Canon patent hints at three f/1.4 fast prime lenses on the horizon
Three new lenses could be added to the Canon RF mount lineup including an 85mm f/1.4, 75mm f/1.4 and 100mm f/1.4. A newly-filed patent shows plans for a series of fast aperture primes that will sit nicely between the super wide (and expensive) f/1.2 variants and the more standard f/1.8 or f/2.8.
We’ve come to expect extremely high optical quality from the best Canon RF lenses and according to the patent, the same is true here. They have been described as a system that ‘provides excellent correction”, and “capable of satisfactorily correcting aberrations over a wide range of object distances” all while maintaining a compact form.
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The 85mm f/1.4 lens should be similar to the Canon EF 85mm f/1.4 L IS USM which is an ideal lens for portraits. According to the diagram submitted with the patents, the lens will be made up of a series of negative reference and positive refractive lens groups which also will help to reduce aberrations for such a large aperture lens.
Releasing a 75mm f/1.4 lens would be an interesting move for Canon as it isn’t a “standard” focal length, most people would either opt for an 85mm or a wider 50mm. However, this would also make a great portrait lens but in the comment section on the Digi Cam Info site where we found the patent, no one seems to be overly excited about a 75mm lens. All the talk is about 85mm and 100mm.
You can already get hold of a Canon RF 100mm f/2.8 L IS USM Macro lens which is perfect for shooting very small things up close with a minimum shooting distance of just 26cm. There has been no mention in the patent plans of whether the new Canon 100mm f/1.4 lens will be another macro lens - but we'd assume it would not.
Nikon, Sigma and Zeiss each have their own version of a 100mm f/1.4 and with whispers, Sony could launch one soon it's no surprise Canon wants to get its foot in the door as well.
It's still early days for these lenses, and have yet to appear on the RF lens roadmap - so there has been no mention of an official release date, price, or further specs from Canon. But if they do come to fruition, we suspect the RF 85mm f/1.4 to be particularly popular.
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