Non-Canon RF Tele Extender? Is there one?

[Paul Iddon]

The Canon ones are £550GBP which is scandalous, but I don't think the Kenko 1.4x extenders would work with the RF100-400 - so is there any alternative, or does anyone have a spare one?

Paul.

 

[Hali]

The Canon ones are £550GBP which is scandalous, but I don't think the Kenko 1.4x extenders would work with the RF100-400 - so is there any alternative, or does anyone have a spare one?

Paul.

Ha! As far as I am aware, there are no third party extenders. There are third party extension tubes but not extenders. Yet.

 

[Paul Iddon]

Cheers Hali - like you, I can't locate anything...

Paul.

 

[TZwieback]

If you don't mind your lens sticking out a bit further, you can use the EF extenders from Sigma with the EF/RF adapter.

Proof of concept below - R6, EF/RF, Sigma 2x, Sigma 70-200 at full zoom.

 

[Chris Summers]

The Canon ones are £550GBP which is scandalous, but I don't think the Kenko 1.4x extenders would work with the RF100-400 - so is there any alternative, or does anyone have a spare one?

Paul.

I wonder if there is also a prohibition for third party manufacturers to make RF teleconverters as there is for RF mount autofocus lenses. Canon seems to be trying to keep R customers purchasing their RF lenses and not from others.

 

[MikeZ]

I would expect the RF prohibition to cover ALL RF mount products as noted by the following statement attributed to Canon on PetaPixel: “that these products infringe their patent and design rights.” Full article can be found here: https://petapixel.com/2022/11/18/red-uses-the-rf-mount-so-why-wont-canon-license-it-for-lenses/

From what that article states, it looks like Canon wants to recoup as much of their design investments as they can, before allowing third-party licensing. It's interesting to note that many other mirror-less mounts are also closed, as per Tom Hogan: https://www.sansmirror.com/lenses/lens-faq/what-about-third-party-lens.html

Sony seems to be the lone standout.

 

[Paul Iddon]

That kinda wraps that up then...

Paul.

 

[Tappa]

If you don't mind your lens sticking out a bit further, you can use the EF extenders from Sigma with the EF/RF adapter.

Proof of concept below - R6, EF/RF, Sigma 2x, Sigma 70-200 at full zoom.

Not sure this is relevant to the original post but here goes. I just experimented with a series 1 Canon 1.4 extender and my Sigma 60-600mm on my r5. It works very well, fast focus and sharper that I expected. This turns 600mm into 840mm wide open at f9 which is faster than the RF 800 at f11.

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[Jake Shoots Birds]

I wonder if there is also a prohibition for third party manufacturers to make RF teleconverters as there is for RF mount autofocus lenses. Canon seems to be trying to keep R customers purchasing their RF lenses and not from others.

Canon hates third party lens makers (not that Nikon feels differently). Period. Anything out there has been reverse engineered and you know that Canon will look to break it in the next firmware. It's a double-edged sword because it keeps folks in the system, but it also creates a reason to leave when Canon doesn't offer comparable glass at a comparable price. What I'm not seeing is a move to produce high quality primes at pro-sumer prices, as evidenced by the 600mm and 800mm RF's being 5-figure lenses while Nikon has produced a very handholdable 500mm (DSLR) and 800mm (mirrorless) at the $3K and $6.5K price points. If I have any second thoughts about moving away from Nikon it's that, because bodies change but glass is (more or less) forever.

I remember something about potential lawsuits from Canon with regard to anyone who does try and produce RF glass but I can't seem to find it. I love my Canon glass, but I'd love some options as I wait for anything rumored.

 

[Tappa]

Right now I'm shooting with an adapter from r5 to Sigma 60-600mm. What is the advantage of an RF lens over an adapted lens in general? I'm not seeing much if any difference in quality or sharpness of images shot with an RF vs adapted EF lens. Maybe my eyes aren't good enough to tell.

 

[Chris Summers]

Having a 3rd party lens with an RF mount just means you won't need an EF to RF adapter which is one less piece of gear to have to plan for. I actually own 3 adapters, the Canon basic adapter, the Canon model with the adjustment ring and also a 3rd party one with an interchangeable rear filter (I have a clear and a variable ND). But if I am out with a mix of EF lenses I need to sometimes remove the adapter to use it on a different lens, one more thing to juggle.

As far as a tele extender I tend to use the model designed for the brand lens I am using as the optical formula is usually a bit different on different brands. I own one 1.4 x extender that I only use with my Tamron 150-600mm and it's the Tamron one made for their newer telephoto zoom lenses.

 

[Tappa]

Hey Chris, thanks for the response. I understand the inconvenience, but for the type of photography I do, I keep the 60-600mm sigma on the r5 98% of the time. If I changed lenses frequently, at least for now, I would purchase another adapter or two and leave them attached to the lens for quick changing, but that's just me. I'm a penny pincher from way back.