<H1>New Canon EF lenses coming in the next few months ?</H1>

Canon has started shipping the large, 'big white' Series II lenses and the EF 24mm f/2.8 IS and EF 28mm f/2.8 IS lenses are also coming out in larger quantities. They are also finishing up the final production process for the EF 24-70mm f/2.8 II lens and the official announcement of the EF 200-400mm f/4L IS + 1.4X lens is expected soon.  Attention has now been turned to what new lenses are coming in the remaining months of 2012.

They have filed many patents for new designs in the past few months, like the EF 135mm f/1.4L II and the EF 14-24mm f/2.8L lenses, etc.  The lens I am most interested in is the replacement of the current EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS.  Although this lens was introduced in 1998 and is showing its age, it is still one of my favorite wildlife lenses.  Its combination of weight, sharpness, versatility and price is hard to beat and I expect the replacement lens to be a bit faster on the wider end, perhaps f/4 at 100mm and the push/pull design will be replaced by a focus ring, much like the widely acclaimed EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens. The price will be quite a bit higher (perhaps around $3,000) but I am willing to pay for performance, just like the 200-400mm f/4 will probably lists for about $11,000.

Another lens on my wish list is the replacement to the EF 400mm f/4 DO IS.  This is also one of my favorite lenses in Canon's EF lineup.  It was first introduced in 2001 and was slow to gain acceptance because of the then new Diffractive Optics (DO) technology. The lens in not one of Canon's sharpest, per se, but the combination of weight and performance more than offset its perceived 'disadvantage' and absolute image sharpness is not the top priority for me when it comes to Wildlife Photography.  Although Canon has filed more patents under the DO umbrella, I doubt they will introduce another new DO lens or come out with a EF 400mm f/4 DO IS replacement any time soon.

Visit my website MichaelDanielHo.com to see plenty of Wildlife and Travel photos taken around the world with the EF 100-400mm and the EF 400mm DO lenses.