Canon is set to expand its RF-mount lens line up with three new ‘hybrid’ lenses for its mirrorless cameras. In a teaser, the camera giant posted a picture (above) of its two existing hybrid lenses, the Canon RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z (launched in November 2023) and Canon RF 35mm F1.4L VCM (of June 2024), alongside three mystery lens silhouettes.
From the press release we know five things for sure: there will be three new lenses; these lenses will be hybrid (designed for photo and video use); they are L-series lenses (Canon’s nomenclature for its professional lenses); they will be a mix of zoom and prime lenses; and they will be fully revealed on October 30.
Having intimate knowledge of Canon’s best cameras and lenses and its lens roadmap, there’s further info that I can draw from the picture to speculate what these three mystery lenses could be. So if you can’t wait until October 30, read on to find out what you can reasonably expect from Canon’s next product launch.
All about hybrid
Canon is certainly focusing on improving the overall user experience for video with its mirrorless cameras and lenses. Not only is the video recording capabilities of its latest cameras like the EOS R5 Mark II significantly better than before, but so too is the handling of its hybrid lenses, creating a system that’s equally adept for photo and video.
Its two hybrid lenses pack video-friendly features, such as a smooth aperture ring and suppressed focus breathing. Now it looks like three more hybrid lenses will join the party, and it could be Canon’s design ethos for its pro RF-mount lenses moving forwards.
In June this year, we had our hands on the Canon RF 35mm F1.4L VCM, which started life at a pricey $1,499 / £1,819 / AU$2,699. (Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
Firstly there’s the large silhouette in the teaser image, which is virtually identical to the profile of the RF 24-105mm hybrid lens, meaning it’s almost certainly a zoom lens. Our sister title Digital Camera World took the press release image into an editor to brighten it up and see what could be revealed, and it turns out the large hybrid zoom lens will be a 70-200mm. That’s some clever detective work – though it didn’t reveal other details.
That same brightened image failed to reveal any details of the two smaller lenses, both of which match the size of the RF 35mm F1.4 and are almost certainly prime lenses too. A couple of months ago, Canon Rumors tipped two new prime hybrid lenses to be in the pipeline, a so-called Canon RF 24mm F1.4L VCM and Canon RF 50mm F1.4L VCM.
The lens silhouettes would tally with that rumor because it’s entirely plausible they would match the size of the existing 35mm lens. Canon doesn’t have F1.4 aperture lenses for the 24mm and 50mm focal lengths, which adds further credibility to that rumor.
There you have it – Canon will deliver three new professional hybrid lenses on October 30 and we’ll be sure to cover those launches so do tune back in then.
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