# Canon to release an RF 5.2mm f/2.8L next?



## Canon Rumors Guy (Oct 1, 2021)

> Nokishita has Tweeted a surprising mention for the next RF mount lens from Canon. They claim that a Canon RF 5.2mm f/2.8L is on the way,
> If this lens is legit and not a typo, it’s likely one heck of a fisheye lens.
> This is the first that I’ve heard of such a lens, and color me intrigued.
> More to come…



Continue reading...


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## Foxdude (Oct 1, 2021)

Wow. Raise your hand if you saw this coming. I did not.


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## Canon Rumors Guy (Oct 1, 2021)

Foxdude said:


> Wow. Raise your hand if you saw this coming. I did not.


Not a peep came my way... very cool stuff.


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## DrToast (Oct 1, 2021)

It can take a picture of the back of your head.


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## Stig Nygaard (Oct 1, 2021)

Maybe typo (or something lost in translation) ?
Wouldn't it be too short even for a "normal" circular 180° fisheye on fullframe?
(Though there are several variations of optical projections/corrections)


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## entoman (Oct 1, 2021)

Hmmm, the rear element must be almost touching the shutter curtain!


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## amorse (Oct 1, 2021)

I'm not sure I can even conceptualize what that view would look like


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## Rocksthaman (Oct 1, 2021)

Are we doing VR now 

Alright canon we see you


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## HMC11 (Oct 1, 2021)

It seems that Canon is definitively signaling that they are going the full hog in the RF system. I wonder what other surprises are coming.


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## Bonich (Oct 1, 2021)

Stig Nygaard said:


> Maybe typo (or something lost in translation) ?
> Wouldn't it be too short even for a "normal" circular 180° fisheye on fullframe?
> (Though there are several variations of optical projections/corrections)


This makes total sense: Shooting streeview half spheres with one shot you need more than 180°.
Those Googles, ... do it today with multiple camera arrays. One single shot with a 45MPX sensor facing the zenith can do the job.
Every of those Google, Garmin, Apple, ... cars/rigs bings back terabyte of data day by day to be spherical stitched.
You probably can heat towns withe the power wasted for processing.
This is a professional market worth to be targeted.
This market is selling by far better than i.e. tilt/shift or things like this.

A lens for this use case can cost the price of a car and will be sold.


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## davidcl0nel (Oct 1, 2021)

HMC11 said:


> It seems that Canon is definitively signaling that they are going the full hog in the RF system. I wonder what are surprises are coming.


What is the reason, you didn't think that before?
What was the last EF "signal" ?


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## tapanit (Oct 1, 2021)

I'm thinking of the Nikkor 6mm f/2.8, which has 220° field of view, and it's huge and costs a fortune.
A 5.2/2.8 one would be humongous, even if Canon pulls some serious optical magic out of their hat to make one.

I'd definitely love to see such a thing, even if I'd be very unlikely to buy one.


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## amorse (Oct 1, 2021)

For some context on what this lens could look like:

https://www.imaging-resource.com/ne...tographer-rare-nikon-6mm-f-2.8-ai-s-lens-avai


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## VegasCameraGuy (Oct 1, 2021)

Hopefully, it's rectilinear. I would definitely consider buying one.


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## petitBogueBogue (Oct 1, 2021)

An APS-C circular fisheye (Canon's APS-C sensors have a crop factor of 1.6x)? That's why the special, dedicated cap?


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## unfocused (Oct 1, 2021)

VegasCameraGuy said:


> Hopefully, it's rectilinear. I would definitely consider buying one.


You got a spare $30,000 to $150,000 sitting around?


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## DrMathochist (Oct 1, 2021)

petitBogueBogue said:


> An APS-C circular fisheye (Canon's APS-C sensors have a crop factor of 1.6x)? That's why the special, dedicated cap?


I thought about that too. Maybe if it's a fisheye zoom that GOES to 5.2 (passing through 8 on the way), it could be setting up for use on an eventual APS-C RF-mount body? If it's prime 5.2 it would leave a lot of the sensor unused on their entire RF line to date.


