dave92029 Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 I'm new to Canon and I haven't seen anything that explains why Canon uses white for their "L" telephoto lens. Please tell me why and what's the history behind using white for this segment of their lens line. TIA I should receive my first L Telephoto on Friday (70-200mm 4L), and if I had my choice, I probably would have ordered all black. The camera and gear are expensive, and when I shooting I'm not aware of who, or what is happening around me, so no need to draw any extra attention to me and my gear. Anyone ever have a close enounter with evil minded individuals? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phyrpowr Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 I seem to recall that the official reason is to prevent heat absorption when shooting outdooors in the summer, etc. The more cynical think that when prospective long lens buyers see all the pros with the white lenses on the sidelines, they want to know, "hey, what brand is that?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NK Guy Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 ...because if you're attacked by a rice pudding monster in an IKEA bedroom they won't see your lens. <P> Also, because Canon say that the off-white colour absorbs less heat and is thus less problematic for fluorite lens elements. <P> <A HREF="http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/lenses.html#whitelens" > http:// photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/lenses.html#whitelens </A> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squareframe Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 the lenses are not white ... they are a beige/off-white colour and no one except you and a handful of photo.netters will care about the colour of your lens. it is a myth that anyone has such de-railed priorities to give any notice to you or your camera/lens. the world has evolved far away from caring about introverted-shutterbugs carrying large-lenses, other than seeking refuge. and besides, f4 is amateur-hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s_hassan Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 "Anyone ever have a close enounter with evil minded individuals?" I think telephoto is not suitable for close encounters. A macro lens will probably be more appropriate. Anyway, RELAX and the enjoy your telephoto lens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobatkins Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 ....Nikon telephotos are black. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erin.e Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 'L' stands for layabout, which is what you do with your 70-200 2.8 or larger if some lowlife says "Gimme da camera punk!" The reason why it is white is so you can clean off the bloodstains completely, which is rather difficult with a black Nikon ED lens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony kinney Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 Dave, if you enjoy using this lens as much as I do (especially at the ocean last summer ) you'll forget what color it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_hennessy4 Posted January 10, 2006 Share Posted January 10, 2006 Camouflage for zebra photography. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yakim_peled1 Posted January 10, 2006 Share Posted January 10, 2006 <p> <i>no one except you and a handful of photo.netters will care about the colour of your lens </i> </p> <p> I'm one of those photo.netters. When I had the 70-200/4 and 300/4 IS I hated the attraction these lenses made. See <a href="http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=97056">point #4</a>. I wish Canon had made a black option to its white lenses. <b></b> </p> <p>Happy shooting, <br> Yakim.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_potts1 Posted January 10, 2006 Share Posted January 10, 2006 Why not make white cameras to match the lenses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobatkins Posted January 10, 2006 Share Posted January 10, 2006 Minolta did. Wasn't a success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allen Herbert Posted January 10, 2006 Share Posted January 10, 2006 Canon uses white for their "L" telephoto lens 'cause everyone knows they are a Canon, and you payed lots of money,and are now a proper photographer. Marketing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grant g Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 robert potts , jan 10, 2006; 02:34 p.m. "Why not make white cameras to match the lenses?" I'm thinking about doing that to my D30 if/when I convert it to IR... I do notice that my 300D does not get as hot as either the 10D or 5D in the hot hawaiian sun... And a white lens does stay much cooler than a black camera body. I bet Canon could charge $500 more for white bodies...heck, they charge more for the Tripod Ring A (W) than the (B) version! ...and the (B) version has another part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kai_griffin Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 Send it in to MTV's "Pimp My Ride" for a new paint job, complete with red flames, shark's teeth and Hell's Angels logo. See who bothers you then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mawz Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 Nikon pro tele's are actually available in 'grey' and black. The Grey is just slightly off-white. Minolta and Pentax also do white lenses. Canon was a latecomer to the idea of white lenses, but by far the biggest adopter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgarity Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 "It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice." Deng Xiaoping Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wooi_loon Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 "It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice." Deng Xiaoping and we say "It doesn't matter if a lens is black or white, as long as it take nice pic ;)" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_bohrer1 Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 The lower heat absorption answer may be the right one, but big Nikon optics don't have problems in the heat. Moose Peterson uses his big black 600mm f/4 EDIF and 200mm-400mm f/4 ED VR lenses uncovered all the time for great wildlife images. No, some Nikon lenses have problems in the rain, but that's another story. But wildlife can see any white coming miles away, and (off-)white can spook 'em when you swing that big lens and tripod off your shoulder. Aftermarket sellers of camouflage wraps for big Canon telephotos do a brisk business... If you need your Great White Lens to be less visibile, I'd go to http://www.birdsasart.com/accs.html#JRF for a camoufleage wrap. It'll protect your lens from minor dings and scratches too.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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