Canon Unveils 4 New L-Series Lenses and 2 Extenders

To coincide with the unveiling of their new 60D DSLR, Canon has also announced four serious new lenses and a pair of extenders to go with them. Here's the rundown.

Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L USM

This is easily the most interesting new addition. Unlike the Sigma rectilinear 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC HSM we saw at PMA earlier this year, Canon's new ultra-wide zoom is a full-fledged fisheye. On a body with a full-frame sensor, the lens creates a 180-degree circular fisheye image. Attach it to an APS-C or APS-H and you get a rectangular image with 180-degrees of coverage, diagonally. A switch on the lens limits the zoom according to the camera's sensor size to prevent frames with the corners cropped off.

Inside, the lens is equipped with UD and aspherical lens elements. Canon's proprietary Sub Wavelength Structure Coating helps prevent flare and a new fluorine anti-smear coating applied to the outermost elements is said to make cleaning—even without solution—much easier and effective. It will be available in January 2011 and will cost about $1,400.

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM

There's no shortage of 70-300mm options in Canon's arsenal, but this new L-series lens sits at the top of the heap. Inside the familiar white exterior are two UD (ultra-low dispersion) elements and a floating optical system, which reduces minimum focus distance by more than a foot to 1.2 meters throughout the zoom range. Like the other new lenses, the front and rear elements have been treated with the protective fluorite coating (Canon says it serves only as a layer of protection and doesn't enhance the image) and uses the revamped IS system that promises up to four-steps.

It will be available at the end of October for $1,500.