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## HMC11 (Oct 1, 2021)

davidcl0nel said:


> What is the reason, you didn't think that before?
> What was the last EF "signal" ?


I did think they were serious about RF all along. However, until now, the RF lenses they produced tended to reflect the EF lines, albeit with additional features and performance matching or exceeding the EF counterparts. The 5.2 is a significant difference, and hence a strong signal/affirmation of their claim to have a strong RF focus.


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## Ozarker (Oct 1, 2021)

Finally, something wide enough for wife portraits. I haven't seen her all at once in decades.


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## fox40phil (Oct 1, 2021)

A lens if you use your R camera as a security camera at the door!? 

I don't belive that Canon would release such a giant, expensive and niche lens!

Before this one... there are 100 other lenses with better market placement!


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## bbasiaga (Oct 1, 2021)

Peter McKinnon will strap this to a drone. 

Brian


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## Stig Nygaard (Oct 1, 2021)

fox40phil said:


> I don't belive that Canon would release such a giant, expensive and niche lens!
> Before this one... there are 100 other lenses with better market placement!


With current supplier and production crisis, it actually makes kind of sense to focus on high profit / low volume lenses rather than the opposite.
And for "normal" lenses you still have the whole system of EF lenses.


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## john1970 (Oct 1, 2021)

If true I almost wonder if this lens would be built to order and cost accordingly. There are many other lenses that make more sense than this one (e.g. 35 mm f1.2, 24 mm f1.4, 200 mm macro, 500 mm f4, 800 mm f5.6, etc.).


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## Joel C (Oct 1, 2021)

Seeing as there is an 8-15mm, it's not that all out of the question, also the competing rokinon 8mm, it might be worth it to try getting this out there for certain applications. The only real use application would likely be real estate. 

Check out this 120 sq foot studio! IT'S HUGE!!!


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## MythPlayer (Oct 1, 2021)

petitBogueBogue said:


> An APS-C circular fisheye (Canon's APS-C sensors have a crop factor of 1.6x)? That's why the special, dedicated cap?


It's L lens,maybe for panoramic use?


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## Antono Refa (Oct 1, 2021)

Since Canon released its first DSLR 20 years ago, it made only one fisheye lens - the EF 8-15mm f/4. The FD 6.5mm f/5.6 circular fisheye was never converted to EF. I think it would be a little odd if Canon decided to make a circular fisheye (prime or zoom that goes to diagonal) for crop now. The market is smaller than it was a decade ago, and fisheyes are too niche to be done early.


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## jvillain (Oct 1, 2021)

Joel C said:


> The only real use application would likely be real estate.


I can't see more than a handful of real estate shooters paying the price this will cost to shoot real estate as 99% of real estate is done with a cell phone or is a minimum wage job these days. There are a few high end shooters that make good money but this will likely distort to much for what they do. I see this more for movie and game studio work. To make this sing though you are going to need a really high megapixel sensor.

Another company that makes lenses like this.








Entaniya Lenses


ENTANIYA




www.ducloslenses.com







.


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## Traveler (Oct 1, 2021)

It could be a circular one like the EF 8-15 at 8mm. So it doesn't have to be that huge and maybe the shorter flange distance helps, too


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## vrpanorama.ca (Oct 1, 2021)

There is a precedent such as the sigma 4.5mm but it can only be used in EF-S environment. This is the area I am the most productive but we I suggest that if it is true it will be released for the new aps-c mirroless format?


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## Hector1970 (Oct 1, 2021)

It won't be a big seller so its likely to be very expensive. Not sure other than film making what a practical use for it would be.
The 11mm in the 11-24mm is enough for me and not often used.
I personally don't like that fisheye look. Hard to see it being rectilinear but you never know.


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## dcsimages (Oct 1, 2021)

Antono Refa said:


> Since Canon released its first DSLR 20 years ago, it made only one fisheye lens - the EF 8-15mm f/4. The FD 6.5mm f/5.6 circular fisheye was never converted to EF. I think it would be a little odd if Canon decided to make a circular fisheye (prime or zoom that goes to diagonal) for crop now. The market is smaller than it was a decade ago, and fisheyes are too niche to be done early.


