Canon Releases A New Supply Shortage Advisory, Including New RF 800mm & 1200mm Lenses

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Canon released a new supply shortage note. The recently announced RF 800mm f/5.6L IS and RF 1200mm f/8L IS telephoto lenses are included.

Here is the advisory (machine translated):

Apology and guidance regarding product supply status

Updated: February 28, 2022

Thank you for your continued patronage of Canon products.

Currently, we have received orders for each of the following products in excess of expectations, and due to the influence of global parts supply, delivery delays are occurring. We apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers and business partners.
The products are scheduled to be shipped one by one, but it is expected that it will take a lot of time for the new camera body EOS R3 and RF lens RF14-35mm F4 L IS USM.
We sincerely apologize for the long wait for our long-awaited customers. We will continue to take measures to ensure a stable supply of products so that we can deliver our products as soon as possible. Thank you kindly look forward for your understanding.

Product nameAbout supply
EOS R3
RF14-35mm F4 L IS USM		It will be shipped in sequence, but it may take more than half a year to deliver when you place a new order.
RF16mm F2.8 STM
RF400mm F2.8 L IS USM
RF800mm F5.6 L IS USM
RF1200mm F8 L IS USM
Eye cup ER-hE
Lens hood EW-65C		We plan to ship the products one by one, but it may take longer than usual to deliver.

Are Super Telephotos With DO and the EOS R1 Coming?

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A new supercharged rumor emerged from the interweb of rumor mills. The EOS R1 and not less than 5 super telephoto lenses for the RF mount.

Let’s first see the lenses. All rumored to have DO (Diffractive Optics):

  • RF 400mm f/3.5 DO IS
  • RF 400mm f/4 DO IS
  • RF 500mm f/4.5 DO IS
  • RF 500mm f/5 DO IS
  • RF 800mm f/9.5 DO IS

All plausible lenses. Why Canon should put these on the market all together is another question (or another rumor). The source mentions prototypes, so likely not all the lenses are meant to hit the shelves.

The source of the rumor also claims that Canon might announce these super telephoto lenses along with the long rumored EOS R1. Maybe just a development announcement. The usual supply chain and similar are issues are also mentioned.

All in all we think there is little beef in this rumor. We already know with good confidence that Canon might release the EOS R1in 2022. As for the lenses, to us it seems a mixed bag of wishful thinking and some lenses that sooner or later will in any case be released. So, not much you can do wrong with this rumor.

Stay tuned.

Source: Canon Rumors

The Global Chip Shortage Might Soon Turn To An Oversupply Crisis

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So, it’s years that we are continuously told there is a global chip supply crisis and now it seems the problem will soon be the opposite.

Nikkei Asia broke the news:

[…]

All in all, chip shortages will ease slightly in 2022 with more production in Asia, but a massive wave of new supply will be on stream in 2023. Given that the bulk of that production will only be for mature node semiconductors, only higher-end chips will face shortages.

Of course, another potential bottleneck for the entire industry is the supply of vital rare earths and other raw materials needed to manufacture the semiconductors themselves, which could be in jeopardy as a result of rising geopolitical tensions.

Other uncertainties include climate change and the need to meet various emissions targets, which are bound to affect the production of semiconductors as well, and any resulting upward pressure on energy prices.

Still, the massive investment in mature node semiconductors does point to a potential bifurcation in the supply of semiconductors, with the least advanced ones experiencing huge supply increases, if geopolitics and rare earths are permitting, while the most advanced chips, which are key for new technologies, will remain scarce.

Read the story at Nikkei Asia

However, the recent geopolitical tensions might well cause a new chip shortage.

Canon Patent: 400mm f/2.8, 500mm f/4 & 600mm f/4 For The EOS R System

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Ready for the start of the week, here is a new Canon patent application for RF mount lenses.

A new Canon patent application discusses optical formulas for three RF mount lenses:

  • 400mm f/2.8
  • 500mm f/4
  • 600mm f/4

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an optical system which is lightweight and has chromatic aberration and other aberrations satisfactorily corrected.

Example 1

  • Focal length: 392.00
  • F value: 2.90
  • Half angle of view: 3.16
  • Image height: 21.64
  • Overall length: 360.03
  • Back focus: 31.01

Example 2

  • Focal length: 490.00
  • F value: 4.12
  • Half angle of view: 2.53
  • Image height: 21.64
  • Overall length: 412.08
  • Back focus: 33.39

Example 3

  • Focal length: 588.00
  • F value: 4.12
  • Half angle of view: 2.11
  • Image height: 21.64
  • Overall length: 476.08
  • Back focus: 33.21

This patent application might indeed lead to lenses that will be on sale one day.

The Canon patent application was spotted by asobinet. More Canon patent applications are listed here. Some particularly interesting patent applications we think might get into production are these:

The Affordable Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM Gets Praise From DxOMark

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The Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM for the EOS R system got DxOMarked and it didn’t score bad at all. This is not the first very positive review this lens gets.

Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM at a glance:

  • RF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
  • Aperture Range: f/2.8 to f/22
  • One Aspherical Element
  • Super Spectra Coating
  • STM Stepping AF Motor
  • Customizable Control Ring
  • Rounded 7-Blade Diaphragm

DxOMark gives the Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM a score of 30. From their conclusion (emphasis mine):

With the introduction of the Canon RF 16mm F2.8 STM, Canon continues to explore new and innovative lenses for the RF mount. In an effort to reduce the optical complexity, thereby driving down the size, weight and cost, lens correction profiles make a lot of sense. Even without taking software correction into account, in our DXOMARK Lens test, the Canon RF 16mm F2.8 STM performs very well in certain key areas. It has, for example, similar sharpness and transmission to the larger and pricier Zeiss Distagon T* 15mm F2.8, while being much smaller and lighter. More importantly, especially for anyone on a tight budget, it’s around one-eighth of the price of the Zeiss and around the same price as the Samyang 14mm F2.8, making the Canon RF 16mm F2.8 STM a highly tempting option.

Head over to DxOMark for test charts and more

This is a little gem only Canon can make at this price. The Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM sells at $299: [shoplist 67369]

All Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM coverage is listed here.

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