The Phoblographer

Photography: Think Simpler

What Would You Do With a Lens This Long?

with 51 comments

Well this is a sight: this photographer probably stood up to photographers next to him and said, “mine is bigger than yours.” I tried to find out which lenses these are, and lots of my co-workers weren’t able to figure it out. It begs the question: what would you do with a lens this big? Spy on people? Use it to clear out a crowd? Find the remaining members of the Wikileaks organization? We want to know.

Let us know in the comments below what you would do with this big lens (most likely a Nikon).

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Written by Chris Gampat

December 11th, 2010 at 12:17 am

Posted in The Phoblogosphere

Tagged with , , ,

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  • http://olmanquest.com/ Francis

    The one on his shoulder look like an Nikkor 1200mm-1700mm zoom and the other on the right look like a Nikkor 360-1200mm f11 zoom. Used for sport mainly but also for some very specialized shooting. Super expensives they were mainly rented or leased from Nikon.

    • Andrew

      I think the one on his shoulder is a straight 1200mm – this was the lens designed for use with a Bronica S2 that could also be used with Nikon SLR’s. It used a seperate focussing unit to which you attached the lens unit. The one on his shoulder looks like the 600mm version.
      I don’t think these are the zooms as from memory (I’ve only ever seen a couple) both of the lenses mentioned by Francis were 1 touch zooms – and I can’t see the zoom/focus rings on the lens barrels..)

      • Andrew

        forgot to add – the only reason I think I’m right is that when I started shooting motorosport in the 90′s one of the old photographers still used one of these lenses to shoot with – after a few years he upgraded to the AF lenses..

        As Francis said – very expensive lemses…

        • http://thephoblographer.wordpress.com Chris Gampat

          I honestly don’t think they’re zooms either. I believe they’re some really big prime lenses.

  • TheresaZphotography

    Have a little camera with your lens? = )

    WOW! He needs a super, heavy duty, tripod.
    I have no idea what I would shoot, anyone know what these are used for?

  • Peter Hill

    My goodness, he’s actually carrying 3 big mommas. That’s some serious gear

  • gservo

    I would stay away from race cars yet get crazy DOF shots, looking at the background, he may be at a race track, or rally race. if you have ever seen those race, you dont want to be near those cars when they loose control at speed

    • http://thephoblographer.wordpress.com Chris Gampat

      I’d use it for street photography.

      • http://thelovecitysuccessstory.com Trevor Christensen

        This.

  • funnyfarm299

    I’m thinking a space launch would be the best use for these biggies.

    • http://thephoblographer.wordpress.com Chris Gampat

      Think they have the aerodynamic build though? Plus won’t it overheat way too much when it hits the stratosphere?

  • http://nigelpaterson.wordpress.com Nigel Paterson

    I’ve used Canon’s 600 and 800mm lenses and motorcycle racing events, and sometimes they’re still not long enough – even with the 1.3x crop factor of the EOS 1D series.
    Canon also produced an EF 1200mm f/5.6: I believe six were sold. I saw one in use one year and the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix – seriously big, seriously heavy, seriously expensive.

  • chudez

    i could most effectively use these lenses as exercise equipment

  • http://www.helensotiriadis.com/ helen sotiriadis

    i saw zillions of these at the beijing olympics, and yes, i drooled with lens envy.

    i don’t do sports, but i’d definitely use something like this to get shots of a huge moon or sun low on the horizon, preferably near an inspiring landmark.

    • http://thephoblographer.wordpress.com Chris Gampat

      I’d be amazed if these were actually at the Olympics. I’d think 400mm lenses would be.

      • http://www.helensotiriadis.com/ helen sotiriadis

        no… certainly there were lenses way longer — 800mm at the very least.

        i should dig up the pictures i have of the photographers.

        • http://thephoblographer.wordpress.com Chris Gampat

          Please do, and share them here on the blog. We’d love to see them.

    • Ronan

      Highly doubtful, considering we were placed pretty close and not all the way to the back.

      I saw plenty of 200′s 300′s 400′s and a couple people were packing 800′s.

      Saw a couple 200-400′s too.

      • http://www.helensotiriadis.com/ helen sotiriadis

        yes, i’m mistaken. i’ve just been sifting through my images of photographers and see plenty of long lenses, certainly 600s and 800s. i wasn’t out at rowing, etc., where they may have had longer ones.
        but i don’t have a shot of anything like this.

        i’ll chalk it up to my untrained and easily impressionable eye.

