I Hope Canon’s Newest Lens Patents Become Reality

Canon’s latest patent applications in Japan outline three very interesting, exciting lenses. The patents describe 130mm f/1.8, 300mm f/2.8, and 500mm f/5.6 prime lenses. The usual disclaimer applies: just because a company files patent applications for products does not mean it will ever actually make them. That said, if Canon did make them, the EOS R system would be decidedly stronger.

As reported by Asobinet, which keeps a close eye on Japanese patents, the three patent applications were filed back in October 2024 and just published today, April 21. What’s notable is that the core patent application is for an 85mm f/1.4 lens, but not the excellent RF 85mm f/1.4L VCM lens the company released last year. It’s also obviously not Canon’s RF 85mm f/1.2L lens it released way back in May 2019.

Putting aside the 85mm f/1.4 patent, because frankly, a “small, lightweight” 85mm f/1.4 prime that is actually larger than the RF 85mm f/1.4L VCM lens makes no sense, the newly published patent application has three other lens designs included, and at least two of them would make for wonderful additions to the EOS RF lens lineup.

The first of the three other lenses is a mid-telephoto prime lens, technically a 128mm f/1.8 lens. It’s not unusual for lenses not to conform to the exact focal length of their model name, so this could easily be a 130mm prime, as Asobinet suggests. What makes this a particularly interesting patent application is that Canon already makes an RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM lens, and it’s very good. It’s also big, heavy, and expensive. It is 130 millimeters (5.1 inches) long, weighs 935 grams (2.1 pounds), and costs $2,099 thanks to an ongoing $300 discount. The 130mm f/1.8 lens in the patent is even longer, so this patent can probably be discarded as well. A company like Canon will design all sorts of lenses, and some of them will overlap. A big 130mm f/1.8 prime doesn’t seem like a plausible addition to the RF family, at least not without some sort of differentiating feature or trick up its sleeve.

The next lens, though, is a 292.5mm (300mm) f/2.90 (f/2.8) telephoto prime lens. In other words, an RF 300mm f/2.8. Where is the Canon RF 300mm f/2.8? The Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 was (is) a classic sports lens, especially for indoor sports and when working close to the action outdoors. The Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 has undergone numerous iterations over the years and, to this day, remains a staple in many photographers’ kits, even with EOS R bodies and EF-to-RF adapters. It is, frankly, bizarre that Canon has not released a 300mm f/2.8 prime in the RF era.

Of course, the company has the RF 100-300mm f/2.8L IS USM, which is a truly stellar lens. However, it’s also $10,599 and pretty darn big. Canon’s 300mm f/2.8 lens patent describes a 273-millimeter (10.7-inch) lens, which is a fair bit shorter than the 100-300mm’s 323-millimeter (12.7-inch) length.

This is not Canon’s only recent patent for an RF 300mm f/2.8 lens, either. As Canon Rumors reported in January, Canon also filed a patent application in late 2024 for multiple RF 300mm f/2.8 designs, including one with a built-in 1.4x extender, which would turn the lens into a 420mm f/4 prime with the flip of a switch.

One thing is for sure: Canon is at least seriously considering reviving a legend and bringing an RF 300mm f/2.8 to the masses. It’s never too late. After all, look how long it took Sony to release a 300mm f/2.8 lens, and it was well worth the wait.

There is plenty of room in Canon’s EOS R system for a relatively compact, lightweight, and perhaps more affordable RF 300mm f/2.8 telephoto prime lens. The RF 100-300mm f/2.8 is great, but it shouldn’t have a monopoly on the 300mm focal length in Canon’s professional lineup.

Speaking of focal lengths that deserve more love, the final lens in Canon’s newly published patent application is a 500mm f/5.6 telephoto prime lens. Well, technically, it’s a 482mm f/5.83 lens. In any event, this lens is described as just under 300 millimeters (11.7 inches) long and as Canon Rumors notes, harkens back to a classic EF lens, the EF 400mm f/5.6L USM. The outlined RF 500mm f/5.6 lens is “about the same size as the EF 400mm f/5.6L USM,” Canon Rumors writes, and it makes a lot of sense that Canon would be able to take advantage of better optical technology to deliver a similar lens that has a bit more reach.

A lens like this could be a smash hit with wildlife photographers looking for something reasonably compact and lightweight that still delivers high-end imaging performance and has a suitably fast aperture. While f/5.6 is not blazing-fast, it is plenty fast for many situations. As the popularity of Nikon’s Nikkor Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S, Nikkor Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S, and Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lenses, many photographers want relatively lightweight, affordable telephoto prime lenses. Sure, the 400mm f/2.8 and 600mm f/4 lenses of the world are great, but they are also huge, heavy, and extremely expensive.

The Canon EF 400mm f/5.6, which was released way back in May 1993 for $1,249, deserves a sequel act for mirrorless cameras, and frankly, the Canon RF system needs more affordable telephoto prime lenses that aren’t $13,400 like the RF 400mm f/2.8L IS USM or f/11 like the RF 600mm f/11 IS STM.

Again, just because Canon filed patent applications for these lenses doesn’t mean the lenses, or anything like them, will ever see the light of day. It’s very important not to equate patent applications with product launches. With that repetitive warning out of the way, though, I’d sure love to see at least the RF 300mm f/2.8 and RF 500mm f/5.6 lenses hit the market.


Image credits: Canon, KEH