Canon EF 1200mm lens
Encyclopedia
The EF 1200mm 5.6L USM is a super-telephoto prime
lens
that was made by Canon Inc. It uses an EF mount
, and is compatible with the Canon EOS
camera range. It has a focal length
of 1200 mm and so on a digital
body with a sensor size of 22.5 mm × 15 mm (called 1.6× crop), such as a Canon EOS 40D
or 450D
, it provides a 35 mm field of view equivalent to that of a 1920 mm lens. With a body with a sensor size of 28.8 mm × 19.2 mm (called 1.3× crop), such as a Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
, the field of view is equivalent to that of a 1560 mm lens.
The lens was aimed at sports and wildlife photographers, and is both extremely expensive and extremely rare. Canon described it as "the world’s largest interchangeable SLR AF lens, in terms of both focal length and maximum aperture."
in Los Angeles
; Canon had shipped five copies of the lens for media use at the Games. All of the FD 1200mm 5.6L lenses were eventually shipped back to Canon in Japan. Later in the 1980s, these lenses were converted to the EF mount.
This lens is constructed with a metal body and mount, and with plastic extremities and switches. The features of the lens are: a wide rubber focus ring that is damped
, a distance window with infrared
index, the ability to limit the focus range, a focus-preset mechanism, and the ability to set the AF speed. The maximum aperture
of 5.6 gives this lens the ability to create depth of field
effects. The optical construction of the lens contains 13 lens elements, including two large fluorite
lens elements. The lens uses an inner focusing
system, powered by a ring type USM
motor. Manual focusing is rendered by wire: the lens does not have a direct mechanical connection to the focusing ring, instead detecting rotation of the focusing ring and using the lens motor to drive the lens elements. The manual focus speed is adjustable: 1 = 1/2 standard (for precision), 2 = standard and 3 = 2x standard (for fast-moving subjects). The front of the lens does not rotate nor extend when focusing. It does not have a typical rotating tripod mount like other telephoto lenses. However, the lens mount can be rotated and locked, allowing the lens to be used in horizontal and vertical shot formats. It is compatible with the Canon Extender EF
teleconverters. The lens uses a small slot to insert filters near the base of the lens, similar to other super-tele lenses, rather than the conventional attachment at the end of the barrel.
The lens came with its own heavy-duty tripod
and case. The lens was only available for special "pre orders", and was never built before selling; its annual production volume was approximately two lenses. The lens also took more than a year to construct, due to the time required to grow its massive fluorite crystals.
Few of these lenses exist; Canon has never released production figures, but it is almost certain that fewer than 100 were made, and it has been rumored that the actual number is closer to 20. A list of owners has also never been made public, but reported owners include Sports Illustrated
magazine (two); Canon Professional Services (two); James Jannard
, the billionaire founder of Oakley
and RED Digital Cinema (two); and the National Geographic Society
(at least one for its magazine). It is also widely believed that several intelligence and law enforcement agencies own this lens. Recently the New York based B&H Photo retailer has sold this lens for US$120,000.
Prime lens
In film and photography, a prime lens is either a photographic lens whose focal length is fixed, as opposed to a zoom lens, or it is the primary lens in a combination lens system....
lens
Photographic lens
A camera lens is an optical lens or assembly of lenses used in conjunction with a camera body and mechanism to make images of objects either on photographic film or on other media capable of storing an image chemically or electronically.While in principle a simple convex lens will suffice, in...
that was made by Canon Inc. It uses an EF mount
Canon EF lens mount
Introduced in 1987, the EF lens mount is the standard lens mount on the Canon EOS family of SLR film and digital cameras. EF stands for "Electro-Focus": automatic focusing on EF lenses is handled by a dedicated electric motor built into the lens...
, and is compatible with the Canon EOS
Canon EOS
The Canon EOS autofocus 35 mm film and digital SLR camera system was introduced in 1987 with the Canon EOS 650 and is still in production as Canon's current DSLR system...
camera range. It has a focal length
Focal length
The focal length of an optical system is a measure of how strongly the system converges or diverges light. For an optical system in air, it is the distance over which initially collimated rays are brought to a focus...
of 1200 mm and so on a digital
Digital photography
Digital photography is a form of photography that uses an array of light sensitive sensors to capture the image focused by the lens, as opposed to an exposure on light sensitive film...
body with a sensor size of 22.5 mm × 15 mm (called 1.6× crop), such as a Canon EOS 40D
Canon EOS 40D
The Canon EOS 40D is a 10.1-megapixel semi-professional digital single-lens reflex camera. It was initially announced on August 20, 2007 and was released at the end of that month. It is the successor of the Canon EOS 30D, and is succeeded by the EOS 50D. It can accept EF and EF-S lenses...
or 450D
Canon EOS 450D
The EOS 450D is a 12.2-megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera that is part of the Canon EOS line of cameras. It is the successor to the EOS 400D/Digital Rebel XTi. It was announced on the 23 January 2008 and released in March 2008 and April 2008 in North America...
, it provides a 35 mm field of view equivalent to that of a 1920 mm lens. With a body with a sensor size of 28.8 mm × 19.2 mm (called 1.3× crop), such as a Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
The EOS-1D Mark IV is a professional 16.1 effective megapixels digital single lens reflex camera camera body produced by Canon. The EOS-1D Mark IV is the successor of the Canon EOS-1D Mark III and was announced on October 20, 2009, just four days after Nikon announced the D3s...
