Patent: Canon RF 35-135mm f/2.8 and other fast zoom lenses

Jan 29, 2011
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And then some photographers are tech heads at the same time.
Indeed, but an infinitesimally small percentage. Some people, like AlanF have a very deep understanding of gear and the best way of getting the optimal result in his very narrow niche speciality, just like Arash Hazeghi. Others I deeply respect have broader knowledge of lighting and camera formats and lenses and fully understand the technical aspects of how to achieve the images they have in mind, people like Gregory Heisler and Joe McNally. But there are many many more who produce stunning images regularly that seemingly have no technical understand at all, they just use whatever they have to it’s best advantage, people like Steve McCurry spring to mind, but there are countless examples everywhere from the top Instagram images and commercial photographers, to your local camera club.
 
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Not such a great idea when the comparative costs are actually given. You can get a 5D IV and 2.8 zoom trinity for peanuts compared to an R5 and 2.8 zoom trinity, and I haven’t seen a single image one could take and the other couldn’t.

Are you a tech head or a photographer is more to the point, tech heads will always be seduced by the newest shiniest toy, photographers will take pictures with whatever they can afford (or borrow).
I would disagree based a specific use case for me last weekend. I shoot indoor karate black belt gradings including sparring. Given the covid restrictions in Australia (pretty good relative to the rest of the world at the time and now basically unlimited but I disgress), I was much closer to the action than I would normally be as they were spread out but in a limited size hall. I couldn't use my RF70-200mm and had to use my EF24-105mm/4. The R5's croppability was fantastic with still lots of pixels with heavy cropping, the high frame rate got me better action shots on burst and the eye-AF was frankly amazing in the light conditions. I believe that IBIS also assisted getting sharper shots as the camera is consistently moving to find targets and blurry shots were rare. My keeper rate (even with more shots on burst) was much higher than with my 5Div setup. Even with the older glass, the shots were more than acceptably sharp. I didn't need to use cRAW. ~2100 shots on 128GB cards was fine.

Tech makes a difference - at least for me. The R5 is a giant leap forward in being able to reliably take amazing shots. I don't have a RF50 or 85mm/1.2 but I hear that the keeper rate with eye-AF @ f1.2 is much higher than with the equivalent 5Div/EF lenses. You can definitely (and I have) take great shots with the 5Div/EF lenses but with less certainty of making the shot. Let the tech do the work and allows the tog to work on the creative stuff.

I did have to change battery once whereas my 5Div would have not used 1 battery.
The other downside was that the processing time was longer due to the bigger file sizes. Can't wait for a new 16" MBPro/M chip to keep me going for the next many years.
 
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csibra

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Not such a great idea when the comparative costs are actually given. You can get a 5D IV and 2.8 zoom trinity for peanuts compared to an R5 and 2.8 zoom trinity, and I haven’t seen a single image one could take and the other couldn’t.

Are you a tech head or a photographer is more to the point, tech heads will always be seduced by the newest shiniest toy, photographers will take pictures with whatever they can afford (or borrow).
Well, I'm a techhead yes. But I have a 70D with a 18-135 IS STM, and I happy with them. I shoot film with a very old yashica and a more older flexaret camera, but when this new R system becomes cheaper, my plans are an R6 with some fixes.
 
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Ozarker

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Indeed, but an infinitesimally small percentage. Some people, like AlanF have a very deep understanding of gear and the best way of getting the optimal result in his very narrow niche speciality, just like Arash Hazeghi. Others I deeply respect have broader knowledge of lighting and camera formats and lenses and fully understand the technical aspects of how to achieve the images they have in mind, people like Gregory Heisler and Joe McNally. But there are many many more who produce stunning images regularly that seemingly have no technical understand at all, they just use whatever they have to it’s best advantage, people like Steve McCurry spring to mind, but there are countless examples everywhere from the top Instagram images and commercial photographers, to your local camera club.
Maybe infinitesimally small, yes, but I have no idea how one would measure that. Your guess is as good as mine. ;) I've never interviewed anyone as to their technical knowledge, so how the heck would I know what my neighbor does and does not know? ;)
 
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vjlex

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Oct 15, 2011
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Where do you get your data? Bryan Carnathan for one competent reviewer would disagree. I would as well. My EF L lenses were very good but the RF lenses are definitely better. The RF24-105/4 is remarkably better than any previous EF version, just as one example. The redesigned mount is part of that difference. The R5 demands extremely good glass & the RF series works extremely well with it. If your concern is money why don't you write them off your taxes as a business expense as many of us do? The cheaper is better arguments are irrelevant. We are talking about various lens characteristics that lend themselves to better files.

Stu
I'm sure Canon would be happy to know their marketing has been effective in convincing people like you that there is a significant leap in image quality between the RF vs EF 2.8L zoom trinity. I thank you for your patronage. Makes it easier for me to get my hands on those terrible, terrible EF lenses everybody is throwing away in the dustbins since they suddenly stopped being excellent lenses when the RF came out.

