The best Canon RF lenses for video

Canon's mirrorless EOS R System has been designed with the needs of videographers and filmmakers in mind right from the start. From the groundbreaking Canon EOS C80 and EOS R5 C Cinema EOS cameras to revolutionary RF lenses such as the Canon RF 5.2mm F2.8L DUAL FISHEYE for 180° VR productions, the advanced RF lens mount at the heart of the design unlocks new opportunities for innovative video cameras and lenses.

A normal cinema lens tends to be relatively large because it incorporates a mechanical mechanism to help overcome focus breathing. But the high-speed communication of the RF mount and the use of VCMs² and Nano USMs to control the focusing and floating lens groups means that they can suppress focus breathing optically without the need to use large mechanisms , enabling a very compact lens design.

Another aspect of RF lenses that's been specifically developed for video is the aperture mechanism. All RF lenses enable the aperture to be adjusted in 1/8 stop increments, which is much more precise than the 1/3 stops used for stills photography. "Changing the aperture in 1/3 stop increments while you're filming creates noticeable step changes in brightness," says Tibor Szövetes, Canon Europe Product Marketing Specialist. "But with 1/8 stop adjustments, that change is extremely smooth and imperceptible.”

The Canon hybrid RF lens range includes primes and zooms, with each type of lens sharing a consistent lightweight design that makes for an efficient workflow, whether you’re shooting video, stills or a blend of both. The hybrid RF prime lenses each have the same fast f/1.4 maximum aperture and dimensions, for example, with all the control rings and custom buttons positioned in the same place. This makes it easy to switch between the lenses and operate them in the same way, Tibor explains. “Even the weight difference is minimal, which is useful when you’re shooting video on a gimbal, as you’ll only have to make minor adjustments to keep everything in balance if you change the lens.”

The hybrid RF zoom lenses also share a common design, including an Iris Ring, a constant f/2.8 maximum aperture across the zoom range and an 82mm filter thread size. Where the hybrid prime lenses provide the faster aperture values and cinematic look that some filmmakers crave, the hybrid zooms provide flexibility and reach, and enable dynamic reframing of scenes without the need to switch lenses.

These are just a few of the features that make RF lenses great for video, but which of the growing range of RF zooms and primes offers the most creative features for filmmakers? Here is a selection of the best Canon RF lenses for video to consider, to pair with the RF mount models among the best Canon cameras for video.

• Best wide-angle prime Canon hybrid RF lens for video
• Best standard-wide prime Canon hybrid RF lens for video
• Best standard prime Canon hybrid RF lens for video
• Best telephoto zoom Canon hybrid RF lens for video
• Best multipurpose zoom Canon hybrid RF lens for video
• Canon Power Zoom Adapters
• Best Canon RF lenses for cinematic productions

“Having two focusing motors inside the lens allows focus breathing to be reduced to a minimum optically when shooting movies, enabling the lens’s field-of-view to be maintained during focus pulls,” explains Tibor. “It can be further suppressed in EOS cameras that support digital focus breathing correction, but the optical suppression in the hybrid RF lenses is so good that any digital improvements are barely noticeable.”

As a professional L-series hybrid lens, the canon RF 24mm F1.4L VCM has a weather-resistant build that’s designed with durability in mind. Its advanced design extends to the optics too, which include one Aspherical and two UD (ultra-low dispersion) elements, plus SWC, ASC and Super Spectra Coatings, ensuring that it delivers the outstanding image quality that’s required for critical photography and video work.

A gelatine filter holder on the rear of the lens is another practical addition. “It’s something that it has in common with the Canon RF 35mm F1.4L VCM,” adds Tibor. “With a wide-angle lens, the light has to bend a lot more to reach the sensor. If you put a filter on the front of the lens, you may see coma distortion of point light sources such as stars. Having the filter on the back of the lens, closer to the sensor, means that the light rays inside the camera are straighter and optical distortion is less likely to happen.”

This impressive performance is made possible by the lens’s advanced optical design, which includes two each of Aspherical and UD lenses. The curvature of the aspherical lenses mean light rays can converge to a single point creating a sharper image. Similarly using UD glass means an overall better performance due to its low refractive index and low dispersion, two elements that naturally produce better quality images.

Professional photographers and videographers often face challenging conditions in the field. The RF 35mm F1.4L VCM’s bright maximum aperture of f1.4 is incredibly useful when shooting in low-light conditions, allowing for a more artistic blur to isolate your subject from the background. In addition, its water and dust resistant design, combined with near-silent VCM and Nano USM focusing makes this lens ideal for shooting everything from intimate interviews in the field to documentary subjects at close quarters.

With its large maximum aperture, the Canon RF 50mm F1.4L VCM is not only a consummate low-light performer, it also helps you to isolate the subject in an incredibly cinematic way. An 11-blade aperture and both UD and Aspherical lens elements have been incorporated into the design, giving a signature blend of outstanding sharpness and beautiful blur.

“The 11-blade aperture provides more attractive, circular bokeh than a 9-blade aperture that you’d typically find on lens designed purely for stills photography,” Tibor adds. “You’ll also get a more pronounced starburst effect with specular highlights too. That’s going to give you a look closer to dedicated Canon Cine Prime lenses, which are also equipped with 11-blade apertures.”

