Press Release (Google Translated) New lens from Viltrox with Canon RF mount!
The lens features high-quality workmanship, and the all-metal construction ensures safety and durability. A large aperture and a 9-blade aperture allow you to achieve beautiful background blur (so-called bokeh), which is highly valued and sought after in portrait photography.
Advanced optical design
The optical construction consists of 10 elements arranged in 7 groups. The construction uses one ED element with a very low level of dispersion and 4 SR (Short-Wavelength Refractive) lenses responsible for the refraction of short wavelength beams. They are to serve even better reduction of chromatic aberration. The minimum focus distance is 80cm.
Object tracking and eye detection (EYE AF) support
The Viltrox AF 85 mm f1.8 lens uses a quiet and fast STM SilentMotor. The AF speed will work well in photography, and the silent drive in video, especially when filming or photographing in discreet / demanding places / situations.
Modern design
Weighing only 530g. The lens is equipped with a multi-layer waterproof Nano HD coating
Main features:
- Dedicated to Canon RF (Full Frame) cameras
- Modern design
- Vivid colors
- Great Bokeh effect
- One element with reduced dispersion
- One aspherical element
- Quiet and efficient STM motor
If this thing is $300, I'll take that back.
85mm F1.4 AF High Speed Full Frame Telephoto (Canon RF)
To make a good lens in most aspects is difficult and expensive! That's why these type of lenses will always be moderate..
Take for example their speedbooster compared to Canon's 0.71x adapter for C70. Noone can tell a difference in image quality except if you pixel peep and scale the image by much... you can't say the same for the other companies making speedboosters! The huge always is noticeable. When we are talking about lenses you get what you pay for...
Here in the USA there's a Mayonnaise brand known as Best Foods. Except that West of the Mississippi it is known as Hellman's. Just a label.
Samyang AF 85mm 1.4 RF für Canon RF ab € 796,00 (2022) | Preisvergleich Geizhals Deutschland
Samyang Lenses 101: Clearing the Clutter of Different Brands
No as far as this Viltrox lens. The Sony and Nikon version of this lens has done well. This lens will most likely blow the doors off the $600 85mm Canon put out and even put up a good fight against Canons 85 1.4, the Samyang surely did in terms of quality. Putting it at $399 was SUPER smart.
Also just noticed the Rokinon RF is now listed on Adorama as "Closeout"
Now you have a second part of fault in your logic, you only though about R5/R6/R3 users and ignored the fact that there are 2 pretty inexpensive RF cameras still on the market that sold a TON, the R and RP. There are a lot of people who started off with $1k RPs and $1200 R's that this type of lens is perfect for. You made the assumption that if someone could afford one of those cameras they could also afford the lenses that cost almost as much as those cameras and that isn't always the case. Everyone has to start somewhere.
On the cost note what that extra money gets you may not be worth it or even useless (like weather sealing for indoor only users) and is totally dependent on folks needs and style even for pros making money from their gear. Shooting portraits daily wide open where IQ is critical and directly tied to your income and size and weight isn't a factor for you then sure it may be the "best" choice but that isn't everyone even in the pro camp. For something that may not see daily use with all users such a high price is pretty steep for an occasional use prime that isn't a flexible size and weight.
Arguably the cost of bodies compared to lenses isn't a fair apples to apples either as it depends on use and how much it'll see, flexibility etc. Those same users may be able to justify similar or much higher costs on bodies or lenses like trinity zooms that would see much more use, have features they really want/need or flexibility in their kits where a prime that is big and heavy wouldn't. Same reason I don't blink at dropping several times the cash on tools or items I'll use often to full potential yet balk at spending half that on something less important/critical or rarely used where a certain level of good enough fits 100% of my needs. Regardless of whether I have the money to spare it just seems smart resource management to me not p***ing it up the wall on what is overkill (for MY needs, not everyone) when I can spend it on something I'd appreciate more and use fully.
1. Higher price does not necessarily mean better product. I think it's fair to say that you often get what you pay for, but it's not guaranteed.
2. What is a better lens depends a lot on exactly what you want to use it for and the circumstances in which you shoot, and there are lots of factors which are relevant, eg different aspects of IQ (sharpness, bokeh, coma, etc), weight, size, AF speed, etc. All gear, even "the best", involves a set of comprises which may or may not suit your use case.
3. A significant part of what you pay for with an L lens is generally build quality. That generally means larger, heavier and more expensive. Having excellent build quality isn't equally important to everyone. It is just one of the factors which goes into deciding what lens suits your particular use case.
4. Even if you can say one lens is better than another in some sense, that just begs the questions how much better and is it worth it for your use case? Will anyone actually notice the difference in your photographs? In particular, will anyone notice the difference given the way you plan to display it (social media, large prints, whatever)? If it will it let you shoot in circumstances you couldn't otherwise shoot in, will you actually start shooting in those circumstances?
Personally, if I had an R5 (or R3 or any other RF mount camera) and I was buying an RF mount 85mm, I would almost certainly get the Samyang 85 f/1.4, although I would also take a look at this Viltrox. The Canon RF 85L lenses may be fantastic lenses optically, but I don't want a 1kg 85mm prime, let alone at the price they go for. It just doesn't suit my use case so I wouldn't use it often. And I have not seen anything which has impressed me about the RF 85 f/2 IS. It's sharp enough, sure, but the overall IQ, relatively slow maximum aperture, apparently slow AF, and the fact it is not even particularly small or light given it is f/2, mean it doesn't appeal to me. In fact, I would rather an adapated EF 85 f/1.8 in preference to the RF 85 f/2. YMMV.
So, choose the lens which best suits you and your use case, not just the most expensive one or the one which the internet tells you is "best".