New Canon superzoom lens to replace 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L?

Canon is allegedly developing a superzoom lens which might serve as a replacement to the EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM and a model that has been around for several years.

Lenses are an important part of Canon’s business as the EOS maker is the largest lens vendor in the world. One of the company’s upcoming optics is the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM, but many other models are in the works.

The latest gossip talks are talking about a new superzoom unit that will cover wide-angle to super-telephoto focal lengths. The most likely candidate to be replaced is the EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM, which does not find itself among the manufacturer’s most popular models.

Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM lens will be replaced by a wider and lighter model, says the rumor mill.

New Canon superzoom lens could be on its way to succeed the EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM

A source is claiming that a new Canon superzoom lens is in the works and that it will succeed an existing version. The product in question is said to be the EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM.

This model is not enjoying a life filled with popularity mainly due to a couple of reasons. First of all, it is expensive. It can be purchased from Amazon for a price around $2,450. Although it is an L-designated lens, so it offers a high image quality, there are not enough photographers willing to pay so much on a single lens.

The second reason consists of its dimensions. This optic measures about 7.2 inches / 184mm in length and about 3.6 inches / 92mm in diameter, while weighing about 3.7 pounds / 1.67 kilograms. This is a big and heavy lens. Although travel photographers do not want to swap lenses, they also do not enjoy carrying around big objects during long trips. A replacement that is tinier, lighter or cheaper would make sense, so this is what the new Canon superzoom lens might bring to the table.

Canon wants to make the EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM lighter and wider

After establishing that Canon must improve the EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM, it is worth taking a look at the things that could change. This information also comes from the rumor mill and it makes sense. The leakster claims that the company is aiming to reduce its weight and to make it wider.

One possibility to decrease the weight is to add a DO (Diffractive Optics) element into the lens construction. This would cut down the weight and the length of the optic, while increasing the image quality, too.

If the EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM becomes wider, then it will most likely not go wider than 24mm. The result would be a 24-300mm f/3.5-5.6L DO IS USM lens.

It is worth noting that a DO element would also raise the price of the lens. However, if its price is kept somewhere around the $3,000 mark, then it might become a must-have lens for photographers who travel a lot.

Please note that everything is based on rumor and speculation, hence you should take it with a grain of salt.