A patent showing continued development in EF mount optical formulas has appeared at the Japan Patent Office this past week.
This patent covers two optical formulas, one being an EF 20mm f/1.4 and the other being an EF 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6.
I don't feel either of these optical formulas will become new products and this is more about the development of lens technologies than the optical formulas themselves.
Canon EF 20mm f/1.4
- Focal length: 20.50mm
- FNo: 1.44
- Image height: 21.64mm
- Lens length: 134.70mm
- Back focus: 36.81mm
Canon EF 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6
- Focal length: 12.40-18.00-23.64mm
- FNo: 4.35-4.96-5.60
- Image height: 21.64mm
- Lens length: 142.18-132.82-131.14mm
- Back focus: 36.14-44.23 -52.29mm
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I wouldn't mind a 20/1.4, but probably only if Canon finally decides to address coma and astigmatism in their lens designs (something they have a history of ignoring). With those aberrations well controlled, a 20/1.4 would be an amazing astro lens.
Now a new 12-24 F4-5.6? I can see that one selling fairly well.
Sure it has Coma issues at the edges, but a lens that controls/eliminates both coma and astigmatism would be fantastically expensive no?
I'll play the devil's advocate: the unlikelyhood of those lenses turning into actual lenses seats well with the EF mount being dead.
* Sigma makes one, which seems to sell well. Nikon released a 20mm f/1.8 ~5 years ago as well.
* The amateur market is shrinking, but there's still money in pro equipment.
* Canon has improved it's ultra wide lenses in the past few years.
* The 20mm & 135mm are the only primes not to get a new lens this millennium.
* The 20mm f/2.8 has poor IQ, and is older than the 135mm f/2.0L.
* Releasing a 20mm f/1.4L would be a great way to show the EF line isn't dead.
My 35 1.4 II handes coma just fine. So if they did update this lens, I'm sure it would be addressed. I'd love to seem them do a lens like this. I see that Sony 24 1.4 (super sharp, bright, AND small) and get really gear envious for any who own it...
oops there are also a 21 F2 and 21 F 1.8
But, I don't buy the inevitability of DSLRs disappearing. From today's vantage point, both form factors have their own advantages and disadvantages. Mirrorless may eventually do everything as well or better than DSLRs, but I don't think that can be known for certain today.
I believe it’s a certainty that SLR will always outperform mirrorless in two areas:
1. Power consumption, all else being equal;
2. Not requiring an illuminated screen for TTL composing.
My experience is that I wanted to stay with such a lot things but (1) they weren't available after a certain point of time and (2) they have been replaced by better solutions, while I myself needed some time to be convinced by the facts.
At the moment series 1 cameras are not assimilated by the EOS R series, just not the 5D series at least the 5Ds models. But bodies go, lenses stay. And the next wave of EOS R cameras will be close to the 1D and 5D series - not because Canon wants to replace the DSLR models but because they have strong competition from Sony and Nikon. Maybe these cameras are essentially not better but if they are more attractive compared to Canon cameras Canon has to do something to support its camera sector.
In my - much lower end - case I was absolutely surprised how much better the M50 suits my style of photography compared to 40D, 5D mark i, 200D . I never believed that I would like such a thing better than DSLRs - I bought it primarily to make some "functional" video (for physics and math lessons) with an electronic viewfinder which works much better in bright light / with telephoto lenses. But it also worked better in photography (especially precise AF for slow moving subjects, no potential eye damage in contralight scenarios) for me. Finally I am convinced by the mirrorless concept despite the fact I like my 100 year old manually operated coffee grinder much more than the electric version ! :)