Just like Sony, Canon seems to be too comfortable keeping any recent development in the RF system under wraps. In fact, the first and last official roadmap we got for the RF line of lenses was right around the announcement of the RF system itself, back in 2018.
Luckily for the photography community, we’re never really left entirely clueless about the upcoming latest and greatest in camera gear, thanks to dedicated photo news/rumor sites.
So while there aren’t any official word from Canon about upcoming additions in the RF line up for 2022, we can tap into photo news and rumor sites and try to get a nice picture of what the RF system will look like in the very near future. Here’s some of the juiciest rumored RF lenses that may be underway, but had not been formally announced.
If you haven’t already, checkout our guide on some of the best Canon RF Lenses, of which, my personal favorite is the Canon RF 28-70mm f2.0 (which we reviewed).
Recent Canon RF Lenses Released
As far as recent Canon RF lens releases, nothing groundbreaking like the aforementioned Canon RF 28-70mm f2.0.
- Released November 2020 – Canon RF 70-200mm F4 L IS USM (See Today’s Price)
- Released November 2020 – Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM (See Today’s Price)
- Released June 2021 – Canon RF14-35mm F4 L IS USM Lens (See Today’s Price)
Upcoming Canon RF Prime Lenses
Canon RF 35mm f/1.2L – Canon Rumors reported about a patent for the RF 35mm f1.2 with, interestingly enough, four different optical designs but reassuring news nonetheless for long-time Canon shooters craving for a luxury RF 35mm glass. The site also said that we might be hearing about this lens in 2021, but we’ve heard nothing so far so it’s safe to say that the RF 35mm f/1.2L may be teased sometime in 2022.
Canon RF 35mm f/1.4L – The EF 35mm f1.4L II was all kinds of amazing. It’s actually one of Canon’s sharpest lenses ever. That’s why I’m definitely curious how the RF incarnation of a legendary lens would stack against its still-hypothetical f1.2 sibling. Canon just filed a patent for the RF 35 f1.4L last August so it’s safe to say we’ll be hearing about it in the next year or so.
Canon RF 28mm f/1.2L – We’ve certainly seen 28mm primes faster than f1.8, but none from Canon. The Red team seems to be looking to change that, doubling down on their f1.2 lineup along with the rest of the following wide-angle primes. If the 28mm f/1.2L ever sees the light of day, I think street photographers will have a field day with this premium lens.
Canon RF 24mm f/1.2L – While we had fast 24mm primes before, the EF 24mm f1.4L comes to mind, there really never was a wide prime this fast before. But the reworked mirrorless system in the RF ecosystem may simply be at work here, giving us a faster lens in a, hopefully, reasonably compact footprint.
Canon RF 135mm f/1.4L – The EF 135mm f2L was and still is a classic portrait lens for a lot of Canon portrait photography shooters. It was one of the sharpest L-series glass Canon has ever produced and it undoubtedly worked wonders in the studio. A patent filed in 2020 hints at an f1.4 version for the RF mount so it may only be a matter of time before we see another studio workhorse in the making for the red team.
Canon RF 24mm f/1.8 IS Macro – The RF 24mm f1.8 IS macro has got to be one of the most certain releases we’ll be seeing next year, with it being one of the three delayed lens releases for 2021 according to this leaked roadmap. This 24mm IS Macro looks to be following the lead of RF 35mm IS Macro, Canon’s lone RF 35mm prime at the moment.
Upcoming Canon RF Zoom Lenses
Canon RF 10-24mm f/4L USM – If you’re into ultra wide angle work, you’re probably familiar with the EF 11-24mm f4. Well, Canon seems to be pushing it a millimeter further into levels of insanity with an RF version that starts at 10mm, ends at 24mm, with a constant f4 aperture. If this thing gets a fairly flat front element that can work with regular filters, it’ll blow everybody’s minds for sure.
Canon RF 18-45mm f/4-5.6 IS STM – Now this range and aperture would seem strange if it was a full frame RF lens… but it’ll sit right at home with an APS-C R-series body. This is of course just speculation, but the recent leaks for APS-C lenses’ optical formulas from Canon almost confirms we’ll be welcoming cropped sensor bodies in the RF system very soon.
Upcoming Canon RF Tilt-Shift Lenses
Canon TS-R 14mm f/4L – Canon is working real hard in pushing the boundaries that the RF system has opened up for the photography industry. Not only will the Canon TS-R 14mm f/4L become the widest tilt-shift lens to exist, but it’ll also be the first tilt-shift lens to have autofocus along with its slightly longer, 24mm sibling.
Canon TS-R 24mm f/3.5L – The Canon TS-R 24mm f/3.5L on the other hand is a conservative transition of its insanely popular EF counterpart into the modern RF ecosystem. Just like the 14mm, the 24mm will also feature a working AF system, which is just trippy to even think about having on a tilt shift lens. I have a funny feeling these groundbreaking lenses are going to be the top, sought-after real estate lenses for this generation of camera tech.
Upcoming Canon RF Super Telephoto Lenses
The RF system currently has two native super telephoto lenses, the RF 400mm f2.8L IS and the RF 600mm f4L IS. Well, it seems more are on the way to fill the birding/sports telephoto gap in the RF ecosystem, with some already formally announced and launched.
- Canon RF 300mm f/2.8L IS
- Canon RF 500mm f/4L IS
- Canon RF 500mm f/4L IS
- Canon RF 800mm f/5.6L IS
- Canon RF 1200mm f/8L IS
Sigma Will Soon Come to the Canon RF Mount
This is perhaps one of the best news any Canon shooter has received this year. Because if we are to trust Canon Rumor’s source, we could be getting at least 3-5 Sigma lenses for the RF mount as early as 2022. It certainly looks like we’ll be getting access to all the Art-series level of image quality, the amazing form factor to performance found in the Contemporary line, as well as the range of its Sports lineup — all at a competitive price point.
Hopefully we’ll start to see more partnerships that bring 3rd party lenses to the RF mount. We see that Sony and Tamron currently have an exclusive agreement on some of Tamron’s best lenses, like the budget friendly, yet spectacular, Tamron 28-75 f2.8, and the workhorse, the Tamron 35-150mm f2-2.8.
And last but not least, perhaps the best value is to simply purchase an Canon EF to RF adapter, you can use your existing lenses, or this allows you to shop the used marketplace. Another option is mounting legacy Canon FD lenses, (though you will lose AF).