Three Lenses in One: Canon Patents 400mm Lens with 2 Extenders Inside

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It turns out Canon’s 200-400mm f/4L with the 1.4x extender built-in wasn’t just a gimmick or a one-off. The Japanese camera giant has patented another, similar lens, that will give users three focal lengths in one.

The patent, discovered by Egami and shared by Canon Rumors, shows a 400mm f/2.8L IS with not one, but two extenders built in: a 1.4x and a 1.7x. That means that, without ever removing the lens from your camera body, you can shoot at 400mm, 560mm, and 680mm.

As with all patents, an idea isn’t “real” until Canon announces it, but this is not so much a brand new idea as it is an expansion on something Canon has already done. And given how well the 200-400mm lens has been received, we wouldn’t be surprised if this particular patent becomes a real (and real expensive…) product sooner rather than later.

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