Three Canon zoom lenses are coming soon, according to CanonRumors. An ultrawide, a fast standard zoom, and a super telephoto seem to be scheduled to hit the shelves soon. These are the latest in a series of unique focal range lenses that Canon has been releasing for its RF mirrorless line of cameras.
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Expanding The RF Lens Lineup
Canon RF camera owners will be spoilt for choice when it comes to buying lenses shortly. They announced an RF 100-300 f2.8 lens shortly after we reported about the possibility of one. And a couple of months later, there were reports of a 200-500 f4 lens on the horizon. A new report says that three new mirrorless Canon lenses are set to be announced in the very near future. Two of these lenses fall within focal ranges familiar to those accustomed to Canon’s EF mount lineup. And the third monster zoom is something I haven’t yet seen from any other brand.
An RF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM Lens
The first of these three lenses is an ultrawide zoom, with a focal range from 10mm to 18mm. It’s not exactly the fastest ultrawide they have, maxing out at f4.5 at the wider end. Still, this could be a budget ultrawide lens that would find its way into the bags of up-and-coming landscape and cityscape photographers. It also looks to be a very compact lens in terms of size. Given the excellent optical results that RF lenses have been producing, I don’t expect this one to be anything less than an above-average performer. You probably won’t be able to use it for any astrophotography or hand-hold it for picture-taking in low light. It looks like it’ll have image stabilization, but even then, I expect this one to not be too expensive.
Canon RF 24-105mm f/2.8L IS USM Z
The 24-105mm focal range is a common staple among various brands. Except that Canon looks like they will have the fastest one among everyone here. With an f2.8 aperture, Canon seems to have made their reliable 24-105mm f4 lens in an even faster version. CanonRumors has been reporting on this for some months now, and now CameraInsider seems to have an image of this lens. Not only does Canon appear to give you 50% more reach, but they’re still maintaining the same f2.8 aperture all throughout the range. This might be a total game-changer for those who use a 24-70mm f2.8 lens as a daily workhorse. The 24-105mm f4 lenses have long been celebrated for their convenience. But to be able to stay at f2.8 now, even at 105mm, opens up new horizons for creative possibilities.
In addition to this being an L-series lens, there’s something else in the name that’s interesting. The Z in there could indicate something about the zoom features we might see in this lens. Could this be aimed more at videographers with more fluid zoom capabilities? If so, I would expect to see a reasonable degree of image stabilization in it.
The Biggie – RF 200-800mm f/6.3-9 IS USM
200-800mm is a mind-boggling zoom range. Given how mirrorless technology enables manufacturers to produce comparatively smaller lenses, this one may not be a physical bazooka. It will also be near impossible to use this lens in anything less than bright light conditions. Especially at the far end of the focal range. But for events like outdoor motorsports, soccer games in the day, and even wildlife photography in good light, expect it to give you some fantastic focal length compression. This might not be a professional’s first choice of telephoto lens. However, in the right conditions, it could be used as a convenient backup.
I do think this lens might be a better option than adding a teleconverter to the RF 100-400mm f5.6-8 lens. That lens gave us great image results but frustrating subject recognition. Hopefully, they won’t repeat that here. Canon seems to reserve weather sealing primarily for its L-series glass. We might see that being left out in the RF 200-800mm f/6.3-9 lens as a result. This would be an ideal budget lens for wildlife and birding hobbyist photographers who struggle with reach on their existing zoom lenses. The range this lens will provide should span from a bird on a nearby tree to an elephant on the horizon.
Keeping Fans And Buyers Interested
I’m really pleased to see Canon refreshing its lineup so often. On the one hand, many of their fans are frustrated about the lack of 3rd party brand RF lens options. Conversely, Canon is steadily adding more L-series and affordable lens options for its mirrorless camera owners to choose from. Check out our Canon RF Lens Guide to see which lens you might be interested in investing in next.
All images used in this article are screenshots from CanonRumors