Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Bigger and Brighter

I've had quite a bit of fun with my "new" 400mm f5.6 lens, and some bird pictures have appeared on the blog thanks to this great glass. In the near future, I also hope to image some of the beautiful pairs of star clusters that Pierre and I have been observing through his binoculars.

But sometimes 400mm just isn't enough. When I need more magnification, there is my trusty Meade ETX 90, which has a focal length of some 1250 mm. But it's pretty slow at f13.8 or so. The moon picture I posted a while back was made with a Meade LX 50, which can serve as a 2000mm, f10 lens. But what if you a want long lens and a fast f stop?

Well, have I got a deal for you. If you are into the "best and the brightest," then you've got to check out this article by BH Photo Video in New York about the Canon 1200mm f5.6 L USM lens that they have. The lead picture someone using the lens, apparently shot with a wide angle lens, is priceless.

The 1200/5.6 lens weighs 36 lbs, is 33 inches long and it's 9 inches wide at the front end. Oh and it is tack sharp, based on the sample pix I've seen. Canon will only say that between 12 and 20 of these lenses have ever been built, so if you buy this baby, you'll be in some seriously elite company.

No, I didn't bother to check the price. You know the saying, "if you have to ask the price..."

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