Rumor has it Canon may very well be about to develop its line-up of video-focussed ‘Z’ lenses. At present there’s only a single such lens – the RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z – however it may quickly obtain a stablemate: an RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Z.
Canon has beforehand instructed us that the RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z is meant to be the primary in a variety of recent hybrid lenses, so it is smart that it might be joined by different ‘Z’ lenses sooner slightly than later. The Z suffix stands for ‘energy zoom’, indicating the lens’ compatibility with Canon’s PowerZoom adapters; itself an support for attaining smoother zooming throughout video recording. One other function that units Canon’s ‘Z’ lens aside is its clickless aperture ring, which offers stepless aperture adjustment, although it solely works when capturing video.
The rumored RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Z would possible embody each of those options, being suitable with Canon’s PZ-E2 and PZ-E2B PowerZoom adapters. It is also mentioned to inherit the identical inside zoom mechanism, which means the barrel would not lengthen when focal size is elevated.
The present RF 24-105mm f/2.8 IS USM Z – an incredible lens, if a slightly massive one for its focal vary (Picture credit score: Canon)
We had been very impressed by the RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z throughout our evaluation, nevertheless one factor we had been much less completely satisfied about was the sheer dimension of the lens, and we weren’t alone. Canon might need taken notice of this criticism although, as a 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Z would supposedly be not less than lighter and shorter than Canon’s EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM III for DSLRs, although the rumor suggests the barrel may very well be a barely bigger diameter, leading to a potential 82mm filter thread. In fact it is extremely unlikely an RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Z would match the pint-sized dimensions of the little RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM, however then that lens does lengthen considerably once you zoom in.
It is recommended that the RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Z may very well be suitable with Canon’s RF teleconverters – the Extender RF 1.4x and Extender RF 2x – which is notable as the present RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM shouldn’t be suitable. The rumor additionally mentions a potential new IS mode and macro mode for the RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Z.
Whereas we take any rumor like this with a hefty serving to of salt, we might not less than anticipate Canon to launch one other Z-series lens within the close to future, in-keeping with what we have beforehand been instructed. The one query is whether or not it’s going to be a brand new 70-200mm, or slightly one other extra ‘oddball’ lens just like the RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z.
