# Viltrox has announced the Viltrox AF 85 / 1.8 STM ED IF for the RF mount



## Canon Rumors Guy (Nov 4, 2021)

> Press Release (Google Translated) New lens from Viltrox with Canon RF mount!
> The lens features high-quality workmanship, and the all-metal construction ensures safety and durability. A large aperture and a 9-blade aperture allow you to achieve beautiful background blur (so-called bokeh), which is highly valued and sought after in portrait photography.
> Advanced optical design
> The optical construction consists of 10 elements arranged in 7 groups. The construction uses one ED element with a very low level of dispersion and 4 SR (Short-Wavelength Refractive) lenses responsible for the refraction of short wavelength beams. They are to serve even better reduction of chromatic aberration. The minimum focus distance is 80cm.
> ...



Continue reading...


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## fasterquieter (Nov 4, 2021)

Don't wish to sound ungrateful, but I'd rather 3rd parties tried to fill some of the gaps in Canon's RF lineup first. We already have 2 Canons and a Samyang at 85mm.

If this thing is $300, I'll take that back.


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## danfaz (Nov 4, 2021)

fasterquieter said:


> We already have 2 Canons and a Samyang at 85mm.


Well, can't count the Sammy anymore since they discontinued production of it.


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## Nemorino (Nov 4, 2021)

But it is reborn as Rokinon:








85mm F1.4 AF High Speed Full Frame Telephoto (Canon RF)


Buy 85mm F1.4 AF High Speed Full Frame Telephoto (Canon RF) at Rokinon Lenses! The ROKINON® AF 85mm F1.4 Full Frame Telephoto for Canon RF mount is arguably the best value, high performance and affordable AF portrait prime available, superbly suited for both amateurs and professionals.This...




www.rokinon.com


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## fasterquieter (Nov 4, 2021)

danfaz said:


> Well, can't count the Sammy anymore since they discontinued production of it.


I see it listed on the Rokinon site still and it appears to be in stock everywhere. It's a weird situation.


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## vangelismm (Nov 4, 2021)

So in the end Canon did not sued the universe with patents to prevent third party lens.


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## LSXPhotog (Nov 4, 2021)

This is likely the same lens we've seen from VIltrox already with support for the Fuji/Sony/Nikon mounts. In which case, this is actually a very good lens with an even better price tag. Great options for amateurs and enthusiasts at the 85mm focal length now.


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## bergstrom (Nov 4, 2021)

they couldn't make a 1.4?


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## mariosk1gr (Nov 5, 2021)

Every company that designed a few filters now they make lenses....
To make a good lens in most aspects is difficult and expensive! That's why these type of lenses will always be moderate..
Take for example their speedbooster compared to Canon's 0.71x adapter for C70. Noone can tell a difference in image quality except if you pixel peep and scale the image by much... you can't say the same for the other companies making speedboosters! The huge always is noticeable. When we are talking about lenses you get what you pay for...


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## binary (Nov 5, 2021)

Nemorino said:


> But it is reborn as Rokinon:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Unfortunately not in Europe.


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## Ozarker (Nov 5, 2021)

fasterquieter said:


> I see it listed on the Rokinon site still and it appears to be in stock everywhere. It's a weird situation.


It's just a label situation. That's all it is. Same company. Same lens.

Here in the USA there's a Mayonnaise brand known as Best Foods. Except that West of the Mississippi it is known as Hellman's. Just a label.


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## Nemorino (Nov 5, 2021)

binary said:


> Unfortunately not in Europe.


Still Samyang:








Samyang AF 85mm 1.4 RF für Canon RF ab € 796,00 (2022) | Preisvergleich Geizhals Deutschland


✔ Preisvergleich für Samyang AF 85mm 1.4 RF für Canon RF ✔ Produktinfo ⇒ Typ: Tele-Objektiv • Brennweite: 85mm • Lichtstärke: 1:1.4 • Optischer Aufbau (Linsen/Gruppen): 11/8… ✔ Objektive ✔ Testberichte ✔ Günstig kaufen




geizhals.de


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## RexxReviews (Nov 5, 2021)

fasterquieter said:


> I see it listed on the Rokinon site still and it appears to be in stock everywhere. It's a weird situation.


