Canon to cease EF Lens development indefinitely?

Well now.
"Unless photographers demand otherwise"

https://petapixel.com …hotographers-demand-more/

Makes perfect economic sense to me... why would you put R&D funding into an ever-shrinking market?

Considering Canon has arguably the widest range of glass on the market, I think it will be a while before we feel the crunch. It makes total sense for them to concentrate on expanding their RF offerings to make the new line of bodies they are developing as marketable as possible. The fact that they are not DEVELOPING new lenses does not mean that they will cease production of their current lines.

People often question whether to go for R series bodies. For myself, having invested almost $60k on DSLRs, EF and EF-S lenses, it is not cost effective at my age to start buying RF lenses and R series bodies. My current gear is still perfectly functional.

If I was young and starting out it would be a different matter though. FF mirrorless is the future, at least in Canon's opinion and that is where the mass of their effort will head. That is why we saw the EOS 90D take over the territory of the 7D series, and is likely to be the last of the line - there can be no 100D as that model ID is taken already.

The EOS 1DX MKIII, just released, makes sense because it caters for pro sports photographers who want the best from their current glass, but need enhance connectivity to relay images to publishers in real time, and fast-shooting performance. They are using EF lenses, big white ones and they are unlikely to switch to MILCs as they stand right now. As has been noted, it is perhaps the harbinger of a MILC version to come.

Much the same has been said about the new Nikon D780 from what I have read...

Well, there goes any hope of seeing a Canon 500 DO, 500 f5.6, or updated 400 f5 .6
At least in EF mount.

The point being made, as many may not be aware of the history of this, is that Canon stated in interviews last year that the EF line was robust and they were concentrating on RF lenses in 2019, but they weren't ditching EF lens development. Now, they have officially backtracked this statement just recently, or at least are extending that view through 2020.

Here is the missing piece of the puzzle many of you may have never seen a year ago. As you can see, the latest statement is seemingly in conflict with last year's statement, or again as I stated, pushes this out yet another year.

Not only will EF lens development cease, but as RF development and production ramps up, the production of current EF lenses will decrease.
As was said, manufacturing can only produce X number of lenses. Perhaps in the next 2 or 3 years some EF lenses (new) will be out of stock
and hard to find. Just speculation on my part.

I would have also liked an updated 300 f4 that worked well with a TC, in my opinion Canon screwed up with the M mount and now they have 3 different mounts.

If you want a crop body mirrorless you can’t use the new RF mount lenses, EF mount lacks the affordable DO lenses that Nikon has in the 300 and 500 PF. If canon makes cheaper and lighter DO lenses to compete with the Nikon PF lenses in RF mount great but my Canon DSLRs can’t use them and neither can the M body models. Nikon at least had enough sense to use the same mount on their crop body Z50 as they did on the full frame bodied Z6 and Z7.

Introducing the RF to EF adapter in 3, 2, 1........

roanjohn wrote in post #18988970
Introducing the RF to EF adapter in 3, 2, 1........

Yeah, not going to happen, it would require glass elements to make it work and ruin any possible advantage.
The RF mount flange distance is shorter than EF mount, mount adapters to put an EF mount lens on an RF mount body are easy as they are mostly a spacer to move the EF lens out farther to get the proper Flange distance.

I think I guessed that the updates that were going on in the last 2 or so years (the big whites the 70-200 2.8L, and the 24-105 f4L + a few others) were designed to make them last for the next 8 maybe 10 years without any need to revisit them, and Canon would be able to gauge the market and exactly where it was going by then (certainly by 2023-24).

It looks like they may have had an earlier answer and EF is pretty much end of line barring the odd update. A bold and very difficult business move that will enable them to continue with the best platform - they've done it before with FD to EF, but this does at least have an adapter to use on RF.

The 1DX MkIII is the last pro camera and that is meant for 3 maybe 4 years tops and most of the Press/PR pros will change kit in that time as it wears out etc. The industrial/advertising pros are a different breed and tend to be tightwads, but they will probably need to change by 2030. Of course the gearheads will want to change like the wind and buy/sell every 18 months, but they are just the mugs that all manufacturers want!!



EDIT:

As an extra to confirm what I'm trying to say is that EF will stay in production till 2025 possibly out to 2028 ( although not every lens ) and of course they will continue to be serviced for 7 years after end of production, so 2032 maybe to 2035.

I'm seriously doubting there would be any EF lenses still being made by 2030.

Also there may well be a semi-pro 5D mkV that will come out later 2020 and go till 2023-24 and maybe a lower end model. But that's it for EF mount, probably 2020 new and end 2023-24 production for cameras and end of EF in 2026 ( sticking my neck out ) for lens production!

Hate to say I told ya so but yeah

I also think the RF 500's and RF 300 F/2.8's are going to be insane in prices....and this tells me current super teles will hold prices well

Lets be frank

Most people that use super teles are not making a lot of $$$ to justify buying them

A current 500 F/4 is much more appealing to me than an RF 500 F/4 because the gear heads will dump them for a price point I might be able to justify buying

And I quote

"....it is not cost effective at my age to start buying RF lenses and R series bodies. My current gear is still perfectly functional."

That is a perfect description of my situation. My piggy bank has enough cash to do what I have to do to upgrade my 7D2 but that might be my last kick at the can.

Rod

Perfectly Frank wrote in post #18988953
Not only will EF lens development cease, but as RF development and production ramps up, the production of current EF lenses will decrease.
As was said, manufacturing can only produce X number of lenses. Perhaps in the next 2 or 3 years some EF lenses (new) will be out of stock
and hard to find. Just speculation on my part.

With the introduction of the 1DX3, Canon is clearly indicating that they're not imminently dropping the EF system. I've read that while overall unit sales have been continuing to decline with DSLRs, revenue has slightly increased with higher end models. I think it just validates that more and more consumers are just using phone cameras, and pros still spend more money for their tools. Canon will still have to cater to the market they're still appealing to: There is no RF or even Sony A9 equivalent with what features the 1DX3 offers, and Canon will still have to keep a lens line-up for that market. Now if the "consumer" lines decline enough, Canon may phase out some of the entry EF lenses as well. I'm not sure when that thresh-hold is, as I still meet people with a passing interest in photography and buy a kit Rebel.

umphotography wrote in post #18989172
.
A current 500 F/4 is much more appealing to me than an RF 500 F/4 because the gear heads will dump them for a price point I might be able to justify buying
.

.
I fully agree with you, but .....

You have said before that the new RF lenses are SO MUCH better than their EF equivalents. . Do you believe this will be the case when they come out with RF supertelephotos like a 500 f4, 600 f4, and 800 f5.6? . Or do you think that there won't be quite the same massive improvements over the current EF versions that there are with the shorter, more conventional lenses?

I mean, it seems odd that you would go on so much about how much better the RF lenses are, but then say you have no interest in RF when it comes to supertelephoto lenses.

I do not mean to challenge or contest your thoughts, but I do seek to have a more full understanding about what your thoughts are concerning these differences, and to see how each thing you say is consistent with each of the other things you have said.

.

Sort of figured that would happen when last year they announced that they were concentrating on RF lenses. Also, when you look at CIPA data, the interchangeable lens market is shrinking fast through mirrorless is holding it's own. So if mirrorless is not shrinking but the entire market is, that must mean that it's the EF/EF-S cameras taking the hit. Now I'm kind of wondering if the new 1DX3 is the last of the EF/EF-S cameras.