- Patent application reveals several exciting Canon optical designs
- There are several f/1.4 zooms in the application, 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 trusted arsenal of working photographers, but then Canon and Sony stepped up to the f/2 zoom level, namely the RF 28-70mm F2L USM, FE 28-70mm F2 GM and FE 50-150mm F2 GM.
For me, the formidable trio is the pinnacle of lens design, especially for wedding and event photography. I might have to think again soon if anything comes of a recent patent application revealed by the folks at Canon Rumors.
Canon’s patent application filed in Japan highlights several zoom lenses, many of which boast a constant f/1.4 aperture throughout the zoom range and cover a range of sensor sizes, including full frame.
Why is it a big deal? If any of these lenses were to be realized, whether for Canon full-frame or APS-C mirrorless cameras or PowerShot compacts, we would be looking at world-first optics.
The f/1.4 aperture is typically seen in expensive prime lenses and not versatile zooms, meaning we can get the best of both worlds in one lens.
There’s some technical jargon in a previous Canon Rumors post, but the long and short of it is that we might see a game-changing full-frame f/1.4 zoom, the most likely of which could be something like an RF 24-45mm F1.4L. There could also be new PowerShot compactors with advanced lenses on the horizon.
Is there a catch?
A full-frame zoom lens with 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 an upcoming RF 24-45mm f/1.4L lens will measure around 220mm – that’s about twice the length of Canon’s RF 85mm F1.2L, which is already a thick lens – and presumably also be a heavyweight.
We’ve seen that weight/performance trade-off before in the Canon RF 28-70mm F2L lens, which is a full stop brighter but much larger than the Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM (although Sony has therefore been able to make a much smaller and lighter 28-70mm f/2 than Canon’s).
In short, if you want the versatility of a (constant) fast aperture and zoom capabilities in a single lens, it will cost you in size and weight compared to just picking up a lighter prime lens with the same maximum aperture. An f/1.4 zoom would literally cost you extra too.
If the above lens becomes a reality, it represents the equivalent of three or four f/1.4 primes in one optic, at a much larger and presumably more expensive zoom—a compromise some might be willing to make, even if the zoom range of the likely candidate is hardly expansive.
Canon Rumors predicts that we will see such a zoom lens in 2026, but we should remember that such patent applications only reveal optical designs that are being explored and do not confirm those that will come to market – Canon is prolific with patent applications.
I personally reviewed the Sony 50-150mm F2 GM lens, and it received TechRadar’s Lens of the Year 2025 award, and of course a five-star rating. An f/1.4 zoom would undoubtedly 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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