1200mm f 5.6 L FDn

<p>Not really a question, and I don't know if this has been mentioned before (it didn't show up in a site search), but a nice picture of not one, but two, lost forever rarest of the rare FD lenses. As I understand it there were a few, less than 20, 1200 f5.6 FDn lenses made, they were not sold but went out to the professional networks for various countries to lend at special occasions. They first appeared at the 1984 LA Olympics and that is where this image is from.</p>

<p>Of course the EOS system came out just two years later, at this point all the FD 1200mm f5.6 L lenses went back to Japan and the glass was re-bodied into the first of the EF 1200mm f5.6L EOS lenses, they were available for special order and several pro divisions still actually have theirs.</p>

<p>That is a 400 f2.8 L next to it and a 600 f4.5 just below that.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.pbase.com/image/54932756">Link.</a></p>

Truly mindboggling! The prototype FD 1200/5.6L is also mentioned in passing here:

http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/camera/lens/ef/data/super_telephoto/ef_1200_56l_usm.html

I wonder what that large ovalized section just forward of the lens mount is for?

<p>Rick,</p>

<p>I was told that it is a built in teleconvertor, the power was unknown, like the announced but not yet released EF 200-400 f4 with built in 1.4TC, but I don't know that for sure.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>The camera bodies I can identify look like F1N's. Maybe five of them?<br>

Also, what is the big black lens in the background? There is a huge chunk of glass on the front of that baby.</p>

<p>Very cool- thanks for posting!</p>