It's been a long time coming.
I mean, not much more can be said about that – right? We have waited for 30 years since the original Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 and here we are.
Canon RF 50mm f/1.4L VCM vs Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
First up is comparing the new lens to the older EF lens. I know this really isn't fair at all, but it's to establish a performance baseline.
So the RF lens has better contrast, significantly better resolution, and significantly better corners. and better bokeh. Simply put, it takes the EF lens out back to the woodshed. As it should, the EF lens was a modified FD film mount design when Canon was quickly making as many lenses as they could for the EF mount. It wasn't even optimized or redone for digital sensors.
Canon RF 50mm f/1.4L VCM vs Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM
A far better challenge for this upstart 50mm f/1.4 VCM is to compare it against its bigger brother the Canon RF 50mm f1/2L USM. I really didn't know what to expect on this comparison as making an f/1.2 lens is still hard, and there are some compromises. It should be noted that we are comparing f/1.2 vs f/1.4 MTFs, so we have to give a little nod to the Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM in this regard.
Looking at the MTFs, sharpness at the center and across the frame is better and a more natural tailing off into the corners versus the RF 50mm f/1.2. Contrast is also better with the Rf 50mm f/1.4 as well. In a way, this is to be expected, but it does tell us something. Unless you need f/1.2 speed, the f/1.4 lens is a better lens wide open against the f/1.2 wide open.
I will most likely be adding to this comparison as we get more data, but I wanted to get this out as quickly as possible to our readers. Check back often for more details.
Preorder this lens here:
Canon RF 50mm f/1.4L VCM
- Midwest Photo $1399 (Free 2-year CarePak)
- Adorama $1399
- B&H Photo $1399
- Canon USA $1399
- Wex Photo £1539
- Foto Erhardt €1599
- Camera Canada $1999
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works. |
Midwest Photo Preorder Bonus - 2 Years of CarePak for free
With any preorder of the new lenses, Midwest Photo is offering two years of CarePak for free. This offer runs until November 10, 2024
Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Z MTF Analysis
I suppose I would stick with the Canon white ;)
Looks like they could improve the Performance over the non-Z lens, esp. at 70 mm. 200mm looks very close, except for the corners.
Personally, I'd be in for the smaller form factor of the first RF70-200/2.8.
Weight
Approx. 2.5 lb. / 1115g (White model) / Approx. 2.4 lb. / 1110g (Black model)
Canon 50mm F1.4 MTF analysis.
Canon RF 50mm f/1.4 L VCM MTF Analysis
It’s really light in comparison to the EF version. The EF version is now 1.5x heavier than this new RF version.
Optically, there’s not much between them. According to the MFT charts, the new RF version is better in the corners, centre performance is pretty similar at 200mm. The 70mm performance is much improved.
However, these new charts include in-camera software correction. I would expect a far newer lens formula to be better, but it goes to show how good some of the more recent EF lenses are.
Another thing that strikes me, this new lens with a 1.4x tc is nearly as sharp as the native RF 100-300/2.8 is natively.
The answer is of course to wait for the VCM to hit the grey market, that would make it €300 cheaper, if the pricing behaves like the 35VCM.
all the lenses are top notch for sure.
Dial in the weight savings, better MFD and max magnification, slightly better IS system and AF motors....finally a lens to eclipse the old EF lens.
I'm suprised that this lens doesn't have any flourite elements in it's formula.