Telephoto lenses are loved by various genres of photographers as they allow you to see distant objects in close proximity. Whether you are a wildlife photographer, a photojournalist, or even an event photographer, everyone has some use of these lenses in their day-to-day tasks. There are also super telephoto lenses, which encompass a much larger focal range and are great options for amateur and travel photographers. To cater to the varying needs of a diverse user base, Canon is reportedly working on new patents to possibly bring new telephoto and super telephoto lenses to the RF mount. See whether either of them will be your new favorite.
New Patents That May Be Interesting
According to Canon Rumors, the company is researching a few telephoto zooms and a super telephoto lens that may be for their L lineup. The designs feature internal zoom mechanisms, while the optical elements are carefully placed at the center or the end. The patent application numbers are 2024-141053 and 2024-140866.
Canon RF 30-600mm F4-8 IS USM
Super telephoto lenses are great, but they come with tradeoffs, such as a smaller aperture range. They could also be heavy and pricey. However, they are the best and most reliable solutions for amateurs. Perhaps it is for this reason that Canon has filed for a new patent for a 30-600mm lens. Canon has previously created the Canon EF 28-300mm f3.5-5.6L IS USM for their DSLRs, so it is natural that a similar offering is being researched for the mirrorless mount. How great it will be entirely depends on the optics, ergonomics, and weather sealing.
| Focal length | 30.50 | 300.00 | 585.00 |
| F-number | 4.00 | 6.76 | 8.00 |
| Half angle (°) | 35.35 | 4.12 | 2.12 |
| Image height | 21.64 | 21.64 | 21.64 |
| Lens Length | 309.33 | 427.20 | 489.09 |
| Back Focus | 29.33 | 69.05 | 102.45 |
Canon RF 200-500mm F4L IS USM
The lens appears to be within Canon’s manufacturing range. While it has various elements and seems complex, it may as well be a higher-end model for professionals. There is no mention of image stabilization, but it seems unlikely that they will skip it. It has a 53mm back focus distance, so it should also be able to accept an extender.
| Wide | Medium | Telephoto | |
| Focal length | 206.00 | 316.02 | 485.01 |
| F-number | 4.09 | 4.10 | 4.10 |
| Half angle (°) | 6.00 | 3.92 | 2.55 |
| Image height | 21.64 | 21.64 | 21.64 |
| Lens length | 486.99 | 486.99 | 486.99 |
| Back Focus | 53.96 | 53.96 | 53.96 |
Canon RF 200-400mm F4 IS USM
This lens has a rather simplistic design and may likely be a non-L series lens. Considering this, Canon could launch it in the future. If it manages to have an f4 aperture throughout its focal range, then the chances of it being costly are also high, and perhaps it will be targeted at serious enthusiasts. It has a 44mm back focus, which means it can also use an extender.
| Wide | Medium | Telephoto | |
| Focal length | 205.00 | 282.75 | 390.00 |
| F-number | 4.10 | 4.10 | 4.10 |
| Half angle (°) | 6.02 | 4.38 | 3.18 |
| Image height | 21.64 | 21.64 | 21.64 |
| Lens length | 367.09 | 367.09 | 367.09 |
| Back Focus | 46.68 | 46.68 | 46.68 |
Canon RF 300-800mm F8L IS USM
Canon already has an RF 200-800mm f6.3-9 IS USM for this mount, so it doesn’t make sense why the company would file a patent for 300-800. There is also an existing RF 800mm lens, so people would not see any benefit in switching to a 300-800mm focal range unless, of course, it offers something that no other lens can.
| Wide | Medium | Telephoto | |
| Focal length | 305.00 | 485.95 | 774.99 |
| F-number | 8.09 | 8.10 | 8.10 |
| Half angle (°) | 4.06 | 2.55 | 1.60 |
| Image height | 21.64 | 21.64 | 21.64 |
| Lens length | 489.78 | 489.78 | 489.78 |
| Back Focus | 100.04 | 100.04 | 100.04 |
What Canon Must Keep in Mind
In our tests, we adored the RF 800mm lens, and similarly, the RF 100-300mm f2.8 L IS USM earned our praise for its innovation. And we have been pretty vocal about Canon’s optics, which are quite spectacular. However, we also question who will buy a lens that is heavy and priced insanely high. Since third-party lenses give you decent optics at much cheaper rates, many prefer them over official lenses from camera makers.
So, with any of these patents (whether they become true or not in the future), the company must ensure they are innovative, sharp, easy to carry around, and, most importantly, priced at reasonable rates. We know Canon often plays safe, so the future is the place where they need to stop shying away. If they want people to switch to mirrorless soon, especially the newer models, then they have to give people an affordable lens as it is sharp and exciting.