RIP focus ring – this Canon lens replaces it with a touch panel

RIP focus ring – this Canon lens replaces it with a touch panel
(Image credit: Canon / JPO)

Focus rings on camera lenses could be a thing of the past, as Canon has designed a new lens that eschews it in favor of a touch-sensitive control panel. 

However, it feels that using such a touch panel for focusing is just the tip of the iceberg; a lens with its own touch input could theoretically be used for anything from controlling autofocus points to navigating menus. 

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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.