Canon announced RF Cinema Lenses for the Cinema EOS System

Canon announced RF Cinema Lenses for the Cinema EOS System. Inside this new series of RF-mount compatible RF Cinema Lenses are seven models of the PRIME Lens series of single-focus lenses with full manual operation and they will be release from end January 2024. Videographers, filmmakers and production houses that are into Canon Cinema EOS System, do keep a lookout for them! These new lenses are Canon’s first cinema lenses equipped with its RF mount – combining high optical performance for 4K and 8K shooting, cinema-style operability, and RF mount transmission functionality. With these new RF Cinema Lenses, Canon will expand its line-up of RF mount compatible video production equipment to meet the needs of professional video production such as movies, TV and commercials.

7 models of Prime Series RF Cinema Lenses

The 7 models of Prime Series RF Cinema Lenses are of the focal lengths 14mm / 20mm / 24mm / 35mm / 50mm / 85mm / 135mm respectively. They are compatible with the Canon EOS C70 (released in November 2020) and EOS R5 C [1] (released in March 2022) RF Cinema Cameras.

These lenses are compatible with the transmission protocol of RF mount, and as with previous models [2], operators can control magnification, chromatic aberration correction, peripheral light correction and a dual pixel focus guide via camera body operations. In addition to these functions, the new lenses feature distortion aberration correction. These features support efficient video production not only during on-location recording but also post-shoot editing.

High Optical Performance

The new products achieve high optical performance suitable for use with 4K and 8K cameras by optimally positioning large-diameter aspherical lens elements and lens elements with anomalous dispersion glass. Their compatibility with the full-frame large-format sensor, bright T values [3], and the use of 11 aperture blades allow for a shallow depth of field for subjects, natural round blurring, and soft image expressions. In addition, since the color balance is unified throughout the series, adjusting color tones when changing lenses, while shooting the same scene can be done with greater ease.

With an appropriate sense of torque of the operation ring, the new lenses allow for precise and smooth adjustments that are required for cinema shooting. In addition, due to the unified design across the series, including the gear position of the operation ring, the diameter of the lens and the rotation angle (operation angle), the lens can be exchanged smoothly without the need to adjust the mounting position of the mat box or external focus adjustment accessories for each model. A new knurled surface near the mount provides a comfortable fit in the user’s hand, allowing the lens to be held securely without gripping the operation ring when attaching and detaching different lenses.

Availability

The availability of this new series of RF Cinema Lenses for the Cinema EOS System are as follows:

Notes:

[1] Performance guaranteed in VIDEO mode, when used with EOS R5 C

[2] EF-mount PRIME Series lenses

[3] The brightness of a cinema lens is generally expressed as a T value, which is obtained by additionally reflecting the transmittance of the glass to the F value.

* Information and pictures courtesy of Canon Singapore and Gloo *