Canon USA has published an interview with the developers of the brand new EF 400mm f/2.8L IS III and EF 600mm f/4L IS III super telephoto lenses.
The EF 400mm f/2.8L IS III USM and EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM take their places as the world’s lightest professional super telephoto lenses in their class. The weight of the EF 400mm f/2.8L IS III USM and EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM lenses has been reduced by 2.2 lbs. (more than 25 percent) and 1.9 lbs. (more than 20 percent) respectively.
EF 400mm f/2.8L IS III costs $11,999 while the EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM priced at $12,999.
Some of the design goals and challenges facing the developers:
- Rather than simply making the lens lighter, we retooled the lens from the ground up for an overall balanced weight.
- Improved mobility and portability, with reduced weight
- A significant — not average — reduction in weight
- We were convinced we could reach our goal thanks to the
proposal of a new optical system. - New challenges, one after the other, with tag-team efforts
between Optical Design, Mechanical Design, Electrical
Design, and Production that overcame these challenges. - Reducing the number of component s results in both
a lightweight design and increased strength. - Using a new high-strength alloy for the lens barrel
- Using the latest gyro sensor is insufficient for improved
IS performance — it was necessary to build a new control algorithm that assumes a variety of situations. - Not only has handheld IS performance improved, but it can
now deal with vibration when using a tripod. - Improved lens focus drive speed even when an EF tele-extender is attached.
- An expert coating team was formed with the cooperation of the
Mechanical and Manufacturing departments within Canon, to aim
for an ideal solution. - We didn’t compromise on the white color, despite placing
priority on functionality.
The Full Canon Developers Interview (19.6mb PDF)
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