In September 2018, Canon introduced the Canon EOS R as its first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with a full-frame sensor and a new lens mount, called the RF-mount. The current camera models include the entry-level Canon EOS RP, the compact Canon EOS R8, the mid-range Canon EOS R6 II, the high-resolution Canon EOS R5 II, the high-speed Canon EOS R3 and the even faster Canon EOS R1 with action priority AF. Furthermore, the RF-mount is used for professional video cameras such as the Canon EOS C70.
This page provides an overview of the growing catalog of RF-mount full-frame lenses, exclusively manufactured by Canon. These are mostly autofocus lenses, but selected manual focus lenses may also be included. Manual focus lenses are marked by an asterisk (*), purely mechanical lenses with no digital coupling to the camera by a double asterisk (**). RF-S lenses with a smaller APS-C image circle are listed separately.
For every lens, the following major characteristics are given:
- Focal length.
- Maximum aperture. It has a strong influence on the lighting conditions under which the lens can be used, and how shallow the depth of field can be. Fast lenses also tend to be much bigger, heavier, and more expensive. Green labels indicate fast lenses (> f/2), red labels indicate slow lenses (< f/4).
- Filter size. It serves as a representative of the length, diameter and weight of the lens. Green labels indicate compact lenses (filter size < 60 mm), red labels indicate big lenses (> 70 mm).
- Minimum focus distance (MFD). It has a major influence on the magnification that can be achieved, as well as the depth of field.
- Another important point is of course the price, but it is different in every market and currency. Instead, plenty of links to independent reviews are provided to help you find the best lens for your needs.
1 Prime lenses
Lenses with a fixed focal length.
1.1 Fisheye lenses
Ultra wide angle lenses with purposeful strong distortions.
| Lens | Filter ⌀ | MFD | Reviews | ||||
| *Canon | RF | 5.2 mm | 2.8 | L Dual Fisheye | n/a | 0.20 m | CL |
1.2 Wide angle lenses
| Lens | Filter ⌀ | MFD | Reviews | ||||
| Canon | RF | 16 mm | 2.8 | 43 mm | 0.13 m | CL, OL | |
| Canon | RF | 24 mm | 1.4 | L VCM | 67 mm | 0.24 m | |
| Canon | RF | 28 mm | 2.8 | 55 mm | 0.23 m | CL, OL, TP | |
| Canon | RF | 35 mm | 1.4 | L VCM | 67 mm | 0.28 m | CL, OL |
1.3 Standard lenses
Lenses with a focal length around the image sensor diagonal of 43 mm, delivering very natural looking images.
| Lens | Filter ⌀ | MFD | Reviews | ||||
| Canon | RF | 50 mm | 1.2 | L | 77 mm | 0.40 m | CL, ML, OL |
| Canon | RF | 50 mm | 1.4 | L VCM | 67 mm | 0.40 m | |
| Canon | RF | 50 mm | 1.8 | 43 mm | 0.30 m | CL, OL |
1.4 Telephoto lenses
| Lens | Filter ⌀ | MFD | Reviews | ||||
| Canon | RF | 85 mm | 1.2 | L | 82 mm | 0.85 m | CL, DR, OL |
| Canon | RF | 85 mm | 1.2 | L DS | 82 mm | 0.85 m | |
| Canon | RF | 135 mm | 1.8 | L IS | 82 mm | 0.70 m | TP |
| Canon | RF | 400 mm | 2.8 | L IS | n/a | 2.50 m | CL |
| Canon | RF | 600 mm | 4 | L IS | n/a | 4.20 m | CL |
| Canon | RF | 600 mm | 11 | IS | 82 mm | 4.50 m | CL |
| Canon | RF | 800 mm | 5.6 | L IS | n/a | 2.60 m | TP |
| Canon | RF | 800 mm | 11 | IS | 95 mm | 6.00 m | CL, OL |
| Canon | RF | 1200 mm | 8 | L IS | n/a | 4.30 m | TP |
1.5 Macro lenses
Lenses with a small minimum focus distance and a high magnification.
| Lens | Filter ⌀ | MFD | Reviews | ||||
| Canon | RF | 24 mm | 1.8 | Macro IS | 52 mm | 0.14 m | CL, OL, TP |
| Canon | RF | 35 mm | 1.8 | Macro IS | 52 mm | 0.17 m | CL, DR, OL |
| Canon | RF | 85 mm | 2 | Macro IS | 67 mm | 0.35 m | CL, OL |
| Canon | RF | 100 mm | 2.8 | L Macro IS | 67 mm | 0.26 m | CL, OL, TP |
2 Zoom lenses
Lenses with a variable focal length.
