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Will new 600 and 800mm lenses autofocus on R/RP?

Started Jul 9, 2020 | Discussions
bodeswell Senior Member • Posts: 1,378
Will new 600 and 800mm lenses autofocus on R/RP?

I noticed that Rudy Winston made a point of saying that the new f/11 lenses will autofocus on the R5 and R6. That immediately suggested to me that they may not autofocus with, say, the R. This could have something to do with the new Digic processor. If so, kind of a drag.

I was more interested in the new lenses than either new camera. If I decide to splurge it will probably be more in the direction of the 100-500L than the R5, at least this year.

 bodeswell's gear list:bodeswell's gear list
Canon EOS R Canon EOS R5 Canon EOS R7 Canon EF 135mm F2L USM Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM +4 more
Canon EOS R Canon EOS RP
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quiquae Senior Member • Posts: 2,265
Re: Will new 600 and 800mm lenses autofocus on R/RP?
4

bodeswell wrote:

I noticed that Rudy Winston made a point of saying that the new f/11 lenses will autofocus on the R5 and R6. That immediately suggested to me that they may not autofocus with, say, the R. This could have something to do with the new Digic processor. If so, kind of a drag.

I was more interested in the new lenses than either new camera. If I decide to splurge it will probably be more in the direction of the 100-500L than the R5, at least this year.

It would be very weird if they don't work on EOS R, for two reasons. One, people have already reported that F11 and even F13 lenses (F5.6 or F6.3 with 2x teleconverters) work fine on EOS R. Two, Canon has never made an EF lens that doesn't autofocus on earlier EF cameras; it'd be awfully odd for this normally conservative company to start recklessly throwing users off the bus now, at a time when they need to keep all the RF users they can.

 quiquae's gear list:quiquae's gear list
Canon EOS R5 Canon EF 100mm F2.8L Macro IS USM Canon EF 70-200mm F4L IS USM Canon EF 16-35mm F4L IS USM Canon EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS II +6 more
OP bodeswell Senior Member • Posts: 1,378
Re: Will new 600 and 800mm lenses autofocus on R/RP?
1

quiquae wrote:

bodeswell wrote:

I noticed that Rudy Winston made a point of saying that the new f/11 lenses will autofocus on the R5 and R6. That immediately suggested to me that they may not autofocus with, say, the R. This could have something to do with the new Digic processor. If so, kind of a drag.

I was more interested in the new lenses than either new camera. If I decide to splurge it will probably be more in the direction of the 100-500L than the R5, at least this year.

It would be very weird if they don't work on EOS R, for two reasons. One, people have already reported that F11 and even F13 lenses (F5.6 or F6.3 with 2x teleconverters) work fine on EOS R. Two, Canon has never made an EF lens that doesn't autofocus on earlier EF cameras; it'd be awfully odd for this normally conservative company to start recklessly throwing users off the bus now, at a time when they need to keep all the RF users they can.

Sounds plausible. I really hope you are right!

 bodeswell's gear list:bodeswell's gear list
Canon EOS R Canon EOS R5 Canon EOS R7 Canon EF 135mm F2L USM Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM +4 more
Engelszunge Forum Member • Posts: 50
Re: Will new 600 and 800mm lenses autofocus on R/RP?
1

There is no way they won't work. Would be extremely dumb to do that. The R and RP will continue to sell well into 2021 and alot of people have em. You want to sell those lenses to them too.

Jon555 Veteran Member • Posts: 7,714
Yes and no

They will definitely AF as-is, f/11 is fine for all DPAF,  but I doubt you'll be able to add the extenders, especially the 2x, and have AF work (other than with a R5 or R6 that is).

 Jon555's gear list:Jon555's gear list
Nikon Coolpix 950 Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W3 Sony RX100 V Canon EOS 5DS R Panasonic GH5 +31 more
Zeee Forum Pro • Posts: 25,627
Re: Will new 600 and 800mm lenses autofocus on R/RP?

My R will AF with my 100-400 II and 2X TC.

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I feel even more confident that soon things will have a wonderful conclusion

 Zeee's gear list:Zeee's gear list
Canon EOS R7 Canon EOS R6 Mark II Canon RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1L IS USM +1 more
quiquae Senior Member • Posts: 2,265
Re: Yes and no

Jon555 wrote:

They will definitely AF as-is, f/11 is fine for all DPAF, but I doubt you'll be able to add the extenders, especially the 2x, and have AF work (other than with a R5 or R6 that is).

