The Canon RF lens mount has already delivered some unprecedented lenses, but apparently we ain't seen nothing yet; according to a Canon executive, the company is working on "lenses with specifications that have never been seen before and that no one can imagine yet".
Bold words, but not without precedent. Ever since the format launched, the best Canon RF lenses have included prestige "halo" optics that were simply not possible on any other lens mount.
The second lens I ever used on the original Canon EOS R, back when it launched in 2018, was the mighty RF 28-70mm f/2L – a lens that no other manufacturer was able to make, either then or since.
How about the RF 600mm f/11 and RF 800mm f/11? While maybe not as exotic, they were still lenses that could only be achieved thanks to the unique properties of the RF mount.
And then of course, there's the recent RF 24-105mm f/2.8L – a lens thought simply impossible, until Canon made it. And it's this lens that actually prompted the above quote, from one of the Imaging Business Unit staff who developed it.
The team was interviewed by Japanese railway website Tetsudo.com (spotted by Digital Camera Info) about the groundbreaking lens, when the conversation expanded to what else Canon has in store for the future.
"Since Canon announced the EOS R system for mirrorless cameras in 2018, we have released about 40 interchangeable lenses," said Kengo Iezuka of the IMG First Division.
"However, there are still many lenses that have not been released to the world. I can't talk about the specifics, but there are lenses with basic specifications, and lenses with specifications that have never been seen before and that no one can imagine yet. We would like to develop these in a balanced way."
What could some of these never-before-seen lenses be? Well, I know that Canon has been working on autofocus tilt-shift lenses pretty consistently since at least 2021 – and they would definitely fit the bill for starters.
A lot has been said about Canon's late entry to the mirrorless arena but, while everyone else has largely just made the same lenses that were already available for DSLRs, you can't argue that Canon has constantly broken boundaries with its RF glass. And it looks like this is only the beginning…
It's not just great mirrorless glass; the best Canon lenses for DSLRs are still top of their class, and great for the best Canon cameras with or without a mirror mechanism.
