Save those pennies! A Canon EF 1200mm f/5.6L USM is coming up for auction

[justaCanonuser]

Nobody steals my photos. Waiting patiently for someone to flatter me. *sobbing a little*

Just relax. Real artists are always discovered when they have passed away... but I'd highly recommend to enjoy life before you get famous that way

 

[justaCanonuser]

I got that opportunity too at the Photokina in Köln somewhere in the 90s. Canon had a row of their super-teles on a stand for the public to play with. I guess my EOS5 is one of the lucky few to have interfaced with this legend

Do you still have your EOS 5? I'd never cleaned it's mount again after such an exquisite contact

I so far had only the opportunity to try a 300-800mm Sigmonster on a Sigma booth once, but not with my own camera. Btw this lens was disappointingly unsharp - or out of focus, because the camera adapted wasn't properly micro-adjusted.

 

[justaCanonuser]

So I coincidentally just did a video review on the FL 1200mm from 1972, Canon’s first 1200mm lens - aka the “poor man’s EF 1200mm” - the FL is only max f/11 but performs surprisingly well on an R5. It’s a very very niche piece of kit because of the focal length. Would have loved to do a side by side with the EF 1200mm but I can’t afford the insurance!

Thanx for sharing. Very funny, in particular the problem with those people who suspect that you are a sniper . Using frequently a comparably "compact" EF 500mm lens for birding in a city I know what you mean from own experience. You can't hide such a big lens easily...

 

[Del Paso]

So I coincidentally just did a video review on the FL 1200mm from 1972, Canon’s first 1200mm lens - aka the “poor man’s EF 1200mm” - the FL is only max f/11 but performs surprisingly well on an R5. It’s a very very niche piece of kit because of the focal length. Would have loved to do a side by side with the EF 1200mm but I can’t afford the insurance!

Thanks for the entertaining video!
As I wrote in a former post, I too heard a few "funny" comments, when taking pictures of puffins In Brittany with my rapid focusing 560mm Leica lens, mounted on a shoulder stock, a very long lens...
She: "Is he trying to kill these poor little birds ? "
He: " No, darling, he wants to photograph the girls on the naturist beach"

 

[Bert63]

Use watermarks... always. Sites like DPReview that will demand you not use watermarks in their rules and not allow links to your work are prime examples of where people's work is stolen. Always use watermarks!!!

Any watermark large enough to prevent theft will ruin the picture, and anything smaller will be cloned or cropped with ease.

NEXT!

 

[maxfactor9933]

I bet a crop from the upcoming RF 600MM F4 gives you a better picture

 

[GoldWing]

Any watermark large enough to prevent theft will ruin the picture, and anythung smaller will be cloned or cropped with ease.

NEXT!

You need to protect your work and your client's property. Watermark across the entire frame. Paying for your work is a great way for people to enjoy it. Free is not even an option.

 

[Bert63]

You need to protect your work and your client's property. Watermark across the entire frame. Paying for your work is a great way for people to enjoy it. Free is not even an option.

I’m not a pro and have no reason to become one. Turning a pleasure into a business is a great way to ruin it. I’m speaking from the experience of seeing what other people do to “protect” their images. The bottom line as far as I’m concerned is if you post it on the internet and someone wants it badly enough they’ll find a way to take it.

 

[GoldWing]

I’m not a pro and have no reason to become one. Turning a pleasure into a business is a great way to ruin it. I’m speaking from the experience of seeing what other people do to “protect” their images. The bottom line as far as I’m concerned is if you post it on the internet and someone wants it badly enough they’ll find a way to take it.

Let me hold your wallet.... Since you're not a professional. You know we hate what we do for a living.

 

[Fischer]

Once met an American tourist on Greenland with this lens. He liked to helicopter out and use it to shoot Ice Bears. He usually went there once a year. Its really very large and takes some handling to set up.