So unlike the person above you it wasn't "reborn" as Rokinon. Rokinon is NOT the same company as people think it is, they are a different company. Rokinon is based in the US and is the exclusive reseller of the Samyang lens, they buy the lens from Samyang and rebrand it. That is all. You are still seeing them in stock for 1 of 2 reasons, #1 Rokinon bought a ton of them and still has plenty of stock or #2 Samyang just doesn't want to distribute it themselves anymore.









Samyang Lenses 101: Clearing the Clutter of Different Brands


Here's your guide to understanding the basics behind the Samyang lens line and its private label brand names.




nofilmschool.com






No as far as this Viltrox lens. The Sony and Nikon version of this lens has done well. This lens will most likely blow the doors off the $600 85mm Canon put out and even put up a good fight against Canons 85 1.4, the Samyang surely did in terms of quality. Putting it at $399 was SUPER smart.

Also just noticed the Rokinon RF is now listed on Adorama as "Closeout"


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## puffo25 (Nov 6, 2021)

Hi all, I do not want to sound arrogant but to me when you buy a 4000 euro/$ R5 or 2200 euro/$ R6 or even an R3, why you would buy a lens like that? No offense please but I think that at the end, what makes a great picture beside a good sensor and overall camera is of course a good photographer AND a great lens! The lens is often the key and for such a low price I doubt that lenses like that could compete so well against a Canon RF or a Sigma Art or Laowa Zero...


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## RexxReviews (Nov 6, 2021)

puffo25 said:


> Hi all, I do not want to sound arrogant but to me when you buy a 4000 euro/$ R5 or 2200 euro/$ R6 or even an R3, why you would buy a lens like that? No offense please but I think that at the end, what makes a great picture beside a good sensor and overall camera is of course a good photographer AND a great lens! The lens is often the key and for such a low price I doubt that lenses like that could compete so well against a Canon RF or a Sigma Art or Laowa Zero...


Canon stuff is WAY overpriced for what it is currently. We have been using $600 Samyang 85mm 1.4 lenses on our R5's that give the RF 85 1.2 a run for its money. This last year we have made somewhere around $80kish just from weddings and portraits sessions using that lens, that's not even counting what we are going to make for the rest of Nov and December for holiday weddings and sessions we have on the books scheduled. One of the photo's that we outsource overflow work too sometimes actually sold his RF 85 1.2 and grabbed what we use because he couldn't see the $2000 difference. Now don't get me wrong, there are differences... not $2000 worth. Just because something is inexpensive don't assume its no good, We make MORE than enough to cover the cost of Canon RF 85... but we don't need too.

Now you have a second part of fault in your logic, you only though about R5/R6/R3 users and ignored the fact that there are 2 pretty inexpensive RF cameras still on the market that sold a TON, the R and RP. There are a lot of people who started off with $1k RPs and $1200 R's that this type of lens is perfect for. You made the assumption that if someone could afford one of those cameras they could also afford the lenses that cost almost as much as those cameras and that isn't always the case. Everyone has to start somewhere.


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## kten (Nov 6, 2021)

on top of Rex's points which I agree with being an original R shooter myself where the Canon 85 1.2 is over twice the cost of my body in the UK (£2,870 ish) and it [photography] isn't what I do for money either, there are more factors than IQ that goes into lens considerations such as weight and size considerations. Ignoring cost it is big and heavy to keep an RF 85 1.2 in your kit on the off chance you may use it, a lighter cheaper smaller choice would be more favourable in such a role at close enough IQ. Not everyone is going to be making money from their lenses and even those who are the extra cost may not be worth it. Especially since these 3rd party options compared to the slower cheaper canon 85 f2 are oft better IQ but similar cost or much less.

