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    Meike launches the AF 85mm f/1.4 autofocus lens for the RF mount

    By Updated:117 Comments1 Min Read Third Party Lenses
    meike85af 728x364 - Meike launches the AF 85mm f/1.4 autofocus lens for the RF mount

    Meike has launched what is the first “approved” third-party autofocus lens for Canon's RF mount. Technically, there have been a couple of other third-party lenses for the RF mount that were pulled by manufacturers after Canon kindly asked them to do so.

    Meike AF 85mm f/1.4 Specifications

    • Suggested retail price: Unknown
    • Focal length: 85mm
    • Format: Full-frame
    • Filter: 77mm
    • Lens construction: 8 elements in 13 groups
    • Aperture: f/1.4-f/16
    • Minimum focusing distance: 0.98m
    • Aperture blades: 12
    • Mount: E/Z/L/RF
    • AF/MF Switch
    • Custom Buttons

    Pricing and availability aren't known at press time. Meike currently has this lens on display at NABShow 2023 in Las Vegas.

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    117 comments

    3. I wonder what "approved" actually means here. Like approved by Canon? Big, if true!
      Yes, I think "approved" means Meike has licensed Canons AF protocol for RF. Indeed very good news!
      Fingers crossed Sigma and Tamron (and others) will follow!
    4. Meike has launched what is the first “approved” third-party autofocus lens for Canon’s RF mount. Technically, there have been a couple of other third-party lenses for the RF mount that were pulled by manufacturers after Canon kindly asked them to do so. Meike AF 85mm f/1.4 Specifications Pricing and availability aren’t known at press time.

      See full article...
      How do you know that the lens has been "approved", as opposed to Meike just taking a gamble that Canon won't "kindly ask them" to stop?

      It seems odd to me that a very minor player like Meike has allegedly been "approved", while much larger companies like Tamron and Sigma, who I would have thought were in a better position to wangle a deal with Canon, have not.
    5. How do you know that the lens has been "approved", as opposed to Meike just taking a gamble that Canon won't "kindly ask them" to stop?

      It seems odd to me that a very minor player like Meike has allegedly been "approved", while much larger companies like Tamron and Sigma, who I would have thought were in a better position to wangle a deal with Canon, have not.
      Maybe becauseMeike represents a smaller risk of loosing lens customers than Sigma & co.?
      Anyway, CR Guy wrote "approved" and not: approved...
    6. Were all the Canon "Doomers" maybe wrong?
      Looks like Big Bad Canon doesn't prevent 3rd. party manufaturers from making AF lenses in RF mount...:)
      As I suspected. They just prevent companies from stealing their intellectual property. The world is very strange now. People that don’t want to be stolen from have become the bad guys whereas people that steal have excuses made for their behavior and entitlement justifications made for their choices.
    7. Yes, I think "approved" means Meike has licensed Canons AF protocol for RF. Indeed very good news!
      Fingers crossed Sigma and Tamron (and others) will follow!
      Or Meike has produced a lens that works on Canon RF without violating Canons patents and they cleared that fact with Canon prior to announcing the product?
    8. Wow...big news! Now quick - Someone hit me up with a 20mm lens for astro!

      Hopefully this is the hole in the dam that starts the steady flow of 3rd party glass to the RF mount!

      I suppose what Canon is doing makes sense. If you think you're going to be selling less cameras (know that, really) then you add revenue streams by getting a license fee from all the 3rd party folks. From a business perspective, could be interesting to see if this pays off better for Canon, and if Sony regrets not doing a similar structure back in the day. But at the time they needed lenses to drive body sales, so even that was a defensible decision given what the conditions were at the time.

