Where the heck is the RF 35mm f/1.2L?

[Sorosuub]

Honestly I can\'t understand the fuss of RF anything.

The lenses are all *enormous,* fly-by wire, lack a focus window, and wickedly expensive. Worse, they\'re incompatible with EF cameras.

I just bought a used EF 85mm f/1.4L for $800. Probably one of the most incredible lenses ever made. The RF equivalent is $2599, weighs 20% more and has fewer features. It\'s insanity.

But I\'m glad you rich dentists are dumping your awesome gear for super cheap for no reason. Keep it up!!

Lol. The RF glass is noticeably sharper to me and RF lenses have better eyeAF low light acquisition (important for event shoots!) Worth the costs.

 

[Rocco Germani]

Honestly I can\'t understand the fuss of RF anything.

The lenses are all *enormous,* fly-by wire, lack a focus window, and wickedly expensive. Worse, they\'re incompatible with EF cameras.

I just bought a used EF 85mm f/1.4L for $800. Probably one of the most incredible lenses ever made. The RF equivalent is $2599, weighs 20% more and has fewer features. It\'s insanity.

But I\'m glad you rich dentists are dumping your awesome gear for super cheap for no reason. Keep it up!!

You managed to find the EF 85mm f/1.4L for under $1000? That's insane. I paid full price for mine back in 2021, and I use it with my R6 and R7. Probably my favorite and also most used lens for photo/video work. It's awesome. So crazy to see it sell for so 'low.' Right now I'm all in with EF glass, I've got the 85mm but also the EF 24mm f/1.4L II and the original EF 35mm f/1.4L, which is my least used lens that I sort of regret purchasing, it's basically unusably soft if you're not at close focus at f/1.4 (and I love soft lenses, I'm all about pro mists and things of the sort, but for an L lens... I expect better, my 17-35mm f/2.8L from the same year is just as sharp if not a tad bit sharper sometimes at 2.8 as the 35mm prime). The 35mm prime gets sharper past f/2.8 thankfully. But regardless of all of that, I don't feel drawn to RF lenses at all. There are so many more EF options that apparently just seem to get cheaper and cheaper, and the drop in filter adapter is game changing!

 

[EOS 4 Life]

You managed to find the EF 85mm f/1.4L for under $1000? That's insane. I paid full price for mine back in 2021, and I use it with my R6 and R7. Probably my favorite and also most used lens for photo/video work. It's awesome. So crazy to see it sell for so 'low.' Right now I'm all in with EF glass, I've got the 85mm but also the EF 24mm f/1.4L II and the original EF 35mm f/1.4L, which is my least used lens that I sort of regret purchasing, it's basically unusably soft if you're not at close focus at f/1.4 (and I love soft lenses, I'm all about pro mists and things of the sort, but for an L lens... I expect better, my 17-35mm f/2.8L from the same year is just as sharp if not a tad bit sharper sometimes at 2.8 as the 35mm prime). The 35mm prime gets sharper past f/2.8 thankfully. But regardless of all of that, I don't feel drawn to RF lenses at all. There are so many more EF options that apparently just seem to get cheaper and cheaper, and the drop in filter adapter is game changing!

I also have the EF 85 f/1.4.
I do have some RF lenses but none of the L ones.
I agree with you that the drop-in filter adapter is a game-changer.
If the lenses are anywhere close, I will opt for the EF version.

 

[aledronix]

I'd be happy just to get the 135 1.8 at this point!

I have that on my watch list since January and there has still been no availability...
I am fine with them but announcing something they can't deliver.
Nikon has been notorious for doing that.

 

[neuroanatomist]

I have that on my watch list since January and there has still been no availability...
I am fine with them but announcing something they can't deliver.
Nikon has been notorious for doing that.

The way it works these days is that watch lists and in-stock notifications aren’t sufficient. If you want a recently-launched product, you need to preorder it. If you do that within the first few hours after orders go live, you’ll usually get one from the first batch.

There likely won’t be unclaimed stock for months. So if you really want it, don’t put it on a watch list, put it in your cart and order it.

 

[dominic_siu]

I'd be happy just to get the 135 1.8 at this point!

I’m using RF135 1.8 and I can tell you it’s performance is top notch

 

[Berowne]

I am happy with my EF 35L and waiting for the RF 135L - current latency in Frankfurt West-Germany ca 4-6 Month.

 

[roby17269]

The way it works these days is that watch lists and in-stock notifications aren’t sufficient. If you want a recently-launched product, you need to preorder it. If you do that within the first few hours after orders go live, you’ll usually get one from the first batch.

There likely won’t be unclaimed stock for months. So if you really want it, don’t put it on a watch list, put it in your cart and order it.

You are correct and I'm not sure why so many seem not to get it yet.

In the last couple of years I have managed to get everything I wanted the day of the announced delivery by ordering first thing in the morning of the official announcement day. Because of a credit card snafu I lost 4 hours the announcement day of the RF 135 1.8 and that costed me the placement in the 3rd batch, resulting in a month's delay compared to the first delivery date.