Hmmm
I have a 15mm EF full frame fisheye in my case right now.


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## AJ (Oct 1, 2021)

Antono Refa said:


> Since Canon released its first DSLR 20 years ago, it made only one fisheye lens - the EF 8-15mm f/4. The FD 6.5mm f/5.6 circular fisheye was never converted to EF. I think it would be a little odd if Canon decided to make a circular fisheye (prime or zoom that goes to diagonal) for crop now. The market is smaller than it was a decade ago, and fisheyes are too niche to be done early.


Don't forget the EF 15/2.8.
edit to add: @dcsimages beat me to the punch


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## Skyscraperfan (Oct 1, 2021)

There once has been a 6mm lens for Nikon.


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## puffo25 (Oct 1, 2021)

I have the Canon R5 and various RF lenses. I also got the EF 8-15mm f/4 fisheye lens. With the R5 the view is NOT a fully 180 degree view but I have t slightly crop a bit in order to avoid black corners. The image is intrigued but I can use it very seldom only for special "curvy" effects. I am NOT sure what a lens like a 5,2mm lens can do with my R5 camera and the cost might be huge! (the EF 8-15mm cost me less than 700 USD used). Not bad....


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## Kit. (Oct 1, 2021)

VegasCameraGuy said:


> Hopefully, it's rectilinear. I would definitely consider buying one.


Hopefully, its distortion correction can be turned off for the proper fisheye view in the viewfinder.


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## lexptr (Oct 1, 2021)

fox40phil said:


> A lens if you use your R camera as a security camera at the door!?


Probably. But there is a downside: you will need several other security cameras pointed at this one and armed security guards to protect this valuable lens against theft


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## djack41 (Oct 1, 2021)

Bet it is a 15mm?


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## unfocused (Oct 1, 2021)

fox40phil said:


> ...Before this one... there are 100 other lenses with better market placement!





Stig Nygaard said:


> With current supplier and production crisis, it actually makes kind of sense to focus on high profit / low volume lenses rather than the opposite.
> And for "normal" lenses you still have the whole system of EF lenses.


That's what I was thinking too. If true, this is likely a custom order "look what we can do" lens that will boost Canon's reputation. I doubt if it will take many resources away from their regular lens lineup, as this would likely be hand built when someone places an order.


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## unfocused (Oct 1, 2021)

Maybe this will be a good lens for space billionaires to take spaceship selfies with the Earth, Moon and Sun all in the background.


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## criscokkat (Oct 1, 2021)

jvillain said:


> I can't see more than a handful of real estate shooters paying the price this will cost to shoot real estate as 99% of real estate is done with a cell phone or is a minimum wage job these days. There are a few high end shooters that make good money but this will likely distort to much for what they do. I see this more for movie and game studio work. To make this sing though you are going to need a really high megapixel sensor.
> 
> Another company that makes lenses like this.
> 
> ...


Not necessarily in high end real estate. There are companies out there that stage with lighting and shoot very carefully constructed scenes for high end real estate. 


People shopping for high end stuff generally visit a third of the houses that people looking at mid rang/low end do. So they use every trick in the book to get them enticed enough to bring them to the door for an actual visit. That's why the more higher end sites have 3-4 times the number of pictures, and many times 3d views.


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## entoman (Oct 1, 2021)

djack41 said:


> Bet it is a 15mm?


Highly unlikely, as Canon already have the RF 14-35mm F4, and have only just released the 16mm F2.8 pancake.

Nokishita rarely get it wrong.

So two obvious questions remain:

Is it a crop sensor lens?

Is it intended as an astro lens?


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## stevelee (Oct 1, 2021)

Would there be a problem with the sensor getting into the edge of the picture?


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## SteveC (Oct 1, 2021)

stevelee said:


> Would there be a problem with the sensor getting into the edge of the picture?


 Not quite but your hands will be in it, even if you don't put your thumb in front of the lens.


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## InchMetric (Oct 1, 2021)

puffo25 said:


> I have the Canon R5 and various RF lenses. I also got the EF 8-15mm f/4 fisheye lens. With the R5 the view is NOT a fully 180 degree view but I have t slightly crop a bit in order to avoid black corners. The image is intrigued but I can use it very seldom only for special "curvy" effects. I am NOT sure what a lens like a 5,2mm lens can do with my R5 camera and the cost might be huge! (the EF 8-15mm cost me less than 700 USD used). Not bad....