Actually, I think you're wrong about that. Canon's official product pages for the extenders are now up, and they don't say anything about the extenders not working on R or RP.

 quiquae's gear list:quiquae's gear list
Canon EOS R5 Canon EF 100mm F2.8L Macro IS USM Canon EF 70-200mm F4L IS USM Canon EF 16-35mm F4L IS USM Canon EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS II +6 more
subtraho
subtraho Forum Member • Posts: 99
Re: Will new 600 and 800mm lenses autofocus on R/RP?

bodeswell wrote:

I noticed that Rudy Winston made a point of saying that the new f/11 lenses will autofocus on the R5 and R6. That immediately suggested to me that they may not autofocus with, say, the R. This could have something to do with the new Digic processor. If so, kind of a drag.

I was more interested in the new lenses than either new camera. If I decide to splurge it will probably be more in the direction of the 100-500L than the R5, at least this year.

They said the bare lenses would AF on any R system camera, but you'd need an R5/6 to use the 1.4x or 2x extenders.

 subtraho's gear list:subtraho's gear list
Canon EOS R5 Canon EF 100mm F2.8L Macro IS USM Canon EF 500mm f/4.0L IS II USM Canon RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1L IS USM +7 more
BirdShooter7 Veteran Member • Posts: 9,127
Re: Will new 600 and 800mm lenses autofocus on R/RP?

I’d be shocked if they didn’t AF on the R and RP.

Did I hear in the video that they have a fixed f/11 aperture? Like you can’t change the aperture??

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BirdShooter7 Veteran Member • Posts: 9,127
Re: Will new 600 and 800mm lenses autofocus on R/RP?

Exactly, I’d imagine that the RP buyers are the main target audience for those lenses so it would be crazy if they didn’t AF on that body.

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Some of my bird photos can be viewed here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gregsbirds/

quiquae Senior Member • Posts: 2,265
Re: Will new 600 and 800mm lenses autofocus on R/RP?

BirdShooter7 wrote:

I’d be shocked if they didn’t AF on the R and RP.

Did I hear in the video that they have a fixed f/11 aperture? Like you can’t change the aperture??

Canon's official product page is very blunt about the aperture being fixed at F11.

It is a surprising choice, but then again, weren't you upset about the fact that F11 was too slow? If that's the case, lacking the ability to stop down even further than that shouldn't be a concern in actual use.

 quiquae's gear list:quiquae's gear list
Canon EOS R5 Canon EF 100mm F2.8L Macro IS USM Canon EF 70-200mm F4L IS USM Canon EF 16-35mm F4L IS USM Canon EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS II +6 more
BirdShooter7 Veteran Member • Posts: 9,127
Re: Will new 600 and 800mm lenses autofocus on R/RP?

quiquae wrote:

BirdShooter7 wrote:

I’d be shocked if they didn’t AF on the R and RP.

Did I hear in the video that they have a fixed f/11 aperture? Like you can’t change the aperture??

Canon's official product page is very blunt about the aperture being fixed at F11.

It is a surprising choice, but then again, weren't you upset about the fact that F11 was too slow? If that's the case, lacking the ability to stop down even further than that shouldn't be a concern in actual use.

Upset is not an appropriate description though sorry if I made you upset.  Actually it makes sense that it is a fixed aperture because who would want to stop down more than that?  Also these lenses are all about being cheap, an adjustable aperture is definitely a reasonable way to cut costs in a product like this, as is the plastic body.

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Some of my bird photos can be viewed here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gregsbirds/

rrc1967 Senior Member • Posts: 1,984
Re: Will new 600 and 800mm lenses autofocus on R/RP?

bodeswell wrote:

I noticed that Rudy Winston made a point of saying that the new f/11 lenses will autofocus on the R5 and R6. That immediately suggested to me that they may not autofocus with, say, the R. This could have something to do with the new Digic processor. If so, kind of a drag.

I was more interested in the new lenses than either new camera. If I decide to splurge it will probably be more in the direction of the 100-500L than the R5, at least this year.

if I recall both AF past F11.

subtraho
subtraho Forum Member • Posts: 99
Re: Will new 600 and 800mm lenses autofocus on R/RP?

Yeah, these are sounding more and more like fancy spotting scopes with RF mounts, AF, and IS. Still intriguing based in portability and weight, though.

 subtraho's gear list:subtraho's gear list
Canon EOS R5 Canon EF 100mm F2.8L Macro IS USM Canon EF 500mm f/4.0L IS II USM Canon RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1L IS USM +7 more
BirdShooter7 Veteran Member • Posts: 9,127
Re: Will new 600 and 800mm lenses autofocus on R/RP?

Yes I finally found the official announcement and they have a reduced AF area on the R5 & R6 and aren’t weather sealed.  I guess you wouldn’t expect them to be at that price.

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John Sheehy Forum Pro • Posts: 26,688
Re: Yes and no
1

quiquae wrote:

Jon555 wrote:

They will definitely AF as-is, f/11 is fine for all DPAF, but I doubt you'll be able to add the extenders, especially the 2x, and have AF work (other than with a R5 or R6 that is).

