Any hope the aperture ring in VCM lenses will work with pre2025 bodies?

Hi there,

I have a a Canon R6 and I cannot understand how they decided that the aperture ring of new VCM lenses will not work in older R bodies.

My understanding is that there is not a really hardware limitation in old bodies as the ring is a simply a controller that passes a signal to the camera, so a firmware update should do the trick.

Is just a greedy attitude by Canon to push us for acquiring newer bodies? That is what I would expect from other companies (Sony?) but not not Canon… I thought Canon was a closed system but a system you can trusts… or I’m wrong? Does anybody know if there has been an official communication about it?

ps: I would reeeeeally like to get the new RF 50 1.4 but paying €1500K for a a product that lacks a main function when coupled with my non-so-old camera seems to me like a no-no. I use an adapted Sigma 50 art but I really wish to have a lighter and brand-name option…

thanks

I don't know the answer to your question, but I have the 50 and the 24, and use them on my R5II and R6II. The R5II allows the use of the aperture ring in stills mode, but the R6II doesn't. I never use the aperture ring on my R5II. There are plenty of other ways to control the aperture, and we've been using them for many years now. The 50 F1.4 is an awesome lens. Don't be held back by a minor piece of functionality, that you would never have missed, if it hadn't been there in the first place. If Canon had released the VCM lenses without dedicated aperture rings, they would still have been awesome lenses that are a joy to use, and no-one would have complained.

The aperture ring is really designed for video use. I’ve tried using it for stills with my R5ii and it just doesn’t feel right without click stops.

And the ring should work fine for video on older bodies.

Technically, it is hardware related. The VCM lenses can adjust aperture as fine as 1/32th of a stop on my R5ii.

What is the use of such fine adjustment? I find it possible to slightly adjust aperture when shooting panorama with no contouring effect

This also helps a bit when shooting at the extreme dynamic range of the camera, say you want a slightly brighter picture but even a 1/3 stop increase is risking clipping the image -you can add 1/4 stop instead

Older cameras already can do such fine adjustment when shooting video (so that you do a smooth fade in and fade out) but shooting still is actually a more complicated operation - when shooting video aperture size just need to follow the ring position - when shooting still image aperture operates differently depending on the shooting mode .

Under exposure simulation mode aperture follows the dial position most of the time but will change to max aperture momentarily during focusing.

If exposure simulation mode was off the aperture is wide open for better focusing performance most of the time and needs to quickly change to the ring indicated size when the shutter is pressed and then open wide again afterward.

Can this be done using old hardware - only if the hardware can work fast enough and as precise - which I am not sure

Using the aperture rings of the 6 RF lenses that have them alongside any of the 46 RF and RF-S lenses that don't (so you have to use the cameras body aperture control or dedicate the control ring to aperture) is going to be a recipe for missed or mucked up photos. It's a specialist video control, but a distraction as far as stills photography is concerned.

Sittatunga said:

Using the aperture rings of the 6 RF lenses that have them alongside any of the 46 RF and RF-S lenses that don't (so you have to use the cameras body aperture control or dedicate the control ring to aperture) is going to be a recipe for missed or mucked up photos. It's a specialist video control, but a distraction as far as stills photography is concerned.

Click to expand...

I have to to disagree. In the additional to fine aperture adjustment possible I mentioned previously. I can change aperture a lot faster using the aperture ring than using a dial or programmable ring while keeping index finger on the shutter button all the time.

Yes, it is faster than the programmable ring - which need to use more force and turns nearly 180 degrees to change from f1.4 to f16. Aperture ring only needs to turn 90 degrees using less force and creates less shake while turning.

That means I can take a shot at the aperture I want faster using such lens.

I only own two RF lenses with aperture ring plus half a dozen others that don't and have no problem switching lenses during a shooting - they are physically very different in size and weight and shape with or without this ring I need to get familarize with.