Late final night time, Canon introduced a brand new wide-angle zoom lens — the 10-20mm f/4 L IS STM — that’s not like any optic it has ever produced. It’s distinctive, and one publication published a story with fairly an incendiary accusation: Canon didn’t really make it, Sigma did.
The creator makes this accusation primarily based on one line in EXIF knowledge discovered on one of many pattern photographs Canon offered to media forward of the general public announcement of the lens. That knowledge seems to indicate that the lens is just not the 10-20mm f/4 L IS STM however as an alternative the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6.
From this, the article says solely one in every of two issues may have taken place: both Sigma made the lens or the photographer made a mistake and used distortion correction from an older Sigma lens. The creator mainly instantly dismisses this second rationalization, saying that it will be an odd selection as a result of the Sigma lens is designed for APS-C whereas the brand new Canon lens is made for full-frame.
“I’d prefer to consider both reply. Canon is certain to say that it was a mistake as a result of that’s simply how Japanese firms are. They have a tendency to bash one another in conferences, however in actuality, they’re all utilizing the identical parts. In reality, in all probability no digicam firms might be utterly self-sufficient aside from Canon, Sony, and Panasonic. If this have been a decade in the past, Samsung may even have been added to that record,” the creator writes.
The inflammatory nature of those phrases apart, the creator is ignoring one different risk: it occurred by chance and with out the photographer even noticing.
As talked about, Sigma has a 10-20mm f/4-5.6 lens for APS-C DSLR cameras and, if somebody popped a picture into a picture editor that didn’t embody help for the brand new Canon lens — which, on the time the lens was introduced can be all of them — the software program may simply mechanically attempt to fill in EXIF metadata primarily based on the EXIF knowledge that’s acknowledged — like focal size.
Members of PetaPixel‘s workers have shot with lenses with out wealthy metadata — both pre-release lenses or these from lesser-known third-party producers — and it has seen software program simply make guesses. This isn’t uncommon.
Wanting carefully on the metadata throughout the photographs that Canon offered, some do present the precise serial quantity and lens mannequin because the 10-20mm f/4 L IS USM whereas others are much more imprecise. In a single case, we see the optic described as “Canon RF 50mm F1.2L USM or different Canon RF Lens,” which backs up the earlier assertion of about there being restricted metadata with prototype lenses.
To be able to get sufficient photographs to publish with the announcement, Canon seemingly despatched a couple of of those lenses of various age and state of firmware to a small group of photographers. A few of these lenses had the flexibility to indicate the precise metadata, others didn’t. This isn’t uncommon.
As if all of this data wasn’t sufficient to dismiss the outlandish assertion, Canon can also be in a position to clear the air.
“Canon confirms the RF10-20mm F4 L IS lens is a Canon-designed and manufactured lens,” the corporate tells PetaPixel in an e-mail.
So, no. Sigma didn’t design or manufacture Canon’s 10-20mm f/4 L IS STM.
Picture credit: Canon