      -Brian
    9. There's more to this than meets the eye. I can't see any reason why third parties couldn't simply use the EF protocol, as EF lenses work perfectly on RF cameras. It can't be the actual mount that is the issue, because Laowa produce about 20 non-electronic, manual focus lenses in RF mount, and Canon hasn't blocked them. Canon claim that they are open to discussion with third parties, but also say that Tamron and Sigma haven't even approached them about licensing. All very very odd.
    10. Or Meike has produced a lens that works on Canon RF without violating Canons patents and they cleared that fact with Canon prior to announcing the product?
      The more I read, the more I get uncomfortable with my own statement! :rolleyes:
      What irritates me f.e. is that https://meikeglobal.com/ hasn't any information about this lens. Or maybe I wasn't searching good enough ...
    11. There's more to this than meets the eye. I can't see any reason why third parties couldn't simply use the EF protocol, as EF lenses work perfectly on RF cameras. It can't be the actual mount that is the issue, because Laowa produce about 20 non-electronic, manual focus lenses in RF mount, and Canon hasn't blocked them. Canon claim that they are open to discussion with third parties, but also say that Tamron and Sigma haven't even approached them about licensing. All very very odd.
      Maybe Tamron and Sigma do not want to use EF protocols and want to license the secret sauce.
    12. There's more to this than meets the eye. I can't see any reason why third parties couldn't simply use the EF protocol, as EF lenses work perfectly on RF cameras. It can't be the actual mount that is the issue, because Laowa produce about 20 non-electronic, manual focus lenses in RF mount, and Canon hasn't blocked them. Canon claim that they are open to discussion with third parties, but also say that Tamron and Sigma haven't even approached them about licensing. All very very odd.
      Canon have said they are having discussions with multiple parties. But they haven't said who.

      Sigma has said they want to produce lenses for the RF mount, but have stopped short of saying they are in negotiations with Canon.

      The suspense is killing all of us. They should follow the Netflix model and drop all the episodes day 1 so we can binge until we get to the end!

      -Brian
    14. Or Meike has produced a lens that works on Canon RF without violating Canons patents and they cleared that fact with Canon prior to announcing the product?
      If so, that implies that they could be using the EF protocol for the RF mount - which in turn *may* possibly mean that there could be compatibility issues with future RF cameras, if/when the 2 extra pins of the RF mount are used for something other than merely speeding up data flow.
    15. Were all the Canon "Doomers" maybe wrong?
      Looks like Big Bad Canon doesn't prevent 3rd. party manufaturers from making AF lenses in RF mount...:)
      I think we have to wait for the price. Also specs relating to weather sealing, aberrations and corrections in camera. Samyang had a 85mm f1.4 with RF autofocus that they reverse enginered. It works very well, had weather sealing and a lens hood... well made. Canon could simply have approved this lens so Samyang could resume manufacturing, provide in camera minor corrections and firmware updates. We shall see.
    16. I think we have to wait for the price. Also specs relating to weather sealing, aberrations and corrections in camera. Samyang had a 85mm f1.4 with RF autofocus that they reverse enginered. It works very well, had weather sealing and a lens hood... well made. Canon could simply have approved this lens so Samyang could resume manufacturing, provide in camera minor corrections and firmware updates. We shall see.
      Are you saying that the Meike is a rebadged Samyang?
    17. There's more to this than meets the eye. I can't see any reason why third parties couldn't simply use the EF protocol, as EF lenses work perfectly on RF cameras.
      Interesting angle! Does the EF->RF adapter simply give EF protocol to the camera, or does it translate it into RF protocol which is protected? I have no idea, but the latter model would explain the fact that no-one's doing what you say.
    18. I think we have to wait for the price. Also specs relating to weather sealing, aberrations and corrections in camera. Samyang had a 85mm f1.4 with RF autofocus that they reverse enginered. It works very well, had weather sealing and a lens hood... well made. Canon could simply have approved this lens so Samyang could resume manufacturing, provide in camera minor corrections and firmware updates. We shall see.
      The Samyang versions were basically DSLR lenses with built in adapters. You could see the space for it when you looked at the DSLR and RF versions side by side. I don’t recall Canon ever going after Samyang. If memory serves, it was Viltrox (or another brand?) that got the cease and desist and Samyang proactively pulled their lenses in response to that. Perhaps to avoid what they thought might be future legal fees?
    19. If so, that implies that they could be using the EF protocol for the RF mount - which in turn *may* possibly mean that there could be compatibility issues with future RF cameras, if/when the 2 extra pins of the RF mount are used for something other than merely speeding up data flow.
      Canon has gone out of their way to make sure that EF lenses work.
      Meike makes EF lenses and EF adapters.
      This could quite easily be an EF lens coupled with an EF adapter.
      If that is the case then I would be more concerned on the other mounts.

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