Canon's Seven Craziest Lenses Ever
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- Опубліковано 2 сер 2024
- This was a fun list to research and put together!
Thanks to Wetzlar Camera Auctions for images of the Canon EF 1200mm f/5.6 USM. Check out their website and YT channel below:
www.wetzlarcameraauctions.com
/ wetzlarcameraauctions
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00:33 5200mm f/14 (approx. 1965)
02:20 Canon 400mm f/2 (1970's?)
Full review: • Exclusive: Prototype C...
03:27 Canon FD 35-70mm f/4 AF (1981)
Full review: • Weird lens reviews: Ca...
04:28 Canon EF 200mm f/1.8 L USM 'Eye of Sauron' (1988)
Full review: • Canon EF 200mm f/1.8 L...
05:31 Canon 50mm f/1.0 'L' USM (1989-2002)
Full review: • 'L' for 'Legendary'? C...
06:55 Canon EF 1200mm f/5.6 L USM (EF version 1993)
08:25 Canon RF 28-70mm f/2 'L' USM
Full review: • Canon RF 28-70mm f/2 '...
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My review of the Canon EF 200mm f/1.8 is coming soon! (but if you're desperate, Patreon supporters have got early access)
i believe many people like me are waiting for the comparison results between EF 200mm f/1.8 and EF 200mm f/2, because these two big buddies are often mentioned at the same time.
@@xyxysun5056 I talk about that a little in the review of the 200mm f/1.8 :-)
Did Canon pay for this video??
@@no15minutecities Nope
@@amjadchoudhury4749 Glad you enjoy the videos, thanks for your comment! The chart is a closely guarded secret, I'm afraid.
The 28-70 f/2 really is amazing, it’s my always-on lens. With a sunsniper strap it’s actually usable as a walkaround lens. I’ve been on mountains with it
Agree, and it isn’t really that big, because you have essentially 43 primes in your bag.
i think the crazier lens is the 35-150 f2-2.8 from tamron... You get some insane reach and it's almost as fast
@@Shiinamusiclyricssubs yeah that one is also crazy. Still waiting for the 70-180 f/2 from canon 😂
@@Shiinamusiclyricssubs Man I wish there was a Canon mount version of that Tamron lens.
I’m surprised you didn’t mention the 300 1.8 which has a pretty insane front element
I have always been fascinated by strange and extreme lenses and some of these do fit that, especially the 5200mm and 1200mm lenses. You mentioned the Canon 50mm f/1.0, but there is the even brighter and rare, Canon 50mm f0.75 XI with its extremely bright aperture and fixed focus. There is not a lot of info about it online, except a blog and video reviews made by a guy who bought one and went into detail about it.
1:03 "The only lens capable of taking photographs of objects 18 to 32 miles away." 😂
Can’t believe the Canon 28-70 2.0 came out in 2018. Time flies.
The 100-300 is the new kid in this line up 😂
One of these videos for Nikon would also be really sweet. They have a rich history of releasing pretty bonkers lenses as well.
It has even been rumored that Nikon has gone so far as to have every produced copy of a certain lens blessed by Shinto priests!
The three big mirror lenses (800f3.8/2000f11/5200f14) used the Canon R mount (ie Canonflex SLR) and focused by the means of a special bellows fitted between the lens and body. They were also able to be mounted to TV cameras via adapter plates. The 5200 came with a very large mounting 'column' that was fitted with its own chair and aiming controls. I have the brochure if anyone wants more details. I have been lucky enough to have used both the NFD1200f5.6L (which had a built in 1.4X extender) as well as the EF1200f5.6L version. A little known fact is that the NFD version of the EF200f1.8L was the final new NFD lens offered for sale. One lens that could have made the list was the NFD150-600f5.6L with its zoom/focus gearbox. Despite it being a pain to work on (I was a Canon tech back in the '80s) it took excellent pics.
About the time I got my 200 1.8, Canon dealers started blowing out all the spare parts they had for these lenses including Focus Motors and I was lucky enough to get two New Old Stock ones. I only paid $300 each for them, and now the last time I saw one on eBay it went for $1,400 despite being a second-hand one.
I also got a new front element for mine, which is actually just an optical glass filter in a special holder and has no Optical power at all just protects the front element.
im surprised canons cine-servo 50-1000mm lens was not on here, that thing is absolutely nuts.
Excellent work. Thank you!
Excellent list!
Love it! This is an awesome collection.
