As many as 7 new RF lenses coming in 2019 [CR2]

Jul 21, 2010
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I don't think it's much of a dilemna for Canon. They cut off the FD line for the EF line pretty cleanly, even if people didn't like it, they still made it to number one.
Well yes and no. They did succumb to pressure from pros and made an FDn 200 f1.8 after the EF 200 f1.8, they also made the rare genuine FD-EOS adapter for long lenses that was an effective 1.26 TC that lost you 2/3 stop of light.
An adapter that allowed a lens to be used on a camera with a longer flange focal distance that that for which the lens was designed...similar to using an RF lens on a DSLR. Just beating the dead horse a little.

But more importantly, the EF mount offered widely available and universally compatible autofocus. Nothing offered by the RF mount seems to rise to that level of impact.
 
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One of the advantages of mirrorless is that there is no mirror (duh!) and that means that the potential for silly-high burst rates is there. We have an Oly at work that has a 60FPS burst mode! I fully expect to see a high end R come out with a very large buffer and 20 (or 30) FPS burst mode.

Potential is the right word. We will see how fast will Canon be able to take advantage of that potential. So far "R" showed major weaknesses when it comes to burst and focusing in sequential shooting. It may take more than one iteration before this is sorted out even to the level of what 1D or 7D bodies are capable of.

Or it may be sorted really quickly but we will not like the price tag ...
 
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AlanF

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One of the advantages of mirrorless is that there is no mirror (duh!) and that means that the potential for silly-high burst rates is there. We have an Oly at work that has a 60FPS burst mode! I fully expect to see a high end R come out with a very large buffer and 20 (or 30) FPS burst mode.
A neat advantage of Oly and Pany is that they can have a buffer of shots stored while you are patiently focussing on a bird waiting for it to take off and when you do fire away after it has taken off because of your slow reflexes it has the 20 or so before you have fired and so you haven't missed the take off!
 
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Don Haines

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But more importantly, the EF mount offered widely available and universally compatible autofocus.

Yes, the EF stood for Electro Focus. This was a HUGE step forward! Instead of having a dedicated control for every function, this was sending a command over a serial port to perform that function. This allowed autofocus. This allowed aperture control without a mechanical linkage back to the camera. This allowed readable switches on lenses. This allowed IS to be placed in the lenses. The fact that EF survived 30 years, and that the M mount uses the exact same pins shows how good of a decision it was. Even the R mount's controls are based on the EF, just an additional high speed serial link to speed up coms...
 
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Don Haines

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A neat advantage of Oly and Pany is that they can have a buffer of shots stored while you are patiently focussing on a bird waiting for it to take off and when you do fire away after it has taken off because of your slow reflexes it has the 20 or so before you have fired and so you haven't missed the take off!
Plus, even if you get your timing right, sometimes a 6FPS burst rate misses all the action. Witness these two consecutive frames from a 6D2. A high burst rate is going to catch the action a lot better!92A3A730-B624-49E2-8461-ABC7154011A9.jpegADA85C86-EF06-49EB-9BB3-F1A8B9EC7FCE.jpeg
 
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There is a big difference now, we are at a watershed; is Canon going to bifurcate its roadmap down two major highways or is it going to have one major road, ie R and the other is a cul de sac?

I guess the difference for me is that all the lenses I'd like to own already exist, I just can't afford them. If they don't produce more EF lenses, it won't make any real difference. But more generally I think it's clear most new lenses in the short term will be RF, which largely answers the question? It's not so much a matter of a cul de sac (I wouldn't be surprised if Canon hasn't decided yet, and will see how sales go) as one highway already has six lanes so will do fine for now and the other doesn't so that's where the workmen are sent (to stretch a metaphor).
 
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I agree that Canon is already making a "competitive" MILC in comparison to other brands. But I would add/concede that it doesn't appear to be truly competitive with its top end DSLRs. What we do not know and cannot know at this point is whether the RF system will eventually be capable of replacing Canon's own full frame DSLRs.

I imagine you would agree that Canon has no vested interest in any particular format, but instead has a vested interest in remaining the world leader in the marketplace. Some people seem to believe that Canon has a vested interest in promoting a particular format. I think you and I believe they care only about format in so far as it affects profitability and sales.
It's not about if they will replace the DSLRs. They will certainly will. It's about how long it will take until MILCs will replace DSLRs.
 
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No signs that the EF line will be alive in the future, no roadmap, no announcments. Just a big question mark...

Well, the adapters work beautifully, don‘t they?
So the only downside is the worth loss because lighter and more compact lenses are available formthe R line and the fact that there may be significantly less DSLRs being released in the future.
 
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Hector1970

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You're implying that the high-end bodies drive sales, but that's not true. The vast majority of cameras sold are at the low end - so why would the introduction of a 1-series equivalent mirrorless cause significant growth of that sector? Even within FF, which is itself a minority of bodies, the 1-series must sell far less than cheaper cameras.

I do actually thing high end bodies drive the sales of the lower end bodies. I think its sets an idea is buyers heads they are buying the best even if it is the lower end product they are buying. I think the big white lens at World Cups and Olympics make the brand stand out and encourage sales of the cheaper models. A Pro model of the EOS-R I think would help cement RF Lens sales . It certainly would be good advertising for Canon if its really good. For me the problem for Canon is that it would have to be very good and persuade pro-shooters and agencies to switch over. Battery life is one of the few downsides that needs to be overcome. It would be a trade - off, better connectivity / better focusing / more FPS might compensate for the weaker battery life compared to DSLR.
 
