New Autofocus RF mount tilt-shift lenses expected after next round of camera announcements

By 154 Comments

New RF mount Tilt-Shift lenses have been rumored for quite some time, and one of the big features coming is that they will be the first tilt-shift lenses that we know of to have autofocus.

We have seen a series of patents for these lenses, and in the last six months or so, they have become far more detailed in how they are going to work.

We do believe they will require the next generation cameras from Canon to utilise their entire feature set. They will obviously still mount to any RF mount camera, but we don't know what features may not work on current and older cameras.

We do not currently know any further details in regards to focal length or speed, but we do believe we'll hear something official about them by the end of 2024.

A few detailed Canon RF Mount AF Tilt-Shift Lens Patents

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154 comments

  1. I would consider a tilt-shift lens around a 24 mm focal length although I am not sure how often I would use it. Definitely, not a go to lens so might eventually pass on it. Just FYI I have never owned a tilt-shift lens.
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  2. I’m sure that they will be ground breaking new tech, breathtaking sharp, hip busting expensive, go into shortage soon after preorders start and disappointing rf50/1.4 expectations again
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  3. I wonder if the autofocus will work on pre-2024 bodies? Either way, I don’t see any benefit of AF in a TS lens for me. I have the 17 and 24, and use is always slow-paced. I think I’ve shot handheld (shift only) with the TS-E 24 just once.

    I’ll wait to see what’s offered. My personal hope is for the movements to be encoded. I’d be interested in a 14mm TS.
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  4. Sounds too good to be true!
    I use my shift lens (24mm) exclusively handheld. Auto-tilt welcome, AF could have been dispensed with. Yet, pro users might have a different justified opinion.
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  5. I would consider a tilt-shift lens around a 24 mm focal length although I am not sure how often I would use it. Definitely, not a go to lens so might eventually pass on it. Just FYI I have never owned a tilt-shift lens.
    Depends, I use mine every time I visit a city. It happens I just hate distorted buildings. With a bit of practice, the TS lenses, except extreme WA like 17mm, can very easily be used handheld. The future 14mm TSE will be a different story, tripod warmly recommended...
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  6. Depends, I use mine every time I visit a city. It happens I just hate distorted buildings. With a bit of practice, the TS lenses, except extreme WA like 17mm, can very easily be used handheld. The future 14mm TSE will be a different story, tripod warmly recommended...
    Understood, I do not do architectural photography. If I did a TS lens would be a go to lens. I am more of a wildlife and landscape person.
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  7. Understood, I do not do architectural photography. If I did a TS lens would be a go to lens. I am more of a wildlife and landscape person.
    I see, when in Italy or France, mountains, flowers or animals are my main subjects. On the other hand, if you are close to cities like Verona or Bourg en Bresse, it would be a sin not to pay them a visit, with a TSE...:)
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  8. I wonder if the autofocus will work on pre-2024 bodies? Either way, I don’t see any benefit of AF in a TS lens for me. I have the 17 and 24, and use is always slow-paced. I think I’ve shot handheld (shift only) with the TS-E 24 just once.

    I’ll wait to see what’s offered. My personal hope is for the movements to be encoded. I’d be interested in a 14mm TS.
    One of the primary reasons for your slow-paced use of the 17 and 24 TS-E’s is precisely because they don’t have autofocus.

    If the promise of the patents is delivered on, then auto-tilting and focusing of these lenses based on a user defined focal plane (as specified by three selected points in the FoV) will completely revolutionize this area of photography.

    Not to mention speed up the taking of images utilizing tilt-shift lenses by orders of magnitude.
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  9. One of the primary reasons for your slow-paced use of the 17 and 24 TS-E’s is precisely because they don’t have autofocus.
    I'll go out on a limb and suggest that I know more about my shooting style than you. Manual focus is fast, especially with the focus aids of current cameras. Application of shift (which I use far more than tilt or the combination) is also fast. Years ago the advent of live view obviated the extra time for proper metering with lens movements. My slow pace is principally for careful framing including leveling the ballhead and because the shutter speeds are slow. The difference between a near-instant autofocus and less than a second for a careful manual focus is essentially irrelevant when shooting at blue hour with exposures of 10-30s or longer. But thanks for your precise explanation of how I take pictures.
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  10. Tilt shift and AI. If there were the correct motors in the lens and appropriate firmware in the camera then the combination could be a \"push button\" to correct verticals & horizontals to the extent allowed.