The first one seems good for vlogs! I'll strap it onto my R50 and bring it along 😂
9:36 you should definitely try Canon's Dual Fisheye lens. Its quite the unique lens used to make stunning VR video, I got it and its really cool especially knowing you can revisit the places you shot with it in such an immersive way.
not everyone is shotting porn ... Sir
@@lnz971 lmao, come on. VR180 is one of the best things to capture things form the present for the future. With VR tech becoming more widespread these are the kind of things that people will seek out. I have made over 50 VR180 videos, in 2020 I made a whole series on Venice, when it was empty due to lockdown, these are things you may never see again in many decades, yet thanks to VR Video you can experience what it was like.
@@Maebbie that was a joke but this lens is mainly sold to porn industry
@@lnz971 I was not aware ;_; feels bad. They shall see the light eventually.
It would be fun sometime for me to rent a high end mirrorless camera with the dual fisheye lens and take it out storm chasing.
I use the 200mm f/1.8 fairly regularly with the R5C for indoor stage performances (with a monopod!) The mirrorless bodies really help bring these older lenses back to life, as the hit rate I got with my 1DC was never anything to write home about. I’ve never actually tried using it for sports, though!
You missed another Unicorn: the EF300mm f1.8. The lens was paired up with photo finish machines and only a handfull were ever produced. 🙂
I wish EF50mm f1.0 had a mark II version, or perhaps an RF iteration?
Amazing Canon Lenses 🤩
You're amazing!
I'd really like to see update on 50mm f/1 with RF mount
But even more I'd like to see is Canon to abolish their stupid policy on third party lenses
Considering how monstrous the 50mm f/1.2 is, I'd be afraid of how big an f/1 version would be. I know the RF 50/1.2 is a much more complex optical design for better image quality, but it would be a weird lineup to have an f/1 that is not very sharp, an f/1.2 that is razor sharp, and then an f/1.8 that is just pretty good.
Superb video. Thank you very much.
One element of Christopher Frost videos that I think goes underappreciated (at least in comments) is his realistic appraisal of $. He's quick to point out when a lens is expensive, even if its quality could justify the price, and his barometer for what counts as expensive lines up with my own, at least!
The 50/1L was a great lens though it didn't have a great reputation when it was available new. I always liked it myself.
Your reviews never fail to delight, and this was no exception!
Also, I think it's very sporting of your missus to let you feature her so often in your videos.
Keep up the good work, and good on both of yers!
Such a calming video.
Yes, that is an FL mount for the 5200mm lens. It was compatible with the FD and New FD mounts.
The 50mm f1 lens was intended to showcase the change from the FD lens mount to the much larger EF mount, which allowed much more optical design options when working on a new lens design. My photo department had one and it wasn't a great lens optically, but when you needed the speed, you really had no other choice (back in the filn shooting days; these days, you just dial up the ISO).
Wow! For once I have a lens from such compilation. And the 28-70 f/2 is the only one that can be used daily :)
Gah, I'm kinda jealous
For me one of the most interesting lenses is the MP-E65 macro lens.
If I could wish for a lens I would adore a modern 150 or 180mm macro lens. The only way to get one with AF nowadays is by buying old used ones. But spare parts for those can be hard to find if they break (ask me how I know).
Irix and sigma have respectively a 150 and a 180mm 2.8 Macro.
I love macro photography and have done since about 2008 when I was using Canon DSLRs to photograph butterflies and moths. Back then I had a Sigma 105mm EX DG Macro which I liked the image quality but the AF motor broke on it twice and I had it repaired twice. The MP-E 65 has been on my radar for years but I have never yet bought one as I switched to Micro 4/3 in 2016 and couldn't justify using it with an adaptor on those cameras.
I now have a Panasonic S5II I bought recently. I have the newer L mount SIgma 105mm DG DN f/2.8 Macro which has internal focusing, way better build quality than the old EX DG versions and produces super sharp image quality. I might get the Sigma MC-21 EF to L Mount adapter and the MPE-65 lens in the future. I do wish Sigma would release a new DG DN version of their 150mm and 180mm EX DG Macro lenses as they were a good focal length for insect shots. It seems between 90 and 105mm is the limit of macro lens lengths in full frame these days. I have a Panasonic GH5 and Olympus 60mm macro which is 120mm in Full Frame and still a little short when I try to take photos of Butterflies, Hoverflies and Dragonflies without them flying away.
I'm still on the hunt for the Tamron 180mm F2.5. It's pretty well known for it's excellent sharpness but it's just so hard to get. Clean copies are sometimes sold for 700€!!! which is just insanity. A seller on ebay demanded 300€ for it even though it had fungus...
Ok, i'll bite. How do you know? ;)
Another great video.
