Canon Japan has now marked this classic white telephoto lens as discontinued, as DSLR lens numbers continue to dwindle

A classic DSLR telephoto zoom has been discontinued in Japan. Canon Japan has marked the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM as discontinued, as new DSLR lens numbers continue to dwindle.

Canon’s online store in Japan now lists the popular telephoto 100-400mm DSLR lens as discontinued. That leaves Canon Japan’s online store with one EF-mount telephoto zoom remaining, the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM. According to Asobinet, some retailers in the region have also marked the lens as discontinued.

Being listed as discontinued in Japan doesn’t mean the lens has the same fate in other regions – at least for now. The lens remains available at retailers in several regions – including the US and UK. However, with Canon’s headquarters based in Japan, in the past, sometimes products discontinued in Japan have followed suit in other regions after stock runs out.

The lens remains available new at several retailers, although both Canon US and Canon UK official websites list the lens as out-of-stock.

The listing hinting at the end of production for the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM likely comes as no surprise, as brands have been shifting production towards mirrorless for several years now.

However, listing the EF 100-400mm as discontinued leaves Canon Japan’s list of telephoto zoom EF lenses with just one, with the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM remaining.

Canon doesn’t have a 100-400mm mirrorless lens with the same aperture, but RF shooters have access to the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM, a high-end L series lens with more reach but in a lens that weighs less than the EF mount 100-400mm. The RF mount also has the budget-friendly RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM, though it’s not an L-Series lens like the discontinued DSLR lens and has a narrower aperture.

While being listed as discontinued in Japan suggested there may be a limited number of new Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lenses available, the number of photographers migrating from DSLR to mirrorless means there’s usually a fairly healthy market of used DSLR lenses from reupatable used photography gear stores.

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