There are telephoto lenses (typically 70 to 350mm), supertelephoto lenses (400 to 1000mm) and then there are the mythical monster telephotos that are seldom heard of, but do exist. These are the ones so rare that most of us will never even see one in a lifetime. But these incredible beasts have some fascinating stories behind them!
In 2006, what was said to be the world’s most expensive lens, a Leica APO-Telyt-R 1600mm f/5.6 (for Leica’s “R” series cameras), was delivered to Qatar’s former Minister of Culture, Sheikh Saud Bin Mohammed Al-Thani (1966-2014), at a price reported to be just over two million dollars.
The lens is a one-off design, but three were made. One for the customer, the second was destroyed (nobody seems to know how or why) and the third is held at the factory and is sometimes put on display there.
At 1.2 metres (47 inches) long without the lens hood, 42cm (16.5 inches) in diameter and weighing in at over 60kg (132 pounds), getting sharp images from such a large lens requires a very solid tripod.
It is reported that Sheikh Al-Thani commissioned a specially equipped Mercedes four-wheel drive to move his expensive lens about. Whether this setup has been successful in sufficiently steadying the lens is unknown since no images taken with the lens have ever been released. (For the record, none of these lenses had image stabilization.)
It may, or may not, not be the world’s most expensive lens, as neither the price nor the buyer for the other contender, the Zeiss Apo Sonnar T* 1700mm f/4, has ever been revealed.
Nikon‘s 2000mm f/11 Reflex-Nikkor holds the distinction of being the longest lens ever made for a 35mm camera, beating out both the 1600mm f/5.6 Apo-Telyt for Leica’s R-Series and the Zeiss Apo Sonnar T* 1700mm f/4 lens for the Hasselblad 6×6 cameras, not to mention doing so at a significantly lower price.
A prototype was shown at the 1968 Photokina and went into production in 1970. It is believed to be handmade and produced only on special order. The closest focusing distance is at 18 metres (60 feet). If the 2000mm focal length is not enough for you, you can always use a 2x teleconverter, for a 4000mm f/22 optic. It has a 1.2° angle of view, and weighs an impressive 17.5kg or 38.6 lbs.
This 2000mm Nikon was never sold with a fixed retail price, as it was a special-order item, with fewer than 300 units made between 1970 and 1978. However, one documented reference from a Japanese dealer dated May 1985 listed the lens at $3,994.95, equivalent to about $11,000 today.
In 2018, two copies of the 2000mm f/11 Reflex Nikkor were available on eBay. One, from China, purportedly in almost pristine condition, complete and on offer for a mere $32,727. The second one, listed by a seller in the Netherlands, was missing its fitted aluminum case and not in quite so good condition. Thus, it bore a lower asking price of just $20,000!
At the 2006 Photokina, Zeiss showed its new “monster lens,” a one-off, built-to-order, Zeiss Apo Sonnar T* 1700mm f/4 lens. Made in Germany and designed to be used with a Swedish Hasselblad 6 x 6 medium-format camera (that’s the Hassy, at the right of the lens), this monster lens weighs in at 256kg (564 pounds) and uses servo-controlled aiming and focusing systems modelled after those used in large telescopes and satellite optical instruments. The resulting lens consists of 15 optical elements in 13 groups. It is the largest telephoto lens ever produced for civilian photographic purposes.
Zeiss has never divulged the price or the name of the buyer. But some of the text on the lens is in Arabic, and it carries a “State of Qatar” emblem. Although it is supposed to be a one-off, Zeiss supposedly built two. One for the customer and, it is rumored, one for itself.
While the prototype of Leica’s 1600mm lenses is held the factory, it is only occasionally displayed. The Nikon or Zeiss models are, sadly, not on permanent display in their respective company museums. So if you want to see any of them up close and personal… Good luck!