In my opinion, RF lenses from Canon are some of the most beautiful mirrorless lenses ever made. Okay, so a few of them were heavier than we’d like them to be. But they are still wonderful to hold, use, and provide stellar image results. I have no doubts, though, that much like their RF 70-200mm F2.8L lens, the upcoming Canon RF 100-300mm f2.8 lens will also be a thing of beauty. And I hope it turns out lighter than other lenses in this focal range.
What’s Coming
Digicame Info has reported that Canon might soon be releasing a lens they don’t already have in the EF lens lineup. This would be a Canon RF 100-300mm f2.8 lens, most likely aimed at sports photographers. Sigma has already had multiple iterations of their 120-300 f2.8 lens, one of which I owned for a couple of years. Nikon, too, launched their 120-300 f2.8 F-mount lens a little over 3 years ago. They really should bring out a Z-mount option for this lens soon. Canon hasn’t had a similar lens so far, and it’s intriguing that they might be bringing this focal range out directly in the mirrorless lens lineup.
Not So Pricey
Here’s what Digicame has reported in terms of pricing:
- RF100-300mm F2.8 L IS USM: $9499
- Lens Hood ET-124: $650
- Lens Cap E-112: $25
At under USD $10,000 this lens would be a premium offering for sports photographers. If I had a lens like this in my arsenal, I’d be using this very often at tennis, basketball, soccer, badminton, and even horse racing sporting events. Nikon’s AF-S 300 f2.8 lens has been one of my favorites for sporting coverage. Getting three times as much wider range as that, with a fixed f2.8 aperture setting, would be indispensable outdoors, especially in indoor lighting scenarios. Given the limited spaces that sports photographers often find themselves clambering over and fighting for in such arenas, the focal range in the Canon RF 100-300mm f2.8 would be very welcome.
It Might Be Smaller Than We Think
I don’t know how they did it, but we found Canon’s RF 70-200mm f2.8 lens to be shockingly small during our review. And if they can keep the Canon RF 100-300mm f2.8 smaller than anything the competition has seen in this range, this lens would probably sell out on pre-order itself. It will no doubt be weather sealed and should maintain a close focus distance. I doubt it would have any macro capabilities. But there’s still something that Canon could surprise us all with when they release this lens.
A Built In Tele Converter
Wildlife photographers might find the focal length at the far end too short for most of their work. Indeed, some sports photographers would feel this too, despite the focal range it offers. But Canon’s development labs could make themselves proud by adding a 1.4x teleconverter in the lens. Canon Watch already reported on this patent from them earlier this year. I hope that Canon won’t spend too long to announce this lens. It would be ideal when paired with the Canon R3 and something that would perfectly go with the much-awaited Canon R1.
Is there a possibility that they might announce two versions of the Canon RF 100-300mm f2.8? One with and the other without a teleconverter? That would be highly unconventional for a camera manufacturer but something that provides buyers with much-needed options.
