svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB2aWV3Qm94PScwIDAgNzI4IDEwMjQnIHhtbG5zPSdodHRwOi8vd3d3LnczLm9yZy8yMDAwL3N2Zyc+PC9zdmc+ - Is the EF purge beginning? The EF 200mm f/2L IS USM is now listed as discontinued

    Is the EF purge beginning? The EF 200mm f/2L IS USM is now listed as discontinued

    By Updated:96 Comments1 Min Read Canon Lens News

    It was inevitable, but it looks like Canon is starting the discontinuation of EF lenses. I was told by Alex at FStoppers that the Canon EF 200mm f/2L IS USM is now unlisted or listed as discontinued at various retailers.

    While it is still listed at Canon USA, the lens is no longer listed at Adorama and shown as “discontinued” at B&H Photo.

    I will be watching these things closely over the next few months. I suspect a lot of the older and older higher priced lenses such as the EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM are on their last legs.

    Update: Canon USA has confirmed that the Canon EF 200mm f/2L IS USM will have service support from Canon until at least December 31, 2027. If parts remain after that date, service will likely continue until that inventory is depleted.

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    96 comments

    6. Well, you have to ask yourself - how many more exotic EF lenses like this will they sell? They could make the same exact lens in RF mount and it will sell into the future, but I don't think that anybody, maybe a handful, would buy this EF lens at this point in time. The R5 pretty much put the 5D4 to bed, and the 1-series is next.

      We won't see a 500/4 Mk III either because the next rendition of that lens will be in RF mount.
    8. This is a sad day... what a lens it is! There is one listed for sale here now, and I’m not going to lie, it’s tempting although I’ve owned and sold two of them because of the massive weight... an RF version is going to be way above budget, but I can’t wait to check it out :love:
      Other than the mount, what on earth are they going to improve over the EF version?
    9. This is a sad day... what a lens it is! There is one listed for sale here now, and I’m not going to lie, it’s tempting although I’ve owned and sold two of them because of the massive weight... an RF version is going to be way above budget, but I can’t wait to check it out :love:
      Other than the mount, what on earth are they going to improve over the EF version?
      The paint will be a much better shade of beige!
    10. I got it: RF is the future.
      But what about all these affordable EF L lenses like 135 f2, 100 f2,8 macro, 70-200 f4 non IS? How expensive will the 135 f1,4 be?
      I know most new RF lenses are better than the EF equivalent ones, but often 50% more expensive.
      Sorry, but the bright RF future will be too expensive for many of us, and this in a shrinking market...
    11. The point is that this is another indicator of the end of an era, just like the price reduction on the 5DS. Ends are sad, especially for us that have grown up on EF.

      On the other hand my EF lenses are still awesome as are my 5DMIV and 7DMII bodies. They still fit my purposes enough not to have such a strong desire to change systems.
    12. Canon probably considered how much it would cost to make a batch of this lens, projected how long it would take to sell the whole batch, and decided its not worth investing in the materials, manual labor, etc required to make it.

      As others have noted, its a low volume lens, but not one Canon can drop altogether. Sooner or later Canon will introduce an RF 200mm f/2L
    13. It's a lens which is more than a decade old. Also, how many buyers are there compared to the Zooms and other primes. So it makes sense for this lens to be in the first batch to discontinue and fully transitioned to RF for the niche buyers.
    14. Very expensive lens that most likely had very poor sales.

      Expensive? Yes. Poor sales? It seems like I’ve seen this lens(or the 1.8) owned/carried by almost every professional (Canon)still photographer(especially sports) I’ve shot next to in the last ~2.5 decades.
    15. Expensive? Yes. Poor sales? It seems like I’ve seen this lens(or the 1.8) owned/carried by almost every professional (Canon)still photographer(especially sports) I’ve shot next to in the last ~2.5 decades.
      It’s a niche lens. Depending on your niche you will either need it or not, I have pretty much never seen a tennis pro without one for instance. If you want to see ten of them in a row just look at any Grand Slam Event photographer pool. For most others it is an option, some sports pros like the focal length and the difference between it and the 400 f2.8 so might carry both. For most wedding pros it is too big and heavy and in that isolated shallow dof full body portrait application with it’s ‘unique’ look, it is actually easily replicated with more modest lenses using the Brenizer method.
    17. Looked at one of these on and off pretty frequently.

      Glad I didn't buy one.

      Maybe the price will come down in a little while.

      Well if it doesn't come down, then Canon made a mistake.
    18. Looked at one of these on and off pretty frequently.

      Glad I didn't buy one.

      Maybe the price will come down in a little while.
      I’d expect the price to up a good bit in the short term, supply and demand and all that. In a couple of years when there are RF options then the price will gently start to drop.
    19. Well if it doesn't come down, then Canon made a mistake.
      Not really. Canon don’t want to be left holding any stock and will take fewer sales then possible to prevent that cost of money being tied up in stock that is a slow seller. As word gets out it is in short supply the price will go up, then as demand drops the price will come down.

      Canon will expect that and it is the optimal way of them realizing the maximum they can from the lens. Don’t forget these big whites are made in the same place on the same production line in batches. It takes time and money to switch out the tooling so if they make another batch of 200 f2’s they have to not make something else, and I’m sure they feel capacity is best used making something else.

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