Canon announces first 7 RF-Mount Cinema Prime Lenses by Jose Antunes

Canon announced the introduction of the company’s first RF-Mount Cinema Prime Lenses for the Cinema EOS System, combining 4K and 8K shooting, cinema-style operability, and RF mount communications.

Jose Antunes

September 12, 2023

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Canon announces first 7 RF-Mount Cinema Prime Lenses Here they are: the first RF-Mount cinema prime lenses for the Cinema EOS System. And Canon says the first set of seven RF-Mount Cinema Prime Lenses is only the beginning.

As the world gets ready for IBC2023, Canon announces its surprise for the end of summer: the first set of seven RF-Mount Cinema Prime Lenses, which the company says is only the beginning. Canon plans to swiftly expand the lineup of RF-mount-compatible video production equipment to meet the needs of professional video production of such content as movies, TV, and commercials.

The seven Canon CN-R lenses, with focal lengths and T stops of 14mm T3.1, 20mm T1.5, 24mm T1.5, 35mm T1.5, 50mm T1.3, 85mm T1.3, and 135mm T2.2, are compatible with the two existing RF-Mount Canon Cinema Cameras, the EOS C70 and EOS R5 C. These lenses will allow for RF mount protocol transmission, and just like the EF-Mount Cinema Prime Lenses, operators can control magnification, chromatic aberration correction, peripheral light correction, and a dual-pixel focus guide via camera body operations. In addition, the new lenses also feature lens distortion correction. These features support efficient video production during on-location recording and post-production workflow.

The new lenses are able to 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 stop values1, and 11-blade iris helps produce a shallow depth of field for subjects, natural round blurring, and soft image expressions. In addition, unified Cinema EOS color balance throughout the series helps provide consistent color, even when changing lenses.

Designed with an ideal level of ring torque, the new lenses allow for the precise and smooth adjustments often needed during cinema productions. Thanks to a unified design across the series, including the gear position of the operation ring, the diameter of the lens, and the rotation angle (operation angle), lenses can be effortlessly swapped in and out without the need to adjust matte boxes or external focus accessories for each lens. A new coarse surface near the mount provides a comfortable and ergonomic fit in the user’s hand, allowing the lens to be held securely without gripping the operation ring when attaching and detaching different lenses.