm F2 Macro IS STM. I have asked many Canon folks for an update to my almost 30 year old EF 85mm f/1.8 USM lens, and two years since I first saw EOS R they have delivered.
RF85mm F2 Macro IS STM
RF85mm F2 Macro IS STM
Canon’s latest batch of RF lenses includes the “one that I want”. I have waited almost two years since first setting my eyes on the EOS R and finally the RF lens that I actually want to own is here. The RF85mm F2 Macro IS STM is going to be the first RF lens I’ve actually purchased, and may herald the gradual retirement of my old faithful EF 85mm f/1.8 USM. For me an f/2 aperture is fine, stabilisation is helpful, but I take portraits with a minimum shutter speed of 1/100s, as no amount of stabilisation trickery will stop a moving subject. I like the addition of half life-size macro and it doesn’t appear to be too big or heavy. The challenge is the £649 price in the UK compared to the £349 that the EF version sells for.
You may ask why not the other RF85mm? Last year I shot with the RF85mm F1.2 L USM lens and whilst it is lovely, it’s just too big and heavy for my needs.
There were some other lenses to continue the building of the RF line up too… 😉
RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM
Canon RF100-500mm 4.5-7.1 L IS USM
Take the great Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM and make it have greater reach and an RF mount, then make it compatible with 1.4x and 2x RF extenders. A dream lens for many wildlife, sports and action photographers.
Canon USA press release
The Canon RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM is a high-performance and versatile super-telephoto zoom lens that will find its way into the bags of many photographers. The compact and lightweight lens features optical image stabilization of up to five stops* of shake correction with three different IS modes, including standard, panning and during exposure only. Two Nano USM motors are at the heart of this lens and provide users with high-speed, smooth and quiet auto focus with a minimum focusing distance of three feet. Additional features of the Canon RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM include:
- Rotation-Type zoom ring and torque adjustment allows for precision control and feel
- Customizable control ring that enables photographers to adjust exposure compensation, shutter speed, aperture or ISO
- 12-pin Communication System
- Canon L-Series grade dust and weather-resistant construction with a fluorine coating
- Lens hood with side window allows specialty filters to be adjusted even while Lens Hood is attached
- Compatible with the new 1.4x and 2x RF lens extenders (from 300 to 500mm focal length)
RF600mm F11 IS STM & RF800mm F11 IS STM
RF600mm F11 IS STM & RF800mm F11 IS STM
These two lenses were rumoured and now they are real. Fabulous lightweight compact lenses with amazing reach. You can put it in the bag and head off to the wilds with these and not need a team to carry them. I was sceptical of the f/11 aperture, but if that is what it takes and the DO elements deliver the quality then I’m quite intrigued to give these a tryout. Cannot wait to see how many people get one, put the 2x extender on and complain that birds fly out of the frame too fast!
Canon USA press release
The Canon RF600mm and RF800mm F11 IS STM lenses are the first fixed focal length super-telephoto RF lenses and are incredibly compact and lightweight. The portability of the new lenses is made even greater due to the ability for the lens barrel to retract and lock in place when the lenses are stowed away and not in use. Diffractive Optics technology helps to reduce the necessary number of lenses and greatly diminish the cost of the lenses, making them affordable for a broader group of photographers. Additional features of the Canon RF600mm and RF800mm F11 IS STM lenses include:
- Lightweight – the RF600mm weighs approximately 2.05lb and the RF800mm weighs approximately 2.78lb, respectively
- Compact size, RF600mm measures approximately 7.85inch and RF800mm with measures approximately 11.09inch when retracted, respectively
- Fixed f/11 aperture
- Optical image stabilization of five stops* for the RF600mm and four stops* for the RF800mm of Shake Correction
- Lead screw-type STM enables smooth auto focusing for still-image and video shooting
- Customizable control ring that allows photographers to adjust exposure compensation, shutter speed, aperture or ISO
- 12-pin Communication System
- Compatible with the new 1.4x and 2x RF lens extenders
RF Extenders 1.4x and 2x
Canon RF Extender 2x and 1.4x
It was only a matter of time until RF Extenders arrived. These new 1.4x and 2x models can be used with the RF100-500mm, RF600mm and RF800mm lenses, but not the RF70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM professional lens, which is a first. Many press photographers keep the 70-200mm lens in their bag and a 2x Extender for when they need a bit more reach unexpectedly.
Canon USA press release
Lens extenders have long been a practical and useful tool for a variety of photographers. That story continues with the introduction of the Extender RF 1.4x and Extender RF 2x. The new lens extenders inherit the same high image quality, precision AF and reliability, such as being drip and dustproof, of EF lens extenders. When used in combination with the newly-released compatible lenses, the capturing range can be dramatically increased, providing consumers with additional use cases for their existing RF lenses.
RF lenses follow a different name guide to EF lenses, I still get it wrong in some places while I’m converting my 33 years of EF lenses brain to RF.
- RF and focal length has no space between them, but there is a space after the millimetre focal length
- Aperture is expressed as uppercase F no-space and the aperture value, yet in written paragraphs apertures are written as f/11 or f/2.8
- The L designation when present is spaced from the aperture number
- Macro if applicable continues to come before IS and lens motor type
- IS comes before the focus motor type