I had to read carefully. At 15mm you don't quite get full frame diagonal corner coverage. As if the lens was designed to get the 180 degree diagonal for slide frames and prints with negatives in holders? Except that the lens was released in the digital era. Odd. (I understand you get a full circle at 8mm).

My experience was with the big (not giant) Nikon 8mm f2.8, and I did a youtube video of my own first time unguided disassembly, cleaning and restoration.


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## Antono Refa (Oct 1, 2021)

AJ said:


> Don't forget the EF 15/2.8.
> edit to add: @dcsimages beat me to the punch


The EF 15mm f/2.8 was released in '87,well before Canon's first DSLR.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Oct 1, 2021)

A lens for selfies without reversing the camera? Nikon made a much sought after 6mm lens . Here is a photo, just so we can put it in perspective. $5,000 , $10,000 or more?


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## Antono Refa (Oct 1, 2021)

dcsimages said:


> Hmmm
> I have a 15mm EF full frame fisheye in my case right now.


The EF 15mm f/2.8 was released in '87,well before Canon's first DSLR.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Oct 1, 2021)

Antono Refa said:


> The EF 15mm f/2.8 was released in '87,well before Canon's first DSLR.


Yes, I have owned 2 or 3 of them over the years, sold them and then bought another when I spotted a good deal. For the price on the used market, they were a great lens. I ended up keeping my Tokina 17mm f.3.5 which is wide enough for me. I never took to fisheye images.


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## AJ (Oct 1, 2021)

Antono Refa said:


> The EF 15mm f/2.8 was released in '87,well before Canon's first DSLR.


True. It was first released in 1987, but it was made (available) during the DSLR era. It was discontinued in 2011 I believe.
My shooting buddy has one and I've used it a few times (film as well as digital). It's decently sharp, with just a tad of red/green fringing. We've used it to shoot Milky Way shots. That's where the f/2.8 comes in handy. Unfortunately the 8-15 is only f/4, as well as being very expensive.


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## Bishop80 (Oct 1, 2021)

There will be an RF firmware update...
Like the R3 eye calibration, the firmware teaches the camera how to recognize your feet and automatically crop them out of every shot!


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## Del Paso (Oct 1, 2021)

CanonFanBoy said:


> Finally, something wide enough for wife portraits. I haven't seen her all at once in decades.


Reminds me of a neighbor speaking of his wife. "is this all mine?"


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## Ozarker (Oct 1, 2021)

Del Paso said:


> Reminds me of a neighbor speaking of his wife. "is this all mine?"


Yeah. I don't see it as wide angle. More like wide load.


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## Stig Nygaard (Oct 1, 2021)

Latest from Nokishita:

_The product name of the new Canon lens was confirmed with "RF5.2mm F2.8 L Dual Fisheye"_


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1444056049414127619
Dual Fisheye ?...

Something to do with:








Patent: Canon stereoscopic lens for the RF mount


Canon News has uncovered an interesting patent for a stereoscopic lens for what appears to be the RF mount. According to the patent, this would only work on



www.canonrumors.com




???


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## unfocused (Oct 1, 2021)

puffo25 said:


> I have the Canon R5 and various RF lenses. I also got the EF 8-15mm f/4 fisheye lens. With the R5 the view is NOT a fully 180 degree view but I have t slightly crop a bit in order to avoid black corners....





InchMetric said:


> I had to read carefully. At 15mm you don't quite get full frame diagonal corner coverage. As if the lens was designed to get the 180 degree diagonal for slide frames and prints with negatives in holders? Except that the lens was released in the digital era. Odd. (I understand you get a full circle at 8mm)...


I'm not sure I understand. I just slipped the 8-15 on my R5. No black corners at 15mm.

