- Patent application reveals multiple interesting Canon optical designs
- There are several f/1.4 zooms in the app, for full frame and APS-C.
- Rumors suggest an RF 24-45mm f/1.4L as a possible product
f/2.8 zoom lenses have long been the working photographer’s trusted arsenal, but then Canon and Sony stepped up the game with f/2 zooms, namely the RF 28-70mm F2L USM, FE 28-70mm F2 GM, and FE 50-150mm F2 GM.
For me, this formidable trio is the pinnacle of lens design, especially for wedding and event photography. However, you may soon have to think again if anything comes out of a recent patent application, discovered by the folks at Canon Rumors.
Canon’s patent application filed in Japan highlights several zoom lenses, many of which feature a constant f/1.4 aperture throughout the zoom range and cover a variety of sensor sizes, including full-frame.
Why is this so important? If any of these lenses were to become a reality, whether for Canon full-frame or APS-C mirrorless cameras, or PowerShot compact cameras, we would be looking at an optic that would be the first in the world.
The f/1.4 aperture is typically seen on expensive prime lenses and not versatile zooms, meaning we could get the best of both worlds in a single lens.
There’s quite a bit of technical language in a previous Canon Rumors post, but in summary, we may see a game-changing f/1.4 full-frame zoom, the most likely of which could be something like an RF 24-45mm F1.4L. There could also be new PowerShot compacts with next-generation lenses on the horizon.
Is there a catch?
A full-frame zoom lens with a constant f/1.4 maximum aperture would be a world first. Naturally, there will be design compromises.
Based on the patent, Canon Rumors suggests that a possible RF 24-45mm f/1.4L lens would measure around 220mm (that’s about twice the length of Canon’s RF 85mm F1.2L, which is already a thick lens) and would presumably also be a heavyweight.
We’ve seen that weight/performance trade-off before in the Canon RF 28-70mm F2L lens, which is much brighter but much larger than the Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM (even if Sony has consequently been able to make a much smaller and lighter 28-70mm f/2 than Canon’s).
Simply put, if you want the versatility of fast (constant) aperture and zoom capabilities in a single lens, you’re going to cost yourself size and weight rather than simply choosing a lighter prime lens with the same maximum aperture. An f/1.4 zoom would literally cost you more too.
If the above lens materializes, it represents the equivalent of three or four f/1.4 primes on an optic, at a much larger and presumably more expensive zoom, a compromise some might be willing to make, even if the potential candidate’s zoom range isn’t very wide.
Canon Rumors predicts that we will see such a zoom lens in 2026, but we must remember that such patent applications only reveal optical designs that are being explored, they do not confirm those that will reach the market – Canon is prolific with patent applications.
I personally reviewed the Sony 50-150mm F2 GM lens and it consequently earned TechRadar’s 2025 Lens of the Year award and, needless to say, a five-star rating. An f/1.4 zoom would certainly be in the running for such high praise, so we can only hope that one of these patents becomes a reality.
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