 

[Viggo]

I’ve actually seen the 1200 with my own eyes at the airport I used to work once. Believe it was NatGeo people carrying it, two guys carrying it, just the lens, looked insane.

can you imagine when boarding ; “Sir, you are going to have to check that in”.

 

[padam]

I've seen a fair few of these lenses changing hands online (the "cheapest" one popped on ebay from a bird photographer in Korea some years ago)

Looks like there is one here as well:



So I wonder if there are really only 20 of them existing or it is just a number to drive prices up, of course it could have been the same copy multiple times.

On the other hand, I never saw the Nikon 1200-1700mm f/5.6-8 lens popping up, all-mechanical, no electronics to go wrong, the 1200mm f/5.6L is a risky buy in that regard (just like the 50mm f/1.0L).

 

[Del Paso]

I’m not a pro and have no reason to become one. Turning a pleasure into a business is a great way to ruin it. I’m speaking from the experience of seeing what other people do to “protect” their images. The bottom line as far as I’m concerned is if you post it on the internet and someone wants it badly enough they’ll find a way to take it.

I'm absolutely convinced professional wildlife photographers, for instance, still enjoy their job, like many other pros.
And I believe you can't be good at something if you dislike what you're doing!
Just take a look at the Korean bird photographer in Padam's post. I'm sure he loves his job!

 

[padam]

I'm absolutely convinced professional wildlife photographers, for instance, still enjoy their job, like many other pros.
And I believe you can't be good at something if you dislike what you're doing!
Just take a look at the Korean bird photographer in Padam's post. I'm sure he loves his job!

No, William Tan is from Singapore, that one I saw on ebay South Korea was probably a different copy from someone else.

 

[AlanF]

I've seen a fair few of these lenses changing hands online (the "cheapest" one popped on ebay from a bird photographer in Korea some years ago)

Looks like there is one here as well:



So I wonder if there are really only 20 of them existing or it is just a number to drive prices up, of course it could have been the same copy multiple times.

On the other hand, I never saw the Nikon 1200-1700mm f/5.6-8 lens popping up, all-mechanical, no electronics to go wrong, the 1200mm f/5.6L is a risky buy in that regard (just like the 50mm f/1.0L).

Where is it in that video? He used the EF 600 f/4 III and the 100-500mm. Singapore is a great place for bird photography, and you can nip over to Malaysia for more.

 

[padam]

Where is it in that video? He used the EF 600 f/4 III and the 100-500mm. Singapore is a great place for bird photography, and you can nip over to Malaysia for more.

2:07 the lens itself is not in the video.

 

[AlanF]

2:07 the lens itself is not in the video.

Thanks! It's not a very good shot. The white under the "ear" of the kingfisher is bleached and the beak disappears into the background and the colours aren't good.

 

[fariff]

It was a fun review and I really like your understated sense of humour. In practice, I am now regularly using a 1000mm f/14 (= RF 100-500 + RF 2x TC) on my R5 for hand-held nature photography from close-up dragonflies to far-distant birds, as well as at in-between distances (and have used 2400mm with 6x of TCs on a 400mm/f4), and others are using the RF800 f/11 with TCs so the framing of a 1200mm f/11 is not that outlandish.

Thanks Alan! I've had the RF 100-500mm lens in the cart for months haha. To be honest I think the 100-500mm + R5 will undoubtedly be more effective for birds etc because of the eye-autofocus. Plus 1200mm is really tight - I spend a bit of time "swimming" around the scene with the viewfinder trying to find something I spotted with my eye.

 

[fariff]

Thanx for sharing. Very funny, in particular the problem with those people who suspect that you are a sniper . Using frequently a comparably "compact" EF 500mm lens for birding in a city I know what you mean from own experience. You can't hide such a big lens easily...

Haha thanks man - yes it's one of those things they don't warn you about in the manual! Polar opposite to HC-B.

 

[tron]

I will save my pennies by not getting that monster