PetaPixel has posted a nice piece about a Canon PE 300mm f/1.8 with an EF mount. We have to admit that we had no idea such a lens existed and it may be even rarer than the EF 1200mm f/5.6L. Apparently there are only 4 known copies of the Canon 300mm f/1.8 and the lens was mainly used for photo finishes in horse races according to Emil Wiik Larsen of @canongearnerd.
We have been unable to find any more information on the lens around the web and it doesn't even appear in the Canon Museum.
Photographer Jim Anderson who has been lucky enough to use this lens tells PetaPixel:
The lens is used for “strip, or slit, photography, With this system we can record up to 10,000 ‘strips’ or lines per second. That is how I came to work with this lens. I started doing photo finishes in 1986.”
“Back then it was done with filmstrip or timing negative film,” he continues. “I would develop immediately after the race it would take about 8 seconds using dektol at 140 degrees and dip and dunk by hand. When digital took over film things became so much more advanced and so did the lenses.” Read the full story and see more images over at PetaPixel
We do love learning about new Canon gear, thanks to PetaPixel, Jim Anderson and CanonGearNerd for letting us know about it.