Canon could soon launch a world-first prime lens for astrophotography – here’s what to expect

The mystery ultra-wide prime could have a f/1.4 aperture
It could be Canon’s widest prime lens for mirrorless yet
There are no details of an expected launch date yet

Canon is tipped to fill a long-time gap in its lens lineup, with a completely new ultra-wide angle prime that could be perfect for astrophotography.

Leaks about the lens are seemingly few, but that hasn’t stopped Canon Rumors from speculating what the mystery full-frame lens for Canon’s mirrorless camera might be – and it could be a world-first.

Judging by the response to the post, such a lens could be a big hit with Canon and astrophotography fans. Here’s what has been rumored so far.

Canon RF 10-20mm F4L IS STM — We gave the RF 10-20mm F4L IS STm lens (above) a 5 star rating in our in-depth review. (Image credit: Rod Lawton)

An all-new, world-first prime

Canon has launched plenty of superb lenses for its mirrorless cameras, however, ultra-wide angle fans are short of options.

There’s the five-star RF 10-20mm F4L IS STM zoom and a hybrid RF 20mm F1.4 VCM, but no wider fast prime like Sigma’s 14mm f/1.4 (for Sony E and L-mount only). That could be about to change.

Arguably the most significant detail about this lens is absent in Canon Rumors’ post: focal length. There’s speculation is could be a 14mm lens, or even be as wide as 12mm.

The leaker seems more certain that the maximum aperture is going to be f/1.4. If it’s going to be a true world-first lens then, it couldn’t be a 14mm f/1.4, given Sigma’s lens. However, it could still be, with various qualifiers.

Whatever the case, if this lens materializes, it sounds like something totally new for Canon, combining an ultra-wide perspective with a bright maximum aperture that’s ideal for low light work, such as astrophotography.

Naturally, a professional L-series lens like a 14mm f/1.4 will be a chunky thing. However, I’d expect it to be smaller than a DSLR equivalent; Canon has previously been able to reduce the size and weight of certain DSLR lenses when making them afresh for mirrorless, such as the 10-20mm F4L IS STM, which was half the weight of the EF 11-24mm f/4L USM.

And while Canon has recently focused its efforts into hybrid VCM lenses designed for photo and video work, the feeling is that this rumored ultra-fast prime will be an STM lens, better equipped for photography.

Such a lens is one of the most requested from Canon photographers, who hopefully won’t have long to wait.