Is Canon developing a relatively cheap super-telephoto lens?
A patent filing in October 2020 spotted by Northlight Images seems to suggest just that and it has more than a few people eager to see if the company decides to bring something like that to market.
PetaPixel quotes the patent filing paperwork referenced by Northlight Images describing, “An optical system includes a first optical element having a first reflective surface concave toward an object side, a second optical element having a second reflective surface convex toward an image side, and a lens unit disposed between the first optical element and the second optical element…Light from an object travels to an image plane through the first reflective surface and the second reflective surface in this order. A movable unit configured to move during image stabilizing includes at least one of the second optical element and the lens unit.”
Of course, patent filings don’t actually mean that something is on the way or that it will ever see the light of day if it is currently in development. This also isn’t the first time we’ve heard of a catadioptric lens patent from Canon with a 400mm F5.6 catadioptric “mirror” lens emerging all the way back in December 2017.
One advantage of this format is that it allows for a smaller and cheaper form factor than products like the $USD 13,000 Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS as PetaPixel highlights.
Would you be interested in a competitively priced super-telephoto lens from Canon? Let us know your thoughts on this rumored product from Canon in the comments if you like.
Don’t forget to check out our other photography news on Light Stalking at this link.
