The Black Friday camera deals may not officially arrive until November 25, but they're now looming over the horizon like a glorious silver cloud of tech deals – and that means we'll soon be seeing some big price cuts on camera lenses, too.
I’ll be watching as closely as anyone. As someone who shoots with Canon, I’ve watched open-mouthed as the company has put out some truly stellar lenses since the inception of the RF mount a whole four years ago.
Starting with the RF 25-105mm L, then progressing through various others, including the superb RF 15-35mm f2.8L IS USM, the RF 70-200mm f2.8L IS USM and the bonkers-but-brilliant 100-500mm f4.5-7.1 L IS USM (below), Canon’s next-gen mount has yielded some of the best lenses it's ever made, which is saying something. I’ve still got gaps, though – I’d love a great portrait prime, and there’s a definite gap in the cupboard macro-wise.
If you’re not looking to spend big bucks on pro-grade glass, there are plenty of great options that are significantly less spend-y. The RF mount has matured beautifully, and there are now lenses to suit pretty much every level of photographer, from those just starting out to those for whom photography is their day-to-day living.
That means whether you’re after a basic zoom lens with a variable aperture, your first fixed focal length prime lens, a telephoto lens for sports day or the local deer park; or something altogether more impressive, keeping an eye on your favorite camera retailer could yield gold.
Read on to find out what happened last year, and what I'm hoping for this year, so you can be quick on the draw when that dream deal hits.
Which Canon lenses were reduced last Black Friday?
If you were looking at an empty camera bag this time last year, you were in for a treat, because we saw a number of deals on decent Canon glass from the low to the high end.
Apart from anything else, Canon got in on the Black Friday excitement in the UK, offering a double cash-back on lens purchases from participating dealers for the last few days of November.
Elsewhere, there were deals to be had. In the US, we saw the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM Lens get a $100 discount, taking its price down to $399, while DSLR owners were treated to a massive $300 saving on the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM ultra-wide zoom. That lowest-ever price led to stock shortages at Amazon and elsewhere.
Over in the UK, we saw the RF 35mm F1.8 IS Macro STM – a brilliant little pancake-style lens with loads of suitability for street photography, video and portraiture – going for around £100 less than normal. At the other end of the scale – literally – Canon’s budget prime super-telephoto, the RF 800mm f/11 IS STM lens (above), could be found for £100 cheaper than the usual price sticker. If you wanted a posh white lens, the RF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens was around £200 cheaper than its usual £1,700 price point.
It wasn't just lenses, of course. We spotted, for example, the Canon EOS R – the OG RF-mount camera – going for about £400 less than normal, and there were £700 of savings to be made on the EOS R6, which is the EOS R5’s only slightly less capable sibling.
The Canon EOS R6 might be worth watching particularly this year – with the Canon EOS R6 Mark II announced and now in pre-order, retailers might be keen to move stock of the original R6 on for less than normal. And just because there’s a newer model on the block, doesn’t make the fantastic EOS R6 any less capable than it was a month ago. Read on to find out what we’re hoping for in the Black Friday lens deals for Canon fans year.
The best Canon lenses to look out for during Black Friday 2022
Canon RF 35mm F1.8 IS Macro STM
When in doubt, do what works – this was a significant deal last year and I'm hoping to see something similar this time around. Sure, the 35mm F1.8 IS Macro STM might lack the tell-tale red ring of Canon’s L-series pro lenses, but that doesn’t stop this short-stack showstopper burning the house down with its image quality, smooth autofocus drive, and low 300g weight.
The macro mode, allowing you to focus as close as 17cm, makes this a fabulous all-rounder, while the integrated image stabilization makes it a forgiving lens for beginners. The aperture opens as large as f/1.8, which has the twin benefits of shallower, more attractive depth of field, as well as brighter exposures, letting you shoot either faster shutter speeds or lower, less noisy ISOs.
Canon RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM
I'm only cautiously optimistic about this one, so feel free to let us know if the price remains resolutely unchanged. Why am I cautious? Canon’s entry-level RF-S lenses – suitable currently for only the Canon EOS R7 and Canon EOS R10 – have only been around a matter of months, which might make big price cuts unlikely.
That said, this basic 8x zoom lens could be the less popular of the two RF-S lenses currently available, which might mean Canon is keen to try to upsell customers of either the R7 or R10, dropping the price to get it into their shopping carts alongside the RF-S 18-45MM f/4.5-6.3 IS STM.
Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM
To be fair, this 4x zoom lens – perfect for those looking to take their wildlife photography to the next level – is already pretty keenly priced. Even so, a moderate price cut would take it well into bargain territory – there’s so much to like. It weighs just over 600g for one thing, which means it’s not too hard to move about with.
It includes some very capable image stabilization – 5.5 stops, which will cooperate well with RF-mount cameras that include in-body stabilization. For hybrid shooters, the autofocus motor is Canon’s Nano USM unit, which means your peaceful videos won’t be ruined by the sound of an autofocus motor grinding through its range.
Canon RF 16mm F2.8 STM
If you haven’t already looked long and hard at this lens, you really should. It’s hardly any bigger than a lens cap, but despite its pancake-like thickness, it’s an incredible all-rounder. If you’re the type to vlog, the ultra wide-angle allows you to hold an RF-mount camera at roughly arms’ length without the entire frame being filled with your terrifying visage, while the large f/2.8 aperture means you can use it in a wide range of lighting.
Will it get a Black Friday discount? Well, it’s about a year old right now, and with plenty of RF-mount cameras to sell this year, it’s plausible that you might pick up a discount on this in the hope it will seal the deal on a new camera. One to watch for generalist photographers.
Canon RF 15-30mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM
I've got a feeling about this one; don’t ask me why. It’s not currently part of any of Canon’s RF-mount camera bundles, so could Canon try to get this one into as many shopping basket as possible on Black Friday? It’s about six months old, so could be a prime candidate for a price drop.
Why should you care? It’s an enormously capable little lens, weighing under 400g, yet offering a 2x zoom from an ultra-wide 15mm to 30mm, which makes it a great candidate for disciplines as diverse as street photography, astrophotography and, if you can stand the relatively constrained aperture range, a spot of wedding photography to boot.