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  • http://thelovecitysuccessstory.com Trevor Christensen

    I would license my own brand of Trojan Brand protective camera bags.

    • http://thephoblographer.wordpress.com Chris Gampat

      Magnums? Durex may be better. You won’t even feel them…or the weight.

  • Dfkd

    Based on the uniforms it looks like a cricket match. That’s the lens you need to do sport photography when you only buy the buying $2 nosebleed seats I guess…

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  • Scott Davidson

    The Photographer is Gilbert Rossi (Australian). Its shot at the Australian 500cc Motorcycle Grand Prix in 1990-1992 (I can’t quite remember which year). It was a special lens that Nikon had at the event for the Professional Photographers to have a play with, there was a very long list. I didn’t get a chance to use it. If I remember correctly it was a 1600 mm. The camera on it was probably an F4. I was using a 800 F5.6 and it made that look small.

    • http://thephoblographer.wordpress.com Chris Gampat

      Hi Scott,

      Thanks for telling us. We appreciate it.

  • Bouleto

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  • noriotoyota

    This is the Nikon 1200-1700 f5.6-8.0 P lens. It’s manual focus, but one of only 3 Ai-P lenses with electronics for modern Nikon cameras (chip for shutter priority – the 500mm f4.0P and 45mm short lens were th only other P lenses). I think this is a lens owned by Reuters (http://rfkw.blogspot.com/2008/10/super-mega-telephoto-lenses.html) Only a handful of these lenses ever made.

  • kvaid

    wow.. would love to see how he works all three …

    one would be more a “lens-mule” then a photographer … where are his tripods/ monopods?

  • http://www.truphotos.com gnohz

    Sweet. Would love to see some samples from that :)

  • http://corruppto.elbruto.es HermetiC

    I agree with Scott, is Gilberto Rossi, and the year 1990. Both lenses are the two (then new) Nikon Ai-P series, manual focus but with CPU (there are only 3, the other is a 45mm pancake) The bigger one is the Nikkor 1200-1700 mm f/5.6-8 P IF ED Ai

    http://www.nikonistas.com/digital/foro/index.php?showtopic=37132

    The “little one” is the Nikkor 500mm f/4.0 P IF ED

  • http://www.jimprisching.com Chicago Photographer

    And thats why you need an assistant

  • Chipouille

    This Beast is the Nikkor 1200-1700 f/5,6-8 P IF-ED..
    Not an easy one to handle…

  • http://iam3739.co.cc iam3739

    Great! Now mount one of those using micro 4/3rds with Nikon adapter. =)

    • http://thephoblographer.wordpress.com Chris Gampat

      DUDE! That would be insane!

    • TJ

      I think you mean mount a m4/3 camera with a Nikon adapter into that Nikon lens.

  • jk

    I think this picture gives us an indication when photography starts to become uncool.

  • englishfil

    Take pictures?!

    • http://thephoblographer.wordpress.com Chris Gampat

      Blasphemy! ;)

  • Nils

    Do they have a VR so he can shoot them Handheld? :D

    For I don’t see him having a tank tripod along :D :D :D

  • http://www.cantwellphoto.com Cantwell

    If I had a lens that big, I’d take pictures of it and send it in to photoblogs so they could ask readers what they’d do with a lens that big.

    • http://thephoblographer.wordpress.com Chris Gampat

      And I’m positive that the entire blogosphere would be more than happy to help advise you on what you can and should be doing with that lens.

  • Bill Stuckey

    I’m a portrait photographer and think it would make the ultimate portrait lens…..for shooting Martian women!

    • http://thephoblographer.wordpress.com Chris Gampat

      Some Martian women may take offense that you need to flatten the perspective that much. Be careful what you say, Bill ;)

  • http://www.enkore.de enkore.de

    As some people stated above, the big lens on his shoulder is a Nikon 1200-1700 mm (see http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/lenses.html#SuperZoom for details).
    I can’t really identify the smaller lens, it looks like a 500/4 Ai-P or a 400/2,8 ED

  • http://www.bryancrump.com Bryan Crump

    It sure would make a lot of other photographers nervous. I have been using kit lenses and lower cost lenses for years and been able to produce decent work and I am really hoping to invest in some solid professional series lenses soon, but I want to upgrade my camera as well. It has been a long journey.

    I have seen the photos that people can get from lenses like these and smaller calibers and it does offer some advantages. I would just be worried about taking a fall.

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  • Cesjr86

    Canon 1200mm is the only lens I know that is that size and I can’t afford it so I’d never do anything with it