, the field of view is equivalent to that of a 1560 mm lens.
The lens was aimed at sports and wildlife photographers, and is both extremely expensive and extremely rare. Canon described it as "the world’s largest interchangeable SLR AF lens, in terms of both focal length and maximum aperture."
Technical information
The EF 1200mm 5.6L USM is a professional L-series lens, that is now discontinued. The lens was first developed for the Canon FD mount, although never marketed until after Canon had transitioned to the EF mount. According to a Canon USA representative interviewed in 2009, the lens made its first public appearance at the 1984 Summer Olympics1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
; Canon had shipped five copies of the lens for media use at the Games. All of the FD 1200mm 5.6L lenses were eventually shipped back to Canon in Japan. Later in the 1980s, these lenses were converted to the EF mount.
This lens is constructed with a metal body and mount, and with plastic extremities and switches. The features of the lens are: a wide rubber focus ring that is damped
Damping
In physics, damping is any effect that tends to reduce the amplitude of oscillations in an oscillatory system, particularly the harmonic oscillator.In mechanics, friction is one such damping effect...
, a distance window with infrared
Infrared photography
In infrared photography, the film or image sensor used is sensitive to infrared light. The part of the spectrum used is referred to as near-infrared to distinguish it from far-infrared, which is the domain of thermal imaging. Wavelengths used for photography range from about 700 nm to about...
index, the ability to limit the focus range, a focus-preset mechanism, and the ability to set the AF speed. The maximum aperture
Aperture
In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture of an optical system is the opening that determines the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. The aperture determines how collimated the admitted rays are,...
of 5.6 gives this lens the ability to create depth of field
Depth of field
In optics, particularly as it relates to film and photography, depth of field is the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in an image...
effects. The optical construction of the lens contains 13 lens elements, including two large fluorite
Fluorite
Fluorite is a halide mineral composed of calcium fluoride, CaF2. It is an isometric mineral with a cubic habit, though octahedral and more complex isometric forms are not uncommon...
lens elements. The lens uses an inner focusing
Focus (optics)
In geometrical optics, a focus, also called an image point, is the point where light rays originating from a point on the object converge. Although the focus is conceptually a point, physically the focus has a spatial extent, called the blur circle. This non-ideal focusing may be caused by...
system, powered by a ring type USM
Ultrasonic motor
An ultrasonic motor is a type of electric motor powered by the ultrasonic vibration of a component, the stator, placedagainst another component, the rotor or slider depending on the scheme of operation...
motor. Manual focusing is rendered by wire: the lens does not have a direct mechanical connection to the focusing ring, instead detecting rotation of the focusing ring and using the lens motor to drive the lens elements. The manual focus speed is adjustable: 1 = 1/2 standard (for precision), 2 = standard and 3 = 2x standard (for fast-moving subjects). The front of the lens does not rotate nor extend when focusing. It does not have a typical rotating tripod mount like other telephoto lenses. However, the lens mount can be rotated and locked, allowing the lens to be used in horizontal and vertical shot formats. It is compatible with the Canon Extender EF
Canon Extender EF
The Extender EF lenses are a group of teleconverter lenses made by Canon. These lenses are used between any compatible EF type lens and any of the Canon EOS line of cameras. When used with a compatible lens, such as the Canon EF 500mm 4L IS USM, they will multiply the focal length of the lens by a...
teleconverters. The lens uses a small slot to insert filters near the base of the lens, similar to other super-tele lenses, rather than the conventional attachment at the end of the barrel.
The lens came with its own heavy-duty tripod
Tripod (photography)
In photography, a tripod is used to stabilize and elevate a camera, or to support flashes or other photographic equipment. All photographic tripods have three legs and a mounting head to couple with a camera...
and case. The lens was only available for special "pre orders", and was never built before selling; its annual production volume was approximately two lenses. The lens also took more than a year to construct, due to the time required to grow its massive fluorite crystals.
Few of these lenses exist; Canon has never released production figures, but it is almost certain that fewer than 100 were made, and it has been rumored that the actual number is closer to 20. A list of owners has also never been made public, but reported owners include Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
magazine (two); Canon Professional Services (two); James Jannard
James Jannard
James "Jim" Jannard is an American designer and businessman, and founder of eyewear and apparel company Oakley, Inc. and RED Digital Cinema.He sold Oakley in mid 2007 for over $2 billion and placed 376th in Forbes Magazine ranking of World's Billionaires in 2010, with a net worth of $3.0 billion.He...
, the billionaire founder of Oakley
Oakley, Inc.
Oakley, Inc., based in Foothill Ranch, California, makes sport equipment including sunglasses, sports visors, and ski goggles, as well as watches, clothing, bags, backpacks, shoes, prescription glasses, football and hockey eyewear, Golf gear and other accessories...
and RED Digital Cinema (two); and the National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
(at least one for its magazine). It is also widely believed that several intelligence and law enforcement agencies own this lens. Recently the New York based B&H Photo retailer has sold this lens for US$120,000.
External links
- Canon Europe - EF 1200mm 5.6L USM
- Canon Museum - EF 1200mm 5.6L USM Block diagram
- The lens in action (still photo)
- The lens in action (video)
- Lens in real action
- Canon HK - discontinued info page
- The 1984 FD mount prototype
- Review of a second-hand Canon EF 1200mm lens — published by the reviewer and republished by B&H Photo Video
