First Leaked Images of the RF 800mm F5.6L IS USM and the RF 1200mm F8L IS USM

[Richard CR]

These are the first leaked pictures of the upcoming Canon RF 800mm F5.6L IS USM and the Canon RF 1200mm F8L IS USM. Both of these lenses have been on our roadmap for quite some time.
The 1200mm is most definitely a normal optic (a monster lens at that) and not a catadioptric lens.
From the image, they’re going to be announced on February 24th.

Continue reading...

 

[CanonGrunt]

I did just sell my house…

 

[Richard CR]

I did just sell my house…

You certainly need more than a kidney!

 

[LSXPhotog]

It's a shame this isn't just an 800mm f/5.6 with a built in 1.4 Extender to make it an 1120mm f/8. I can't honestly dream of too many uses for such a long 1200mm lens, but I would love to see it being put into use.

 

[Del Paso]

I wonder if the rear metal element can be factory -removed, in order to convert RF into EF, since there are still many professional DSLR users.
Provided these are the real pictures of the lenses.

 

[bbasiaga]

1200mm is not a catadioptric as many predicted.

-Brian

 

[blackcoffee17]

Looks like just a EF 600mm with attached 2X TC.

 

[Chaitanya]

Quite distinct approaches to 800mm primes from Nikon and Canon.

 

[Bob Howland]

Continue reading...

How many of the 1200mm lenses do you suppose Canon will sell in the next 5 years?

 

[privatebydesign]

How many of the 1200mm lenses do you suppose Canon will sell in the next 5 years?

I would think initially there will be a good pent up demand from the kinds of people that really use that kind of thing. I'd think there will be a lot of Government agencies looking to get them, all the big photo agencies will want a few, each Canon CPS nation will want several, lots of private security and surveillance users too.

Then you move on to the actual photographers, for shore based surf photography it is a dream lens, I'd think there will be a few astro photographers interested etc etc.

After the initial 5 years, once the pent up demand has eased, I'd think the sales would slow down to a trickle though.

 

[juststeve]

That 800/5.6 looks to be a lot stubbier than the EF 800/5.6. DO, perhaps? Or a fake with a little PS help?

 

[blackcoffee17]

That 800/5.6 looks to be a lot stubbier than the EF 800/5.6. DO, perhaps? Or a fake with a little PS help?

Yeah, it looks shorter, especially the front section with the red ring. Hope it's a new design, not that i will able to afford it...

 

[unfocused]

Referencing the China announcement post, perhaps Canon is calling this a "companion" because you will need to hire someone to carry it for you.

 

[[email protected]]

Somehow they look shorter than I'd expect. Perhaps the objective lenses are just so darned wide that it gives that impression, and I'm not thinking in the right scale.

I will be very interested to see if the MTF graphs that'll come out on launch compare favorably to the 600mm with a 1.4x teleconverter. To launch this sort of a monster I suppose it must.

Also curious about the 800 + 1.4x TC versus the 1200 f/8. If the 1200 doesn't beat the pants off the 800, then it's just a lot more bulk to carry around.

Big "whomp whomp whooomp" to Sony wildlife shooters for the next bunch of quarters before they can marshall something equivalent. And for the next few years for the Nikonians, who have a better chance of getting something from Sigma or Tamron in terms of big pro lens release timing.

 

[Deleted member 381342]

These just look like EF lenses with adaptors bolted on. I was very much hoping the 400 and 600 were using a stopgap design and that the newer lenses would ether have some value add, or at least a better looking mount design. Of course performance comes first, but I can't help but think the Nikon super tele lenses are looking nicer this generation even if the gold ring looks a bit naff. Exciting times ahead for wildlife photographers, we are entering a golden age where we can have 1200mm on a bare lens!

 

[blackcoffee17]

These just look like EF lenses with adaptors bolted on. I was very much hoping the 400 and 600 were using a stopgap design and that the newer lenses would ether have some value add, or at least a better looking mount design. Of course performance comes first, but I can't help but think the Nikon super tele lenses are looking nicer this generation even if the gold ring looks a bit naff. Exciting times ahead for wildlife photographers, we are entering a golden age where we can have 1200mm on a bare lens!

The 800mm looks to have different proportions to the EF version, but could be the image distortion.

 

[StandardLumen]

The 800mm looks to have different proportions to the EF version, but could be the image distortion.

I agree. This 800mm looks a little bit less long than the EF version, whereas if it was just an EF with an adapter it would be longer, not smaller. Hard to say definitively, though.

 

[MiJax]

That 800/5.6 looks to be a lot stubbier than the EF 800/5.6. DO, perhaps? Or a fake with a little PS help?

Canon said a couple of years back that they were open to adding DO elements in the L lenses. But the size savings on this lens look to be on the front side of the lens however, the rear side looks a little longer when compared to the RF600 4.0 and EF800 5.6 pics. That said, I do think there is a shrinkage going on in there. We'll know in a couple of days though.

 

[rontele7]

What's the point of the 1200 f/8? You could just use the 600 f/4 with a 2X, and have a far more versatile setup. These lenses are silly, hard to believe Canon is wasting resources on these, when the RF mount is still missing a 24mm L, 35mm L, etc.

 

[jolyonralph]

I wonder if the rear metal element can be factory -removed, in order to convert RF into EF, since there are still many professional DSLR users.
Provided these are the real pictures of the lenses.

RF lenses use totally new & faster protocols to EF, so pretty much zero chance for that.

Also, if you can afford this lens you can probably afford a new R body to go with it.