Report: New Canon Super Telephoto Lenses Coming in May

[homebodyMacro2]

Do we expect these potential 400mm and 600mm big whites to be comparable in cost to their predecessors? I wish I were in that market... sigh. I feel there's a fair chance this 300-600L zoom is perhaps destined to remain a rumor lol.

 

[neuroanatomist]

Do we expect these potential 400mm and 600mm big whites to be comparable in cost to their predecessors? I wish I were in that market... sigh. I feel there's a fair chance this 300-600L zoom is perhaps destined to remain a rumor lol.

No idea, but I'd expect that if the new 400mm and 600mm lenses have an integrated, switchable 1.4x TC (there were patents published on those about a year ago) then they'll go up in cost a bit over the current versions. Maybe $1K or $2K more? The 1.4x TC is selling for $600...

Even if the 300-600/5.6L is not a rumor, while it will likely be cheaper than the 400/2.8 and 600/4, it won't be 'cheap'. Likely a bit north of the RF 100-300/2.8, so figure on the order of $11.5-12.5K.

 

[Dragon]

That hypothetical 1x-1.4x TC would require reducing optics for the 1x setting, a completely different set of optics than the extender optics that would need to flip in when the 1.4x elements flip out. Same thing as the magical unicorn 1x-1.4x-2x TC that people have been dreaming about after someone misinterpreted a Canon patent for something completely different that happened to have 1-1.5-2x markings on the diagram.

Not sure that even reducing optics would solve the problem. A friend of mine who worked for Canon for many years once pointed out to me that the reason no one made the equivalent of a Metabones Speed Booster for EF-to EF is that focal reducers do not extend the focal plane like extenders do so they can only be made to fit inside the existing back focus distance of a lens. Hence, we have focal reducers that replace the EF to M and EF to R adapters, but no focal reducers for EF to EF or R to R.

 

[neuroanatomist]

A friend of mine who worked for Canon for many years once pointed out to me that the reason no one made the equivalent of a Metabones Speed Booster for EF-to EF is that focal reducers do not extend the focal plane like extenders do so they can only be made to fit inside the existing back focus distance of a lens. Hence, we have focal reducers that replace the EF to M and EF to R adapters, but no focal reducers for EF to EF or R to R.

It's technically possible to have a focal reducer that maintains the same lens mount and flange focal distance - there is a 0.7x focal reducer for PL to PL. Of course, technically possible ≠ easy...that optic is 20 cm long, has 13 elements, rotates the image 180° and costs $5500. But it will give you 0.7x the focal length and an extra stop of light with a FF lens and an S35 sensor (or an S35 lens and an S16 sensor).

It might not be possible to accomplish that in a TC-sized optic, though the 'boost' would not need to anywhere near a full stop because the light loss from an extension tube (along with the magnification benefit) decreases with increasing focal length.