The Making of a Canon 500mm f/4L Lens

Here’s an interesting behind-the-scenes video series that shows the creation of a Canon 500mm f/4.0L IS lens. It’s a neat look at the guts of glass, and an opportunity to see how exactly the various components of a lens are created and put together.

You get to see the entire process, starting with raw materials and ending with the finished, $6,000 lens.

Seeing how fine-tuned many of the steps in the process have to be, it’s no wonder these lenses can end up costing as much as a car.