(Credit: Jim Fisher)
It was an exciting moment when Canon switched away from SLRs to concentrate on its mirrorless EOS R camera system in 2018. Canon is arguably the biggest name in photography, and its decision to make a real commitment to mirrorless camera tech was a bellwether moment, and came just a couple of weeks after Nikon introduced its Z mirrorless system.
But there's been one pernicious problem with Canon's RF mount lenses that's irked me from the jump: The rear cap is a pain to attach. Most lens systems let you put the back cap on with a few different starting points, but with the RF, you need to line up the cap and lens perfectly to connect them. It's a weird thing to complain about, I know, but it makes the juggling act of changing lenses just a little bit harder to manage in practice. I almost always have to futz around to find the right connection point for the rear cap when changing RF lenses.
I griped about this in some of my older RF lens reviews, but eventually gave up the fight. But someone at Canon recognized the problem; it just took eight years. Canon is making a big camera announcement today, the video-focused EOS R6 V, but it's also sneaking in a new accessory, a redesigned rear RF lens cap with three index points, not just one. The cap costs $8.99 on its own, will be the standard for forthcoming lens releases, and will replace the single-index version on older lenses once current stock sells through.
My only question is: Why did this take eight years? Perhaps Canon noticed third-party 3D-printed replacements that also fix the indexing issue. It's a better late than never scenario, though. If you use a Canon RF camera and fumble around trying to find the right orientation for the rear lens cap when swapping lenses, you may not mind spending a bit of money on replacement caps. I think wedding photographers and other creators who frequently use their camera in dim interiors will find it worth the cost.
For the frugal, you can use a utility knife to modify the original cap. Just be careful—a trip to urgent care will cost you more than $9.
And for more on Canon, check out my list of top-rated Canon cameras and RF lenses.