The RF lens mount was developed by Canon and launched in 2018, alongside the EOS R mirrorless camera system to replace the EF mount. The shorter flange distance of the RF mount means that Canon RF lenses can only be used on Canon’s mirrorless EOS R cameras; they are not backward compatible with DSLR cameras using the older EF mount.
While Canon initially continued to develop several more EF mount DSLRs after the launch of the RF mount, they stated publicly at the beginning of 2020 that there would be no more Canon EF lenses for DSLRs. Since then, the Canon RF lens range has expanded rapidly. In this guide, you’ll find detailed specifications of every Canon RF lens and a release date timeline.
Table of Contents
Canon RF Lens Terminology Key
Below is a very brief overview of the most common acronyms and abbreviations found within the names of Canon RF lenses. For a more detailed explanation of these and other Canon lens terminology, such as lens coatings and focus motor designs, please take a look at our in-depth Canon lens terminology guide.
- RF – The letters RF designate the lens as designed for Canon’s full-frame mirrorless system using the RF mount. (Canon’s DSLRs used the EF Mount)
- L – Canon’s L-Series lenses, or Luxury lenses, feature their highest level of optical performance and pro-level weather sealing and construction.
- IS – The lens is equipped with Image Stabilization gyros which dampen vibration and camera movement to deliver a sharper image.
- STM – These lenses feature Canon’s Stepper Motor technology, designed for smoother and near-quiet focussing during video recording.
- VR – Stereoscopic lenses designed for virtual reality productions, and compatible with Canon’s EOS VR Utility software.
- DS – Lenses with Canon’s Defocus Smoothing technology deliver smoother out-of-focus background blur.
- SA Control – Featured in the RF 100mm macro lens, Spherical Aberration Control allows you to control the shape and characteristics of foreground and background bokeh.
- CN-R – Lenses with the CN-R designation are manual focus lenses with manual aperture rings. These RF mount lenses are designed for filmmakers.
- Z – Lenses with the Z designation have optional Power Zoom adapters for video use.
- VCM – Lenses with a Voice Coil Motor autofocus mechanism for incredible, near-silent focus speed. Ideal for hybrid photo/video lenses.
Canon RF Lens Annual Release Rate
How many new RF lenses does Canon launch every year? The number is variable, but the chart below will give historical context and show the split between full-frame RF stills lenses APS-C RF-S stills lenses and RF Cinema lenses designed for cameras like the EOS R5c.
Canon RF Lens Release Dates in Order
Many people are interested in the latest and greatest Canon products, so seeing a simple chronological list of Canon RF lenses can be helpful. The new Canon RF lenses are at the top.
Occasionally, Canon makes a “development announcement” for its lenses. Usually, this comes as a press release with basic information about the lens and a couple of photos. In those cases, you will see two dates in the second column. The first date is the date of the development announcement, and the second is the official announcement date.
Canon RF Lens Specifications
By default, lenses in the table are sorted by their widest focal length, placing wide-angle lenses at the top and super-telephoto lenses at the bottom.
- Use the filters to narrow down lenses shown in the table.
- Use the horizontal scroll bar below the table to reveal more specifications.
- Mobile users can press the + button to expand lens details.
Canon RF Stills Lenses
Canon RF Cine Lenses
Canon RF Lens Discussion and Price Guide
Use the links below to jump to a specific lens.
