# EF 200-400 f/4L IS 1.4x Release Date [CR1]



## Canon Rumors Guy (Apr 27, 2013)

```
<div name="googleone_share_1" style="position:relative;z-index:5;float: right; /*margin: 70px 0 0 0;*/ top:70px; right:120px; width:0;"><g:plusone size="tall" count="1" href="http://www.canonrumors.com/?p=13390"></g:plusone></div><div style="float: right; margin:0 0 70px 70px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="vertical" data-url="http://www.canonrumors.com/?p=13390">Tweet</a></div>
<p><strong>Another launch date!

</strong>The ever moving launch date of the EF 200-400 f/4L IS 1.4x lens. After the latest post about the lens, I have received a barrage of emails saying the mid 2014 comment was untrue.</p>
<p>As of now, a couple of people have said that May 14, 2013 is the day the lens will be officially announced with availability coming in September/October 2013.</p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">c</span>r</strong></p>
```


----------



## sanj (Apr 27, 2013)

I am waiting...!


----------



## vlim (Apr 27, 2013)

some say we could pre order it in a few weeks...


----------



## Menace (Apr 27, 2013)

Will the wait ever end??


----------



## J.R. (Apr 27, 2013)

> As of now, a couple of people have said that May 14, 2013 is the day the lens will be officially announced with availability coming in September/October 2013.



Is it possible that someone misread the date as May-14 (and hence jumping to mid 2014), instead of May 14, 2013? :


----------



## Don Haines (Apr 27, 2013)

J.R. said:


> > As of now, a couple of people have said that May 14, 2013 is the day the lens will be officially announced with availability coming in September/October 2013.
> 
> 
> 
> Is it possible that someone misread the date as May-14 (and hence jumping to mid 2014), instead of May 14, 2013? :



I guess that's better than misreading May - 30


----------



## neuroanatomist (Apr 27, 2013)

Canon Rumors said:


> ...May 14, 2013 is the day the lens will be officially announced with availability coming in September/October 2013



Gee, that's nice. But then, the MkII supertele lenses were officially announced with availability about 6 months later...and then it was 14-18 months before the lenses were actually available.


----------



## sanj (Apr 27, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> Canon Rumors said:
> 
> 
> > ...May 14, 2013 is the day the lens will be officially announced with availability coming in September/October 2013
> ...



A true reality check!


----------



## canon1969 (Apr 27, 2013)

Most annoying product launch ever (assuming it actually launches)...


----------



## Click (Apr 27, 2013)

canon1969 said:


> Most annoying product launch ever (assuming it actually launches)...



I agree with you.


----------



## 9VIII (Apr 27, 2013)

canon1969 said:


> Most annoying product launch ever (assuming it actually launches)...



So are you going to buy one?

I think all the speculation is kind of fun, given that most people, including myself, are never going to touch one.
If you actually have plans and money set aside then it's different.


----------



## Click (Apr 27, 2013)

I don’t think so… I’ll wait for the new 100-400 II


----------



## bseitz234 (Apr 27, 2013)

vlim said:


> some say we could pre order it in a few weeks...



May 14th is only a few weeks... :


----------



## Ziggy (Apr 27, 2013)

Menace said:


> Will the wait ever end??



It's like being a Cubs fan


----------



## LetTheRightLensIn (Apr 27, 2013)

Ziggy said:


> Menace said:
> 
> 
> > Will the wait ever end??
> ...



Maybe if they had let that one lens designer's kid's goat into the lens plant they'd have already had this out six months ago. ;D

(personally this lens is too much $$$$ for me to handle and I'm not it's market so the release date is meaningless to me personally)


----------



## Daniel Flather (Apr 27, 2013)

If they release it, we can't wait for it anymore.


----------



## RGF (Apr 27, 2013)

Ziggy said:


> Menace said:
> 
> 
> > Will the wait ever end??
> ...



Do you mean they keep breaking your heart?


----------



## RGF (Apr 27, 2013)

Click said:


> canon1969 said:
> 
> 
> > Most annoying product launch ever (assuming it actually launches)...
> ...



May be a non launch May never come out. Canon could cancel the lens at a time before it is introduced


----------



## Don Haines (Apr 27, 2013)

Ziggy said:


> Menace said:
> 
> 
> > Will the wait ever end??
> ...



Fortunately for us in Canada, it will be released before Toronto wins the Stanley Cup......


----------



## JonAustin (Apr 28, 2013)

I'll likely never be in the market to buy one of these, either. But if finalizing its design / getting it released is standing in the way of Canon releasing a 100-400 II (with twist zoom, please) or 400 f/5.6 (with IS, please), then I wish they'd hurry up and get it out, already.


----------



## eml58 (Apr 28, 2013)

Daniel Flather said:


> If they release it, we can't wait for it anymore.



