2024 Year in Review: Canon Cameras and Lenses

Canon spent 2024 building up their RF lineup with a bevy of a new cameras and lenses, with a particular emphasis on the higher tiers of their system, adding four new professional-grade cameras and several top-tier L-series lenses. Compared to last year, where Canon focus on mid-tier and entry-level models, 2024 saw the Japanese manufacturer go all in on several models, including a new flagship for the EOS system.

Canon’s Big Announcement

In July, Canon made its biggest splash with the major announcement of two mirrorless cameras: the EOS R1 and EOS R5 Mark II. The EOS R1 is Canon’s first official mirrorless flagship and the EOS R5 Mark II is arguably the top camera of the year; together, they anchor Canon’s camera lineup as a seriously well-rounded system for all kinds of photographers and hybrid image-makers.

These two cameras usher in a new tier of speed and autofocus performance, with both touting Canon’s most advanced subject detection and tracking technologies to date. The EOS R1 is going to be a staple camera on the sidelines of major sporting events for years to come while the R5 Mark II is likely going to be one of the most popular cameras for working editorial shooters, portrait photographers, and fine art photographers. These two cameras also hearken back to Canon’s DSLR dominance during the era of the EOS 5D Mark II and the EOS-1D X—this time with mirrorless—as an impressive 1-2 punch for handling virtually any kind of imaging genre imaginable.

Canon Hybrid Lenses

After the cameras, Canon’s next most-important series of announcements relate to what they’re referring to as their Hybrid series of lenses—lenses that are equally suited to the demands of both photography and filmmaking. This series kicked off in 2023 with the RF 24-105mm f/2.8 L IS USM but has really kicked into gear in 2024 with the release of four more lenses in this category.

The RF 24mm f/1.4 L VCM, RF 35mm f/1.4 L VCM, and RF 50mm f/1.4 L VCM were all announced this year, comprising the first three primes in the Hybrid line and three of the most used focal lengths for any imagemaker. Wide, wide, and normal, these three primes are linked by their bright f/1.4 maximum aperture and a distinct physical design that includes a de-clicked manual aperture ring and consistent sizing to appeal to filmmakers and gimbal users. For photographers, they all sport quick and responsive Voice Coil Motor (VCM) autofocus systems and the L-series designation means they’ll be among the sharpest, most color accurate, and durable lenses available.

Complementing the trio of fix focal lengths, Canon also announced a new Hybrid zoom this year: the RF 70-200mm f/2.8 f/2.8 L IS USM Z. This lens is a bit more consistent with last year’s 24-105mm f/2.8 in that it has an internal focus, internal zoom design and is compatible with the optional PZ-E2 Power Zoom Adapter for motorized control over of the angle of view. It’s also an image stabilized lens and has Canon’s more robust USM autofocus motor to suit the larger, heavier optical design of this versatile zoom. Also, for some more uniqueness, the lens is available in white (popular among photographers) and black (sleekness for filmmakers) to suit for intended use or aesthetic desires.

These lenses all got named in the Top Lenses of 2024, too, and I’m excited to see where Canon takes it next.

More Canon RF-Mount Goodness for Filmmakers

Looking squarely at the cine end of Canon’s releases for a moment, 2024 saw the release of a pair of Cinema EOS cameras that offer new levels of versatility along with the modernness of the new RF lens mount. The EOS C400 sits between the C300 and C500 series with its full-frame 6K sensor, which is capable of delivering a broader dynamic range than any other full-frame Cinema EOS camera to date. Also, in a theme for Canon cameras this year, the sensor also greatly benefits autofocus performance, offers triple base ISO, and supports a huge array of raw and compressed codecs to fit within a variety of workflows.

On the smaller end, Canon also released the EOS C80—another full-frame 6K cine camera, but with the portable, hand holdable form factor introduced on the C70. This camera sheds some of the top-end recording formats, raw output, and workflow and connectivity attributes of its C400 brother for a trimmer, more mirrorless-inspired design that’s better suited to solo creators and run-and-gun shooters for documentary use.

One More Canon  Zoom and Two Canon VR Lenses

Closing out a very productive year from Canon, they also released one more mid-tier zoom as well as two APS-C-specific VR/spatial video-dedicated lenses.

The zoom is the RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM, a very solid, reliable standard zoom covering a wide-to-short-portrait range with a constant f/2.8 maximum aperture. This is going to be an excellent single lens option for EOS R8 and EOS R6 Mark II shooters who are looking to prioritize versatility, quality, and value with their lenses. It isn’t as refined as some of Canon’s L-series lenses but is still a fast and capable lens to complement this middle tier of full-frame mirrorless bodies.

On the VR side, a pair of specialized optics were also announced: the RF-S 3.9 f/3.5 STM Dual Fisheye and the RF-S 7.8 f/4 STM Dual lens. The fisheye is the “weirder” looking of the two, with dual bulbous front elements that are capable of capturing stereoscopic 3D 180° imagery that’s perfect for VR headset viewing. And if you’re shooting to produce content for the Apple Vision Pro or Meta Quest 3, in particular, the RF-S 7.8mm f/4 STM Dual is another stereoscopic VR lens built specifically for spatial content creation.

What are your thoughts on Canon’s releases in 2024? Did you have a favorite product of the year? What did you rush out to pick up? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments section.