The third-party options for Canon's RF mount continues to grow. We're seeing a lot of manual focus and cinema lenses added fairly often.

There are no “legal” third-party autofocus options for the RF mount for the moment. Canon has flexed its intellectual property rights and had early options from Samyang and Rokinon pulled from most markets around the globe. Canon is requiring third-party makers to get permission from Canon to make autofocus lenses.

For now, only the Voigtlander NOKTON 50mm f/1.0 (not yet in production) has Canon's permission to use the RF mount electronics. While it is still a manual focus lens, it will take to the RF mount camera that it is attached to.

Sigma and Tamron, the two big third-party manufacturers still haven't announced their plans for the RF mount, but we do expect that to come eventually.

Below is a list of all of the known third-party RF mount lenses for both photography and cinema applications.

7artisans

7artisans Cine

AstrHori

Brightin Star

Fujinon Cine

Funleader

GIZMON

IRIX Cine

KamLan

Kipon

Kipon Cine

Lensbaby

Lomography

Meike

Meike Cine

Meyer-Optik

Mitakon Zhongyi

Mitakon Zhongyi Cine

NiSi

NiSi Cine

Pergear

Rokinon

Rokinon Cine

Samyang Cine

Sirui Cine

Tokina

TTArtisan

Vazen Cine

Venus Optics Laowa

Venus Optics Laowa Cine

Voigtlander

  • Voigtlander NOKTON 50mm f/1.0

Yasuhara

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31 comments

  1. Having used the R6 for a little while now i am starting to come to grips with the incredible AF system. But having said that there are certain situations that seem to defeat it. So this thread is to relay your experiences where the AF has been thrown off. For me the most interesting one is that the eye AF fails with Zebras, even at close range. Obviously the high contrast stripes have something do do with it but I found it interesting nevertheless considering how incredible it is with just about every other situation. Is anyone else finding any quirks like this?
    The observation about zebras is very interesting as their stripes are speculated to make it more difficult for predators to focus on them. The one annoying problem that several of us have reported is that unlike DSLRs which are programmed to focus on the nearest object, mirrorless will often focus on the background instead of a perched bird or small object in the foreground. I suppose lions should use a DSLR when hunting zebras and leave their Rs in their den.
  2. The observation about zebras is very interesting as their stripes are speculated to make it more difficult for predators to focus on them. The one annoying problem that several of us have reported is that unlike DSLRs which are programmed to focus on the nearest object, mirrorless will often focus on the background instead of a perched bird or small object in the foreground. I suppose lions should use a DSLR when hunting zebras and leave their Rs in their den.
    Their stripes definitely make it harder for lions to pick out an individual amongst the herd. I relay that information every day in my presentations. But that requires one zebra to be mixing in with a lot of others. But it seems to also work at disguising the eye on a single animal.
  3. Their stripes definitely make it harder for lions to pick out an individual amongst the herd. I relay that information every day in my presentations. But that requires one zebra to be mixing in with a lot of others. But it seems to also work at disguising the eye on a single animal.
    Interesting article on why zebras have stripes https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191031-the-truth-behind-why-zebras-have-stripes
    Maybe you have new evidence. Perhaps our safari experts like Grant Atkinson can report back on the R5/R6 in the field.
  4. Interesting article on why zebras have stripes https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191031-the-truth-behind-why-zebras-have-stripes
    Maybe you have new evidence. Perhaps our safari experts like Grant Atkinson can report back on the R5/R6 in the field.
    Nothing new. The camouflage works simply by making it harder to identify and individual within the herd. It does not prevent an attack but it serves to possibly give the zebras an extra second or two as a lion may hesitate. I have heard the fly theory before and it seems possible. The heat theory has never held water on my opinion.
  5. Interesting. I'll focus on another aspect of the Zebra, but black and white. I have mostly used my R5 on birds. The eye-AF is great, within a certain range (~50 ft for small birds) for almost all birds, but it is a bit less consistent with downy woodpeckers, which are, largely, black and white. I still have a number of nice photos of downys, so it is not that big of an issue. But, enough that I have noticed.

    Obviously the R5 works great on black and white test subjects like test charts, so there may be nothing too this, but perhaps certain blacks absorb enough light, and then additional light is lost at the bayer filter, that AF on black subjects is off a bit. Perhaps not that different from AF slowing down in low light. Pure speculation on my part.
  6. Nothing new. The camouflage works simply by making it harder to identify and individual within the herd. It does not prevent an attack but it serves to possibly give the zebras an extra second or two as a lion may hesitate. I have heard the fly theory before and it seems possible. The heat theory has never held water on my opinion.
    I meant that your observation on eyeAF breaking down with zebras is actually new evidence and you might have actually discovered something.
  7. Not sure if it’s my lenses, RF50 and RF85, but I find my R5 when it misses it jumps and makes a clunking sound and gets lost. Like a hard snap, clunk.
    And when somethings move a bit fast it really overdoes (if that’s a word) the searching.

    with a dslr it was much smaller movement and much smaller misses and much closer to focus always.
    Perhaps nature of focus by wire, but nonetheless it’s a very different behavior, and not better..
  8. I meant that your observation on eyeAF breaking down with zebras is actually new evidence and you might have actually discovered something.
    Oh. Sorry. I missed your point. My bad. It certainly caught be by surprise when it failed. Even at close range with very still subjects. It certainly shows what such unique colouration ia capable of
  9. Oh. Sorry. I missed your point. My bad. It certainly caught be by surprise when it failed. Even at close range with very still subjects. It certainly shows what such unique colouration ia capable of
    A way of increasing the interest in that data would be to know if it was fooled the same in both portrait and landscape orientations.
  10. A way of increasing the interest in that data would be to know if it was fooled the same in both portrait and landscape orientations.
    Good point. I THINK i tried both and it failed both ways but i will have another go today and make sure
  11. It is not the only one:

    Maybe a mistake of an admin.
    I would send a PM to Canon Rumors Guy.
  12. It is not the only one:

    Maybe a mistake of an admin.
    I would send a PM to Canon Rumors Guy.
    Yeah. I just reported it and it says it has(or is being resolved). These things happens
  13. This is another situation where the R6 AF system just could not cope( I doubt ANY AF system would work here). I had to resort to manual focus to get these shots as there was just too much grass waving around in front of the Hare(1)-24.jpg(1)-25.jpg(1)-26.jpg
  14. This is another situation where the R6 AF system just could not cope( I doubt ANY AF system would work here). I had to resort to manual focus to get these shots as there was just too much grass waving around in front of the HareView attachment 195569View attachment 195570View attachment 195571
    Wow! Great work with the manual focus. These images are really interesting, I couldn’t even see the hare at first and thought it was just a photo of dry grass
  15. This is another situation where the R6 AF system just could not cope( I doubt ANY AF system would work here). I had to resort to manual focus to get these shots as there was just too much grass waving around in front of the HareView attachment 195569View attachment 195570View attachment 195571
    It would take a higher form of artificial intelligence to sort those out. Did using just the centre point fail? I have just posted a couple of shots in the Bird Portrait thread illustrating how the eyeAF can find the head of tiny distant birds.

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