    Another application with motors in the lens would be push-button landscape stitching in the camera with raw files being the result.
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  11. Hmm, someone\'s web software doesn\'t handle escaping of double quotes in comments very well... Or single for that matter. The "comment" action for the web story seems to be unnecessarily adding backslashes?
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  12. I think I’ve shot handheld (shift only) with the TS-E 24 just once.
    I have to use my 24mm more than I'd wish handheld, since there are places here where if you carry a tripod it's worse than being a terrorist, and if you try to deploy it you get surrounded by guards while old ladies and young people are placidly robbed nearby. The idea you might sell a photo of some preciouuussss property with paying the required fee drives them mad.

    That said, it's never a photo I need to take quickly - but other may have other needs. Anyway, if it can be made easier, why not? Still I won't run after those lenses.
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  13. None of these \'features\' is any use to me. I make my living as an architectural photographer and use the 24 TS-E 90% and the 17 only about 5% of the time in a typical shoot. Always on a tripod. Buildings don\'t move much, and I want the focus to be locked in at one chosen spot. Probably going to be sharper, might be more compact. Lord knows they\'ll cost a lot.
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  14. Sounds too good to be true!
    I use my shift lens (24mm) exclusively handheld. Auto-tilt welcome, AF could have been dispensed with. Yet, pro users might have a different justified opinion.
    I'm going to guess right now a good use of AF on these lenses is more hypothetical and marketing.

    We know some people think "manual focus is too hard" as I remember one of the main complaints about no Sigma or Tamron on RF regarded AF. So, that leads me to believe more people would be interested in tilt/shift with AF.

    One of the patents seemed to be about calculations for the tilt and autofocus. I can imagine where if the photographer needed two moving subjects in focus it could produce some impressive images but we don't know for sure if these lenses will go with that.

    I haven't thought of any reason it should be important for architecture or landscape.
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  16. I wonder if the autofocus will work on pre-2024 bodies? Either way, I don’t see any benefit of AF in a TS lens for me. I have the 17 and 24, and use is always slow-paced. I think I’ve shot handheld (shift only) with the TS-E 24 just once.

    I’ll wait to see what’s offered. My personal hope is for the movements to be encoded. I’d be interested in a 14mm TS.

    Your post is pretty much exactly what I would say as well. The whole process of using a tilt shift lens, especially the tilting function - not just the final focusing - is, or at least should be, a studied and deliberate matter, and that final focusing action is the least time consuming part of it, although it can require knowledge of the optical principles that apply. Dumbing the process down to make it “automatically” accessible to people who don’t understand how it works will be of little benefit to most users.
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  17. Your post is pretty much exactly what I would say as well. The whole process of using a tilt shift lens, especially the tilting function - not just the final focusing - is, or at least should be, a studied and deliberate matter, and that final focusing action is the least time consuming part of it, although it can require knowledge of the optical principles that apply. Dumbing the process down to make it “automatically” accessible to people who don’t understand how it works will be of little benefit to most users.
    Similar sentiments were expressed for auto exposure and autofocus as well in the past, so I’ll reserve judgment till I’ve used such a feature myself :)
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  18. I have to use my 24mm more than I'd wish handheld, since there are places here where if you carry a tripod it's worse than being a terrorist, and if you try to deploy it you get surrounded by guards while old ladies and young people are placidly robbed nearby. The idea you might sell a photo of some preciouuussss property with paying the required fee drives them mad.

    That said, it's never a photo I need to take quickly - but other may have other needs. Anyway, if it can be made easier, why not? Still I won't run after those lenses.
    I don't think it's so much that we would sell it because at least some museums with the tripod rule will say you can bring an easel. As I understand copyright law, you can sell a drawing or painting of another's artwork provided there is some acknowledgement, but even publicly sharing a photo for free can be a problem.

    They want people to come to museums and buy their books. It is important to support them, especially some places don't provide much or maybe any tax money for museums.
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  19. Similar sentiments were expressed for auto exposure and autofocus as well in the past, so I’ll reserve judgment till I’ve use such a feature myself :)
    I agree with you. It's easy to say "I don't need it," but if others decide they need it, it could create something to separate our mirrorless interchange lens camera photography from smartphone photography. I'm looking forward to seeing what images can be made, whether or not i decide it's something for me.
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