As lens patents go, this one is pretty radical. Canon has filed a patent that shows the optical design for an impressive EF 28-560mm f/2.8-5.6 super zoom. No, this is not a super zoom camera, it’s a lens meant for full-frame Canon DSLRs.

The patent was spotted by Canon Rumors, and it might fall closer to wishful thinking than actual future product. As CR points out, a lens with that kind of optical formula would have to be “quite large in size” (read: massive) unless Canon has a special optical trick up their sleeve. But that isn’t stopping us from hoping.

The rumor mill has known for some time that Canon was working on a replacement to the 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L… could this be it? We’ll keep our fingers crossed.