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The dilemma for Canon comes with the high-end lenses. Do they make a 500mm f4 RF lens that will only work on one series of bodies? Do they continue to make the big whites and other specialty lenses as EF series, to maximize compatibility? Or do they design adapters that allow some RF lenses to be used on EF and EF-S bodies?

So long as the 1Dx, 7D and 5D series remain the dominant bodies for sports, birding and wildlife, these lenses probably stay as EF mount.

There have been patents in the last few years for adapters that change focal distances, and it was discussed on here just a few weeks ago. One of the biggest issues is how to account for different angles of light - while all of the EF lenses direct the light to the same flange distance, the angle of light striking that plane is different in a long telephoto lens from a short lens, and accommodating that change is complex. This is especially an issue with zoom lenses.

However if you make an adapter ONLY for a 500mm RF it can work LOADS better. My guess is if they ever go this way it will be specific adapters for very expensive high end L lenses for an extra 200-300 dollars.
 
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unfocused

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It's not about if they will replace the DSLRs. They will certainly will. It's about how long it will take until MILCs will replace DSLRs.

Well yes, but then again, "in the long run, we are all dead."
 
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Architect1776

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Remember Canon took 2 years to introduce the EOS 1 after the EF mount was introduced. During that time they introduced many pro level lenses before the EOS 1 was introduced. It amazes me how many do not know this, of course many here might not even have been born then. Yet Canon in spite of that delay destroyed the competition who was trashing Canon for those 2 years and even after to present, out of jealousy now. The R concept leave all others in the dust and Canon will have a pro camera to match. They just don't do all the consumer and pixel peeper crap on their cameras and believe in color quality not ugly fake colors and confusing menus and silly consumer gimmicks.
 
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unfocused

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A generally interesting discussion. Of course none of us knows what the future holds. Canon doesn't know, so how could we?

Some may view it as "handwringing," but for photographers walking around with $20,000 or more in equipment in their bags -- equipment that some of us need for our work -- it's a bit more than just idle speculation. My current equipment serves my needs and most of what I'd like to see Canon improve upon has nothing to do with mirrorless (except that it would be nice to have a body for events where the "silent" shutter isn't a joke.)

I enjoy reading the debate and, admittedly, stirring the pot a bit. But, in all honesty, I'm far more interested in the 7DIII and the mythical 150-500mm f5.6 lens that's been rumored for years.
 
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Jul 21, 2010
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But, in all honesty, I'm far more interested in the 7DIII and the mythical 150-500mm f5.6 lens that's been rumored for years.
Yeah, the 7DIII will be amazing, and the 150-500mm f/5.6 will have great IQ and be affordable...but it will be an RF lens and won't work on the 7DIII. :p
 
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Jul 16, 2012
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A neat advantage of Oly and Pany is that they can have a buffer of shots stored while you are patiently focussing on a bird waiting for it to take off and when you do fire away after it has taken off because of your slow reflexes it has the 20 or so before you have fired and so you haven't missed the take off!

Pity it cant work for flash. Ive taken pictures of some shrimp underwater where they repeatedly reacted and were gone before the camera had finished taking the picture. Not sure what it was (mirror flip?), but it was pretty frustrating.

I have the RF, and I agree that the 5DIV would be better for birds/wildlife in general, but it does have some nice features, as a '6D3', I think its pretty good for my needs, ie the tilt screen etc is a nice tradeoff to the more robust 5DIV aspects, I was converted to it by the M5. Looks like I might have to take a look at the RX10 IV though!
 
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sdz

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EOS R won't cope in a sense that there will be more RF lenses than people are willing to buy. A lot of predicted lenses are pro L glass and pros will be holding off until Canon releases decent replacements for 5DMkIV, 5DSR etc.
Bottom line is, if Canon really plans to release this many RF lenses soon, they should also plan to release more R bodies.

I suspect most buy lenses to use over the long term. Lens purchases are not impulse buys for most. Lenses that become available for sale will remain current for years. I suspect Canon knows this and plans accordingly.
 
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Bob Howland

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...the 150-500mm f/5.6 will have great IQ and be affordable...but it will be an RF lens and won't work on the 7DIII. :p

Probably not. Except for enabling ridiculously high frame rates, there doesn't seem to be any great advantage to mirrorless cameras for long focal length lenses. And by long, I mean anything longer than 100mm. How far is the rearmost lens element of your 600 f/4 from the rear of the lens?

And can Canon/Nikon/Panasonic make their FF MILCs accurately maintain focus at these ridiculously high frame rates on a race car coming toward them at 100 MPH? My 7d does it easily.
 
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The dilemma for Canon comes with the high-end lenses. Do they make a 500mm f4 RF lens that will only work on one series of bodies? Do they continue to make the big whites and other specialty lenses as EF series, to maximize compatibility? Or do they design adapters that allow some RF lenses to be used on EF and EF-S bodies?

Unfocused, I think - unfortunately - that the release of the big whites in EF means instead that Canon does not intend to in the near future release DSLR-killing pro bodies, but rather DSLR-approaching pro bodies. Perhaps their current throughput and processor gives them only that option. Hope I'm wrong.
 
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unfocused

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Probably not. Except for enabling ridiculously high frame rates, there doesn't seem to be any great advantage to mirrorless cameras for long focal length lenses. And by long, I mean anything longer than 100mm. How far is the rearmost lens element of your 600 f/4 from the rear of the lens?

And can Canon/Nikon/Panasonic make their FF MILCs accurately maintain focus at these ridiculously high frame rates on a race car coming toward them at 100 MPH? My 7d does it easily.

I think there was a missing [sarcasm] tag in Neuro's response.
 
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