I totally get it that this is annoying, but it is also out of our control. You either preorder and wait 2-3 months, order back ordered and wait some months, order very overpriced items from the grey market and hope (I've seen RF 135 1.8 a over $3000 on eBay while I was waiting for mine to be allocated), or be prepared to wait indefinitely (I'd say 2+ years but I do not have data) for general availability of new and second-hand items.

 

[AJ]

I suppose this is the reason why Canon doesn't get 4rd party manufacturers make rf mount lenses.

 

[GMAX]

I'd be happy just to get the 135 1.8 at this point!

Received mine some weeks ago. Worth every cent and waiting for months

 

[SwissFrank]

I'm hoping it's a 35/1.0.

That's not such a radical spec. It'd have a 35mm entrance pupil, like a 50mm f/1.4 does. It'd also have the same DOF at a given subject distance.

There are small-sensor 35/1.0 or 35/0.95 from Laowa, TTArtisan, Zenit and I think one more. If you google the images you'll see it's not an unusable amount of bokeh.

I didn't think of getting the 135/1.8 until a week after they were on sale. I ordered the day I started thinking about it and got it about four days later. The 135/2 was hands-down my favorite EF, and the sharpest black lens back in the 90s, but the 135/1.8 blows it away for sharpness, and on the R5 has an extra 1-1.5 stops of hand-holdability, as well as a bit faster AF. The extra aperture's bokeh isn't a game-changer but if you look for it it's definitely there, too. Anyone who loves the 135/2 will love the 135/1.8 even more.

 

[dirtyvu]

I still can't believe how sharp the 50 1.2 is....by far the best lens I've ever shot with. I can't tell you how many times I wish I had a 35 to go with it as well. I'm taking a ton of baby pictures of my daughter, and if it's in an indoor situation a lot of times the 50 is just too long and I have to back up or shoot awkwardly to get the shot I wanted. The 35 and that sweet sweet 100-300 posted yesterday are at the top of my lens-wanted list.

kids grow up way too fast. use the 35 mm 1.8 in the meantime. it's still a fantastic lens. While the 85 mm 1.2 is my favorite lens and the one I want to grab every time, I end up leaving the 35 mm as the default option because people want group shots, it's easier as a video option, and I don't have to worry as much in terms of framing.

 

[EOS 4 Life]

I suppose this is the reason why Canon doesn't get 4rd party manufacturers make rf mount lenses.

Yeah, I think they probably want to get their own lineup in order first.
However, it only makes it more frustrating for people wanting lenses.
There are not enough Canon RF lenses and no 3rd party lenses at all.

 

[koenkooi]

Yeah, I think they probably want to get their own lineup in order first.
However, it only makes it more frustrating for people wanting lenses.
There are not enough Canon RF lenses and no 3rd party lenses at all.

Again, Laowa alone has more than 20 different RF lenses for sale. So there are a lot of 3rd party RF lenses.
If you meant autofocus RF lenses, you are correct. Sigma has a number of lenses I’d like to use on my RF cameras, but don’t have and EF or RF version

 

[dirtyvu]

Honestly I can\'t understand the fuss of RF anything.

The lenses are all *enormous,* fly-by wire, lack a focus window, and wickedly expensive. Worse, they\'re incompatible with EF cameras.

I just bought a used EF 85mm f/1.4L for $800. Probably one of the most incredible lenses ever made. The RF equivalent is $2599, weighs 20% more and has fewer features. It\'s insanity.

But I\'m glad you rich dentists are dumping your awesome gear for super cheap for no reason. Keep it up!!

I own both the EF 85 1.4 and the RF 85 1.2 and while I loved the 85 1.4, it's not even in the same league as the RF 85 1.2. The RF 85 1.2 is faster to focus and almost never misses even when the person is walking toward you at runway speeds. I've missed so many shots with the EF 85 1.4. On the EF 85 1.4, you can throw away roughly 25% to 33% of high speed burst shots when the person is moving. On the RF even at 1.2, you almost always get tack sharp photos even when the subject is in motion.

The lens IS isn't that big of a deal because IS doesn't really help when the subject is moving (thus negating any slow shutter) and in really low light, the 1.2 will still likely perform better than the 1.4 at slow shutter speeds.

Now, if you were comparing the EF 1.2 and the EF 1.4, then I would agree the EF 1.4 is a phenomenal lens and much easier to work with than the EF 1.2 which was such a slow focuser and really hard to work with due to sharpness issues.

On a budget, the EF 85 1.4 is a great lens. However, if you can afford the RF 85, you have to get it. It's a lens you can have forever. And you won't miss those shots that can never be replaced. Every once in awhile, you get the perfect shot where the pose is perfect, the lighting is perfect, the framing is perfect, etc. And if that perfect shot is ruined because it's slightly out of focus, you will hate yourself or spend a significant amount of time trying to repair it.

 

[dirtyvu]

I also have the EF 85 f/1.4.
I do have some RF lenses but none of the L ones.
I agree with you that the drop-in filter adapter is a game-changer.
If the lenses are anywhere close, I will opt for the EF version.

