Canon is set to release the RF 70-180mm F2.8 IS STM lens soon

According to Canon Rumors, Canon unexpectedly released the RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM lens at the end of 2024, achieving a large-aperture standard zoom in a compact size. Earlier this year, Canon followed up with the lightweight RF 16-28mm F2.8 IS STM wide-angle zoom lens. Both lenses have received widespread acclaim from Canon users, and their popularity is well-deserved. This marks the beginning of a completely new lens series for Canon, a type of product never seen before in the EF mount era.

Previous rumors have sporadically mentioned the existence of a compact 70-200mm F2.8 lens. Initially, we speculated that this might be an APS-C format lens, but the release of the aforementioned two full-frame F2.8 zoom lenses has completely changed our understanding. Currently, Canon doesn't seem to be investing heavily in the development of RF-S APS-C format lenses, and this situation may not change until the release of the new generation of EOS R series APS-C format cameras.

According to a recent anonymous source, Canon is planning to release a lens with specifications similar to the RF 70-200mm F2.8 IS STM in 2026. While the specific meaning of "similar" is unclear, the telephoto end may not be strictly limited to 200mm. Based on a patent published by Canon on October 8th, the final specifications of this lens are most likely to be the RF 70-180mm F2.8 IS STM.