# Evolutionary Chart of EF Lenses 1987-2016



## jolyonralph (Jul 14, 2016)

So. I was bored and decided to create a flowchart showing the "evolution" of EF lenses since 1987. It's quite handy if you want to see how various second-hand lenses fit into the scheme of things.

This is a work in progress and I'd be interested in any comments and suggestions about how it could be improved.

page: http://www.everyothershot.com/evolutionary-tree-ef-lenses-1987-2016-huge-chart/

Direct download of PNG image (LARGE!): http://www.everyothershot.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/EF-Lens-Evolution-Chart.png?download=1

Once I'm more confident the content and interconnections are OK I'll spend more time making it prettier


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## Don Haines (Jul 14, 2016)

Nice job!


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## Click (Jul 14, 2016)

+1

Nice job!


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## privatebydesign (Jul 15, 2016)

2004's 28-300L was a direct descendant of 1993's 35-350L, which seems to be missing.


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## IglooEater (Jul 15, 2016)

Nice! I enjoy this kind of thing. Reading them that is. I'd not have the patience to assemble one!


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## ajfotofilmagem (Jul 15, 2016)

Thank you for detailed work.

I'll need a 8K monitor to view the entire table ...


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## jolyonralph (Jul 15, 2016)

Drat - the crazy thing was I almost bought a 35-350 yesterday (persuaded myself reluctantly that I didn't need it) - really should have caught that one 

I made a couple more minor changes, and moved the 35-350 line down the tree as it's really not at all connected to the consumer super-zooms and is probably better linked to old lenses such as the 55-200 L

New version direct URL: http://www.everyothershot.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/EF-Lens-Evolution-Chart-1.png?download=1


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## privatebydesign (Jul 15, 2016)

jolyonralph said:


> Drat - the crazy thing was I almost bought a 35-350 yesterday (persuaded myself reluctantly that I didn't need it) - really should have caught that one
> 
> I made a couple more minor changes, and moved the 35-350 line down the tree as it's really not at all connected to the consumer super-zooms and is probably better linked to old lenses such as the 55-200 L
> 
> New version direct URL: http://www.everyothershot.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/EF-Lens-Evolution-Chart-1.png?download=1



The 2008 200 f2 was a direct descendant of the 1989 200 f1.8 which started as an EF lens but actually spawned an FD manual focus version built one year after the EF version.


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## jolyonralph (Jul 15, 2016)

Thanks. 200mm f/1.8 added and 200mm 1.8/2.0 line re-routed accordingly.

I won't upload a new version just yet though, I'll wait to see what other mistakes I can deal with today.


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## neuroanatomist (Jul 15, 2016)

Nice work!

Although you started with EF lenses, not all EF lenses started out that way. For example, the EF 1200mm f/5.6L isn't really related to the EF 300/2.8 or EF 600/4. It was developed as the FD 1200mm f/5.6L + 1.4x (i.e. a built-in 1.4x TC like the current 200-400L). The few of those lenses produced before the switch to the EF mount (<20) were shipped back to Canon, who remade them into EF 1200mm lenses (without the TC). 

Similarly, many of the other 'great white' lenses have their origin as FD-mount lenses.


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## privatebydesign (Jul 15, 2016)

jolyonralph said:


> Thanks. 200mm f/1.8 added and 200mm 1.8/2.0 line re-routed accordingly.
> 
> I won't upload a new version just yet though, I'll wait to see what other mistakes I can deal with today.



Not mistakes just E&O process! It is a lot of work.

Did you think to have an FD-EF crossover? So many EF lenses were relatively simple versions of earlier FD lenses it seems logical to see where they came from. Not suggesting extending back in time any more just something like having a line on '87 and putting an FD version as the root. So the '89 EF 85 f1.2 wouldn't go to the 50 f1.0 it would go back to the baseline and say FD 85 f1.2, after all the EF 50 f1.0 was really an offshoot or stub of the EF 85 f1.2.anyway and the 2003 50 f1.2 was a direct descendent of the FD 50 f1.2 not the child of the 50 f1.0.

Just trying to help, not pulling your work apart


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## jolyonralph (Jul 15, 2016)

I think having FD root lenses showing the origin of parts of the EF line would be a great improvement. I'll start preparing for it!


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## The Supplanter (Jul 15, 2016)

Wow! What a painstaking task. I'm impressed!


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## jolyonralph (Jul 15, 2016)

I've started work on adding the FD root to parts of the tree which, inevitably, means some reorganization.

But now I have to stop this and do some real work (bills to pay, etc) - hope to have finished over the weekend.

Here's a preview of how it will look:


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## ajfotofilmagem (Jul 15, 2016)

With the addition of Canon FD root, even a 8K monitor will seem small ... 

Thanks for the enormous patience.


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## jolyonralph (Jul 16, 2016)

Ok.

First draft of update with FD lenses.

If there are any suggestions for changes/rerouting please let me know!

Jolyon

New direct URL: http://www.everyothershot.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/EF-Lens-Evolution-Chart-2.png


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## ethanz (Aug 1, 2016)

So many lenses now compared to 30 years ago. Nice work joly, very interesting.


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