It looks like the much requested RF mount tilt-shift lenses are finally on the horizon. Tilt-shift lenses have been on our roadmap for a long time, and the big advancement is apparently these will be the first autofocus tilt-shift lenses on the market.

We have been told that the new tilt-shift lenses are in the hands of a select group of photographers.

Rumored RF mount tilt-shift lenses

  • Canon TS-R 14mm f/4L
  • Canon TS-R 24mm f/3.5L

We are foolishly (maybe?) assuming that longer focal length are also in the works. These are just the two lenses that we have been told about over the months.

We do know what the masses of Canon shooters want, that being fast L prime lenses and more affordable options. One of the strengths of Canon's EF line-up were all of the niche lenses that were available. I think that will be important for the RF mount as well. So these niche lenses are great for the brand. There would also be a market for a new MP-E macro lens for the RF mount.

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89 comments

  1. As the end of the article says, there would indeed be a market for an MP-R macro lens :) I'm very curious which direction Canon will take that. Something as straight-forward as built-in lights like the EF-M28mm would already be a huge quality of life improvement.
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  2. No mention of autofocus.*
    Without that I would just stick to EF lenses.
    On the other hand, I do understand there would be other advantage to them being mirrorless lenses.

    *[Edit] I stand corrected
    Thanks koenkooi
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  3. No mention of autofocus.
    Without that I would just stick to EF lenses.
    On the other hand, I do understand there would be other advantage to them being mirrorless lenses.
    Scherm­afbeelding 2023-03-28 om 13.53.45.png
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  4. I really hope we get some announcements on the 14, 24, 35 next month. Flopping between my sony kit and canon kit is starting to get a little annoying.
    I really wish we had a little more transparency with an actual road map.
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  5. Would be interesting to find out if 14mm requires special filter mount or they manage to keep standard screw in filter thread on front.
    The TS-E 17mm already can't take filters, it has a bulbous front element. There's no way a 14mm version is going to have filter threads.
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  6. Hooh boy! 14mm TS is probably my most favorite among all the rumored lenses to come.

    As to filters, I have 0 expectation it would allow for screw-in filters. If it allowed for a drop-in filter, that would be nice, but that's hard with TS designs. Tilt shift lenses have to have a much-larger-than-normal image circle to account for the various adjustments made which is why they're so expensive relative to the aperture of the lens. Putting the elements further from the sensor to fit a drop-in filter would force the design to push the image circle all the wider.

    This is why using a drop-in filter adapter with EF tilt shift lenses is so great. You wind up exploiting the coincidental need to push the lens further from the sensor to fit the drop-in filter. My favorite drop-in EF-RF adapters are the Viltrox and Kolari ones. I also owned the Canon one, but it wasn't any better and I could pay for several of the others with the price difference.
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  7. Autofocus is a thing I don\'t need for architectural and don\'t want to pay for. Buildings don\'t move much. I don\'t use \'tilt\' either, but I understand they can\'t go so small-niche as to make manual focus shift-only lenses cost effectively. I\'ll prolly just buck up and and go along.

    And 14 mm is so wide I worry it will be mostly useless except for the tiniest of interior spaces spaces. The current 17 is too wide for most things and is plenty for the few uses I do have for it. I hope they bring one of those to RF mount. Without autofocus, and shift only. And screw-in filters while we\'re at it.
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  8. I really hope we get some announcements on the 14, 24, 35 next month. Flopping between my sony kit and canon kit is starting to get a little annoying.
    I really wish we had a little more transparency with an actual road map.
    Dump the Sony stuff—problem solved!
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  9. I look forward to this as well:


    The most experience I have with tilt-shift lenses is on my home theater Epson projector (!) ... Keith's book will be a good place to start.
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  10. Autofocus is a thing I don\'t need for architectural and don\'t want to pay for. Buildings don\'t move much. I don\'t use \'tilt\' either, but I understand they can\'t go so small-niche as to make manual focus shift-only lenses cost effectively. I\'ll prolly just buck up and and go along.