On the cost note what that extra money gets you may not be worth it or even useless (like weather sealing for indoor only users) and is totally dependent on folks needs and style even for pros making money from their gear. Shooting portraits daily wide open where IQ is critical and directly tied to your income and size and weight isn't a factor for you then sure it may be the "best" choice but that isn't everyone even in the pro camp. For something that may not see daily use with all users such a high price is pretty steep for an occasional use prime that isn't a flexible size and weight.

Arguably the cost of bodies compared to lenses isn't a fair apples to apples either as it depends on use and how much it'll see, flexibility etc. Those same users may be able to justify similar or much higher costs on bodies or lenses like trinity zooms that would see much more use, have features they really want/need or flexibility in their kits where a prime that is big and heavy wouldn't. Same reason I don't blink at dropping several times the cash on tools or items I'll use often to full potential yet balk at spending half that on something less important/critical or rarely used where a certain level of good enough fits 100% of my needs. Regardless of whether I have the money to spare it just seems smart resource management to me not p***ing it up the wall on what is overkill (for MY needs, not everyone) when I can spend it on something I'd appreciate more and use fully.


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## Greywind (Nov 6, 2021)

So glad that Viltrox joining the pack for RF. They also have a 35mm 1.8 on Z mount and I'm very fond of that.


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## jd7 (Nov 7, 2021)

puffo25 said:


> Hi all, I do not want to sound arrogant but to me when you buy a 4000 euro/$ R5 or 2200 euro/$ R6 or even an R3, why you would buy a lens like that? No offense please but I think that at the end, what makes a great picture beside a good sensor and overall camera is of course a good photographer AND a great lens! The lens is often the key and for such a low price I doubt that lenses like that could compete so well against a Canon RF or a Sigma Art or Laowa Zero...


This has already been answered by others, so I am really just reiterating what others have said, but ...

1. Higher price does not necessarily mean better product. I think it's fair to say that you often get what you pay for, but it's not guaranteed.
2. What is a better lens depends a lot on exactly what you want to use it for and the circumstances in which you shoot, and there are lots of factors which are relevant, eg different aspects of IQ (sharpness, bokeh, coma, etc), weight, size, AF speed, etc. All gear, even "the best", involves a set of comprises which may or may not suit your use case.
3. A significant part of what you pay for with an L lens is generally build quality. That generally means larger, heavier and more expensive. Having excellent build quality isn't equally important to everyone. It is just one of the factors which goes into deciding what lens suits your particular use case.
4. Even if you can say one lens is better than another in some sense, that just begs the questions how much better and is it worth it for your use case? Will anyone actually notice the difference in your photographs? In particular, will anyone notice the difference given the way you plan to display it (social media, large prints, whatever)? If it will it let you shoot in circumstances you couldn't otherwise shoot in, will you actually start shooting in those circumstances?

Personally, if I had an R5 (or R3 or any other RF mount camera) and I was buying an RF mount 85mm, I would almost certainly get the Samyang 85 f/1.4, although I would also take a look at this Viltrox. The Canon RF 85L lenses may be fantastic lenses optically, but I don't want a 1kg 85mm prime, let alone at the price they go for. It just doesn't suit my use case so I wouldn't use it often. And I have not seen anything which has impressed me about the RF 85 f/2 IS. It's sharp enough, sure, but the overall IQ, relatively slow maximum aperture, apparently slow AF, and the fact it is not even particularly small or light given it is f/2, mean it doesn't appeal to me. In fact, I would rather an adapated EF 85 f/1.8 in preference to the RF 85 f/2. YMMV.

So, choose the lens which best suits you and your use case, not just the most expensive one or the one which the internet tells you is "best".


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## ReflexVE (Nov 7, 2021)

Gotta say as a Fuji user who had this lens it was fantastic even without price factored in. Fast AF, great colors, very sharp at the parts that matter for a portrait lens (more of the frame since I'm using a crop camera). Easy recommend at their price, and just for people who want to use the focal length without splashing out for Canon or Sigma glass. I let mine go but only because I found a XF90mmF2 used for just slightly more and was able to recoup what I'd spent. But honestly the differences were marginal and I think I preferred the AF on the Viltrox.


