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Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Will There Be A Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L II Lens?


Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS Super Telephoto lens

In my earlier post, I talked about which cameras and lens to expect from Canon in 2016. The EF 800mm f/5.6L II is considered a long shot. Although Canon has multiple patents covering its replacement, including perhaps a built-in extender version, much like the current EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM 1.4x Extender, it is considered highly unlike such a model will be made due to the optical limitations and added weight. There is however a new Canon patent for the EF 200-600mm f/4.5-5.6L lens but it does not appear to be a Super Telephoto model.

My readers know I am a big fan of Canon Diffractive Optics (DO) lens. I bought their first Super Telephoto EF 400mm f/4 DO in the mid 2000s and was very happy with it even knowing its limitations. As a wildlife photographer, I had to trade a little bit of sharpness for the unmatched mobility the lens offers. Then in 2014, Canon announced the EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II and the tradeoff is gone. It has been almost 15 years since Canon released the first DO lens and they have pretty much perfected the technology. Recently, at the Canon Expo 2015, they exhibited the EF 600mm f/4 DO BR lens.

Together with the EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM 1.4x Extender, EF 600mm f/4L IS II and EF 600mm f/4 DO BR lens, the need for a big EF 800mm diminishes. That is why I am not certain Canon will even announce a replacement to the current EF 800mm f/5.6L IS lens any time soon. More to come . . . . .  

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