Canon Unveils the RF 14-35mm f/4L IS USM Lens

Canon has announced the RF 14-35mm f/4L IS USM lens, a slower but lighter, more compact, and more affordable version of the f/2.8 iteration of the lens it launched in 2019.

Similar to the 16-35mm f/2.8 and 16-35mm f/4 lenses that were available for Canon's EF mount, the addition of this new 15-35mm f/4 completes a pair of wide-angle L-glass zooms for RF mount.

On top of the ultra-wide capabilities, the 14-35mm zoom range is the broadest ever in a Canon wide-angle zoom for full-frame AF cameras. For many Canon users, one single lens can potentially handle all wide-angle needs, from vivid, creative ultra-wide imagery to traditional street photography.

Canon touts the new lens as the best of both worlds: it sports L-series optics in a compact body that weighs just 1.2 pounds, similar to the RF 85mm f/2 IS STM lens. Specifically, the optical construction is highlighted by three UD-glass elements, and three Aspherical elements along with many of the company’s most advanced proprietary lens coatings, including Sub-wavelength Structure Coating (SWC) and Air Sphere Coating (ASC). Canon says that these "superb" lens coatings help minimize ghosting and flaring. Canon also says that lens placement and coatings are also optimized to help users get clear, high-contrast images, even when there is a bright light source either in, or immediately outside, the frame.

It offers up to 5.5 stops of shake correction for up to 7 stops when used with an EOS R series camera with in-body image stabilization. The lens covers a huge range of "wide-angles" from 14mm through 35mm, and the company says that makes it suitable for everything from landscapes to videos, to architecture.

It also features a control ring for direct settings changes and can be mapped from the camera.

The RF 14-35mm f/4L IS USM lens has what Canon claims are optimized coatings to help minimize ghosting. It also offers a minimum focusing distance of 7.9 inches (0.2 meters) at all focal lengths, and a maximum magnification of 0.38x (at 35mm). The autofocus motor is driven by Canon's Nano USM technology, which is a technology it has been using for some time in EF lenses.

The Canon RF14-35mm F4 L IS USM lens is scheduled to be available in August 2021 for $1,700 and is currently available for pre-order.

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Retro Review: The 2001 Canon PowerShot Pro90 IS

Launched in 2001, the Pro90 IS was Canon’s flagship PowerShot and shared a similar external design to the earlier Pro70 from 1998 but greatly boosted its zoom capability from 2.5x to 10x. It became Canon’s first digital camera with optical image stabilization as well.

Inside, it inherited much of the feature-set from the enthusiast-class G1 launched a year previously in 2000, which all added up to one of the most capable cameras of the time with a price tag to match: $1300 USD or 1100 GBP.

The lens may have been the headline feature, but its imaging circle wasn’t quite big enough to fully cover the 1 /1.8in 3.3 Megapixel sensor which forced Canon to crop the images to an effective resolution of 2.6 Megapixels - something Sony also had to do with the F505V.

The Pro90 IS offered three JPEG resolutions, a choice of compression, and even the chance to alternatively record in RAW, as well as being able to capture QVGA / 320×240 pixel video clips with audio for up to 30 seconds, albeit without zooming the lens while recording.

With much of the G1’s internals, the Pro90 IS inherited the PASM dial and a selection of Creative Preset modes, full manual control over exposure including shutter speeds from eight seconds to 1/1000, sensitivity from 50 to a rather noisy-looking 400 ISO, and even adjustable image parameters.

It also shared the same fully-articulated side-hinged 1.8-inch screen, top information panel, flash hot shoe, Compact Flash slot, and BP-511 battery, although the G1’s optical viewfinder was switched to an electronic one due to the longer zoom range.

Today the Pro90 IS is notable for the wealth of features that came from a time when Canon literally packed everything it could think of into a camera, and thanks to CF media and BP-511 batteries still being available today, it’s easy to pick up and start shooting with even in 2021. This is exactly what I did for my latest Dino Bytes video above, and I explore the Pro90 IS 20 years later!

About the author: Gordon Laing is the Editor of Cameralabs where he presents gear reviews and photography tutorials. He recently launched Dino Bytes, a new channel to indulge his love of vintage tech and retro gaming, with videos about classic cameras, computers, consoles, phones, and more! He’s been a journalist for so long he actually reviewed most of this stuff the first time around. Gordon is also into food, drink, and travel, and is the author of "In Camera," a book that embraces the art of JPEG photography with no post-processing.

#educational #equipment #2001 #canon #canonpowershot #canonpowershotpro90is #dinobytes #gordonlaing #imagestabilization #imagestabilized #pointandshoot #retroreview

Portraits Taken with Canon RF100mm Macro Show Incredible Detail

Canon hasn't missed that the EF version of the 100mm f/2.8 macro lens has been popular as a portrait lens for some time and asked Kahran and Regis Bethencourt of CreativeSoul Photography to take the new RF model for a spin. Together, they show the insane image quality this new optic can deliver.

Canon announced the redesigned RF100mm f/2.8 Macro lens in mid-April with several upgrades that should make it appealing to a wide range of photographers. While a separate video shows exactly how the new Spherical Aberration (SA) Control Ring affects images, the video mostly focused on the macro capabilities of the lens. Here, you can get an idea of what a high-end portrait photographer can expect in terms of image quality and performance.

The Bethencourts chose a "bedazzled" theme for their shoot featuring three child models. The duo clad them in a stunning wardrobe and set of bright, flashy accessories to complete the look.

