Recently Richard broke down a patent application that showed an RF 70-150mm f/2L USM optical design, one that may would consider a dream lens.

Now, back in July of 2023, we reported with our old rating of [CR2] that another f/2 zoom to “complement” the RF 28-70mm f/2L USM was on the horizon. For the moment, that may be the best standard zoom ever made from an optical standpoint. Sony will soon introduce the same sort of lens and maybe it will take the crown.

I bring up the report back in July of 2023, because the same source told us about an internal zoom RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM (no Z) back in September of 2023. It took a year, but it did finally arrive, though we saw in all of its two colour glory during the Paris Olympic games.

Sometimes patent applications for optical formulas come before a product makes it way to becoming a reality, and other times those patent applications don’t come until after a product is release. As far as recent history goes, the patent application for the RF 28-70mm f/2.8 came well before the actual announcement, which was a nice surprise when it did come to be.

We have also been told that Canon has “a couple of wild lenses coming in the first half of 2025″. I think think an RF 70-150mm f/2L USM would definitely qualify as “wild”.

We haven’t been told directly that this optical design is what another f/2 zoom will be, but we do think this is more than just simply a patent application that will be forgotten about.

We have been looking at correlations between patent applications and what comes to market. There are a few things on the surface that we are digging further into, but reading patent applications and comparing them can be a brain draining exercise.

More to come on this topic I hope.

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126 comments

  1. Yeeeeees please! I am one of those who’s been dreaming about a lens like this I already started saving up :)

    I am hoping Canon finds a way to reduce weight. Wasn’t there a possible RF 28-70mm F2 mkii mentioned that focused on reducing its weight?
  2. It was a long time ago that I had heard another f/2 zoom lens was coming, but at this point, I don't think I can claim "we told you!".

    I'll ask around though. You usually see the patent application for the final design after announcement. We do see variation beforehand though.
  3. Oh my goodness....this IS one of my dream lenses.
    The ability to cover the 85mm, 100mm and 135mm focal lengths @ f2 would be amazing. The extra 10mm @ 145/150mm would be a great "nearly 200mm" focal length. I find with my 135L that the framing difference between a head and shoulders portrait @ 135mm and 200mm is usually just a step closer.
    This and a 24-35mm f2 and I'm in a giddy portait / wedding photographer's heaven.
  4. Oh my goodness....this IS one of my dream lenses. This and a 24-35mm f1.4 zoom and I'm in a portait / wedding photographer's heaven.

    Ok, I'd be ok with that for my 28 f/1.4L obsession. Just put the ability to lock it at 28. If not, Gorilla Glue should do the trick. Or make it a tri-elmar design...

    .... I'm clearly off the rails.
  5. Imagine if this rumored lens was launched with the R1.
    That would throw that "other" company launch into chaos.
    Not my style of lens (I'm generally either side of it), but this would be an absolute beast.

    Edit to correct spelling. Oops.
  6. Imagine if this rumored lens was launched with the R1.
    That would through that "other" company launch into chaos.
    Not my style of lens (I'm generally either side of it), but this would be an absolute beast.

    Yeah, I love halo products. They really are great for marketing even if you don't sell a lot of them.

    The design is 7"/18cm long (after flange distance removed from design). That's crazy.
  7. Yeah, I love halo products. They really are great for marketing even if you don't sell a lot of them.

    The design is 7"/18cm long (after flange distance removed from design). That's crazy.
    It's certainly in the 70-200/f2.8 ball park length. Diameter wise, a 140mm f2.0 lens could be made with a front element of less than 72mm in diameter.
    It's certainly a lens that I would easily choose over a 70-200/2.8 for a lot of assignments. Probably not a lot of use for my landscape or wildlife work.
  8. Well... sometimes they do tell us via patent applications.


    That stuff makes me sad.

    There's something I'm going to see if I can correlate betwen pateent apps and products that actually get released
  9. I usually dream about the 15-600 f1.2
    “I’ll let you be in my dreams if I can be in yours”
    Harryfilm said that (Apologies to Bob Dylan Talkin' World War III Blues).
  10. I usually dream about the 15-600 f1.2
    I was going to joke that this would have to borrow a front element from a lighthouse.

    Then I checked, and even the largest lighthouse lens would be too small. :oops:
  11. I was going to joke that this would have to borrow a front element from a lighthouse.

    Then I checked, and even the largest lighthouse lens would be too small. :oops:
    But not with HarryFilm's polyphosphated-nano-oxypolymerised-fluohydrocarbonated ultra-acrylised lenses! :cool:
  12. It was a long time ago that I had heard another f/2 zoom lens was coming, but at this point, I don't think I can claim "we told you!".
    If you were referring to me, I never meant to think you claimed "we told you!". I just thought there was a patent or some new glass formula on a different lens that could lead to dropping weight on a possible mkii of the Rf 28-70mm F2. I don't think a mkii is going to happen soon. The only two ways that is going to happen is if... the upcoming Sony f2 zoom is wider and a lot lighter (which I don't think it will be) or Canon actually developed a way to lighten the lens and there are using this technology on a 70-140ish mm lens.
    I'll ask around though. You usually see the patent application for the final design after announcement. We do see variation beforehand though.
    Thx

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