If you've never heard of Canon's CINE-SERVO 50-1000mm T5.0-8.9 cinema lens, you're not the only one.
For starters, it costs $70,000, so it's not exactly a budget friendly lens.
And secondly, it came to be because of a challenge laid down by a German wildlife photographer.
These aren't exactly factors that make it a mainstream 50mm or 100 lens...
But if you appreciate quality photography gear and interesting stories, you'll love this thing.
As explained in the video above by CanonUSA, Ivo Norenberg, a wildlife filmmaker from Germany, challenged Canon to create a virtually impossible lens back in 2010.
Interestingly, Canon accepted his challenge to make a dream lens that had the capability to do some pretty fantastic things:
- Full frame subjects between 4 and 5 feet tall from a distance of up to 350 feet
- The ability to shoot wide for landscapes
- Be compact and lightweight
The problem with the specifications outlined above is threefold.
First, to fully frame subjects that small from that distance, the lens had to have a massive focal length, so Canon decided on 1000mm.
Second, to take wide views of landscapes, the lens needed to have a comparably wide focal length, so Canon decided on 50mm.
Editor's Tip: Learn how to buy a lens at a budget price with these tips for buying lenses.
And third, the lens needed to be lightweight and small, which is incredibly hard to pull off for a lens that needs to be 50-1000mm.
But Canon managed to get around that issue as well, creating a massive superzoom lens that weighs less than 15 pounds and comes in at under 16 inches long.
Granted, that doesn't sound very small and lightweight, but given this lens's capabilities, it's weight and length are impressively small.
The lens also shoots in 4K in 35mm format and has a built-in 1.5x extender, meaning it can shoot at up to 30x zoom at 1500mm.
It took four years for Canon to brainstorm, design, and manufacture the lens, an understandably long time given how crazy the lens is.
It's interesting to see Ivo working with his dream lens for the first time.
I thought the best part was the fact that the lens was used in -40 degree weather and still worked like a charm. To say that this is one of the best Canon lenses ever made is an understatement.
I don't have any idea what kind of features I'd request Canon to put in my dream lens. Maybe I should give it some thought and see if they'll make one for me.
If you're ready to buy this bad boy, head over to B&H Photo Video, but at $70,000, you'll need a credit card with a very high limit!
Via CanonUSA