B&H is Selling a Used Canon 1200mm f/5.6L Lens for Just $180,000

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If you’ve been in the market for a Canon 1200mm f/5.6L lens, B&H is currently listing a used one for just $180,000. The lens has a condition rating of 9+, meaning it “shows little or no signs of wear.” Oh, and there’s free shipping for the lens, a lens hood, and a case.

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The Canon 1200mm f/5.6L is the longest prime lens ever made by Canon. Its minimum focusing distance is just 49.5 feet.

B&H has some pretty funny things to say about the lens in the listing’s product description:

With an angle-of- view of about 2° on a full-frame 35 mm camera, calling this lens a ‘tele’ is like calling King Kong a monkey.

Built-to-order by Canon from 1993 to 2005, each lens was hand-crafted at the rate of about 2-per-year and a delivery time of about 18 months. Only a dozen-or-so were ever made. Who bought them? National Geographic magazine and Sports Illustrated are known to own a couple, the Feds probably have a few squirreled away somewhere, and a few well-heeled photo enthusiasts.

This particular lens is extremely clean inside and out. Included with this lens is a leather slip-on ‘lens cap’, the original fitted aluminum trunk case, a custom trunk case with wheels that holds the original trunk case, and a prodigious measure of ego satisfaction. Weighing in at over 36lbs and an overall length of 33 inches, a sturdy tripod and pan/tilt head is highly recommended.

Pack mule not included.

Here’s a quick overview of the lens that B&H published back in 2009:

So, if you’d like to own an ultra-rare Canon lens that only 11 or so other people on Earth have, now’s your chance!

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