Canon News has uncovered a patent for a Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro 1:1.4x. A macro for the RF system is already long overdue and I expect that we'll see one announced some time this year.
The cool thing about this patent is that it has a 1:1.4x macro capability, unlike the current version which is 1:1.
Below are the two embodiments of the in Japan Patent Application 2021-047297. The second one is a bit confusing, as the aperture increases as the magnification increases, does this mean it's an f/1.4 optical design? Time will tell.
Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro 1:1.4x | |
Shooting Magnification | -1.00E-06 -0.5 -1.4 |
Focal Length | 100.81mm 65.87mm 36.01mm |
F Number | 2.92 4.49 6.64 |
Image Height | 21.64mm |
Lens Total Length | 162.37mm |
Backfocus | 14.66mm |
Canon RF 100mm f/1.4L IS USM Macro? | |
Shooting Magnification | -1.00E-06 -0.5 -1.4 |
Focal Length | 103.01mm 67.67mm 37.04mm |
F Number | 3.04 2.6 1.45 |
Image Height | 21.64mm |
Lens Total Length | 141.34mm |
Backfocus | 14.70mm |
I am also very excited to see Canon adding additional magnification to this lens. 1:1 is already great, but 1:1.4 is excellent, add in 1.6 crop mode and you get 1:2.24 magnification.
Sometimes I just put the camera on the floor and change the focus and it works very good. I often use this method with the Laowa 60mm but this lens has exactly this strange kind of focus breathing. At mfd you change the focal length from 2x to 1.5x mag without changing the focal plane. So I have to start at 1.5x mag. The different mag is not an issue.
Edit:
I wonder why this patent shows a shorter focal length at higher magnification. I would expect it the other way round.
I really like that my 100mm L doesn't change size when focussing, but it makes focus stacking using the focus ring a lot harder.
Yes, 1.4:1 would be cool. 1:1.4 is not that cool, and means it is not a "real" macro lens in traditional terms (Macro term usually used for lenses that can do at least 1:1).
This is discussed here: https://doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.57.11.110801#sec8
This could be interesting and easier to use than the super Zoom mode (1.2x) on the EF-M 28 macro lens.
The other two lenses are not as compact, but appear as if they could take front filters. The front elements so bulb like as to limit filters and perhaps could take even 82 or even 77 filters.
True macro starts at 1:1 and the fancy 65mm Canon has allows 5:1 macro
That's not how magnification works. It is called CROP factor because the mag stays the same, you just block the edge of the image.
If a 1mm object is 1mm on the sensor, you have 1:1 magnification. It doesn't matter if he sensor is Full frame, Medium format, aps-c, mft, or a cell phone's 1/3 inch type.
For example, if you shoot a small object, say 12mm by 18mm, on full frame at 1:1, then crop the image to fill the screen, does that increase the magnification of the lens? Of course not, you just recomposed eh 1:1 image. Otherwise every lens is a macro lens if you crop the image small enough.
A 32MP camera with a 1:1 macro lens is not a 8x macro because someone crops down to 0.5 megapixels
And yes, even the online photo magazines get that wrong.
By the way, I am using their RF 35mm macro which has a nifty feature which greatly simplifies manual focus. It consists of two arrows which point apart when the chosen point is out of focus while moving towards coinciding, overlapping and turning green, when in focus. This tells you both which way to move and when you are in focus. I hope that Canon plans to give us both Slider Assembly Control (micro zoom) and arrow focus in their new RF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro 1.4:1.