Photographers, whenever this phrase pops up, “The Holy Trinity Lenses”, we would know which are the three lenses that photographers affectionately can immediately relate to. Since the emergence of the Canon full frame mirrorless cameras, the Canon EOS R, followed by the Canon EOS RP, there have been great attention on them along with their new RF lens mount. Most recently, Canon announced two new RF zoom trinity lenses into their RF lenses lineup.
Canon announced RF15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM and RF24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM lenses, these two focal range lenses are part of the holy trinity lenses that we photographers know and relate to. With the addition of these two RF L lenses, this announcement displays and reinforces Canon’s commitment to the RF lenses lineup and the EOS R full frame mirrorless cameras. The holy trinity lenses combination, 15-35mm, 24-70mm and 70-200mm focal length range, are very versatile and capable for many photography genres. These two lenses are highly anticipated and eagerly awaited by photographers using the Canon EOS R system.
Personally for me, this would also be a time for serious planning and consideration. With my current Canon EOS RP camera, I have the RF24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens and I can also use my EF lenses (EF17-40mm f/4 L USM, EF24-70mm f/4 L IS USM and EF70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM) for my Canon EOS 1DX Mark II. Investing in excellent quality lenses like the Canon L series, last you for a good decade at least (My EF17-40mm lens was probably bought in 2006 and I am still faithfully using it). Moving forward, I am planning to refresh some of my Canon L lenses, which lenses am I looking at and planning, is currently classified.
Let me share more information and details on Canon’s two new RF zoom trinity L lenses:
“The new RF24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM and RF15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM lenses, part of the Zoom Trinity, are much-anticipated zoom lenses added to complement the EOS RF lenses line-up and deliver on Canon’s commitment to building up the lens ecosystem for users of the EOS R and RP,” said Edwin Teoh, Head of Marketing, Singapore Operations, Canon Singapore. “As Canon’s first f/2.8 wide zoom lenses to be equipped with image stabilisation, coupled with features such as Nano USM for high-speed AF, these two lenses aim to deliver spectacular image quality that can adapt to the needs of photographers today.”
Both lenses cater to a wide variety of photography applications – the RF24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM’s versatile focal length range of 24-70mm makes it suitable for everyday use while the ultra-wide zoom range of the RF15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM makes it handy for landscapes and events such as weddings. Whether one is an advanced amateur or a seasoned professional photographer, they can rely on the high performance by Canon’s premium L-series lenses.
Edge-To-Edge Sharpness Throughout Zoom Range
The large diameter mount and the short back focus, which are common features of the RF mount, allows a large aperture lens to be placed near the imaging surface. This allows the advantage of achieving high image quality with gentle refraction of light rays and low aberrations, while retaining a more compact form. Users can expect lens aberrations to be significantly reduced with the arrangement of three glass-moulded aspherical lenses and three UD lenses on RF15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM and two UD lenses on RF24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM. The ASC coating on both lenses also helps to suppress flaring and ghosting, which could compromise image quality.
Unique to both RF lenses is the customisable control ring for exposure adjustment; ISO, shutter speed, aperture or exposure compensation. The tactile control ring allows a more precise control. The tiny yet powerful Nano USM focus drive system allows smooth, fast and quiet focusing. This is especially useful for wedding photographers shooting intimate moments such as vow exchanges or prayers in a place of worship.
Astounding Image Precision with IS
Both the RF24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM and RF15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM are equipped with the CIPA standard 5-stop IS, which gives users the ability to capture hand-held night scenes and dark indoor shots with minimal blurring. With the Dual Sensing IS feature for still images, the amount of shaking is detected from the camera’s CMOS sensor image information, in addition to the lens’ gyro sensor. By comparing and analysing these information, it is possible to detect and correct low-frequency shaking (slow shaking of the body due to breathing, etc.) that could not be detected on the lens side with high precision.
When recording movies or videos, Combination IS (the in-lens optical IS combined with the in-camera 5-axis electronic IS) enhances the effects of image stabilisation even further. The amount of shake that cannot be fully compensated for using lens IS alone is compensated further with in-camera electronic image stabilization.
Create Beautiful Bokeh with Bright Aperture of f/2.8
The RF24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM and RF15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM belong to Canon’s premium L-series range, denoted by the red line on the front barrel of the lenses. Both lenses feature water and dust resistant construction, so they can still perform in the event of sudden rainfall during outdoor shoots. The fluorine coating on the front and rear elements of both lenses helps to easily repel oil and water stains – which can be easily cleaned off with a dry cloth.
With the versatile day-to-day focal length range, the RF24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM can be used for various applications ranging from night scenes to portraits. The large and bright aperture enable users to shoot with less subject blurring at faster shutter speeds even in low light conditions, such as when photographing at night or indoors. For portrait photography, the f/2.8 aperture can create a beautiful bokeh effect, enhanced by the 9-blade circular diaphragm.
With the RF15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM, users can create images that utilise the ultrawide perspective of the lens and the blurring of the large f/2.8 aperture, expressing unique views of close up subjects. The extra one mm at the wide-angle end of the RF15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM (compared to the conventional 16mm) makes for dynamic photo expression with more emphasis on perspective and is especially useful for architecture and interior shots.
Pricing and Availability
Pricing and availability for the two lenses will be advised at a later date.
Check out my Canon EOS R articles that I published earlier: Key links and information on Canon EOS R versus Canon EOS RP
The Canon Mirrorless Journey from Canon EOS M to EOS R
Canon EOS RP review photos on Flickr
Canon EOS R review photos on Flickr
* Information and pictures courtesy of Canon Singapore and Ogilvy *