Just so people understand, the 8-15mm was designed to be used by all three sensor sizes then available, APS-C, APS-H and Full Frame. On full frame it goes from the classic circular image to a cropped image that fills the frame. There are markings on the side of the lens for APS-C and APS-H. APS-H lines up with 12mm and APS-C lines up 10mm (approximately). There is a zoom limiter that prevents you from going below 10mm if you activate it.

It's a fun lens, but I don't use it all that often. I usually take it to a basketball game once or twice a season and shoot from behind the hoop to get a couple of fun shots. I've also used it to get a picture of a small flower in the foreground with the college's main building in the background. It's best used sparingly and I doubt if I would replace it with an RF version, but it's one lens I will keep even if I sell most of my EF lenses.


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## Chig (Oct 2, 2021)

Here's a 4.9mm fisheye built by Lens Rentals founder Roger Cicala which has a 270 degree field of view:








This Widest-Ever 4.9mm Fisheye Lens Can See Behind Itself


LensRentals founder Roger Cicala is known for disassembling camera gear and sharing his findings on his company blog. Now he has done the opposite: he's




petapixel.com


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## Swurre (Oct 2, 2021)

This will be a expensive lens, like the Nikkor 6mm f/2.8 from 1972.

Perfect if you want to take a photo behind you, but you do not feel like turning around


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## Swurre (Oct 2, 2021)

bbasiaga said:


> Peter McKinnon will strap this to a drone.
> 
> Brian


*
Yes, he will


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## slclick (Oct 2, 2021)

Unfocused stated what I was thinking, APS-H. While the world clamors for a crop RF, Canon might just have had the ultimate happy medium all along, right under our noses.


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## Jethro (Oct 2, 2021)

The latest rumour mentions that this has VR applications - any views on how it would be used? I'm also struggling to picture a 'dual fish-eye'?? f/2.8???


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## neuroanatomist (Oct 2, 2021)

Jethro said:


> The latest rumour mentions that this has VR applications - any views on how it would be used? I'm also struggling to picture a 'dual fish-eye'?? f/2.8???


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## djack41 (Oct 2, 2021)

entoman said:


> Highly unlikely, as Canon already have the RF 14-35mm F4, and have only just released the 16mm F2.8 pancake.
> 
> Nokishita rarely get it wrong.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the response.


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## Ozarker (Oct 2, 2021)

I wonder what the Fotodiox filter kit is gonna cost. But, seriously, hope it takes a rear filter.


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## slclick (Oct 2, 2021)

CanonFanBoy said:


> I wonder what the Fotodiox filter kit is gonna cost. But, seriously, hope it takes a rear filter.


Come on grandad, all the kids these days say #nofilter


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## maulanawale (Oct 2, 2021)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> Yes, I have owned 2 or 3 of them over the years, sold them and then bought another when I spotted a good deal. For the price on the used market, they were a great lens. I ended up keeping my Tokina 17mm f.3.5 which is wide enough for me. I never took to fisheye images.


I had that same (?) Tokina ( 17mm f/3.5 AT-X 17 AF PRO Aspherical) for Nikon APS-C and it was my most valued possession for years when I first started with photography. Got it super cheap at a Cash Converters (a pawn shop in the UK for those of you elsewhere) and only just sold it recently for a good chunk more than I paid for it. One of my favourite lenses of all time and I think not a very common one.


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## Stuart (Oct 2, 2021)

CanonFanBoy said:


> Finally, something wide enough for wife portraits. I haven't seen her all at once in decades.


LOL - with this lens you could see that's she's standing behind you watching you type this - "dinners in the dog tonight'"


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## Stuart (Oct 2, 2021)

Would you ever take it out the glass box? - https://www.ephotozine.com/article/...eport--hands-on-photos---event-coverage-35643


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## vrpanorama.ca (Oct 2, 2021)

Again, on a full frame 5.2mm will require only 2 shots to complete a 360. But the resolution or final size of the image will be smaller and likely to have serious color aberration and soft on the edge. On a full frame the ideal size is 12mm, on a aps-c it is 8mm. Unless the crop factor for the future camera will be 2.3


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## justaCanonuser (Oct 4, 2021)

DrToast said:


> It can take a picture of the back of your head.


Like a gravitational lens


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## koenkooi (Oct 6, 2021)




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