Canon’s 1200mm f/5.6 is generally regarded as the stuff of myth and legend. Of course, the lens exists, but there are so few of them out there that the vast majority of us will never even see one in person, let alone get to try one. Originally manufactured in very limited quantities by special order only in the 1990s, it came with the princely sum of around $90,000 and it’s estimated that only around 20 were ever made.

One of these extremely rare lenses popped up at the Wetzlar Camera Auctions last week, and a bidding war sent the price sky rocketing to a whopping €500,000 (around $580,000). This isn’t the most valuable lens out there, but this is the highest amount that a lens has ever fetched at auction.

[Read More…]