Canon Rangefinder Prime Lenses
Manufacturer Canon
Summary
Conjure another era with the Vintage FF ‘Canon Dream Lens’. Rehoused by TLS, the original ‘50’s & ‘60’s glass can combat the digital cleanness of modern cinema cameras with golden flares, soft glows, excellent close focus performance & organically textured highlights that keep their vintage flavour irrespective of stop.
| Focal Length | Aperture | Close focus | Front Diameter | Weight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19mm | T4 | 21cm | 8" | 110mm | 1.2 Kg | |
| 25mm | T2.1 | 21cm | 8" | 110mm | 1.2 Kg | |
| 35mm | T1.6 | 33cm | 1'1" | 110mm | 0.7 Kg | |
| 50mm | T1.1 | 41cm | 1'4" | 110mm | 1.1 Kg | |
| 85mm | T1.6 | 66cm | 2'2" | 110mm | 1.5 Kg | |
| 100mm | T2.1 | 66cm | 2'2" | 110mm | 1.4 Kg | |
| 135mm | T2.8 | 106cm | 3'6" | 110mm | 1.7 Kg | |
| 200mm | T2.9 | 183cm | 6' | 110mm | 1.8 Kg |
Overview
- Full Frame coverage
- LPL Mount
- 50’s and 60’s vintage stills glass – Blooming highlights, swirly defocus, golden lens flares
- TLS rehoused
- Very Consistent white balance across the set
TLS Canon Rangefinder lenses
(AKA Canon Dream lenses)
The original glass in these lenses is from the late 1950s and 1960s. They’ve been beautifully rehoused by TLS and cover full-frame sensors. The set is known as the Canon Dream lenses. This informal name was given to the first lens rehoused by TLS that became the legendary ‘Canon Dream lens’ when a 50mm f/0.95 optical miracle changed photography on its release in 1961.
Other than the 50mm, the other focal lengths are hand-picked from the same era and have the same characteristics. Back in the late 1950s, Canon lens designers Hiroshi Itoh and Jirou Mukai put together a series of Rangefinder lenses with the lofty ambition of challenging Leica’s stronghold over high-end Rangefinder lensing.
Though these lenses were cutting edge at the time, we now love them for their organic artefacts and vintage character. Big, beautiful, golden flares, soft glows and organically textured highlights are some of the attributes that help combat digital cleanness of today’s cine camera sensors.
Off axis, these lenses fall off pretty fast, but retain interesting, recognisable, character and not just simply without focus. If you need a cleaner image, stopping down helps, but unlike some other ‘Vintage lenses’, this Canon Dream Lens set always manages to maintain some of their vintage flavour irrespective of stop.
What made the set hard to produce was that there was never an appropriate 25mm focal length made that was ever suitable for rehousing. The 25mm we have here is a coating-sympathetic optical reworking of a 35mm f1.8 from the late 50s to create a fun 25mm that, unlike other reworked 25mm lenses, keeps its flares golden and coverage of full frame.
Close focus performance is truly excellent with the 25mm and 100mm, and the other focal lengths aren’t far behind.
If you want to conjure another era, bathe your images in golden flares or simply break up your digital image with organic texture, these Vintage FF lenses are a great choice to explore!
Hire a Canon Rangefinder Prime Lenses from us and you’ll find the following included:
- Canon Rangefinder TLS 19mm T4
- Canon Rangefinder TLS 25mm T2.1
- Canon Rangefinder TLS 35mm T1.6
- Canon Rangefinder TLS 50mm T1.1
- Canon Rangefinder TLS 85mm T1.6
- Canon Rangefinder TLS 100mm T2.1
- Canon Rangefinder TLS 135mm T2.8
- Canon Rangefinder TLS 200mm T2.9