    And 14 mm is so wide I worry it will be mostly useless except for the tiniest of interior spaces spaces. The current 17 is too wide for most things and is plenty for the few uses I do have for it. I hope they bring one of those to RF mount. Without autofocus, and shift only. And screw-in filters while we\'re at it.
    I agree with all of this. I also have both the 17mm and 24mm TS-E lenses and find I try to keep the 24mm on, and use the 17mm for when it gets too tight. The 17mm isn't usable for interiors, without cropping in most of the time, as it distorts rooms too much. You can drop to about 20mm and it's passable IMO. 14mm is too wide, I would just be cropping in so much to get a usable interior shot. Maybe for external elevations of buildings it would be pretty spectacular.
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  11. Dump the Sony stuff—problem solved!
    I wish I could, I’m actually leaning the other way if we don’t get these announcements soon. I love my R5, I can’t wait to see what the firmware update will do. I added it to my collection for hybrid video use, but I must say I am somewhat disappointed with a few pet peeves that I find I end up grabbing the Sony more so because of convenience.

    I won’t replace my 14 1.8 with an EF 14 2.8. I like the bright aperture. Especially at dusk and low light.
    I won’t replace my 24 1.4 with an EF 24 1.4 II, the IQ is a night and day difference.
    I won’t replace my 35 1.4 with an EF 35 1.4 II because I cannot use focus breathing comp. Even if I purchased an R6ii for the breathing comp, still can’t use the lens…
    I’m not wasting money on an interim solution of an old lens just to wait for the one I want to buy.
    Especially when I have the luxury of not being in dire need of it since I have a suitable replacement.
    I’ve been trying to primarily use Canon, I love it for photo. Video is lacking some stuff but there are work arounds (other than the inconvenience of having to work around some small issues), and I’m really trying to justify making the 100% commitment of selling all my Sony gear to stick primarily with canon.
    But until I get the suitable replacements to make that commitment, it’s a little hard when you have so much money invested in both systems.
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  12. Autofocus is a thing I don\'t need for architectural and don\'t want to pay for. Buildings don\'t move much. I don\'t use \'tilt\' either, but I understand they can\'t go so small-niche as to make manual focus shift-only lenses cost effectively. I\'ll prolly just buck up and and go along.

    And 14 mm is so wide I worry it will be mostly useless except for the tiniest of interior spaces spaces. The current 17 is too wide for most things and is plenty for the few uses I do have for it. I hope they bring one of those to RF mount. Without autofocus, and shift only. And screw-in filters while we\'re at it.
    I don't know about what kind of things you shoot but for most homes' bedrooms and baths I am shooting at 11mm. You don't get much manuverable space when a queen bed is fitted in a 10x10 room.

    If you want no AF and shift only go look at Laowa's 15mm f4.5. Cheaper and pragmatic, no screw in filter though.
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  13. Autofocus is a thing I don\'t need for architectural and don\'t want to pay for. Buildings don\'t move much. I don\'t use \'tilt\' either, but I understand they can\'t go so small-niche as to make manual focus shift-only lenses cost effectively. I\'ll prolly just buck up and and go along.
    Agreed, I can certainly live without AF in a TS lens.

    And 14 mm is so wide I worry it will be mostly useless except for the tiniest of interior spaces spaces. The current 17 is too wide for most things and is plenty for the few uses I do have for it. I hope they bring one of those to RF mount. Without autofocus, and shift only. And screw-in filters while we\'re at it.
    Depends on what/where you shoot. For exterior architecture in the US, I typically use the TS-E 24L II. But in Europe, there are many lovely buildings with very little space around them where I'd like wider than my TS-E 17L and I end up using the 11-24/4L without the benefit of shift.

    I'd be tempted by a 14m TS lens for RF mount, but I'd also keep the TS-E 17 (and 24).
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  14. I do wonder if Canon will be able to make the tilt/shift mechanism motorized as well. It may be even more useful than AF.
    I highly doubt it will be motorized. However, it would be great if the TS movements were encoded, as that would allow automated lens corrections based on TS settings.
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