Canon's new RF lenses bring a desperately needed feature to its mirrorless EOS R system: Affordability. The four lenses announced on Thursday, July 9, are the RF 85mm f/2 Macro, RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1, and two unique telephoto primes with fixed f/11 apertures, a 600mm and an 800mm.
Of these, the $600 85mm f/2 is probably the least interesting, but also the most important. This is just Canon's second sub-$1,000 RF prime lens, joining the 35mm f/1.8, and precisely the type of lens that I have argued full-frame mirrorless systems need. Compared to Canon's unwieldy, $2,700 RF 85mm f/1.2, it is small, lightweight, and -- most importantly -- attainable.
