Canon's mirrorless megazooms, including Canon RF 120-700mm

Canon's mirrorless megazooms, including Canon RF 100-700mm
(Image credit: Canon)

New optical designs for Canon mirrorless megazoom lenses has been spotted online, including a monster Canon RF 100-700mm. 

The pair of new formulas describe the Canon RF 100-600mm f/4.5-7.1 and Canon RF 100-700mm f/4.0-8.0 – which would seem to come from the same design ethos as the recently announced Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM

Indeed, the 100-600mm f/4.5-7.1 does seem to be a little too close for comfort to the 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1, so it is probably the case that this lens was ultimately replaced by the slightly shorter optic.

However, the 100-700mm f/4.0-8.0 is sufficiently different to – and arguably sufficiently more appealing than – the 100-500mm, so there may still be a place in Canon's lineup for this megazoom. 

Filings for both exotic optics were spotted at the US Patent and Trademark Office (by Northlight Images) as well as the Japan Patent Office (by Canon News). The registrations describe the lenses as follows: 

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Canon RF 100-600mm f/4.5-7.1
Focal length103.00248.50600.00
F-number4.605.856.80
Half angle of view11.864.982.07
Image height21.6421.6421.64
Total lens length241.66305.61331.66
Back focus17.5737.0197.33
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Canon RF 100-700mm f/4.0-8.0
Focal length123.00293.00700.00
F-number4.605.858.00
Half angle of view9.984.221.77
Image height21.6421.6421.64
Total lens length246.28322.64370.48
Back focus14.0144.69107.78

So, are these just remnants of the same design phase that ultimately birthed the Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L lens? Or is there still a chance that we'll see the 100-700mm appear in some form? 

It's entirely possible that this could be a non-L lens equivalent, perhaps envisioned to be paired with the Canon EOS RP or Canon EOS R6 (much like the Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM). 

And, as with many Canon patents, they could just be designs that never see the light of day – though that 100-700 is something we would certainly love to see! 

Read more: 

Super telephoto Canon RF 100-500mm, plus RF 1.4x and 2x Extenders announced
The best 150-600mm lenses: great super-telephoto zooms
Best Canon RF lenses: the best lens for Canon EOS R and EOS RP in 2020

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James Artaius
Editor

The editor of Digital Camera World, James has 21 years experience as a journalist and started working in the photographic industry in 2014 (as an assistant to Damian McGillicuddy, who succeeded David Bailey as Principal Photographer for Olympus). In this time he shot for clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal, in addition to shooting campaigns and product testing for Olympus, and providing training for professionals. This has led him to being a go-to expert for camera and lens reviews, photo and lighting tutorials, as well as industry news, rumors and analysis for publications like Digital Camera MagazinePhotoPlus: The Canon MagazineN-Photo: The Nikon MagazineDigital Photographer and Professional Imagemaker, as well as hosting workshops and talks at The Photography Show. He also serves as a judge for the Red Bull Illume Photo Contest. An Olympus and Canon shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and a fondness for vintage lenses and instant cameras.