Canon's next lens for the EOS R is… the Canon RF 85mm Macro
The Canon RF 85mm f/2L IS USM is being field tested ahead of an announcement this year, according to report
UPDATE: A new report has revealed all six lenses that Canon promised it will release in 2020, including this new macro lens. However, the report details the optic as an 85mm f/2 rather than a 100mm f/2.
Read the full list of the six new Canon RF lenses, along with how they fit into the current lineup of optics for the Canon EOS R system.
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ORIGINAL STORY 02 JUNE: The Canon RF 100mm f/2.0L IS USM is the next lens due from the manufacturer for the EOS R system, according to the latest report.
The RF mount ecosystem has been rapidly and comprehensively matured since it launched in October 2018, but a dedicated macro lens for has been conspicuous by its absence. The addition of the Canon RF 100mm f/2.0L IS USM will fill one of the few remaining gaps in the yellow brick Canon RF lens roadmap.
"I have been told by an anonymous source that a Canon RF 100mm f/2L IS USM Macro lens is in the hands of select photographers with an announcement coming this year," wrote the sleuths at Canon Rumors.
"No further details about the lens have been given. It’s pretty obvious we’re going to get a native macro lens for the RF mount, and an f/2 lens would be a great addition to the RF lineup."
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The Canon EOS R currently has a 'light' native macro lens, the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro STM, which has a 1:2 reproduction ratio. And we've just reviewed the new Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO, which features a huge 2:1 ratio – but it's a manual focus lens with no electrical contacts or weather sealing.
So it makes perfect sense for Canon to bring a native 1:1 L-series lens to the R system, and continues the tradition of the manufacturer transplanting its most important core lenses from the EF system to the RF mount.
Just as we've had the three f/2.8 trinity lenses, the Canon RF 15-35mm, Canon RF 24-70mm and Canon RF 70-200mm, the template for this new lens is the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM – one of the best macro lenses available.
If the lens is indeed already being tested in the field by Canon ambassadors, an official announcement shouldn't be too far away…
Read more:
Best Canon RF lenses: the best lens for Canon EOS R and EOS RP
The best macro lenses: get closer to your subjects than ever before!
The best Canon lenses: go longer, wider and closer with your Canon camera
James has 22 years experience as a journalist, serving as editor of Digital Camera World for 6 of them. He started working in the photography industry in 2014, product testing and shooting ad campaigns for Olympus, as well as clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal. An Olympus / OM System, Canon and Hasselblad shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and he loves instant cameras, too.