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

I love mirror lenses! I still own a 35-year old Canon FD 500/8 lens. I am most excited by the adapter I now have -- an FD to RF. After some test frames with my R5, great lens, very good sharpness and easy to use now that there is focus peaking. So, an RF with IS and even autofocus? Bring it on. As for the doughnuts? Love them too. Something different. People obsess too much about bokeh and not enough about what they are shooting.
 
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Dragon

EF 800L f/5.6, RF 800 f/11
May 29, 2019
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I know nothing about astro. Most of the posts I see here about astro want fast lenses. Am I correct to assume that these mirror lenses need to have a tracker for astro? I'm guessing the guys real serious about astro already have one?
Most catadioptric telescopes are between f/10 and f/15, so these lenses are average to fast for that application, and yes a tracker is a typical requirement. As to everybody already having one, Covid has inspired a large number of folks to take up back yard astro observation and photography, and that has contributed to the shortage of telescopes, so no, not everyone has one. Fast lenses are desirable for short exposure wide angle shots, but very few longer telescopes are fast.
 
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Mugglemind

CR Pro
Apr 28, 2020
5
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I will buy the RF 2000mm to take portraits of my relatives in Australia... while being in Europe.
Sadly, don't quite think it will get that far!

This is Elizabeth Tower (and you can see the Big Ben bell inside) from 4 miles away. Used the R5, 800mm f/11, 2x converter, and the built in 1.6x crop to get it. Can vaguely make out a few of the workers on the scaffolding at that distance too.

ElizabethTower.jpg
 
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Aug 26, 2015
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I am a very happy RF 100-500mm user, as evidenced by the number of shots with it and the RF 1.4x and 2x I’ve posted. But that Nikon 500mm f/5.6 PF is the best lightweight lens I‘ve owned and I’d rather buy the Canon equivalent of it than a 400/4 even if they could reduce the weight right down. The range with TCs of 500-700-1000mm (like on the 100-500mm too) is more useful to me than 400-560-800mm. My 400mm DO II spent most of its time with a 1.4 or 2xTC on it.
I reckon the new 400/4 will be popular if they can make it even more compact, and no doubt performance is going to improve significantly with the RF converters as well, so it may work with a higher pixel density APS-C body as well.
It could be a more serious alternative to the 400/2.8 with the upcoming mirrorless cameras with more advanced AF systems.
There is also the rumoured 200-500/4 to replace the 200-400/4 + 1.4x, looks like a pretty significant upgrade if they make it.

Strangely, Nikon doesn't seem to at least refresh the 500/5.6 for the Z-mount. There was also a patent for a 600/5.6, I hope their 200-600/5.6-6.3 will be excellent, but it's not nearly the same thing and they have quite a way to go just to release all that's still blacked out on their roadmap.

I kind of like the 800/11 for what it is (great to start with and it can't be any smaller and lighter than it is), but it needs a second body to work because of the MFD and fixed aperture (and the great 100-500/4.5-7.1 + 1.4x may be a straight up replacement, but the zoom limitation with the teleconverters is annoying, especially for the money), and they said they are considering more lenses like this, so I wouldn't mind if they could expand the range and do a 1000/11 as well, although it looks like that 1200/8 is what they are going for instead if that's what they've meant by that statement.
If it minimises the shortcomings with mirror lenses, it could be really good., but it won't be that cheap. and again with a fixed aperture, so I wonder how is the DOF, it is already marginal with the 800/11 at its ideal range of 6-12 meters for birds.
 
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justaCanonuser

Grab your camera, go out and shoot!
Feb 12, 2014
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Very interesting what Canon would make out of this old lens design. As others have stated here, the classic mirror lenses have very special characteristics, in fact you could use them for arts photography, like some people use pinhole or cheap Lomo cameras for their arts prints. Here is a good article, based on those classic mirror design lenses - btw astronomical optical telescops basically use the same principle:

 
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cayenne

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Mar 28, 2012
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Very interesting what Canon would make out of this old lens design. As others have stated here, the classic mirror lenses have very special characteristics, in fact you could use them for arts photography, like some people use pinhole or cheap Lomo cameras for their arts prints. Here is a good article, based on those classic mirror design lenses - btw astronomical optical telescops basically use the same principle:

Actually, you get get some surprisingly GOOD images out of a well made pinhole camera.
Surprisingly good.
 
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Ozarker

Love, joy, and peace to all of good will.
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Jan 28, 2015
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Actually, you get get some surprisingly GOOD images out of a well made pinhole camera.
Surprisingly good.
Cayenne, I have a pinhole, but have only used it once. I have never tried it on the R. Thanks for reminding me of it. Forgot all about it.
 
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