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To mark the 35th anniversary of the Canon EOS line, the company has announced two new RF mount super-telephoto lenses: the Canon RF 800mm F5.6 L IS USM and the RF 1200mm F8 L IS USM. Although these Canon RF lens models are similar to their EF counterparts in name, both Canon telephoto lens models feature a new optical design and slightly lighter weight.
Both Canon RF lenses also feature two focus presets for quick switching between specific focusing distances, use nine-blade apertures, are weatherproof, and have fluorine coatings on the frontmost elements.
Canon RF 800mm F5.6 L IS USM
The lens consists of 26 elements in 18 groups, including one UD element, one Super UD element, and two fluorite elements. It is a significant increase over the EF 800mm F5.6 version, which had 18 elements in 14 groups.
Despite the extras, the RF 800mm F5.6 lens weighs 1350g less than the EF mount version at 3140g. In comparison, that’s just 300g more than the Canon EF 400mm F2.8 II lens.
Other features include image stabilization (IS) with up to 4 stops of compensation (CIPA rated), three image stabilization modes, a 52mm drop-in filter, and support for Canon RF 1.4x and RF 2x teleconverters that effectively convert the lens to 1120mm F8 and 1600mm F11 respectively.
- Focal Length: 800mm
- Maximum Aperture: f/5.6
- Lens Mount: Canon RF
- Lens Format Coverage: Full-Frame
- Minimum Focus Distance: 2.6 m
- Maximum Magnification: 0.34x
- Diaphragm Blades: 9, Rounded
- Focus Type: Autofocus
- Image Stabilization: Yes
- Tripod Collar: Fixed and Rotating
- Filter Size: 52 mm
- Weight: 6.9 lb / 3.1 kg
- Price: $16,999, already listed on Bhphotovideo.com, will be available at the end of May 2022.
Canon RF 1200mm F8 L IS USM
This lens is also not a direct successor to its predecessor, given that Canon’s last 1200mm release was an F5.6 lens that weighed over 16.5kg and could only be purchased on special order for around $90K (and that was still in 1993). However, in this lens, the designers managed to “pack” a fairly large focal length into a relatively compact form factor.
The 1200mm F8 consists of 26 elements in 18 groups, including one UD element, one Super UD element, and two fluorite elements.
Other features include up to four stops of image stabilization, three image stabilization modes, a 52mm drop-in filter, and a 4.3m minimum focus distance. It also supports Canon RF 1.4x and RF 2x, which turns it into a 1680mm F11 and 2400mm F16 lens respectively.
- Focal Length: 1200mm
- Maximum Aperture: f/8
- Lens Mount: Canon RF
- Lens Format Coverage: Full-Frame
- Minimum Focus Distance: 4.3 m
- Maximum Magnification: 0.29x
- Diaphragm Blades: 9, Rounded
- Focus Type: Autofocus
- Image Stabilization: Yes
- Tripod Collar: Fixed and Rotating
- Filter Size: 52 mm
- Weight: 7.4 lb / 3.4 kg
- Price: $19,999, already listed on Bhphotovideo.com, will be available at the end of May 2022.
Last month, Canon has introduced one of the most exciting hybrid mirrorless cameras to date, because the EOS R5 C is a full-fledged cinema camera with a 45-megapixel full-frame sensor, thanks to massive cooling, can record 8K videos at up to 60 frames per second in unlimited length.
