This Might Be the Craziest Lens Ever Made

Lens designs have been pushed to some pretty extreme lengths in the past decade or so, with full frame options like 50mm f/0.95 or 28-70mm f/2 becoming standard fare. However, the most extreme consumer lens design ever made might be from several decades ago. So crazy is the design that only one copy was ever made, and this fascinating video takes a look at what you can do with it. 

Coming to you from Christopher Frost, this interesting video takes a look at the one and only Canon 400mm f/2 lens. There is very little information available on this lens, with the prevailing theory being that it is was a one-time custom order, possibly for horse race finishes. Typically, the widest a 400mm lens gets is f/2.8 (and that will cost you north of $10,000), while the longest focal length that can still open as wide as f/2 is 200mm. So, to see a 400mm f/2 lens is quite a treat, and it certainly produces some striking images. No doubt, the technical image quality produced by a modern 400mm f/2.8 is noticeably better, but there is something uniquely eye-catching about those from this lens. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Frost.