Canon RF Full-Frame Lenses
Canon RF Zoom Lenses
- RF 10-20mm f/4 L IS STM
- RF 14-35mm f/4 L IS USM
- RF 15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM
- RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM
- RF 24-70 f/2.8 L IS USM
- RF 24-105mm f/2.8 L IS USM Z
- RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS
- RF 24-105 f/4-7.1 STM
- RF 24-240mm f/4-6.4 IS USM
- RF 24-50mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM
- RF 28-70mm f/2 L USM
- RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM
- RF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM
- RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM
- RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM
- RF 100-300mm f/2.8 L IS USM
- RF 200-800mm F6.3-9 IS USM
Canon RF Prime Lenses
- RF 5.2mm f/2.8 L Dual Fisheye 3D VR Lens
- RF 16mm f/2.8 STM
- RF 24mm F/1.8 Macro IS STM
- RF 28mm f/2.8 STM
- RF 35mm f/1.4 L VCM
- RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM
- RF 50mm f/1.2 USM
- RF 50mm f/1.8 STM
- RF 85mm f/1.2 USM
- RF 85mm f/1.2 USM DS
- RF 85mm f/2 IS Macro STM
- RF 100mm f/2.8 L IS Macro USM
- RF 135mm f/1.8 L IS USM
- RF 400mm f/2.8 L IS USM
- RF 600mm f/11 IS STM
- RF 600mm f/4 L IS USM
- RF 800mm f/11 IS STM
- RF 800mm f/5.6 L IS USM
- RF 1200mm f/8 L IS USM
Canon RF Extenders
Canon RF-S APS-C Lenses
Canon RF-S Prime Lenses
Canon RF-S Zoom Lenses
- RF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM
- RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM
- RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM
- RF-S 55-210mm F5-7.1 IS STM
Canon CN-R Cinema Lenses
Canon RF Zoom Lenses
Canon RF 10-20mm f/4 L IS STM
Key Features
- Canon’s widest full-frame lens
- Impressive 9.8″ MFD
- Quiet STM AF motors great for video
- Built-in petal-shaped lens hood
- 5-Stop Image Stabilization
- Release Date – October 11th, 2023
- Useful Links – Press Release / Filter template for rear filter slot / User Manual (PDF)
- Check Price – Amazon / B&H / Adorama / Lensrentals / WEX (UK) / Camera Canada
- Comparisons – RF 10-20mm f/4 vs. EF 11-24mm f/4 / RF 10-20mm f/4 vs. RF 15-35mm f/2.8 / RF 10-20mm f/4 vs. 14-35mm f/4
Should You Still Buy the Canon RF 10-20mm f/4 L IS in August, 2024?
Probably. The RF 10-20mm is Canon’s widest full-frame lens, and while some optical sacrifices have been made to keep the size and weight to a relative minimum – notably peripheral shading and barrel distortion that will need correction – the overall performance is still excellent. Its predecessor, the EF 11-24mm f/4, was twice the weight (1.3 lb vs. 2.6 lb) for only a modest increase in image quality, and it wasn’t equipped with Image Stabilization.
All that said, genuinely compelling compositions are incredibly challenging to create at 10mm, and many will find the versatility severely lacking compared to a 16-35mm zoom. Choose this lens for unique landscape compositions, architecture, and real estate work. Be careful not to overuse the distinctive 10mm look, and be prepared for a new compositional learning curve. Plan to pair it with a 16-35mm or 24-70mm lens, as the 10-20mm range can feel restrictive, even for the above-noted uses.
Canon RF 14-35mm f/4 L IS USM
Key Features
- 5-Stop Image Stabilization
- Release Date – October 11th, 2023
- Useful Links – Press Release / Filter template for rear filter slot / User Manual (PDF)
- Check Price – Amazon / B&H / Adorama / Lensrentals / WEX (UK) / Camera Canada
- Comparisons – 14-35mm f/4 L IS vs. 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS / 14-35mm f/4 L IS vs. 10-20mm f/4 L IS
Should You Still Buy the Canon RF 14-35mm f/4 L IS in August, 2024?
Yes. Canon’s lightweight f/4 wide-angle L-Series lenses have historically been good sellers for a reason. They offer great versatility in a lightweight package. In the old EF mount, these lenses had 17-40mm and 16-35mm focal ranges. With the move to the much larger RF mount, Canon could stretch that wide-end focal length to 14mm, making this lens even more appealing to landscape and travel photographers.