Actually, I think you're wrong about that. Canon's official product pages for the extenders are now up, and they don't say anything about the extenders not working on R or RP.

It's not about the TC itself where there may be an issue; it is about the resulting open f-number. Canon says f/22 works on the R5 and R6, meaning that AF is reasonably fast and reliable by some standard. It is possible that the same f/22 will be more difficult for the R and RP, with more hunting in low light and low contrast.

quiquae Senior Member • Posts: 2,265
Re: Will new 600 and 800mm lenses autofocus on R/RP?

bodeswell wrote:

quiquae wrote:

bodeswell wrote:

I noticed that Rudy Winston made a point of saying that the new f/11 lenses will autofocus on the R5 and R6. That immediately suggested to me that they may not autofocus with, say, the R. This could have something to do with the new Digic processor. If so, kind of a drag.

I was more interested in the new lenses than either new camera. If I decide to splurge it will probably be more in the direction of the 100-500L than the R5, at least this year.

It would be very weird if they don't work on EOS R, for two reasons. One, people have already reported that F11 and even F13 lenses (F5.6 or F6.3 with 2x teleconverters) work fine on EOS R. Two, Canon has never made an EF lens that doesn't autofocus on earlier EF cameras; it'd be awfully odd for this normally conservative company to start recklessly throwing users off the bus now, at a time when they need to keep all the RF users they can.

Sounds plausible. I really hope you are right!

Another data point: the sample images on Canon's web site (in Japan anyway) were shot with EOS R, not R5 or R6. I doubt they'd have done that on a camera with only manual focus!

 quiquae's gear list:quiquae's gear list
Canon EOS R5 Canon EF 100mm F2.8L Macro IS USM Canon EF 70-200mm F4L IS USM Canon EF 16-35mm F4L IS USM Canon EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS II +6 more
quiquae Senior Member • Posts: 2,265
Re: Yes and no

John Sheehy wrote:

quiquae wrote:

Jon555 wrote:

They will definitely AF as-is, f/11 is fine for all DPAF, but I doubt you'll be able to add the extenders, especially the 2x, and have AF work (other than with a R5 or R6 that is).

Actually, I think you're wrong about that. Canon's official product pages for the extenders are now up, and they don't say anything about the extenders not working on R or RP.

It's not about the TC itself where there may be an issue; it is about the resulting open f-number. Canon says f/22 works on the R5 and R6, meaning that AF is reasonably fast and reliable by some standard. It is possible that the same f/22 will be more difficult for the R and RP, with more hunting in low light and low contrast.

EOS R actually has exactly the same low-light focusing spec (EV -6 @ F1.2) as R5, and only half a stop behind R6 (EV -6.5), which suggests that it shouldn't lag much the newer bodies in low-aperture focusing, if at all. But we'll see.

 quiquae's gear list:quiquae's gear list
Canon EOS R5 Canon EF 100mm F2.8L Macro IS USM Canon EF 70-200mm F4L IS USM Canon EF 16-35mm F4L IS USM Canon EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS II +6 more
John Sheehy Forum Pro • Posts: 26,688
Re: Will new 600 and 800mm lenses autofocus on R/RP?

BirdShooter7 wrote:

I’d be shocked if they didn’t AF on the R and RP.

Did I hear in the video that they have a fixed f/11 aperture? Like you can’t change the aperture??

That would be odd, because there should be nothing about a lens designed to be used wide open that would start to perform worse stopped down, other than the expected effects of a smaller aperture.

The only exception that I could think of would be if the lens design was such that the the outer light bundles had less aberration than the central bundles, but I don't know if there are many designs like that. That would be true, of course, if you had a chip dead center in the front element; the more you stopped down, the higher the percentage of recorded light there will be that passes through the chip and went off-course.

Helen
Helen Veteran Member • Posts: 7,606
Re: Will new 600 and 800mm lenses autofocus on R/RP?

John Sheehy wrote:

BirdShooter7 wrote:

I’d be shocked if they didn’t AF on the R and RP.

Did I hear in the video that they have a fixed f/11 aperture? Like you can’t change the aperture??

That would be odd, because there should be nothing about a lens designed to be used wide open that would start to perform worse stopped down, other than the expected effects of a smaller aperture.

The only exception that I could think of would be if the lens design was such that the the outer light bundles had less aberration than the central bundles, but I don't know if there are many designs like that. That would be true, of course, if you had a chip dead center in the front element; the more you stopped down, the higher the percentage of recorded light there will be that passes through the chip and went off-course.

They definitely are fixed aperture, f11 only, no aperture control. I hadn't expected that and noticed it straight away, and confirmed it on my country's Canon website.

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