Cosina’s Canon RF-Mount Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1 is Coming in October
This past February, Cosina announced that it would release a Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1 lens for Canon RF-mount. Today, it shared more information on the lens, including price and release date.
The company’s first RF-mount lens, it is also the optic that Canon executives regularly point to when asked if it has plans to support third-party lenses. Canon likes to use this lens as its example because it is an official license from the company and will support electronic communications with an attached camera. However, it sidesteps the actual point of the discussion — autofocus. Canon still has not allowed any third-party lens manufacturer to produce an autofocus-equipped lens for the RF mount.
While much about the lens was shared earlier this year — the Nokton 50mm f/1 is constructed of nine elements arranged in seven groups and has an aperture range of f/1 through f/16 via a 12-bladed aperture diaphragm — Cosina is prepared to say a bit more now that the launch date is approaching.
While it is likely that Cosina used its designs for the 50mm f/1 for VM-mount and Nikon Z-mount as a starting point, the company says that it is equipped with an optical system that has been optimized for Canon mirrorless cameras. It will work on both APS-C and full-frame systems, too. It is designed to work in tandem with Canon’s in-body image stabilization to provide 3-axes of compensation. The lens itself has no stabilization in it.
Of note, Cosina adds that due to the optical characteristics of the lenses, magenta overlay may occur at the periphery depending on the shooting conditions on EOS R, RP, and R6 — of note, these are earlier Canon RF cameras and Cosina doesn’t issue the same warning for newer systems like the R6 II or even the R5.
Cosina claims that thanks to its in-house ground aspherical glass, it was able to simplify the lens configuration while continuing to ensure high performance and, despite its large aperture of f/1, it performs at a high level. It has a minimum focusing distance of 0.45 meters (17.7 inches).
The lens is simple from a features perspective: it features a manual focusing system and a manual aperture ring, the latter of which can be de-clicked for use in video recording.
Below are a few sample photos captured with the lens, courtesy of Cosina:
The Cosina Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1 for Canon RF-mount will be available in October for about $1,625.
Image credits: Cosina
