Canon’s new RF 70-200mm f/2.8L and 85mm f/1.2L DS lenses are now available to pre-order

Along with the development announcement for the 1DX Mark III, Canon has also announced availability for two new lenses. These aren’t EF mount, though. They’re RF mount for Canon’s EOS R mirrorless system. They’ve been mentioned before, but now they’re official. The Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM and Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM DS lenses.

Canon did already release an 85mm f/1.2L lens for the EOS R system, although this new one adds what they’re calling “Defocus Smoothing” which they say helps to soften and smooth bokeh when working at wider apertures, improving the aesthetic of super shallow depth of field shots.

Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

Compared to the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM for Canon’s EF mount DSLRs, the RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM is a pretty short and chunky little lens. It measures only 146mm (5.8″) at its shortest compared to the EF lens’s 199mm (7.83″). Of course, the EF version doesn’t change its length as you go through the zoom range, the RF lens does.

This may or may not bother you, but at least when you’re not using it, it packs up to use a smaller section of your bag. Which is also nice, as it allows you to fit in some extra kit to compensate for that 410g weight savings that the RF version offers, too. The RF version weighs 1,070g (2.36lb) while the EF version comes in at a hefty 1,480g (3.3lb).

The Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens is available to pre-order now for $2,699 and is expected to ship in November.

Canon RF 85MM F/1.2L USM DS

The RF 85mm f/1.2L USM DS lens is an odd one to release. I mean, sure, it makes sense to optimise the lens for bokeh, but it kind of makes the regular RF 85mm f/1.2L USM a little redundant, no? About the DS moniker, Canon says…

Differentiating itself from Canon’s other RF 85mm f/1.2 lens, this version features a DS (Defocus Smoothing) coating that helps to soften and smooth the bokeh quality when working at wider aperture settings, making it particularly suitable for shallow depth of field applications.

I think for the price difference between the DS and non-DS versions, the DS version is possibly worth the extra $300 if it does what it says on the tin. I guess we’ll have to wait until they’re available and can see some real-world results before we can make an actual determination, though.

The Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM DS lens is available to pre-order now for $2,999 and is expected to ship in December.

What do you think? Is it worth the extra $300 for the DS version of the RF 85/1.2? Does it make the non-DS version kind of a waste?