Man, I was skipping this one with the thought of VCM 24-105 = USM 24-105, except with a VCM. No overwhelming shift in capability — for me. Thus, boring.
Was I wrong! All y'all been busy.
I very much agree with the Canon is far from doomed perspective, but as a guy who loves the RF cameras and feels meh about most RF lenses (vs the EF ones I have) I get the vibe about glory days.
Well, almost get it. If one browses the EF lens museum the first half of the releases look very experimental — clearly Canon was feeling out what new tricks they could do vs. the old FD mount. Equally clearly, over time, a number of those experiments were abandoned for a few well honed tricks, and then those tricks were hammered into a brilliant glass series. There were things for people who made money and people who were just in it for the pleasure.
I strongly feel that the RF lens series is in this phase: there's a load of experimentation going on. Features have been inconsistent. The cost is very high because Canon keeps doing unique things, and unique means less economic spread + more risk. I don't think it was until the VCM primes rolled around that a singular driving design language and potential for factory efficiency showed up in the RF series, regardless of the more video (per Canon) focus (yeah, pun intended; always intend your puns.)
For me? I'm going to let others pay for the experiments. The EF glass is solid, and the RF bodies supercharge the lenses. Right now the RF froth means the economics and "glory" (for what I do, enjoy) is in the most mature of the elder series — but I have no doubt the RF line will settle down and we'll see the EF excellence in terms of whole package become more universally apparent.
I might not be excited about the RF lens offerings, but I am
thrilled that many of my colleagues here (and elsewhere) are because their purchases and enthusiasm is paving the way for a mature RF line to exist. And we are starting to see hints of the dust settling, like with VCM and the more consistent presence of functionally relevant switches for both photography and videography.
I took a quick swing at Google on some of this sentiment and KEH had the following to say:
I really like this line:
Are Canon EF Lenses Obsolete? Not Even Close. [...] Think of EF as complete rather than discontinued. It’s a mature system with decades of proven lenses — many of which are still optically excellent and widely available as high-quality used lenses. Canon RF lenses are where innovation is happening. Canon EF lenses are where value lives. Both can produce exceptional images.
The updates have been coming, however. I prefer a camera to come fully baked, but honestly most of the firmware for the R6 and R3 have been solid bangers for functionality — and I hear the same things for other cameras as well. Likewise, Canon has been playing catch-up with some lens capabilities via firmware as well, such as bringing proper full-time manual focus override to their digital gear systems. Better late than never, but it is happening.
I see where people might not be happy with how things line up for them today, but I don't think any of the big names have it all worked out. And for the gaps I think it's totally fine to look to vendors that fill meaningful gaps. Need a really tiny camera for the pocket? iPhones, Androids, and Fuji have you covered. No shame. Need cheaper? The matured EF catalog remains highly available both new and used, and brings award winning capability to your hands.
Not making excuses for Canon — I seriously miss a few things myself — but I don't think they're sitting around doomed, either. Rather, I think like many good companies they're taking care of the essentials (and today that's a lot of video) so that they can pay for the more esoteric things that tickle our niche desires.
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