Canon fills a key gap in its RF lenses lineup
Canon has been doing a superb job of growing the lens lineup for its mirrorless cameras in a relatively short space of time, launching innovative optics like the RF 28-70mm F2L USM and staples like the RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM.
Until now, however, there was one classic Canon EF-mount lens for DSLRs that hadn’t had the mirrorless treatment: a 35mm f/1.4. That just changed with the unveiling of the Canon RF 35mm F1.4L IS VCM, which brings the total number of RF-mount lenses to 46.
The moderate-wide focal length is particularly popular for reportage photography: you’ll find a 35mm f/1.4 lens in the kit bag of most professional photojournalists, plus many street, documentary and wedding photographers.
Canon’s latest lens is a reimagined, modern-day Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM II, which is a pro lens for Canon DSLRs that was released in August 2015. You can see the lenses side by side in images I took during a hands-on session, in the gallery below.
Much has changed in camera tech in the almost 10 years between lenses, especially with Canon turning its attention from DSLR to mirrorless. For one, many of today’s pros work not just in photography but video too, and the new RF 35mm F1.4 is built for such hybrid shooters.
Indeed, the RF 35mm F1.4 is the second of Canon’s new breed of specifically hybrid lenses, following the RF 24-105mm F2.8L USM Z, which was launched quietly in November of last year alongside the RF 200-800mm F6.3-9 IS USM.
As a hybrid lens, the RF 35mm F1.4 is great for photos but also offers video-specific features that you don’t get with Canon’s regular mirrorless lenses, such as a clicked / smooth aperture ring (which unfortunately only works for video in this lens).
During the product briefing, Canon told TechRadar that the RF 35mm F1.
