Images of the Canon RF85mm f/1.2 L USM have leaked out, suggesting its announcement is imminent.
Canon had already confirmed earlier this year that it was working on the lens, and that it would be made official at some point during 2019 along with five others. It also had a mockup on show at The Photography Show in Birmingham, UK in March.
The lens is set to be compatible with the two bodies in the EOS R series, namely the EOS R, which was announced at the launch of the series and the more affordable EOS RP, which arrived earlier this year.
The company had already released one image of the optic when its development was announced, although this is the first time we're seeing it from a different angle and with its lens hood.
The two new images, which were leaked by Japanese photography rumors website Nokishita, show two switches on the barrel.
The first is the expected AF/MF switch, which allows for focus to be switched between autofocus and manual focus. The other is a focus-limit switch that gives the user the option to limit focusing to a range between 1.5m and infinity. By restricting this range, the user should be able to focus more speedily on more distant subjects.
The other image shows that the lens will be compatible with a deep, round lens hood, which will presumably come with the lens as standard. This should help the user better control stray light to minimize flare and keep contrast high.
Control ring included
The images also show that the lens has been designed with a manual focusing ring in the middle of the barrel and a control ring right at the front. This latter ring, which is included on existing RF-series lenses such as the RF35mm f/1.8 IS STM, currently allows for aperture, shutter speed, exposure compensation and ISO to be adjusted, although it can be disabled if desired.
As Canon had previously confirmed, the lens will be joined by an RF85mm f/1.2 L USM DS sibling, which has a similar optical makeup but an additional Defocus Smoothing feature. This is said to offer "a distinct soft bokeh rendering with smoother edges made possible through the use of proprietary deposition technology".
Four other lenses, namely the RF24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM, RF15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM, RF70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM and RF24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM, are set to arrive this year, bringing the RF lens range up to 10.
Rumor sites suggest an announcement for the new lens is expected on May 9 – we'll have full details as soon as anything is made official.