RF primes are one thing. RF 2.8L zooms- meh.
 
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Where do you get your data? Bryan Carnathan for one competent reviewer would disagree. I would as well. My EF L lenses were very good but the RF lenses are definitely better. The RF24-105/4 is remarkably better than any previous EF version, just as one example. The redesigned mount is part of that difference. The R5 demands extremely good glass & the RF series works extremely well with it. If your concern is money why don't you write them off your taxes as a business expense as many of us do? The cheaper is better arguments are irrelevant. We are talking about various lens characteristics that lend themselves to better files.

Stu

Well, the poster said "significantly better" so I guess it is all interpretation of language, but I would agree that whatever improvements have been made to any RF lens compared to it's EF counterpart, the improvements have been small at best. Yes, my RF 24-105mm f/4 is better than my EF versions, but I would say that "remarkably" is an overstatement. Slightly better, even if you are a pixel peeper, would be more accurate, in my opinion. For most "L" lenses, I would imagine we are talking about going from a grade of "A" to perhaps "A+". I know it's a forum, but let's not go overboard.
 
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Jan 29, 2011
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Well let's see, far superior AF (can shoot 20/20 hits on the eye of a seagull flying against an urban background at 200/2.8. Can hit 20/20 on 50/1.2 on the eye of my 5yo running around within 3m, though granted you're talking about 2.8 trinity zooms.)

Then you have IS and IBIS.

If you haven't seen such an image, then perhaps you view exclusively images of photographers who work with slow subjects, such as landscape or something.
Show me an image that was taken this year that couldn’t have been taken, or wasn’t taken, last year.
 
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Darecinema

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Show me an image that was taken this year that couldn’t have been taken, or wasn’t taken, last year.
Hey PBD, I believe he is just saying that the system is allowing him to get more shots he gets paid for easier with the new system. I still have my 5D Mark IV and my EF 85 1.4 and I can tell you that it can be a real hassle to get tack sharp eyes when wide open and as the sun is falling below the horizon. I always take enough photos to ensure I get THE shot I need but it’s frustrating how many shots are off by a few millimeters, so his point of having far more keepers with Eye AF could definitely be a real differentiator.

anyways I don’t think the point is anything for us to get into a dispute over. Let’s be happy we have such amazing gear in this day and age and that new gear is making slightly older, but still incredible, gear more affordable for others as well! It’s a win win.

I certainly would like to have the new RFsystem as soon as I can afford it and it makes sense for my business, but in the meantime my EF system and L glass is continuing to make me money and I’m never planning on selling this glass as it will always work great as b-cam glass whenever I do the eventual upgrade to R and RF system.
 
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tron

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I do like my 5DIV and L lenses but also got a R5 with the 2.8 trinity (well the 3rd one hasn't been shipped yet) to take advantage of IBIS and IS on the lenses which didn't have before (their EF counterparts). So My limit for 24-70 now Is 1/3 sec at 70mm which is huge for interior shooting (now if only I could go... :D )
 
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bbasiaga

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Show me an image that was taken this year that couldn’t have been taken, or wasn’t taken, last year.
Your point is technically correct. There is no image taken today that couldn't have been taken last year, or 10 years ago for that matter. Just watch one of those youtube videos where the pros do a portrait shoot with a cheap rig - in the end, the results look the same.

The difference though is the PROBABILITY you'll get 'the shot', especially in dynamic scenarios, has gone up significantly with the newer cameras and lenses doing things faster, better and more accurately than they did in the past.

I've never been upset with the performance of my 5D3. But I can say in the time I had access to an R6 it was quickly obvious that it was a far better camera for sports. Higher frame rate, subject tracking, eye AF...all combined to a keeper rate much higher than the 5D3. There were a lot of shots the 5D3 could have gotten, but the R6 actually got. 5D3 Is a great camera, and always will be. But as with anything else technology based it is being surpassed by time.
-Brian
 
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Jan 29, 2011
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Maybe infinitesimally small, yes, but I have no idea how one would measure that. Your guess is as good as mine. ;) I've never interviewed anyone as to their technical knowledge, so how the heck would I know what my neighbor does and does not know? ;)
You can get a very good idea of peoples technical understand just in forums. Also I am a mentor at two camera clubs so speak to people about their photography knowledge more than most. I'd rate the number of people that understand the physics of what is going on as a tiny percentage of the people I speak to, even those that appear knowledgable invariably parrot some 'influencer' bullshit that doesn't actually make sense.
 
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that would probably be an RF lens I would be interested in. right now, the RF trinity offerings aren't significantly better than my EF trinity.
At the large price premium and loss of ability to use TC's in the 70-200 f/2.8, worse overall IMO. Only trhe 24-70 f/2.8L IS interests me in the least.
 
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