"We really aim to empower children through our work, so we wanted them to look and feel like royalty in this shoot, with gems from head to toe," Kahran says.

100% crop

"We know that most photographers will look at this lens and just think of its macro capabilities. But it's so much more," she adds.

Regis notes that the two actively used the SA control ring to change how bokeh and out-of-focus areas look in the image both in the background and foreground.

"If you turn the lens to the plus side, the bokeh gets a harder edge. Moving the ring to the minus side, the bokeh gets softer," Kahran says. The video above shows the extreme examples of this change, which mirrors what was seen in Canon Europe's video, albeit with more obvious depictions of the changes thanks to the backdrop.

Looking at the images, it's surprising how simple the setup was. The duo chose to make a set of simple, do-it-yourself-style backdrop that wasn't particularly complicated to put together. The first backdrop features a Christmas tree garland, the second uses colorful plastic gems, and the third is just white Christmas lights.

100% crop

The Bethencourts note that this lens is incredibly sharp, and the results here don't contest that. While none of the photos from the shoot were captured wide open, none are closed down further than f/5.6 either; most were shot at f/4. All the images above were shot on the Canon EOS R5 cameras. The level of detail is particularly impressive and should give an indication of what photographers can expect when the lens becomes available in July.

Image credits: Photos by CreativeSoul Photography and provided courtesy of Canon USA.

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This is How the Canon RF100mm Macro Bokeh Control Ring Works

Oliver Wright, a professional macro photographer, shows how the Spherical Aberration Control Ring -- also known as the Bokeh Control Ring -- on the new RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM works in a 5.5-minute video published in conjunction with Canon Europe.

Originally noticed by Fstoppers, this video gives us a closer look at a lens that was announced earlier this week. While the video is very clearly a promotion designed to sell the lens and is part of Canon Europe's marketing endeavors, it does contain some of the first images that have been published using the lens, and the first examples of how the Spherical Aberration Control Ring actually affects images -- Canon USA has yet to provide any images of what photographers can expect out of the lens.

Canon describes the feature as a way to "adjust the look of the bokeh, while applying a flattering soft-focus effect." To demonstrate this, Wright shows the same image taken with different settings on the Spherical Aberration ring and how the image changes:

"As you go to the extremes of the spherical aberration control, you can see the model's hair changing significantly," Wright says.

If you're looking for it, the changes are certainly noticeable. However, use cases for this particular feature will more often likely be for subtle adjustments that take into consideration the photographer's particular tastes in an image and won't be something that will jump out in importance to the average viewer.

This new macro lens effectively replaces the current EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens for the company’s DSLRs and has a brand new optical arrangement, new autofocus motor, and better stabilization features in addition to the new Spherical Aberration Control Ring. Speaking specifically to the 1.4x magnification, Canon says that this lens lets photographers get closer to subjects than expected. However, the company seems to have taken notice of the fact that the original EF version of the lens was particularly popular among portrait photographers, and is marketing this new optic to work well in that application.

The Canon RF100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM is set to go on sale in July for $1,400.

#equipment #news #canon #canonrf #canonrf100mmf28lmacroisusm #canonrfmount #imagestabilized #macro #mediumtelephoto #oliverwright #opticalimagestabilization #rfmount #sacontrolring #sphericalaberration #sphericalaberrationcontrolring #telephoto

Canon Unveils RF100mm f/2.8 L Macro with Unique Bokeh Control Ring

Canon has announced the RF100mm F2.8 L Macro IS USM, the "world's first medium telephoto macro lens" that is designed for a wide range of photographers and that offers a unique new feature: a Spherical Aberration (SA) Control Ring.

The new RF-mount lens is designed specifically for macro photography and features a maximum magnification of 1.4x. That new SA control ring allows users to change the character and appearance of the bokeh to obtain a softer focus effect. Photographers can adjust it to achieve the desired result, though Canon did not provide example images of what this might look like ahead of the announcement.

In addition to that new unique feature, the lens has built-in optical stabilization with up to five stops of "Shake Correction" and when combined with a camera's In-Body Image Stabilizer (IBIS) can achieve up to eight stops of shake correction through coordinated operation between the two features. Additionally, what Canon refers to as "Hybrid IS" hel[s compensate for angular shift and camera shake during macro shooting.

The lens's autofocus is powered by a dual nano USM motor that Canon promises will result in high-speed, smooth, and quiet operation. The RF100mm F2.8 L Macro IS USM also has a customizable control ring that can be programmed to adjust exposure compensation, shutter speed, aperture, or ISO. Like all Canon L-series optics, it also features a dust and water-resistant design. Specifically, the rubber ring on the lens mount, the focus ring, the Control Ring, the SA Control Ring, the switch panel, and the switches are all sealed.

The lens has a nine-bladed aperture and a range of f/2.8 to f/32 with a minimum focusing distance of 10.2 inches (0.26 meters). It is constructed of 17 elements in 13 groups and has a front filter thread size of 67mm.

This new macro lens effectively replaces the current EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens for the company's DSLRs and has a brand new optical arrangement, new autofocus motor, and better stabilization features in addition to the new SA control ring. The Canon RF100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM is set to go on sale in July for $1,400.

#equipment #news #canon #canonrf #canonrf100mmf28lmacroisusm #canonrfmount #imagestabilized #macro #mediumtelephoto #newcanonlens #newlens #newrflens #opticalimagestabilization #rfmount #telephoto