Cant help but agree, sort of an anticlimax of sorts, nothing more to bitch about....No, something will come up.

Reminds me of that Movie "The Never Ending Story", Hope it's better though than the Movie, If we ever see it.

I'm one of the "Buyers" for this lens, now I'm starting to think that with the whole Nonsense of almost 3 years since Canon first indicated it would be released "Late 2011", I'll get it, set it up, flip the switch for the 1.4x converter, and it'll explode.


----------



## eml58 (Apr 28, 2013)

RGF said:


> Click said:
> 
> 
> > canon1969 said:
> ...



RGF, Bite your tongue


----------



## Ellen Schmidtee (Apr 28, 2013)

RGF said:


> Click said:
> 
> 
> > canon1969 said:
> ...



I doubt that for two reasons.

First, the lens was already used by photographers in the Olympic games. That means most of the investment in the lens was already done, and Canon has an interest to manufacture the lens and cover the expenses.

If the lens turns into vaporware, that would be bad PR for Canon. Yes, this lens had a small target audience to begin with, and most photographers (including me) haven't considered buying one to begin with, but it would make customers suspect every announcement and delay.


----------



## ddashti (Apr 28, 2013)

This makes more sense than the past rumor. How long will it be until the [CR2] shows up? Who knows.


----------



## RGF (Apr 28, 2013)

eml58 said:


> RGF said:
> 
> 
> > Click said:
> ...



Did I hit a nerve ;D

Don't think that they will cancel the lens, but until it is launched anything is possible. Plus this is a rumor site, so let's have some fun with rumors (as well as giving each other good advise).


----------



## Marsu42 (Apr 28, 2013)

Please, please Canon release this lens asap, I've really been waiting for this! Not because I'd actually buy it, but then you can get on releasing or updating sub-$10k lenses that for the rest of us like an updated 35mm & 50mm prime, maybe a 200mm f2.8 IS macro, ... ?


----------



## garyknrd (Apr 28, 2013)

Daniel Flather said:


> If they release it, we can't wait for it anymore.



LOL,,, fun to watch.


----------



## RLPhoto (Apr 28, 2013)

The worst kept secret product ever.


----------



## neuroanatomist (Apr 28, 2013)

Marsu42 said:


> ... then you can get on releasing or updating sub-$10k lenses that for the rest of us like an updated 35mm & 50mm prime, maybe a 200mm f2.8 IS macro, ... ?



A 35L II seems very likely, especially given Sigma's excellent 35/1.4. 

As for the tele macro, I suspect there's a reason the 180L is f/3.5 and not f/2.8. I think we may see a 200mm f/4L Macro IS at some point...

But of course what we all want (we being RLPhoto, at least) is a 135mm f/1.8L IS.


----------



## Stewbyyy (Apr 28, 2013)

I got to play with this lens today at photofest Ireland and the Canon guys seemed truly clueless about anything to do with the production/cost of the lens, they could answer very few of my questions, even ones about the build/design of the lens. But it's a beautiful lens, lighter and smaller than I expected, the shots from it look epic. They were doing A3 prints of SOOC shots from a 1DX with the 200-400 on one of their printers and they looked terrific.


----------



## Plainsman (Apr 28, 2013)

This must be the most expensive Canon DSLR lens ever made.

I mean specifically expensive to Canon's profit and loss account ie their bottom line.

It should have been out two years ago so presumably they have had a team of engineers for all this time trying to tweak it to an acceptably high standard.

Personally I would have preferred an ultra sharp 400/4 ie a carbon copy of the superlative 300/2.8 II and therefore not to expensive to research and manufacture....but never mind Canon knows better.


----------



## Brymills (Apr 29, 2013)

Don Haines said:


> Ziggy said:
> 
> 
> > Menace said:
> ...



You might even get a MK 2 before that.... ;D


----------



## Plainsman (Apr 29, 2013)

There will be a difficult choice for people buying this lens.

That is whether to buy the new 100-400L (allegedly coming along fast on the outside lane) as well.

The current 100-400L is a damn handy optic to have. The new one will be even sharper and will have IS II BUT will come in at half the weight of the 200-400.

Hand holding the 200-400 for long periods will not be a comforting experience for the older folk depending on individual circumstances of course.

So some clever marketing from Canon could see rich folk buying both!


----------



## Marsu42 (Apr 29, 2013)

Plainsman said:


> It should have been out two years ago so presumably they have had a team of engineers for all this time trying to tweak it to an acceptably high standard.



That is acceptable standard for $10k ... no doubt the prototypes that were talked about were great as they were, but obviously Canon doesn't want to release a mk2 in 2015 and is determined to make this one special as in "especially profitable" - and this only works if lots of people buy it so it has to be stellar.


----------