I had the chance to try one of the EF1200mm F5.6 lenses at a Canon presentation back in around 2004 complete with two security guards standing next to it!!
These kinds of videos are fun indeed.
0:51 Americans visiting the UK: "220 pounds sounds like a good price for a Canon lens" - "Sir, that's the weight".
The EF 200mm f/1.8 is an excellent lens, the images it produces are simply fantastic. The 50mm f/1.0 cool, but like you said, very soft, but that gives a nice touch to the images. With Lightroom & Co. that can be polished out :)
For RF mount, I would like to see some crazy glass. 50mm f1.0, 135mm f1.4, 200mm f1.8, 300mm f2... Some heavy weaponry 😁
i think even a very compact and light with Teleconverter support (or even internal TC.) 300 2.8 for apsc would be already a huge step considering that much RF mount cameras now with APS-C are out there
in overall i dont think canon is pushing it that hard anymore, just look at all the slow aperture lenses
Other crazy lenses from Canon's history are the 50mm f0.95 "Dream Lens", FD 24mm f1.4 S.S.C. Aspherical and the FD 200mm f1.8.
Off these, I only own RF 28-70, and hands down, it's the best piece of gear I've ever owned. It sure broke the bank.
is the 800 f11 the most innovative lens ever made? if not the best what about a 1200 f11
Just sold both kidneys to put towards the first lens in this list lol
But at least you get to take quality pictures now 😊
@@thelowprofile9767 🤣🤣🤣🤣
If the rumors are true, you may be able to add the RF 24-105 f2.8 lens to the list.
I own that auto focus 35-70 and use it on a Sony a6000. It is rather outstanding. I find the range useful and the focus system simply works. Not bad on the batteries either and it seems to not mind nmh rechargeable AAs. I recently dropped it on some concrete stairs due to a strap failure and besides a few cracks in the plastic, it still works great... As long as what you want to focus on isn't around a lot of complex surfaces. Even then, it focuses on what is dead center so if you aim it well enough complex groups are fine. What I love is that it is perfect for the "focus and recompose" method.
Canon blew it when they did not come out with a reasonably priced
200-600mm zoom lens for their mirrors-less system. The Sony 200-600mm lens is a game changer. Its so good I switch systems from Canon to Sony.
I can't have lenses that cost more than my car. However, I can see them on this channel.
They should make 16-600mm f1.2 with macro capability, have internal ND filter and made out of titanium.
Thank you for this list of really awesome craziness! I would love to see a new version of the MP-E 65mm or some new TS-Es (from the latter at least there are already some rumors, but you really never know). My dream lens (for professional sports photography) would be something fictional like a TS-R 200mm F2L IS, without AF, but with the ability to adapt to the RF Extenders...
Great video! Nikon and Sony/Minolta next ??? Please...
I recently got that RF 800 f/11 from 9:37 and for the budget it absolutely delivers
I had a friend who worked for Canon several years ago.. he said there's a 500mm 2.8L at the Canon factory in Japan.. heavy lens!
Can I hope to see a review video of the Canon Ef 300mm f/2.8L IS USM II ?
Not even an unusual lens, but why is Canon taking so long to make the RF35 1.2!!!!! Great video as always ❤
Can’t wait for the RF 24mm f1.4 😊
Gotta respect Chris for always dropping in images of his smokeshow wife/girlfriend
I’d like to see a 14-28 f2 made with Astro in mind that would be my dream lens even tho I’ll never be able to afford it.
I can't even find a Canon EF 1200mm f/5.6 L USM (EF version 1993) to buy. lmao, what a legend
The first lens is almost certainly some form of a surveillance application. Maybe it's a really hardcore wildlife play. For that level of serious astrophotography, you would be using a dedicated telescope (usually with a larger field of view) and a dedicated imaging sensor.
let's hope they introduce a 24 105 f2.8 !
I have the RF 28-70 F2.0 and love it. I was lucky to get it in 2020 when a few were sold by Canon as refurb (rumored to be tester units) for a hefty discount. I doubt I could afford it now.
My favorite exotic is the Nikon 300mm F2.
I used to own one of those I found mine down in California when I gave up road racing and I sold all my bikes and stuff and had money in my pocket and I went to a military auction. I found most of it in one case and another lot and the rest of it in another section.
