Here’s a Sneak Peek at Canon’s New RF 600mm f/11 and 800mm f/11 Lenses

The two strangest lenses Canon is reportedly going to launch on Thursday are the RF 600mm f/11 and the RF 800mm f/11. Now, we have our first leaked photos to show us why exactly Canon has decided to make these lenses so slow. As expected: they’re incredibly small and hand-holdable.

The leaked photos come from the ever-reliable Nokishita, who posted specs for the lenses alongside a few blurry product shots and some high-res product images of the lenses in use. It seems they’re collapsible, and use a trombone-style extending mechanism for when you’re actually shooting.

Here’s a look at the product shots, followed by the photos of the lenses actually being used:

According to Nokishita, both lenses feature a DO element (to keep the size down), and between 4 and 5 stops of image stabilization. The 800mm lens is made up of 11 elements in 8 groups for a total weight of just 1260g, while the 600mm is made up of 10 elements in 7 groups and weighs just 930g. The 600mm lens will be 199.5mm (7.8 inches) long when retracted and 269.5mm (10.6 inches) when extended for shooting; the 800mm will be 281mm (11 inches) when retracted and 351.8mm (13.8 inches) when shooting.

These two products will undoubtedly be two of the most debated releases of the week. What do you think? Is Canon making the right decision releasing two f/11 full-frame super-telephoto lenses that are small enough to comfortably hand-hold, or are the lenses simply too slow to use in most real-world circumstances?

Let us know in the comments, and stay tuned for the official announcement on July 9th at 8am ET.