Breaking news - new Canon Lens - maybe?

Wild Pony
Originally uploaded by thefatcat44

Now this might be an April Fool as I can't find confirmation of this press release anywhere yet - so take it with a huge pinch of salt until confirmed.

However if it is confirmed it will be an amazing lens by the sound of things - as the press release from Experience Seminars (who are Canons approved training organisation in the UK) states, for many photographers it may end up being the 'only lens you will need'.

The lens is called ' EF 20-400mm f2.8 IO USM IS' - yup, f2.8 right through the range from 20mm to 400mm with a claimed 6 stops of image stabilisation. The release makes the point that with improved ISO performance, such as on the 5d mk2, this means virtually al photography could be done handheld... so not only no carrying a bag of lenses, no having to carry a tripod either.

The release is lengthy and detailed. It describes the lens as not being part of the L series (although the lens is white) and having a blue ring as opposed to a red ring to make it distinctive.

It has, they claim, special coatings on the optics which will require special filters - UV, protector and polarising, so as to work properly with the optics.

The weight is a little heavier than the 100-400mm L but lighter than the 28-300mm lens - but if you don't have to have a bag of lenses and a tripod on the shoulder, who cares? I can see it being the perfect walk about lens and ideal for holidays - if it does exisit, that is.

In my opinion a downside is the fact that zooming is done via a sliding barrel rather than a rotating ring - in the style of the 100-400mm L. My wife likes the way this works on her lens, but I prefer a rotating ring so that the physical length of the lens doesn't increase as you zoom in - as on my 70-200mm IS USM L f2.8 lens. (This new lens is claimed to have the USM motor too).

The lens has an 82mm diameter front element - I am suprised it is not bigger to get f2.8 across such a wide range of zoom.

Availability is claimed for autumn 2009.

Price, wait for it, and this is the suggested retail price, are you sitting down? £2799. Which while a huge amount of cash, doesn't sound so bad when you consider how many lenses you could sell on EBay from your current kit bag to finance it.

If this is true I can see this becoming one of the most popular lenses in the World.

I await a 16 - 500mm f1.4 USM IS L with standard zooming and 10 stops of image stabilisation and no increase in length during zooming. Make me one of those Canon, and we will be talking!