Luckily, nobody else noticed this gas so I picked it up for about 1,200 total. Trouble is during reassembly of it I accidentally managed to get to the elements reversed. Or rather a two element group that was cemented reversed. The lens was okay but it did lack a lot of the legendary sharpness so I sent it to a camera shop and they sent it to Japan to be fixed and they noticed the problem. After that the lens was perfect. Just extremely heavy. Absolutely no way to use it without a tripod or bracing it on something like a fence. One of my favorite photographs of it is this massive big horn sheep up in the Outland area that had more than a complete circle of horn on its head. I stopped taking calls about that photograph because it was clear that it was all Hunters looking to bag it.
Can't wait for Canon's tilt-shift full frame lenses with AUTOFOCUS.
there is a 300mm f1.8 that was made for photo finishes in horse races
Now you know why Canon is the market leader in camera industry, they have things called ‘history’ in making camera and lenses back in ages
I would just like Canon to develop an Rf 40mm pancake lens. I have an Ef 40 mm which I shot with exclusively for a class assignment for a semester and came to really treasure. I would love to see how an Rf version compared. Also, perhaps an Rf 300 mm prime. Thanks for the opportunity to offer these suggestions.
These lists videos that you do are great! It would be fun to see one of 7 Crazy Nikon lenses: AI 6mm f/2.8, 10mm f/5.6 Orthographic, 105mm f/3.4 UV, 300mm f/2, 360-1200mm f/11, 1200-1700mm f/5.5-8.0, Z 58 f/0.95.
Zeiss made for Hasselblad the 105 F 4.3 UV Sonnar.
Canon RF 20-50mm f2.8 IS would be a delight ;)
I have the 200 f 1.8, awesome Lens ❤
I fell in love with this at an open house and I asked the guy if I could shoot a few frames with it. Even handheld at 1:30 of the second, it was sharp enough to pick up the tiny little hairs growing out of these nose from his pores.
I held out for finding a really good one and finally Henry's had one in sale that was virtually new. The guy had bought it thinking only weighed 3.2 lb not 3.2 kg and therefore never used it because he was an old guy.
I want to see a Canon tilt shift zoom lens, something like a 20-50mm. Bonus points if it had AF. It could exclude the tilt and I wouldn’t care… I just want a walk around architecture focused lens with perspective control.
One thing people forget about these tilt-shift lenses they have a much larger image Circle than your standard 35mm lenses due to the need to have one to accomplish the shift.
I have considered getting the Zeiss 35 mm one if I ever get a Fujifilm gfx 100s
I'd love to see an RF 14-28/2 (rumored ages ago) or an RF 70-135/2 (also rumored ages ago). What do you think, Chris? Will Canon ever make an RF f/2 trinity?
I hope it doesn’t make you crazy if you own & like the RF 28-70mm, haha.
forever canon 😍
Hi Christopher, do you have any plan to review Laowa 9mm f5.6?
How about the Perkin Elmer 12" lens used on the SR71 Blackbird.
Christopher, why do you not have a canon 70 200 2.8 II IS USM review?
Been in the real camera company shop in Manchester today and they have a 135 f1.2, unsure of the manufacturer or the mount, complete monster.
The Canon AF/lens adapter thingy was actually released 5 years after Pentax invented it, so Pentax were way ahead of the game.
"What crazy lens would you like Canon to come up with next?" - Well, considering the fun I'm having with the RF 800mm f/11 and the fact that people are using this one with extenders, I'd surely love to see something like an 1200mm f/16 thing or so. Or maybe a more appropriate successor to that infamous, but somehow fascinating EF 70-300mm DO lens.
Over here the 70-300 DO lenses are now so cheap to get used that I almost wanna get one simply for the novelty of a green ring, compared to the usual red one of L lenses
Should have included the 135 2.8 soft focus lens over a modern RF lens imo.
I'm sure you might have missed out a few Tilt shift monsters.
I've seen both the 1200/5.6 and the Nikkor 1200-1700/5.6-8.0 in person. Very interesting lenses, but too big for actual use by most people.
You forgot the MP/E 65mm 1:1-5:1 macro lens or the Tilt&Shift lenses...
I miss the 5200mm
The EF 200mm F/1.8 is the bomb! I only pull that out on special occasions.
I might put a teleconverter on the Canon 5200mm
I like how Nikon went full send with the current NOCT.
Great list. I would add the MP-E 65mm f/2.8. A 1-5X macro only lens that starts where most macro lenses finish. What I'd like to see is a 300-800mm lens for bird photography.
There is (was?) a 300-800 from Sigma.
@@angrybirder9983 There was. But Canon has patented a 300-800 RF lens in the east year. I hope they produce it.
