Canon Exec: New 400, 600 f/4 To Be Mere Mount Swaps; Olympics & R3 Launch At Odds

Jun 29, 2021 | Canon, Editorial, News

DPReview continues its series of asking questions to camera manufacturer executives, who in turn respond with some directional hints toward actual answers, with an interview of one of Canon’s several chief executives, Go Tokura.

RF-600mm-aspect

Some points where answers provide new information:
– The upcoming 400mm and 600mm f/4 releases were inspired by RF mount users complaining of the need to use a converter. That was it. Control ring? Nah. Accelerometer placed at the end of the lens to communicate back to the IBIS system? Maybe, but perhaps less likely after this answer.

– With the Olympics only weeks away, Canonites hoping for an R3 launch may be disappointed to learn that the manufacturer is going to “…concentrate on preparing a top-notch support system for professional photographers. We aim to achieve zero downtime for them…” which would seem to prioritize availability in Japan for the next few weeks, rather than units shipped overseas.

– We should expect more lenses like the 600mm f/11 and the 800mm f/11 soon. This is a category about which he seemed more excited than others, even going so far as to allow there will be new products.

– When asked if in-camera noise reduction could be made into a setting that could be toggled, he seemed to bridle, answering with a mention about improved low light performance and higher dynamic range. This likely indicates that, essentially, if you want the “1D” look, you need to eat a little bit of file cooking. This may be good news for those looking for a more raw RAW file, as Canon isn’t giving the upcoming R3 camera the full 1D treatment, which may mean a cleaner file.

– There is much demand for the f/1.8 lenses Canon finally started producing. They may be further fleshed out.

– When asked about the Rebel line, the executive went into a bit of a strange answer, talking about regions. “We will continue to provide a wide range of products to meet the diverse needs of markets in different countries and regions.” One might read into this that the Rebel line will continue, but as a second-class line for some countries. Canon USA was a holdout for several years when the M mount line was first launched, refusing to domestically carry the cameras.

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