2.1 Wide angle zoom lenses
| Lens | Filter ⌀ | MFD | Reviews | ||||
| Canon | RF | 10-20 mm | 4 | L IS | n/a | 0.25 m | CL, OL |
| Canon | RF | 14-35 mm | 4 | L IS | 77 mm | 0.20 m | CL |
| Canon | RF | 15-30 mm | 4.5-6.3 | IS | 67 mm | 0.13-0.28 m | TP |
| Canon | RF | 15-35 mm | 2.8 | L IS | 82 mm | 0.28 m | CL, OL |
| Canon | RF | 24-50 mm | 4.5-6.3 | IS | 58 mm | 0.30 m | TP |
2.2 Standard zoom lenses
Zoom range from moderate wide angle to moderate telephoto.
| Lens | Filter ⌀ | MFD | Reviews | ||||
| Canon | RF | 24-70 mm | 2.8 | L IS | 82 mm | 0.21-0.38 m | OL |
| Canon | RF | 24-105 mm | 2.8 | L IS Z | 82 mm | 0.45 m | CL, TP |
| Canon | RF | 24-105 mm | 4 | L IS | 77 mm | 0.45 m | CL, OL |
| Canon | RF | 24-105 mm | 4-7.1 | IS | 67 mm | 0.13-0.34 m | CL, OL |
| Canon | RF | 28-70 mm | 2 | L | 95 mm | 0.39 m | CL, OL |
| Canon | RF | 28-70 mm | 2.8 | IS | 67 mm | 0.27 m |
2.3 Superzoom lenses
Like standard zooms, but with an approximately 10x zoom range.
| Lens | Filter ⌀ | MFD | Reviews | ||||
| Canon | RF | 24-240 mm | 4-6.3 | IS | 72 mm | 0.50 m | CL, OL |
2.4 Telephoto zoom lenses
| Lens | Filter ⌀ | MFD | Reviews | ||||
| Canon | RF | 70-200 mm | 2.8 | L IS | 77 mm | 0.70 m | CL, OL |
| Canon | RF | 70-200 mm | 2.8 | L IS USM Z | 82 mm | 0.49 m | |
| Canon | RF | 70-200 mm | 4 | L IS | 77 mm | 0.60 m | CL |
| Canon | RF | 100-300 mm | 2.8 | L IS | 112 mm | 1.80 m | CL |
| Canon | RF | 100-400 mm | 5.6-8 | IS | 67 mm | 0.88 m | CL, OL |
| Canon | RF | 100-500 mm | 4.5-7.1 | L IS | 77 mm | 0.90-1.20 m | CL, OL |
| Canon | RF | 200-800 mm | 6.3-9 | IS | 95 mm | 0.80-1.80 m | CL |
3 Teleconverters
Teleconverters extend the focal length of matching telephoto lenses by a certain factor.
| Lens | Filter ⌀ | MFD | Reviews | ||||
| Canon | RF 1.4x | 1.4x | n/a | n/a | |||
| Canon | RF 2x | 2x | n/a | n/a |
Notes
In contrast to other camera companies, Canon does not seem to license its full-frame RF mount to third-party manufacturers. Autofocus lenses by Samyang and Yongnuo, which were available for a while, have now disappeared from most markets and therefore also from this overview.
The color labels should not be interpreted in a way that a lens like the RF 35 mm f/1.8 Macro with two green labels is better than the RF 800 mm f/11 with two red labels. If the telephoto lens had the same speed as the macro lens, the diameter of its front element would be at least 444 mm instead of 95 mm, so it is actually a very compact lens. Color labels are therefore comparable for similar lenses only.
References
The linked reviews are by Amateur Photographer (AP), CameraLabs (CL), DPReview (DP), LensTip (LT), OpticalLimits (OL), The Phoblographer (TP), and others. LensTip and OpticalLimits focus on laboratory testing, the others on real-world photography.