Complete List Of RF Mount Cinema Lenses

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After I bought a RED Komodo, which comes with a Canon RF mount, I’ve been searching for lenses – both cine and photography – that will work natively on that camera.

So I’ve created this table with native RF mount cine lenses – great for Canon C70, RED Komodo, and similar cameras. I hope others will find it useful as well.

I’ll try to keep the list updated with all RF Mount cinema lenses, so if you know of any lenses I haven’t covered, throw a comment in the comment section below so that I can add it to the list.

Complete List of RF Mount Cinema Lenses

Buyer’s Guide To RF mount Cinema lenses.

If you’re new to RF Mount and cine lenses, here is a quick guide explaining the most frequently asked questions.

What is an RF mount lens? RF camera meaning explained.

The RF mount is an interchangeable lens mount developed by Canon for its full-frame mirrorless EOS R System.

The RF mount was first introduced in 2018 with the Canon EOS R 30.3 megapixel camera, which was Canon’s first full-frame mirrorless camera – the first successor to their long-lived full-frame DSLR systems.

The RF mount is Canon’s successor to the tried-and-tested EF and EF-S mounts.

Because the flange distance is much shorter on mirrorless cameras than on DSLR cameras, the RF mount allows older EF, EF-S, TS-E, and MP-E full-frame lenses to be adapted and used on RF mounts.

Can you use an RF lens on a DSLR?

In short, no! While it is possible to adapt, e.g., EF and EF-S lenses to RF mounts, you can’t adapt RF lenses for EF and EF-S and other DSLR mounts.

RF mount adapters

The short flange distance allows for some unique possibilities in terms of adapters for older lenses and lenses from other manufacturers:

Dummy adapters with no optical components convert your collection of vintage lenses to be used on RF mount cameras.

Mount adapters with no optical components that convert your EF and EF-S to be used on RF mount cameras while retaining full autofocus and image stabilization capabilities.

Adapters with a control ring and no optical components allow you to adjust exposure settings, such as ISO, aperture, and exposure compensation. These also retain full autofocus and image stabilization capabilities.

Focal reducers such as the Metabones Speed Booster ULTRA 0.71x, which increases the maximum aperture by one stop and the field-of-view of APS-C or Super 35 sized sensors (like the RED Komodo and Canon C70) sized cameras closer to the field-of-view of full-frame cameras.

Drop-in filter mount adapters allow you to use A-type drop-in filters, such as a variable neutral density filter or a polariser.

I think this is a great alternative to build-in ND filters as it moves the filter close to the camera (as opposed to having a variable ND-filter attached at the front end of the lens).

Also, drop-in filters don’t get so easily dirty or scratched as those attached to the front end of the lens.

RF vs. EF lens differences explained in more detail

Let’s examine the many differences between RF and EF lens and lens mount differences and similarities.

Notice that some of these advantages are only relevant for native RF photography lenses, not cinema lenses.

However, since many videographers also use photography lenses, I thought it was relevant to include.

What is the RF mount flange distance?

The focal flange distance is from the lens mount on the camera body to the sensor.

The RF mount flange focal distance is only 20 mm, less than half that of Canon EF and EF-S mounts at 44mm (due to the mirror taking up space in a DSLR).

Pros of the shorter flange distance

Both the EF mount and RF mount have an inner diameter of 54mm, and as mentioned earlier, the RF mount flange distance is 20 mm, whereas the flange distance of Canon EF and EF-S mounts is 44mm.

Besides allowing for unique adapters, the shorter flange distance also helps reduce chromatic aberration.

So you’ll see less nasty purple fringes around leaves or branches, which is lovely. You also get better corner-to-corner sharpness.

Faster data transmission

The RF mount is built to optimize lens, sensor, and camera data transmission.

Mechanically, this is visible as the RF mount has 12 connection pins for faster communication between the lens and camera body, compared to an EF mount lens with only eight pins.

Better image stabilization

The Canon RF mount also allows for better image stabilization because it can communicate with the sensor to detect micro-shakes.

An EF lens with optical image stabilization doesn’t work with the sensor data and is less effective in stabilizing shots and video footage.

Control ring – but not on manual cinema lenses

Native RF mount lenses come with a control ring at the front of the lens barrel, allowing you to control a designated exposure setting (fx f-stop, shutter speed, ISO speed, or exposure compensation).

Notice that the manual RF cinema lenses don’t have this control ring.

Conclusion

I hope you find this RF mount cine lens guide useful. Let me know in the comment section below if you have any comments.