Canon Officially Launches the RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM Lens
EOS R full-frame mirrorless camera system's first large aperture
full-framemid-telephoto portrait lens
RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM
HONG KONG, 31st January 2023 — Canon today announces the New RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM is available to sale. This new lens will continue the legacy of Canon’s EF 135mm f/2L USM portrait lens and take it further to the next level on the new EOS R Mirrorless Camera System. The new optical design of this lens which takes full advantages of short back focus distance and large diameter of the RF lens mount makes possible further leap in image quality. The 135mm autofocus lens with an ultra large aperture of f/1.8 allows professionals to capture extremely sharp, detailed imagery. Featuring Canon’s leading optical technology, its optical design includes three Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) glass to offer refined image quality. RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM achieves the highest optical performance where superior image quality is realized even at maximum aperture of f/1.8. Together with outstanding AF speeds, “ASC air sphere coating" to improve the performance of backlight shooting, Nano USM, lens function buttons, RF lens control ring and dust-and-water resistant design, this professional 135mm lens is the ultimate choice for professional portrait and wedding photographers and videographers.
The Ultimate Canon f/1.8 Portrait Lens with Highest Optical Performance
RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM has everything that portrait photographers could have longed for. 135mm is the golden focal length that professional portrait photographers love to use. This unique 135mm focal length can bring a different sense of perspective to portrait shooting, even when shooting half-length or full-body photos, it can provide a natural and appropriate depth of field and perspective of the subject relative to the background while maintaining optimum distance between the photographer and subject to support strong communication which is crucial to a successful shot.To deliver top-of-class image quality, RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM is infused with a host of Canon’s leading optical technologies. The lens adopts a newly developed 17 elements in 12 groups optical design with effectively placement of three UD glass elements to achieve the highest optical performance among Canon’s autofocus interchangeable lenses with 135mm focal length even at f/1.8. What’s more, Air Sphere Coating (ASC) is added to reduce chromatic aberration and ghosting to achieve superior imaging performance with exceptional contrast and details.
An Ultra Large Aperture of f/1.8 to Create One-of-a-Kind Bokeh Effect and Perfect for Low-light Shooting
The bright f/1.8 maximum aperture of the lens allows for great control over depth of field and bokeh. It also uses 9 circular aperture leaves to create a silky soft shallow depth of field background blur effect to set off the clear and detailed subject in the foreground. Because of the focal length does not change, it offers the outstanding bokeh effects of a fixed focal length lens with optimized optics. This bokeh is not possible with a 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom lens, letting the subject stand out by giving even more beautiful blur to the background.
While maximize the aperture at f/1.8, photographers can use the subject detection and eye detection autofocus functions of EOS R series cameras to focus on the subject and the subject's eyes precisely, that's making the image more visually appealing.
Utilizing the high-speed shooting capabilities of a large-diameter f/1.8 lens, it lets photographers freeze movement of subjects even in low-light or dark settings. This makes it suitable for not only portraits but also indoor sports where users need slightly faster shutter speeds.
Built-in Optical Image Stabilization and 0.26x Magnification function
The RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM is the only 135mm medium telephoto lens equipped with an optical image stabilizer, and it weighs only 935 grams. The lens optical image stabilizer offers up to 5.5-stop1 shake compensation to facilitate handheld shooting with a slower shutter speed. When used with the EOS R series cameras equipped with In-Body Image Stabilization, a stunning 8-stop2 shake compensation is achieved through Coordinate Control IS.
Even in dark settings, the high-precision eye detection and OIS×IBIS coordinated control help to make shooting smoother and less stressful. Utilizing the outstanding camera shake control, it prevents blurring and captures pupils clearly even in low light.
The RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM is capable of shooting at 0.26x maximum magnification with a minimum focusing distance of 0.7m. This makes it easy to capture intricate details and textures in close-ups of faces or enlargements of a portion of the subject. Its f/1.8 large aperture can also help creating impressive close-up images with soft bokeh.
Newly added lens function buttons That Makes Camera Operation Easy
RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM is the first for a Canon lens that isn’t with large aperture super telephoto or super telephoto, provides two lens function buttons (on the top and side). The Customize buttons lets users assign various functions to these buttons. They function as AF stop buttons by default as before, and they can be used to temporarily suspend AF when pressed while using the feature. This is useful for maintaining shooting distance and avoiding search drive.
RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM also features a Control Ring as found in other RF lenses for users to directly adjust numerous assigned settings including aperture, shutter speed, ISO sensitivity and exposure compensation. When the control ring is operated alongside the main dial and quick control dial on1 CIPA Standard, Focal Length: 135mm, EOS R is used. In yaw/pitch direction2 CIPA Standard, Focal Length: 135mm, EOS R3 is used. In yaw/pitch direction.the EOS R camera, users could have three individual dials to set the aperture, shutter speed and ISO sensitivity respectively in manual exposure mode.
High-Speed AF with excellent tracking for Video Recording
The lens employs Nano USM, which offers faster and smoother AF movement. The USM ultrasonic motor of the lens not only supports full-time manual focus, but also provides continuous, smooth and quiet movie servo autofocus when working with the dual-pixel CMOS autofocus technology of EOS R series cameras. When used in combination with the camera's touch AF, the focus can be changed naturally to any desired focus position, which facilitates one-person operation.
In addition, it also cooperates with the EOS R series cameras that support the focus breathing correction function. When shooting movies, the focus breathing correction function suppresses the change of the angle of view caused by the change of the focusing distance. The focus breathing correction function suppresses changes in the angle of view caused by focus movement. It allows users to record natural movies with no discomfort even if focus is changed from foreground to background or vice-versa.
Superior Durability and Reliability to Withstand Challenging Environment
Designed to perform even in harsh conditions, RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM retains the same high durability and rugged construction as found in the EF lenses in the L series to cope with professional users’ demands. Fluorine coating is also added to the foremost and rearmost lens surfaces to repel dust particles and water droplets. It also makes smears and fingerprints easy to remove without the use of lens cleaning fluid. The lens also features dust and water resistance design3, providing the durability that satisfies the strict demand from professional users, making it ideal for professional photographers to rely on while working in vastly challenging outdoor environments.
Suggested Retail Price
The new RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM is now available for sale with a suggested retail price HKD $17,780.
The accessories for RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM and their suggested retail prices are as follows:
| Model | Suggested Retail Price |
| 82mm Protect Filter | HKD$750 |
| 82mm Circular Polarizing Filter PL-C B | HKD$1,780 |
| Lens HoodET-88B | HKD$380 |
| Lens Cap E-82 II | HKD$75 |
| Lens Dust Cap RF | HKD$80 |
| Lens Case LP1319 | HKD$210 |
1 CIPA Standard, Focal Length: 135mm, EOS R is used. In yaw/pitch direction.
2 CIPA Standard, Focal Length: 135mm, EOS R3 is used. In yaw/pitch direction.
3 With EOS R3/EOS R5/EOS R6 Mark II/EOS R6/EOS R, however it is not recommended for use under rain.
About Canon Hongkong Company Limited
Canon Inc. (TSE:7751 / NYSE:CAJ) was founded in 1937 in Japan. Its predecessor, Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory, produced Japan's first 35 mm focal-plane-shutter camera “Kwanon” in 1934. From there, Canon Inc. expanded into the photocopying and printing industries, launching Japan's first plain-paper copier NP-1100 in 1970 and the world's first inkjet printer BJ-80 in 1985. Through the years, Canon Inc. has acquired in-depth experience in digital imaging product manufacturing, research and development. Pioneering in innovative products development, Canon Inc. hold the most technology patents in the imaging industry. Canon Inc. also makes significant contribution to promote photography. Today, Canon Inc. has a strong global presence, representing one of the most important market players in the imaging, office and industrial product categories. As of 31 December 2021, Canon's global revenue was US$30.55 billion.
In 1971, Canon Hongkong Co., Ltd. (Canon Hong Kong) was established as one of the first Canon offices in Asia. Canon Hong Kong is a Total Imaging Solution provider, providing professional pre-sales, marketing and after-sales services for all Canon products and solutions in Hong Kong and Macau. With the solely owned subsidiary Canon Business Solutions (Guangdong) Co., Ltd. established in 2018, the company continues to deliver intelligent total business solutions and professional services to Greater Bay Area. Canon Hong Kong adheres to Canon’s corporate philosophy of “Kyosei”, encouraging the company and staff to engage social, charitable and environmental activities for the community. Implementing internationally-recognized management system, Canon Hong Kong has achieved ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO 27001 (Canon Digital Production Center) certifications.
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