Canon RF 400mm f/8, inspired by 600 & 800mm f/11 lenses, on the way?

Canon RF 400mm f/8, plus smaller 600mm & 800mm lenses on the way?
(Image credit: James Artaius)

A Canon executive has teased that the recent 600mm and 800mm f/11 lenses might spawn an entire line – and that the next affordable, compact telephoto lens could be a 400mm f/8. 

When they were first announced, the Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STM and Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM raised plenty of eyebrows, both because of their incredibly low price and the fact that they features a fixed f/11 aperture. 

However, while there were concerns that such a small aperture would be limiting and could cause performance issues, both super telephotos perform exceptionally well – and are among the best Canon RF lenses

In fact, they're making such a stir that they could seriously revolutionize – or, at least, democratize – the world of telephoto wildlife shooting, which has previously been the preserve of those able to afford huge and hugely expensive conventional lenses. 

So it should come as little surprise that Canon has been looking at producing more of these lenses. Sure enough, a company executive has teased that a line of such optics could well be on the cards – and a 400mm f/8 looks like it's next.

"As a future plan, I would like to consider lenses with reduced price and size than the 600mm and 800mm lenses," said Kengo Iezuka, a product planner at Canon's Image Communication Business Headquarters, in an interview with Mynavi (thanks to Digital Camera Info for the find). 

"Actually, I was thinking about 400mm f/8. Of course, 400mm is included when it comes to super-telephoto lenses, but [before that] 600mm and 800mm have a greater impact, and I think it's a great pleasure to shoot things that I couldn't shoot before, so the first one is this lineup [600 and 800mm]. 

"The 400mm will be as small as the 600mm and 800mm, and I think it will be an attractive lens. I would like to think positively whether it is better to make a series, depending on how well the 600mm and 800mm [are received]."

Read more: 

Best Canon telephoto lenses
Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STM review
Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM review

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

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.