New EF-M 55-250mm lens patent may hint at a future for the EOS M system

Canon's EOS M series has long been the underdog of mirrorless systems, especially in the western parts of the world where compact system cameras still have a hard time against traditional DSLRs. Nevertheless, Canon is continuing to improve its mirrorless lineup, developing new cameras and lenses for the EOS M series.

Only a couple of months ago, Canon announced a 55-200mm telephoto zoom lens for the system, but just like the M2 camera and the 11-22mm wide-angle lens, it never made it to the US. Now Egami reports that Canon has patented another, slightly longer tele zoom for the M system, which comes with a focal length range of 55-250mm and an aperture rating of f/4.5-6.3.

The fact that this lens is so similar to the 55-200mm model which is already available makes us wonder whether this is actually a new development (the patent was filed in March 2013 and published only a few days ago,) or whether this patent shows an alternative design for the EOS M telephoto zoom that was never realized.

Either way, the fact that Canon continues to patent new optics for the EF-M mount gives us hope that there is, indeed, a future for the EOS M system, even if it hasn't yet gained much traction in the face of a strong mirrorless competition. Considering the advantages that a mirrorless design brings, and the fact that mirrorless cameras are getting ever closer to DSLRs in terms of performance, it certainl seems possible that Canon will, eventually, broaden its mirrorless offerings to serve more demanding customers -- perhaps even professionals. And the fact that some Canon cameras already use on-chip phase-detection autofocus makes this scenario all the more likely. At this point, however, there's no way to tell when or if at all this is going to happen. Theoretically, anything is possible.

(via Egami)