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Old 11-09-2008, 08:23 PM
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My proposed new lens

Hi Guys, I was considering adding to my lens collection, but Alice won't let me Look at the price

Leon

EF 1200mm f/5.6L USM Key features Maker: Canon Image stabilization: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...X_mark.svg.png No Ultrasonic motor: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._check.svg.png Yes Application: Super Telephoto Technical data Type: Prime Focal length: 1200mm Aperture (max/min): f/5.6 - f/32 Construction: 10 groups / 13 elements # Diaphragm blades: 8 Close focus distance: 45.9' / 14m Max. magnification: 1:11.1 Physical Max. diameter: 8.9" / 22.8cm Max. length: 32.9" / 83.6cm Weight: 36.37lbs / 16.5kg Filter diameter: 48mm (drop-in) Accessories Lens hood: Built-In Case: Exclusive Angle of view Horizontal: 1°45' Vertical: 1°10' Diagonal: 2°05' History Introduced: July 1993 Retail info MSRP US$ $89,579 The EF 1200mm f/5.6L USM is a super-telephoto prime lens made by Canon Inc. It uses an EF mount, and is compatible with
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Old 11-09-2008, 08:45 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by leon View Post
$89,579
........... .......... !!!

Enough said.

Seriously though, that would be one amazing lens to own but for that price.... I don't think so.
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Old 11-09-2008, 08:49 PM
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who would buy such a lens?
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Old 11-09-2008, 08:50 PM
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Yea she is a beauty all right have a look at this.

Leon
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Old 11-09-2008, 09:47 PM
snowyskiesau
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The price has come down a bit , it used to be around $100,000

At that price, you'd expect it to come with someone to carry it for you!

As to who has one? Sports illustrated have two.
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Old 11-09-2008, 10:20 PM
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Anyone who loves astro imaging and has just won tattslotto might consider it

Now I must go and tip a bucket of ice over my pants... (I have a lens fetish)
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Old 11-09-2008, 10:41 PM
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leon buy it now and in 12 months time sell it to me for 500 dollars!!
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Old 11-09-2008, 10:53 PM
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Funny thing is you can buy an Olympus DSLR with a crop factor of 2x and a Sigma 300-800mm f5.6 lens (which BTW has absolutely superb optics) and you have a 1600mm Effective Focal Length camera and the total cost is less than $10,000.

So its not just longer FL and has the same speed but it weighs a lot less !

IMO that makes it better !

Cheers Rally
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Old 11-09-2008, 11:04 PM
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I need a new dad , care to adopt me Leon ? I'll be only too happy to wait until you kick the bucket to inherit it .

Alternatively in few years , once the next monster telephoto from Canon comes out , you might find them selling for a song on Ebay.

Could buy a lot of telescope on a massive fork or GEM with all the bells and whistles , subarc second tracking and goto capacity , and some superduper large format cooled imaging ccd gear, for that price.

Last edited by Ian Robinson; 11-09-2008 at 11:44 PM.
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Old 12-09-2008, 11:00 AM
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The 1200mm Canon L lens is a collector's item, only 6 were ever made, and only made after each order was place and payed for (from memory) so it's not your run of the mill L lens that you can order online.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rally View Post
Funny thing is you can buy an Olympus DSLR with a crop factor of 2x and a Sigma 300-800mm f5.6 lens (which BTW has absolutely superb optics) and you have a 1600mm Effective Focal Length camera and the total cost is less than $10,000.

So its not just longer FL and has the same speed but it weighs a lot less !

IMO that makes it better !

Cheers Rally
It doesn't work that way Rally because the same logic can be used for the 1200mm if you put it on a Canon 1.6x body.

Keep in mind that a crop body doesn't actually give you magnification but rather it crops the image circle to give the impression of magnification.
Crop factor is used to compare the yielding image circle of a camera body as compared to a full frame body that's all.
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Old 12-09-2008, 12:11 PM
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Buy it Leon I want to see it.

Then give us your address so I can send a Hit Man I mean come around for a visit...lol
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Old 12-09-2008, 12:58 PM
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You guys are a laugh a minute, it is just a bit out of my league, probably about $80,000.00 to much.

So from this point, it looks like I'm safe from an unsuspecting hit. I don't have to go through legal adoption matters, and end up divorced, boy is that a relief.

Leon
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Old 12-09-2008, 03:34 PM
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Reminds me of the time when (with a friend) we lugged a Celestron-8 with its tripod to the Gap at Watsons Bay to observe the start of the Sydney Hobart race. We had by far the biggest "cannon"... more as a joke than to do anything serious with it.

The filthy looks and *****-envy writ large on the faces of many other photographers were priceless - many had spent quite large sums of money for relatively piddling lenses that looked like of tin of salmon stuck on a stalk.

I should add that anything more than 500mm FL is not very useful photographically looking down the harbour, while in moments of passable seeing you can read the names on the caps of the crew at the start line, the turbulence will ruin a photo - at any shutter speed, and IS is not a solution...
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Old 12-09-2008, 08:27 PM
rally
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RB View Post

It doesn't work that way Rally because the same logic can be used for the 1200mm if you put it on a Canon 1.6x body.
True to the extent that on the 1.6x camera you have more effective focal length - I assumed a 35mm frame - Got me there !