Like many modern lightweight lenses, Canon has prioritized low weight and compact size over optical perfection. Instead, it automatically applies lens correction for the wide-end barrel distortion and vignetting. Still, center sharpness is always excellent, and while it doesn’t compete with the 15-35mm f/2.8 for corner sharpness, it comes close enough and saves you $1000.
Canon RF 15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM
Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM
Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM
Canon RF 24-105mm f/2.8 L IS USM Z
Two optional Power Zoom Adapters are available for this lens: The PZ-E2 and the PZ-E2B. The latter version has a 20-pin control port for connection to Canon’s broadcast camera zoom controllers. There’s also an optional lens support, the Canon LH-E1, designed for use in video rigs with a rod mount system.
Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 L USM
Canon RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM
Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM
Canon RF 24-50mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM
Canon RF 28-70mm f/2 L USM
Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM
Canon RF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM
Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM
Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM
Canon RF 100-300mm f/2.8 L IS USM
This is an interesting lens that deserves some additional commentary. Read my thoughts on the Canon RF 100-300mm f/2.8 L IS.
Canon RF 200-800mm f/6.3-9 IS USM
Unusually for a non-L-Series lens, the RF 200-800mm f/6.3-9 IS USM lens does come with a lens hood.
Canon RF Prime Lenses
Canon RF 5.2mm f/2.8 L Dual Fisheye 3D VR Lens
Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM
Canon RF 24mm F/1.8 Macro IS STM
Canon RF 28mm f/2.8 STM
Canon RF 35mm f/1.4 L VCM
Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM
Canon RF 50mm f/1.2 L USM
Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM
Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 USM
Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 USM DS
Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM
Canon RF 100mm f/2.8 L IS Macro USM
Canon RF 135mm f/1.8 L IS USM
Canon RF 400mm f/2.8 L IS USM
Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STM
Canon RF 600mm f/4 L IS USM
Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM
Canon RF 800mm f/5.6 L IS USM
Canon RF 1200mm f/8 L IS USM
Canon RF Extenders
Canon RF 1.4x Extender
Canon RF 2x Extender
Canon RF-S Prime Lenses
RF-S 3.9mm f/3.5 STM Dual Fisheye
RF-S 7.8mm f/4 STM Dual Lens
This lens has received a development announcement but is not yet available for order.
Canon RF-S Zoom Lenses
Canon RF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM
Canon RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM
Canon RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM
Canon RF-S 55-210mm F5-7.1 IS STM
Canon CN-R Cinema Lenses
Canon CN-R 14mm T3.1 L F
Canon CN-R 20mm T1.5 L F
Canon CN-R 24mm T1.5 L F
Canon CN-R 35mm T1.5 L F
Canon CN-R 50mm T1.3 L F
Canon CN-R 85mm T1.3 L F
Canon CN-R 135mm T2.2 L F
Thanks
Very welcome!
Thanks Dan – great start! However, the column sorts don’t work well. Click focal length and it sorts 100mm before 24mm. Ditto with weight (the weights are a mix of pounds and ounces that become a mishmash – best to sort by grams and show all in lbs?)
Thanks for the feedback Chris. I think the zoom focal lengths are really throwing the sorting off something crazy. I’ll have to try and find some time to figure this out.
RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM has IS – you have ‘No’ in the IS column.
Very useful list – thanks!
Dan, this is a great resource! Just one blip I noticed: the length and diameter of the RF 600mm f/4 L IS are shift a column to the right (so the weight is covered by the diameter.)
Sadly, this lens is far out of my hobby budget. Oh, well.
Thanks!
Thanks, Terry, I’ll get that fixed!
You can play with the optical prescriptions for almost all these lenses at the PhotonsToPhotos Optical Bench interactive ray tracer ( https://www.PhotonsToPhotos.net/GeneralTopics/Lenses/OpticalBench/OpticalBenchHub.htm )
Wow! That’s really cool. Do you have something to do with creating this tool?
So great to see this being kept up date! Fantastic resource, thank you.
You’re welcome. Thank you.