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## unfocused (Nov 7, 2021)

puffo25 said:


> Hi all, I do not want to sound arrogant but to me when you buy a 4000 euro/$ R5 or 2200 euro/$ R6 or even an R3, why you would buy a lens like that? No offense please but I think that at the end, what makes a great picture beside a good sensor and overall camera is of course a good photographer AND a great lens! The lens is often the key and for such a low price I doubt that lenses like that could compete so well against a Canon RF or a Sigma Art or Laowa Zero...


I agree for lenses that you use every day. But, if you want to experiment with a new focal length or know you won't use it very often, a lower cost option might be worthwhile, provided it performs well optically.


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## koenkooi (Nov 8, 2021)

puffo25 said:


> Hi all, I do not want to sound arrogant but to me when you buy a 4000 euro/$ R5 or 2200 euro/$ R6 or even an R3, why you would buy a lens like that?[..]


I can think of a few reasons:

You bought the lens before being able to afford on R5/R6
You could just afford an R5/R6 and want a lens without having to save up for it
For me, not making any money with photography, buying non-cheap lenses after getting the R5+100-500 coincides with pay raises, referral bonuses and surprise tax returns


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## Kane Clements (Nov 8, 2021)

fasterquieter said:


> Don't wish to sound ungrateful, but I'd rather 3rd parties tried to fill some of the gaps in Canon's RF lineup first. We already have 2 Canons and a Samyang at 85mm.
> 
> If this thing is $300, I'll take that back.


I moved to Fuji, but still keep an eye on the Canon world. I rather like the kit, though not the prices. I'd be surprised if this cost more than $400 US. Plenty of reviews of other platform versions. I have a couple of their lenses the 23mm f1.4 and 56mm f1.4 and for the price they are great. I got the 56 as an impulse purchase at 33% off. 

It is a case sometimes of cutting one's cloth. I'm an enthusiast not a pro so getting good value kit and learning how to make it work for me is part of the deal.


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## navastronia (Nov 9, 2021)

As someone whose Samyang RF 85/1.4 freaked out and stopped working on a job last week, I don't know if I'd be comfortable with that lens as my only 85mm option on even a $500 gig, not to mention thousands of dollars worth.


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## Kane Clements (Nov 9, 2021)

navastronia said:


> As someone whose Samyang RF 85/1.4 freaked out and stopped working on a job last week, I don't know if I'd be comfortable with that lens as my only 85mm option on even a $500 gig, not to mention thousands of dollars worth.


Quite understand. I'm an enthusiast not a pro so my priorities are a bit different. It would be interesting to get some stats on Viltrox reliability.


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## ReflexVE (Nov 9, 2021)

Kane Clements said:


> I moved to Fuji, but still keep an eye on the Canon world. I rather like the kit, though not the prices. I'd be surprised if this cost more than $400 US. Plenty of reviews of other platform versions. I have a couple of their lenses the 23mm f1.4 and 56mm f1.4 and for the price they are great. I got the 56 as an impulse purchase at 33% off.
> 
> It is a case sometimes of cutting one's cloth. I'm an enthusiast not a pro so getting good value kit and learning how to make it work for me is part of the deal.


Literally my journey. Loved my M50 but didn't see an upgrade path that preserved the small/light/reasonably priced/advanced features priorities I had, so ended up with an X-S10. Still like Canon and who knows, maybe they'll value that market again someday.


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## dsut4392 (Nov 11, 2021)

navastronia said:


> As someone whose Samyang RF 85/1.4 freaked out and stopped working on a job last week, I don't know if I'd be comfortable with that lens as my only 85mm option on even a $500 gig, not to mention thousands of dollars worth.


