Canon's Supertelephoto Mirrorless Lenses Are Coming

Canon's supertelephoto lenses (informally known as the "big whites") are crucial for wildlife, sports, and photojournalism work and are also widely known as some of the best optics the company produces. As Canon continues to build out the RF mirrorless lens lineup, it looks like a lineup of supertelephoto lenses is coming soon.

Canon's supertelephoto lenses are known as some of the best lenses out there, and as the company pivots to mirrorless, Northlight Images has uncovered patents for five new designs, including a 300mm f/2.8, 400mm f/2.8, 500mm f/4, 600mm f/4, and 800mm f/5.6. Of course, patents do not mean a product will eventually come to market, but given that these five patents exactly match the specifications of long-existing EF lenses, it is highly likely we will see all five of these lenses in the RF mount soon enough. In particular, with the 2021 Olympic Games coming up this summer, I would be very surprised to not see some of these lenses in the hands of photographers there. In fact, the only surprise in all this news is the lack of a 200mm f/2, the remaining big white lens in the lineup. Whether Canon intends to create an RF version of the lens is unknown, but given its usefulness for indoor sports and second home as a premium portrait lens, I certainly hope they do.