Canon Unveils the 135mm f/1.8 L IS USM RF Prime Lens

Canon has announced a new prime lens for its RF mount, the 135mm f/1.8 L IS USM, a lens it promises achieves beautiful and “generous” bokeh and is ideal for both portraiture and sports photography.

The lens is positioned as a large-diameter optic that is ideal for creating subject separation via a smooth and pleasant background defocus. The 135mm f/1.8 L IS USM is equipped with both a linear-style autofocus motor as well as optical image stabilization that works in tandem with the in-body image stabilization found in many RF-mount cameras.

At the time of publication, Canon did not provide details on the optical arrangement nor any special optics of the 135mm f/1.8 L IS USM that it employs, only stating the following:

The RF135mm F1.8 L IS USM achieves beautiful and generous bokeh with the large-diameter F1.8 and comes equipped with in-lens Image Stabilization. The coordinated control of this IS coupled with the in-body IS present in the EOS R6 Mark II camera and other EOS R equipped IBIS cameras helps reduce camera shake and empowers photographers to express a feel of motion when shooting in dark areas with slow shutter speeds.

Below are a few sample photos captured with the 135mm f/1.8 L IS USM with a Canon EOS R6 Mark II:

Pricing and Availability

The Canon RF135mm f/1.8 L IS USM will be available in late January 2023 for $2099.

Developing…

Image credits: Photos by Jaron Schneider for PetaPixel.