@@angrybirder9983 The Sigma was from the era of film cameras and was known for being not very sharp, especially at 800mm. It was also huge and heavy. Shooting it at 800mm on film when a custom crop would have to be done in a darkroom made sense. But with high MP digital cameras and the ability to crop in post, a sharp 300 or 400mm beats a blurry 800mm. And Canon new RF lenses seem to all be sharper at least vs EF lenses they replace.
The sigma was a favorite for surfing photography where a tripod was easy to use and you don't move much, but bird photographers avoided it. Sigmas 800mm prime was sharper and some birders really liked it.
That FD af lens is still probably more AF reliable than anything Panasonic has done, at least shy of the S5ii
Chris you forgot EF 300mm f/1.8. And some of most extreme lenses ever were not made by Canon. Like zeiss apo sonnar t* 1700mm f/4 or nikon 1200mm-1700mm f5.6 lens or nikon 6mm f2.8 fisheye
The EF 300/1.8 was a cool lens, as was the Nikkor 300/2 which was more common. The Nikon 1200-1700 lens was 5.6-8.0 and was an amazing bit of glass. So much cool stuff out there!
When will you review the 5200mm
I'd like canon to come up with all the 3rd party lenses, especially Tamron 35-150mm. Is there an adapter to mount Sony on Canon?
While I am still on EF, I think it is time for Canon to come out with a replacement for the MP-E65mm which was originally shown in 1999. The 1:1-5:1 magnification range is still enough, but perhaps come up with a narrower lens since the MP-E65's front glass is just 22 mm while the filter thread is 58 mm to accomodate Canon's not very good macro flashes.
It does need the bigger barrel because of the mechanical shenanigans to accommodate the focusing to 5:1 magnification.
$6K for the 200 1.8 on Feebay.
I turned down $5,000 for my version. The guy saw it tried a couple of frames and asked if I would be willing to part with it. I also have the really really right stuff tripod foot, which is the only thing about the lens which really needed it. The original mounting foot for the tripod is hilariously tiny. The new one I can actually use as a palm holder to steady it.
About the same time service dealer stopped working on it so they blew out all their spare parts inventory and I got to focus motors for it brand new for $300 each.
I also managed to find the little zip-up soft case for it just in case I wanted more protection than just the lens pouch being on it but not enough like the hard case
Have you tried the Nikon 80-200mm f2.8? I don't see a review about it :)
I would love to see a 50mm 1.0 RF lens...😢
If you wanted to discuss modern RF lenses. Nothing is weirder than the "Canon RF 5.2mm f/2.8 L Dual Fisheye 3D VR Lens". Such a bizarre lens.
Aka the p0rn lens
Maybe Canon should make some mirror lens to make affordable extreme telephoto lens possible.
Not from Canon, but I always have to think about the Sigma 200-500mm f/2.8 when I hear weird lenses.
The 28-70 focus breathing compensated for on the newer canon cameras in video? I know they have updated some.
In video, compensating focus breathing means cropping in as you focus closer, which allows the FOV to stay the same, but it also means that on close focus distances, you have to use a tinier magnification ratio than you would without compensation to obtain the same composition, so you loose quite a lot in terms of Bokeh.
@@pierrevilley6675 define “quite a lot”.
@@JeffSpeers Enough for focus breathing to still be a problem, i don't know the exact specs of this lens, but at close focus distance, it probably only gives you about 60mm of focal length, so you need a 1.2 crop factor to compensate, which means you get approximatively the same bokeh as if the aperture was stopped down to F/2.4.
@@pierrevilley6675 seems like those compromises could be very subjective to the user. Currently I know of no such lens with its capabilities even if it ends up being a 1.2 crop and f/2.4. Nothing comes close.
Would love it if Canon would make a 70-300 f4.0. Even if they made it APSC only!
The dream lens 0.95
I would love to see an f2.8 or higher tilt shift lens, but maybe the physics is impossible for that
I’d be very happy with a compact fish eye lens similar or smaller size than the RF 16 f/2.8.
The aperture doesn’t really matter. Nothing crazy, I know.
Where was that last photo taken? It looks really familiar and I can't quite place it, and it's bugging me ;-)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llangrannog#/media/File:Llangrannog-from-south-cliffs.jpg
What about MP-E 65mm F2.8 1-5x?
I want canon to come out with a 500mm f5.6 L mirror lens. Yeah, you heard me right, a mirror lens. Back in the 80s nikon canon and tamron made some really good ones, now though they're all cheap crap. They have issues, but with modern systems for focus and editing I've gotten some amazing results with my tamron 500mm f8 and it has some characteristics that I really prefer compared to refractive glass.
Zeiss made a series called Mirotar, starting with Contarex and ending with the CY cameras