Canon has announced the much-anticipated Canon RF 70-200mm f2.8L IS USM telephoto lens specifically designed for their new full-frame mirrorless lineup for cameras like the Canon EOS RP and the Canon EOS R. In addition, Canon also announced its first lens to feature Defocus Smoothing lens coating – the Canon RF 85mm f1.2L DS.
Some of you may recall, Canon already have a “regular” non-DS RF 85mm f1.2 lens, however, the new RF 85mm f1.2 DS lens is a bit more special as it has been designed to give you smoother ouf-of-focus backgrounds or “bokeh” without affecting the overall sharpness of your images or videos.
Images by Canon
Thanks to its large and bright f/2.8 aperture, the Canon RF 70-200mm f2.8 is positioned as an ideal workhorse lens for professional and amateur photographers shooting sports, wildlife, wedding and event action, much like its DSLR counterpart. The new RF lens is 27 percent shorter and 28 percent lighter than its EF version with a large portion of the lens element arrangement closer to the camera body.
This arrangement is designed to provide photographers with a more balanced feel and experience even at telephoto end of the zoom range. This also makes it easier to pack in camera bags.
A first for Canon lenses, the new RF 70-200mm f2.8L IS USM features two Nano USM motors providing an even greater level of high-speed autofocus for still image shooting and quiet and smooth autofocus for video shooting.
The lens also incorporates a floating focus control, another Canon first, that drives the two lens groups individually while using the two aforementioned Nano USM motors. The floating focus lens element shortens focusing distance and help reduce breathing, providing users with fast, consistent and reliable performance.
Canon RF 70-200mm f2.8 L IS USM Features:
- Customizable control ring to adjust:
- exposure compensation, shutter speed, aperture or ISO
- Dual Nano USM AF System
- Canon RF mount
- 17 lens elements in 13 groups including:
- two aspherical lenses
- one super UD lens
- four UD lenses, to reduce chromatic aberration
- 5 stops of image stabilization (IS) including
- three IS modes with dual-sensing and combination IS
- 12-pin communication system
- L-Series dust and weather resistant build with fluorine coating
- Sub-wavelength Structure Coating (SWC) to minimize lens flare/ghosting
- Detachable, Rotatable Tripod Collar
- Rounded 9-blade aperture
- Pre-order: $2,699 USD at B&H
The new RF 85mm f1.2 DS brings a new feature to the legendary 85mm lineup – Defocus Smoothing. A lens coating technology designed to enhance the appearance of bokeh in the images captured with the lens.
The DS coating is a vapor-deposited coating technology that is applied to the front and rear surfaces of a specific lens element inside the lens. This allows off-axis flux to pass through the periphery of the lens that gradually decreases the transmittance of light, which results in images with beautifully blurred backgrounds.
Canon RF 85mm f1.2L USM DS Features:
- RF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
- Defocus Smoothing Coating for Soft Bokeh
- Blue Spectrum Refractive Optics Element
- One UD Element, One Aspherical Element
- Air Sphere Coating
- Minimum focusing distance of 2.79 feet/0.85 meters
- Ring-Type Ultrasonic Motor AF System
- Customizable Control Ring
- Rounded 9-Blade Diaphragm
- Pre-order: $2,999 USD at B&H
See how the new Defocus Smoothing on the Canon RF 85mm f1.2 DS works:
The Canon RF 70-200mm f2.8L IS is due to ship in late November at $2699 USD, while the Canon RF 85mm f1.2L DS is scheduled for December 2019 at $2,999 USD.
This is about $300 more than the non-DS RF 85mm f1.2 lens. B&H pre-order links below.
- Canon RF 70-200mm f2.8L IS at B&H
- Canon RF 85mm f1.2L DS at B&H
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