I thought about the drop in filter adapter but ended up deciding against it. for one thing, it forces you to use EF lenses which is a nonstarter once you start using the high quality RF lenses. it also has color shift which is a no-no.

the best way (for me at least) for nd filters is using Kolari's ND filters which go inside my R5 and RP cameras. you take off the lens and drop in the ND filter and then put the lens back on. then you can swap lenses without having to adjust the ND. no need to worry about thread sizes. no need to worry about color shift that occurs with variable ND.

 

[SwissFrank]

On a budget, the EF 85 1.4 is a great lens. However, if you can afford the RF 85, you have to get it. It's a lens you can have forever.

That's how I feel about the 135/2. I LOVED that lens for 25 years and it was definitely my favorite lens ever. But the 135/1.8 is very substantially better: much sharper yet, about 1-2 stops more IS on an R5, faster focus, and just a bit more bokeh. It's bigger too, but not in a way where its size would make me decide to use the 135/2 if I hadn't sold it.

I also had the EF85/1.2 MkI and boy I hated that lens so much except quite a few memorable photos. I always envied Nikon users their 85/1.4 and it was the one Nikon lens I wish I could have. I was out of photography for several years (I thought I was getting too old but turns out I just had cataracts) and again I'm in the position that I'd LIKE a f/1.4 but as you say I think I'd be happier with the RF85/1.2, a newest most modern implementation even if not quite the price/weight I'd like, than the EF85/1.4...

 

[Deepboy]

I think that, since the EF era, photography has changed, and especially NUMBERS in photography has changed.
I don't have precise numbers and don't want to search them, but I saw them many times, shall we say "camera/lens market today is like 5/10% of what was 20 years ago"? Maybe even 15/20%? Or less then 5%? Well, I feel it's the same.

- Way less people buy ILC and relative lenses, accessories, etc
- Fixed focals were used both for brightness/fast shutter needs (400iso was already "medium-high iso", at least with colours) and quality; but today iso are on a very different scale and 1600iso are cleaner then 400iso film (so at least 2 stop difference; given the same shutter, what you shot at f1.4 in film era you can now shoot at f2.8 of course not accounting the DoF difference), and zooms reaches, and sometimes surpasses, the quality of a prime, also becoming brighter (we all know about the RF 28-70 f2 L)

Introduction to say what? To say that I don't really think we will ever see a 28 L (or a 28 prime of any aperture fwiw), as we don't ever saw it even in EF lineup, and that the RF 24 L and 35 L are not priorities for Canon; I don't think we'll see so many RF primes as we saw in EF era, for all the reasons explained above, there's not that wide market anymore, especially between amateurs and general public (while pro's, semi pro's, content creators etc etc are WAY MORE then in the past), and super bright lenses are not "needed" anymore due to the iso performance of modern sensors. Yes, I know, DoF, gain stops with the shutter at high iso, etc; but surely before a bright lens was much more a "technical need" then today.
Also, for now, they have already covered 24 and 35 with the RF STM versions, and there are pretty recent EF L versions if you really need one bright copy right now. So they don't have any rush for the RF L versions.

I think Canon won't release so may primes as before, and so many BRIGHT primes as before; probably that will be bread and butter of third party manufacturers when Canon will licence the RF autofocus mount.
I think Canon strategy will be to release few, but super quality, primes (as they're already doing), and then leave gaps they don't want to fill (like the 28mm gap) and will let Sigma and Tamron fill those gaps, where Canon is not losing money because they don't have competitive lenses.
So I'm not sure that when they will licence, they will give an open licence; I think they'll licence specific focals and/or brightness to be filled, to have full control of the competition. I don't see Canon giving licence for a competing 50 f1.2 and tbh I don't know if they'll licence even a 50 f1.4 as surely Sigma could manufacture one that would be on par, or better, then the L version but for half of the price, and so even with the 1/3rd stop difference, would be very hard to Canon to sell many others 50mm L.

Otherwise we'll see much more zooms, in general, and much more zooms in lieu of the primes (see the recent CR news about the RF 100-300 vs a new RF 300 prime), and much brighter zooms (others will release stuff like the RF 28-70mf2 L), but also much DARKER zoom, for the very same reason of high iso efficiency. Canon already released some horribly dark RF zooms, I'm sure we'll see many more of them in the coming years.

 

[SwissFrank]

today iso are on a very different scale and 1600iso are cleaner then 400iso film

I would have guessed ISO10k today is better than 50-speed Velvia in 2000, but would be interested to see I'm wrong if you know a good comparison. Part of the problem of comparing is that scanner quality also enters into it, especially home-owned scanners of circa 2000 (when I had such a thing)

 

[masterpix]

“I want my RF 35mm f/1.2L USM (or f/1.4L) now!” That quote is a running theme in the world of Canon, and I get it! We (consumers) love native and new lenses for the most part. There are likely a lot of people that are adapting the EF 35mm f/1.4L USM II or using the

“I want my RF 35mm f/1.2L USM (or f/1.4L) now!” That quote is a running theme in the world of Canon, and I get it! We (consumers) love native and new lenses for the most part. There are likely a lot of people that are adapting the EF 35mm f/1.4L USM II or using the

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More important, where is my RF 11-24 f4 and the RF120-700 f5.6-8 which will complete my trio which miss the RF 24-105 f4 at the moment?