Samyang (a.k.a. Rokinon) has just announced that it is releasing the first 14mm f/2.8 prime lens with autofocus for the Canon RF system, ahead of Canon itself.
Samyang turned a few heads last year when it released a 14mm autofocus prime for Canon EF, undercutting Canon’s own EF version by $1,300 at time of launch. The Samyang version has garnered some good feedback, and the company is hoping to repeat this with a new version for Canon’s mirrorless full-frame cameras — this time beating Canon to the punch. Furthermore, it's the first third-party autofocus lens for the Canon RF system.
The lens offer an angle of view of 113.9 degrees, packs 14 elements in 10 groups, has a minimum focusing distance of less than 8 inches (20 cm), and weighs a mere 1.1 lb (484 g). This is almost exactly the same weight as the EF version, which was significantly lighter than Canon’s own 14mm f/2.8 prime, which weighed in at 1.4 lb (645 g).
As is typical with primes at this width, the front element is bulbous, meaning that filters cannot be added directly to the front of the lens itself.
You can preorder the lens for $699.
Buyers of the Canon EOS RP will probably be delighted to see more affordable glass arriving on the market courtesy of third-party manufacturers. If you’re thinking of picking one up, be sure to leave a comment below.