Canon has also announced that they will be making updates to the current 500mm and 600 mm lens designs following in the footsteps of the new 300mm and 400mm announced today.  Little more information was given except that they will be available next year, and on display at Photokina in October.  For me the really big news in these updates is the weight reduction.  All the “big whites” already produce incredible images so it would be hard to improve on them in that respect.  The 28% reduction in weight of the 400mm 2.8 though is an amazing achievement.  If they could do that to the 600mm then it would be very interesting.  Many wildlife and nature people choose the 500mm instead of the 600mm becauase the later is so much heavier.  If they could bring the new 600mm in line with the current 500mm then it would be some food for thought!  And then the 500mm… how low can they go!?  On top of this they have extended a new look to the lenses which began last year with the 800mm f5.6.  Personally I think they look great, not that it makes you take better photos but hey I keep my 300mm 2.8 on my desk to look at as a paperweight too.  Don’t you ? 🙂

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On top of all the other exciting things they released today, Canon has also been busy working on new updates to the big white lenses.  This time round the 300mm f2.8 and 400mm f2.8 have seen the update, but we are told that the 500mm and 600mm are also being worked on.  Given the already stunning image quality from these lenses I doubt we will see much improvement in that area but regardless, the lenses have received the full array of Canon’s coating technology and the addition of 4-stop IS.  On top of this Canon have also worked to get the weight down on these lenses, shaving 150g off the 300 and an enormous 1.5KG off the weight of the 400mm!  The 28% reduction in weight of the 400mm is particularly impressive and I think it will invite a whole new type of shooter to use it.  Interestingly they have also been thinking about the movie makers out there with the introduction of a new Power Focus mode.  This allows a movie maker to rack focus by using the ring at the front of the lens previously designed for preset focus.  There is also an option as to what type of foot you have on the lens collar, a long foot for tripod mounting or a shorter foot for monopod use.  Rounding off the improvements is the inclusion of an internal collar on the 300mm (previously already present on the 400mm), a connection point for kensington security cables and a new IS mode that implements the IS just at the point of shooting, allowing the photographer to not see the effects of IS through the viewfinder while panning between multiple subjects.

The new 300mm is to ship in December 2010 at an expected street price of of US$7000 in the U.S.  The 400mm will be about $11,000 (!!) B&H will keep you informed when all of these new items become available for purchase

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