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    Canon RF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM and Canon RF 1200mm f/8L IS USM coming soon?

    By Updated:66 Comments2 Mins Read Canon Lens Rumors
    canon120056big - Canon RF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM and Canon RF 1200mm f/8L IS USM coming soon?

    Digicame-Info who aggregates rumors and information and typically has reliable information has mentioned today that the RF 800mm and RF 1200mm have been added to overseas dealers lists recently.  This usually means that the lenses are very close to becoming available.

    These lenses have been on our roadmap for quite some time.

    According to Digicame-info;

    There are rumors that Canon will announce the “RF 800mm F5.6 L IS USM” and “RF 1200mm F8 L IS USM” in the near future.

    • Canon “RF 800mm F5.6 L IS USM” and “RF 1200mm F8 L IS USM” added to overseas dealers

    Keep in mind, that this is the “usual” announcement period leading up to CP+ for Canon so new product announcements wouldn't be that much of a surprise right now either.  Of course, we have had these two lenses on our roadmap for what seems like forever. (November 2020)

    Digicame-info, notably did not quote and link the source of this rumor, something that gives me a bit of pause because they are very good at linking back reliable sources.  That's not to say that this rumor is incorrect, just that it's a curious decision on their part.

    The image shown is one of the Canon EF 800mm F5.6L

     

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    66 comments

    2. Speculation on pricing? I'm guessing maybe 15k in USD for the 800, and more than that for the 1200. They'll have similar element sizes, and similar to the 600 f4 as well, but its not about the cost of the glass. Maybe Canon wants a $20k lens and one of these is it....
    3. 1200mm f8 will be cheaper than the 800 since it will be a catadioptric lense.
      Link? Can a catadioptric lens even have image stabilization? I'm not aware of any examples. Canon patented a 400/5.6 catadioptric lens a few years ago, but it didn't have IS.
    4. Link? Can a catadioptric lens even have image stabilization? I'm not aware of any examples. Canon patented a 400/5.6 catadioptric lens a few years ago, but it didn't have IS.
      I don't think so. I think most IS systems don't move the front element, and in a catadioptic system if the rear spherical mirror doesn't stay properly aligned with the front convex mirror (and by relationship with the front glass element) then major distortions happen. I suppose they could have a system that moves it all together. They know more about optics than we do afterall, but we haven't seen an example yet.


      Brian
    5. Link? Can a catadioptric lens even have image stabilization? I'm not aware of any examples. Canon patented a 400/5.6 catadioptric lens a few years ago, but it didn't have IS.
      I'd be absolutely amazed if it was a catadioptric lens - the "donut" look has never been popular and I can't see many people spending thousands on such an optic. Perhaps "Inz", whose post has for some reason been deleted, meant to say "fresnel" instead of "catadioptric"?
    6. I'd be absolutely amazed if it was a catadioptric lens - the "donut" look has never been popular and I can't see many people spending thousands on such an optic. Perhaps "Inz", whose post has for some reason been deleted, meant to say "fresnel" instead of "catadioptric"?

      A patent doesn't prove anything, but it looks like it is possible it will be:

      www.canonrumors.com

      Patent: Is Canon planning to release catadioptric (mirror) super telephoto lenses?

      Keith over at Northlight uncovered a USPTO patent showing various optical designs for catadioptric lenses, better known as mirror lenses. The advantages to mirr
      www.canonrumors.com

      And it actually looks like they have IS:

      www.northlight-images.co.uk

      Canon RF & EF Lenses - rumours & news

      Rumours and news about lenses. Canon EF and RF lenses. Third party lenses, design information and patents. Lens testing and usage tips
      www.northlight-images.co.uk www.northlight-images.co.uk
    7. A patent doesn't prove anything, but it looks like it is possible it will be:

      Considering the size, weight and price of a "conventional" 1200mm F8 lens, it makes absolute sense to me if Canon made it as a mirror lens instead.
    9. An excellent catadioptric lens isn't necessarily small and lightweight. Who remembers the Carl Zeiss Mirotars 4,5/500 and 5,6/1000?
      And they were definitely not inexpensive. I'd be surprised if Canon were ready to compromise on quality.
      As a non-L lens, it would cost far less , of course. But who could handle such a lens, if not an experienced photographer, with the right (heavy) tripod?
    10. Genuine question: Would you still find it tempting, if it turned out to be a catadioptric lens, with accompanying donut bokeh?
      No, I wouldn't. The bokeh of my current 1200/8 lens (EF 600/4 II + 2xIII) isn't perfect, but it's better than that.
    11. I also doubt canon would do a CAT 1200mm f8, donut backgrounds in bird photos are just no good. A close facsimile would be the Pentax 1200mm f8. 684mm long and nearly 8580g in weight. If we assume that as base and Canon does incorporate DO element in it length would likely shrink to around 500mm and weight 5500g, which would still be big, but be manageable for a 1200mm. It certainly also would not command the $100k+ pricetag the f5.6 does.
    13. I also doubt canon would do a CAT 1200mm f8, donut backgrounds in bird photos are just no good. A close facsimile would be the Pentax 1200mm f8. 684mm long and nearly 8580g in weight. If we assume that as base and Canon does incorporate DO element in it length would likely shrink to around 500mm and weight 5500g, which would still be big, but be manageable for a 1200mm. It certainly also would not command the $100k+ pricetag the f5.6 does.
      You’re just throwing so many hypotheticals out there
    14. We actually had this discussion internally. Cats are hard, they are also hard to keep their alignment perfect as well. Especially one with a 150mm f1200 cat optic. They also have a bear of a time as far as temperature control. Also if it was a Cat - I REALLY doubt it would be an L lens, as I'm not even sure you could fully weather seal a Cat.

      As far as AF and IS, sure - because you have to have field correctors, and focusing elements on the back end of the Cat, and there you'd have your floating IS unit and AF motors, etc. Just like with a telescope you have your eyepiece coming out of the back of the Cat.

      I really doubt it's a cat, I suspect it will be DO and be around the same size as the 800mm .. if you think about it, the 800mm F5.6 and the 1200mm F.8 will have roughly the same size as the front element. With DO, it would be smaller and around the same length as the 800mm.

      That's my theory.
    17. After Nikon's announcement of their 800 f6.3, a heavier and more expensive RF 800 f5.6 is going to be a hard sell for Canon.
      Let's wait to see if the Nikon's IQ is on par with other 800mm lenses. If so, and Nikon is able to see it for <$10k, that lens will sell a lot of Nikon cameras.
    18. There does appear from the last couple of posts that there is excitement about 800/6.3. However, 800mm is too specialised for me, in terms of both field of view and probably minimum focal distance. I'd prefer a 500/4, which has a similar size front element, with the versatility of 700mm and 1000mm with TCs. It will be interesting to see how well the 800/6.3 sells.

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