The Latest Canon RF 300-600mm Rumours

credits: Canon

The long-rumoured Canon RF 300–600mm lens is making the rounds again, and at this point, it feels like it has been “almost here” for a while. The lens reportedly came up again during a recent dealer meeting, but there is still no real timeline attached to it. The wording has not changed much either, it is now being described as “coming in 2026,” which sounds a lot like last year’s “coming in 2025.” So it is clearly still in development, just not quite ready to be officially announced.

There are apparently two versions still being considered. One is a more traditional RF 300–600mm f/4–5.6L IS USM with a variable aperture, while the other is a constant f/5.6 version that would use a VCM (voice coil motor) for autofocus. Right now, the constant f/5.6 option is said to be the more likely one. That would be interesting, since VCM autofocus has not been used in Canon’s super-telephoto zooms before, but it fits with Canon slowly bringing newer autofocus tech from its prime lenses into zooms.

Another detail that stands out is that the lens is rumoured to be lighter than you would expect, which could mean Canon is using diffractive optics. That is a design approach the company has used before to keep size and weight down by correcting chromatic aberrations with fewer elements. Nikon has done something similar with its PF lenses, so it is a known way to make big telephoto lenses more manageable. If this lens does show up, it would sit somewhere between the RF 100–500mm and Canon’s much more expensive super-telephoto primes, with current expectations putting the price in the $6,500 to $7,000 range.