CANON ADDS MORE AFFORDABLE LENSES TO RF LINE…

CANON HAS GOT the pedal to the metal with its rollout of RF lenses for the EOS R system, which now numbers five camera bodies. The addition of the RF 100-400mm f/5.6-6.8 IS USM zoom and the RF 16mm f/2.8 STM ultra-wide prime – both announced along with the EOS R3 – bring the lens line-up to 25… which has been achieved in just three years.

The RF 100-400mm is designed with portability and affordability in mind with the trade-off being the slow maximum aperture range of f/5.6 at 100mm to f/8.0 at 400mm. However, as with the f/11 speed 600mm and 800mm supertelephotos, Canon is banking on the performance of the EOS R cameras at higher ISOs to make this less of an issue. The RF 100-400mm is just 165mm in length and weighs a very manageable 635g. It incorporates optical image stabilisation that gives up to 5.5 stops of correction for camera shake. This increases with Co-ordinated

Control IS which also uses the in-body systems in the R3, R5 and R6. The optical construction comprises 12 elements in nine groups, including one aspherical type and one with ultra-low dispersion (UD) characteristics. Canon’s Super Spectra Coating multi-coating is used to minimise internal reflections that cause ghosting and flare. Autofocusing is via the linear and near-silent Nano USM drive, and the minimum focusing distance is 88cm achieved at the 200mm focal length to give a maximum magnification ratio of 1:2.4 (i.e. a little under half life size). The multi-functional control ring is included and can be set to adjust shutter speeds, apertures, ISO settings or exposure compensation.

Usefully, the new RF 100-400mm is compatible with the 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters to give 140-560mm and 200-800mm respectively.

At the other end of the focal range is the RF 16mm f/2.8 STM – the first ultra-wide prime in RF line-up. It’s also an ultra-compact lens, measuring a mere 69mm in length and weighing 165g. It accepts 43mm diameter screwthread filters. The nine-element optical construction (in seven groups) includes one aspherical type, and focusing is performed internally via a stepper motor. The minimum focusing distance is 13cm.

Both lenses are available in Australia now. The RF 100-400mm telezoom is priced at $1,379, and the RF 16mm ultra-wide at $549. For more information visit www.canon.com.au.