Is a Canon RF 24-70mm f/4 L on the way?

Canon RF 24-70mm f/4 L coming soon?
(Image credit: Canon News)

While potentially a little sparse when it was first launched, the Canon RF mount is steadily being populated with lenses. However, there are still some gaps in the RF-mount Canon lens line-up that could definitely do with being filled. One of these gaps is the f/4 trinity – a collection of an ultra wide zoom (such as a 15-35mm f/4), a 24-70mm f/4 and a 70-200mm f/4. 

This is similar to the f/2.8 trinity (which features identical focal lengths but with a constant aperture of f/2.8 instead of f/4), but usually comes with the benefit of being smaller, lighter and cheaper. 

• Read more: Best Canon RF lenses

Luckily, Canon News has uncovered a recent patent application that shows that one of these lenses seems to be on the way. Apparently, Canon has put forward an application for a Canon RF 24-70mm f/4 L lens. Canon News explains that the patent application details multiple different optical designs, but that they're all fairly similar: "Given the backfocus distance and the image height, these designs are most certainly for the RF mount". 

You can see the information detailed in the application below:

• Focal length: 24.73mm 40.97mm 67.90mm
• F Number: 4.12 4.12 4.12
• Half angle of view: 41.19° 27.84° 17.67°
• Image height: 21.64mm 21.64mm 21.64mm
• Total lens length: 145.52mm 135.76mm 160.05mm
• BF: 18.00mm 25.64mm 55.54mm

Interestingly, the Canon RF 24-70mm f/4 L isn't the only one of the f/4 trilogy that Canon are working on. A previous rumor from Canon Rumors advised that a Canon RF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM had appeared for Russian certification, which means we could be seeing an official announcement for this lens soon.

In the meantime, we'll likely have to wait a little longer for the arrival of the Canon RF 24-70mm f/4 L if Canon are only just applying for a patent now. However, it's definitely reassuring to see their continued focus on filling out the Canon RF lens line-up.

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Louise Carey

With over a decade of photographic experience, Louise arms Digital Camera World with a wealth of knowledge on photographic technique and know-how – something at which she is so adept that she's delivered workshops for the likes of ITV and Sue Ryder. Louise also brings years of experience as both a web and print journalist, having served as features editor for Practical Photography magazine and contributing photography tutorials and camera analysis to titles including Digital Camera Magazine and  Digital Photographer. Louise currently shoots with the Fujifilm X-T200 and the Nikon D800, capturing self-portraits and still life images, and is DCW's ecommerce editor, meaning that she knows good camera, lens and laptop deals when she sees them.