October 3, 2006: It sounds like a joke, but Carl Zeiss has built a made-to-order 564lb lens for what I can only imagine is a highly-motivated (and rich!) photographer.

I have to say, in all my years of reading answers to the question, “How do I take better long-distance pictures of wildlife?” I’ve never heard anyone suggest “Hey, just have a willing manufacturer custom-design you a 1700mm monster of a lens.”

Here’s a shot of the lens on display at Photokina. It looks like a blimp!This picture is from DPreview, the comment is mine.

Carl Veiss said: “The design of the ZEISS Apo Sonnar T* 4/1700 required new lens assembly techniques and quality assurance methods never before applied in photo lens production – even by Carl Zeiss’ normally high standards. The finished lens weighs a staggering 256 kg (564 lbs.), placing unique demands on the focusing mechanisms. To address this issue, Carl Zeiss developed a totally new way of operating a telephoto lens, including servo controlled aiming and focusing systems like those used in large telescopes and similar instruments for astronomical scientists.”

This is a lot of work for a camera lens. For some reason, it makes me want to reread my Freud, too.

And how much would you love to imagine that the buyer’s going to use it with an entry-level DLSR like the Digital Rebel or the D50? Hey, gotta save a few bucks where you can, right? (Actually, it only fits a medium-format camera, which will still look like a flea attached to the trunk of an elephant on this thing.)

If this catches on, I’m going to have to get a much bigger camera bag. And a truck.

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