Canon (APSC and 35mm sensors)
1200 x 1.0 = EFL 1200 f5.6 @ <> $90,000
1200 x 1.6 = EFL 1920 f5.6 @ <> $90,000
Vs
Olympus (4/3rds sensor)
800 x 2.0 = EFL 1600 f5.6 @ <> $10,000 (320mm behind !)

EFL = effective focal length at equivalent 35mm

But the crop factor does yield a real increase in image magnification at the CCD
In the case of a 4/3rds sized CCD as used by Olympus - that is the full image circle at the CCD and the Olympus lenses are designed only for that image circle - so you are not actually losing any area of the image at all.

I am not sure if the focal plane was moved in the Sigma 800mm for the Olympus mount version or not - it was a very long time coming after the Canon and Nikon mounts so who knows ?

The other thing is the Olympus lenses are telecentric and designed for digital although the Sigma is only 'optimised' for digital but does have all the antireflective coatings needed for CCDs (but not needed for film)

Whereas I suspect the older Canon design has neither a true telecentric light path nor the coatings - but being a long focal length the light path is probably telecentric enough for that not to matter.

Its all moot really, and I fear a hijacking of the OP's thread !
. . . but for someone who wants this sort of reach (sporting and wildlife) its a real consideration that is cost effectively satisfied without loss of image quality or speed by using that combination of 4/3rds camera and lens.
I would be game enough to venture that the IQ is at least equal or better, simply due the use of coatings which will enhance contrast - but I havent looked at the Canon MTF charts - if they exist for digital.
Its just about poinmting out that cheaper options exist for the common man to achieve the same sort of result without any loss in IQ or speed.

Cheers

Rally

PS - plus you can actually carry the Olympus rig around on a tripod with a gimbal mount by yourself !
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Old 12-09-2008, 08:42 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by leon View Post
You guys are a laugh a minute, it is just a bit out of my league, probably about $80,000.00 to much.

So from this point, it looks like I'm safe from an unsuspecting hit. I don't have to go through legal adoption matters, and end up divorced, boy is that a relief.

Leon
How could you .... ??

I'm so gutted !!!

Back to
Plan A = Win Lotto.
Plan B = wait for my Super RoleOver to be available.
Plan C = robbing a bank.
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Old 13-09-2008, 08:40 AM
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RB (Andrew)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rally View Post
1200 x 1.6 = EFL 1920 f5.6 @ <> $90,000
Vs
Olympus (4/3rds sensor)
800 x 2.0 = EFL 1600 f5.6 @ <> $10,000 (320mm behind !)

EFL = effective focal length at equivalent 35mm

But the crop factor does yield a real increase in image magnification at the CCD
In the case of a 4/3rds sized CCD as used by Olympus - that is the full image circle at the CCD and the Olympus lenses are designed only for that image circle - so you are not actually losing any area of the image at all.

The other thing is the Olympus lenses are telecentric and designed for digital although the Sigma is only 'optimised' for digital but does have all the antireflective coatings needed for CCDs (but not needed for film)

Whereas I suspect the older Canon design has neither a true telecentric light path nor the coatings - but being a long focal length the light path is probably telecentric enough for that not to matter.

Its all moot really, and I fear a hijacking of the OP's thread !
. . . but for someone who wants this sort of reach (sporting and wildlife) its a real consideration that is cost effectively satisfied without loss of image quality or speed by using that combination of 4/3rds camera and lens.
I would be game enough to venture that the IQ is at least equal or better, simply due the use of coatings which will enhance contrast - but I havent looked at the Canon MTF charts - if they exist for digital.
Its just about poinmting out that cheaper options exist for the common man to achieve the same sort of result without any loss in IQ or speed.

Cheers

Rally

PS - plus you can actually carry the Olympus rig around on a tripod with a gimbal mount by yourself !
I agree that there are cheaper alternatives, I'm not arguing money, LOL just about any lens on the market is cheaper than the Canon 1200mm.

My point is that a crop factor is just that, a crop of the actual FOV and does not yield any 'true' magnification, for example on any of the main stream crop bodies by Canon, Nikon etc.
http://digital-photography-school.co...tor-explained/

The Four Thirds system developed by Olympus & Kodak tried to achieve a hybrid magnification factor by combining a smaller sensor and 4:3 aspect ratio as opposed to 3:2 and then developing specific lenses for that sensor to achieve the 2x factor.
Yes they added special coatings and made the lenses telecentric but making a sensor smaller is not going to help noise performance IMO.

How popular is the four thirds system amongst professionals?
Do you see many used at events like the Olympics where they need the image IQ and reach? Don't think so.
Would I want to use a four thirds system for my astro imaging.... no.
I would and do however use Canon DSLRs and lenses for my purposes.

I suspect that the Four Thirds system is an alternative for those that just want a more compact system but is not really preferred in the main stream amateur and pro sectors IMO.

The image quality of the new Nikons and hopefully soon Canon bodies are by far the best to date.

It's also no coincidence that medium format achieves even higher IQ than any of these, why?

Sorry I know it's become a drawn out discussion but it's good to discuss things, and I'm not by any means an expert but love to hear other opinions and share ideas.

Cheers.
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Old 13-09-2008, 08:41 AM
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Leon,

Since $80K is a bit of a stretch, may I suggest a "bargain" substitute:

http://www.buytelescopes.com/product...&pid=1555&m=35



Terry
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Old 13-09-2008, 10:55 AM
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Thanks mate I have bookmarked that site, now that would be a beauty, at least it is half price to the Canon lens.

Leon
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