An Iris Ring, Control Ring and customisable Lens Function button offer intuitive control over key settings, while the VCM and Nano USM focusing technology provide rapid, quiet autofocus and smooth pull-focus effects. In short, the Canon RF 50mm F1.4L VCM is sharp, smooth and fast, but it also delivers a stunning cinematic look.

The RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Z offers a substantial upgrade in performance over its EF 70-200mm f/2.8 professional zoom predecessor. Three Aspherical elements, two Super UD, one UD element and Air Sphere Coating ensure incredible optical quality, while an 11-blade circular aperture renders out-of-focus cinematically.

The lens continues to perform in challenging situations too, thanks to weather-sealing, fluorine coatings and a powerful 5.5-stop Optical Image Stabilizer that delivers up to 7.5-stops of stability at the centre of the image and up to 7-stops in the corners when it's paired with a camera that has In-Body Image Stabilisation (IBIS) such as the EOS R5 Mark II.

Like the Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM lens, this hybrid RF zoom features Dual Nano USM autofocus. Using two autofocus motors enables two different lens groups to be controlled independently, with a floating lens group providing the lens’s outstanding suppression of focus breathing. Another benefit of being able to move the floating focus group is that you can increase the focusing distance range internally, so it focuses much closer than the EF version – right down to 70cm.

Both the RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Z and the RF 24mm F1.4L VCM have identical dimensions and the same 82mm filter thread size, making for quick and easy zoom lens changes on a rig. The RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Z is available with an optional heat-resistant white finish, though, which is useful when shooting in areas where the lens will be exposed to the sun for extended periods.

“The white version is therefore very useful for sports and wildlife filmmaking and photography,” Tibor explains, “and the heat-resistant coating remains effective even if it’s concealed by camouflage.” The black version of RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Z is designed to meet the needs of videographers, who typically want to avoid any potential reflections in darker scenes.

If you’re shooting ‘run-and-gun’ style video or simply filming handheld, then the lens's 5.5-stop Image Stabilizer³ is a significant advantage. When the RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z is used with a camera that has IBIS, then up to 8-stops of coordinated image stabilisation⁴ is possible.

Manual controls are plentiful on the RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z too. In addition to a smooth-action focusing ring and wide zoom ring, it’s equipped with an Iris Ring, a Control Ring and two user-assignable Lens Function buttons. Like the RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Z, it’s also compatible with the optional Power Zoom Adapters PZ-E2 or PZ-E2B for professional control of the zooming action with third-party accessories via the 20-pin interface.

Canon Power Zoom Adapters PZ-E2 and PZ-E2B are optional accessories that provide precise, controlled zoom movement when shooting video with Canon hybrid RF zoom lenses. The adapters are equipped with wide/tele buttons for smooth zooming, a zoom speed adjustment dial and a convenient USB-C interface that can be used to power the device for extended shooting times and faster zooming.

The ergonomic design of these lightweight adapters means they can be operated comfortably in the hand, or when the lens is mounted to a rig or attached to a gimbal or tripod. Remote operation of the zoom is possible using the Canon Camera Connect app or Canon EOS Utility. Control over an IP network is also possible on supported cameras using Canon’s XC Protocol.

Power Zoom Adapter PZ-E2B has a 20-pin remote connector that enables compatible zoom/focus demands to be attached. “Professional 20-pin zoom and focus demands provide precise, ergonomic, and remote lens control, enabling smoother, consistent adjustments without camera shake, all of which are crucial for camera operators working in professional and high-quality video production,” Tibor says. The PZ-E2B also works with Canon Zoom Servo Grip ZSG-C10 for ENG and ‘run-and-gun’ shooting, and supports virtual production with the RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z via its 20-pin terminal.

"The CN-R Prime lenses have all the capabilities of our full-frame CN-E Primes, but with the added benefits that come with the RF mount. When you're looking at it from a video perspective, the biggest asset is the speed at which lens information can be output to the camera. Metadata is vital for visual effect workflows and virtual productions, which have increased so much in recent years.”

Optical quality is exceptional. Each of the CN-R Primes is equipped with an 11-blade iris – a distinctive feature they share with Canon hybrid lenses, that sets them apart from RF photography lenses. "That adds to the character of the lens," adds Ram. "Especially in terms of the bokeh, the halation and sun stars.”

"They share the same image quality characteristics as our CN-E Primes. This means they have a very sharp and clean optical performance, which makes them perfect for 8K, 4K and HDR productions."

Build quality is equally impressive. The lenses are constructed to the same high standards as the CN-E Primes and Sumire Primes, but the extended length of the RF mount cinema lenses and the knurled design of the mounting ring provides an extra level of comfort when changing lenses and shooting handheld.

For Canon EOS C80 and EOS R5 C users who have been using EF mount lenses on their RF mount cameras via an EF-EOS R adapter, the ability to have a dedicated video lens is a big advantage, suggests Ram. "One thing that's true for any adapter that you buy from any manufacturer, is that eventually you could start to see some play between the adapter, the lens and the camera body – especially if you're frequently changing lenses, using large and heavy lenses, or working on a production where cameras are mounted on vehicles and constantly being whipped around. The RF mount gives you a more rigid and reliable connection between lens and body.”