Canon’s Latest Patent

credits: Canon

Canon’s got a new patent (2025-028297) that hints at super-telephoto prime lenses with built-in teleconverters. Instead of attaching a separate extender, the extra optics are built inside the lens itself, which means better image quality and a more compact design.

Canon’s done this before—the EF 200-400mm f/4L had a built-in 1.4x extender back in 2013—but this time, the patent specifically mentions 300mm, 400mm, and 600mm RF lenses. Since Canon likes to drop multiple super-telephotos at once, we might be in for a big RF lens launch.

No doubt these will be expensive, but knowing Canon, they’ll be the kind of high-end surprise releases that get photographers talking. Stay tuned!