 You could always buy two of the Samyang, still cheaper and lighter than carrying one of the RF 85/1.2


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## SteveC (Nov 11, 2021)

dsut4392 said:


> You could always buy two of the Samyang, still cheaper and lighter than carrying one of the RF 85/1.2



And if they BOTH crap out, you can entertain the customer by juggling them.


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## Ozarker (Nov 13, 2021)

puffo25 said:


> Hi all, I do not want to sound arrogant but to me when you buy a 4000 euro/$ R5 or 2200 euro/$ R6 or even an R3, why you would buy a lens like that? No offense please but I think that at the end, what makes a great picture beside a good sensor and overall camera is of course a good photographer AND a great lens! The lens is often the key and for such a low price I doubt that lenses like that could compete so well against a Canon RF or a Sigma Art or Laowa Zero...


But is it the lens that competes, or the photographers that compete?

I am sure there are people out there who just love manual lenses. They still want the best camera they can afford.


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## jeffa4444 (Nov 17, 2021)

The Canon EF 85mm F1.4L IS USM with the adaptor takes brilliant portraits etc on the R5 & R6 and It won’t pack up on you like the Samyang. I will wait patiently until the RF 85 F1.4L IS USM comes out knowing I’ve already got a near impossible lens to beat by third parties.


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## Kiton (Nov 21, 2021)

Wake the %$#@ Canon and Sigma!

Not every lens has to be 1.2 or .95 etc etc 

1.8 or 2 is a very beautiful thing, now lets make some please!!


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## HenryL (Nov 21, 2021)

Kiton said:


> Wake the %$#@ Canon and Sigma!
> 
> Not every lens has to be 1.2 or .95 etc etc
> 
> 1.8 or 2 is a very beautiful thing, now lets make some please!!


Ask and you shall receive - _*Canon has you covered. *_


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## Kiton (Nov 22, 2021)

HenryL said:


> Ask and you shall receive - _*Canon has you covered. *_



I have that lens, since day 1 of its launch locally. 

Good lens.
But it is not a great street lens at all. 
The focus is slow, as is always the case with Macros glass, but this lens is useless for video. I have shot interviews with it when it is on a tripod and the focus shifts very little, it was fine. Video at a parade or protest in the street.....scrap.

I shot a portrait with the RF 85 2 today.
A male employee of a client and I want the very sharp details of his face and beard.
Then I shot a young female and I removed the RF 85 and used the EF 85 1.8. Much more pleasing skin tones with its slight softer feel at 2.8.
I will keep the RF 85 f2 until a better street lens comes, and then it will be gone over night!

I will always keep the EF 85 1.8 for portraits!


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## SteveC (Nov 23, 2021)

Kiton said:


> I will always keep the EF 85 1.8 for portraits!


My favorite non-macro prime. (I don't use primes all that much except for coin photography.)


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## wockawocka (Nov 23, 2021)

puffo25 said:


> Hi all, I do not want to sound arrogant but to me when you buy a 4000 euro/$ R5 or 2200 euro/$ R6 or even an R3, why you would buy a lens like that? No offense please but I think that at the end, what makes a great picture beside a good sensor and overall camera is of course a good photographer AND a great lens! The lens is often the key and for such a low price I doubt that lenses like that could compete so well against a Canon RF or a Sigma Art or Laowa Zero...


Currently there's no fast focusing native mid range 85mm for the RF mount.

There's the slower, heavy focusing RF 1.2L
There's the almost 30 year old 1.8 EF USM
There's the RF F2 which has crappy slow STM
There's the EF 1.4 which is inbetween everything

But a fast focusing, native, modern and lightweight RF mount 85? Unlikely to be coming from Canon for years now that the STM version is out. Canon dropped the ball in using STM focusing. It should have been USM all through.


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## Ozarker (Nov 23, 2021)

wockawocka said:


> Currently there's no fast focusing native mid range 85mm for the RF mount.
> 
> There's the slower, heavy focusing RF 1.2L
> There's the almost 30 year old 1.8 EF USM
> ...


I never noticed that the RF 85mm f/1.2L focused slowly when I had it. Granted, I'm a portrait shooter.


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