Canon EF 500mm lens
Encyclopedia
The EF 500mm lenses are a group of super-telephoto
prime
lenses
made by Canon that share the same focal length.
These lenses have an EF
type mount, that fit the Canon EOS
line of cameras.
When used on a digital
EOS
body with a field of view
compensation factor of 1.6x, such as the Canon EOS 400D
, it provides a narrower field of view, equivalent to an 800 mm lens mounted on a 35mm
frame body. With a 1.3x body such as the Canon EOS-1D Mark III
It provides a less narrow field of view, equivalent to an 650mm lens mounted on a 35mm frame body.
These lenses are most commonly used by sports and wildlife photographers, particularly when the subjects are birds.
Two EF 500mm lenses have been available. Both of these are L series
lenses.4.5L USM4L IS USM
, a distance window with infrared
index, the ability to limit the focus range, a focus-preset mechanism, and the ability to set the AF speed. A 9 blade, maximum aperture
of 4.5, gives this lens the ability to create depth of field
effects. The optical construction of this lens contains 8 lens elements, including one fluorite
lens element, and one UD (Ultra low Dispersion
) Lens element. This lens uses an inner focusing
system, powered by a ring type USM
motor. The front of the lens does not rotate nor extend when focusing. This lens is compatible with the Canon Extender EF
teleconverters.
The EF 500mm 4L IS USM is a professional L series lens, that was designed to replace the EF 500mm 4.5L USM. This lens is constructed with a metal body and mount, and with plastic extremities and switches. Features of this lens are: a wide rubber focus ring that is damped, a distance window with infrared index, the ability to limit the focus range from: 4.5m to infinity, 4.5m to 10m, and 10m to infinity, it also has a focus-preset mechanism, an image stabilizer
that is effective up to two stops and is tripod sensing, an AF stop switch, and is weather sealed. An 8 blade, maximum aperture of 4, gives this lens the ability to create depth of field effects. The optical construction of this lens contains 17 lens elements, including one fluorite lens element, and two UD Lens elements. This lens uses an inner focusing system, powered by a ring type USM motor. The front of the lens does not rotate nor extend when focusing. This lens is compatible with the Canon Extender EF
teleconverters.
Telephoto lens
In photography and cinematography, a telephoto lens is a specific type of a long-focus lens in which the physical length of the lens is shorter than the focal length. This is achieved by incorporating a special lens group known as a telephoto group that extends the light path to create a long-focus...
prime
Prime lens
In film and photography, a prime lens is either a photographic lens whose focal length is fixed, as opposed to a zoom lens, or it is the primary lens in a combination lens system....
lenses
Photographic lens
A camera lens is an optical lens or assembly of lenses used in conjunction with a camera body and mechanism to make images of objects either on photographic film or on other media capable of storing an image chemically or electronically.While in principle a simple convex lens will suffice, in...
made by Canon that share the same focal length.
These lenses have an EF
Canon EF lens mount
Introduced in 1987, the EF lens mount is the standard lens mount on the Canon EOS family of SLR film and digital cameras. EF stands for "Electro-Focus": automatic focusing on EF lenses is handled by a dedicated electric motor built into the lens...
type mount, that fit the Canon EOS
Canon EOS
The Canon EOS autofocus 35 mm film and digital SLR camera system was introduced in 1987 with the Canon EOS 650 and is still in production as Canon's current DSLR system...
line of cameras.
When used on a digital
Digital photography
Digital photography is a form of photography that uses an array of light sensitive sensors to capture the image focused by the lens, as opposed to an exposure on light sensitive film...
EOS
Canon EOS
The Canon EOS autofocus 35 mm film and digital SLR camera system was introduced in 1987 with the Canon EOS 650 and is still in production as Canon's current DSLR system...
body with a field of view
Field of view
The field of view is the extent of the observable world that is seen at any given moment....
compensation factor of 1.6x, such as the Canon EOS 400D
Canon EOS 400D
The EOS 400D, called Digital Rebel XTi in North America and EOS Kiss Digital X in Japan, is a mid-range digital single-lens reflex camera introduced by Canon August 24, 2006....
, it provides a narrower field of view, equivalent to an 800 mm lens mounted on a 35mm
35 mm film
35 mm film is the film gauge most commonly used for chemical still photography and motion pictures. The name of the gauge refers to the width of the photographic film, which consists of strips 35 millimeters in width...
frame body. With a 1.3x body such as the Canon EOS-1D Mark III
Canon EOS-1D Mark III
The EOS 1D Mark III is a professional 10.1 megapixel digital single lens reflex camera camera body produced by Canon. The EOS 1D Mark III was announced on February 21, 2007 and is the successor of the Canon EOS-1D Mark II N and was first released in May 2007...
It provides a less narrow field of view, equivalent to an 650mm lens mounted on a 35mm frame body.
These lenses are most commonly used by sports and wildlife photographers, particularly when the subjects are birds.
Two EF 500mm lenses have been available. Both of these are L series
Canon l lens
An L lens is a line of SLR photography lenses made by Canon.L lenses are Canon's top-of-the-line lenses. The "L" officially stands for "Luxury", a reference to the lenses' high price and proclaimed build quality. The use of "ASPH" was common to notate aspherical elements throughout Canon's and...
lenses.4.5L USM4L IS USM
EF 500mm 4.5L USM
The EF 500mm 4.5L USM is a professional L series lens, that is now discontinued. This lens is constructed with a metal body and mount, and with plastic extremities and switches. Features of this lens are: a wide rubber focus ring that is dampedDamping
In physics, damping is any effect that tends to reduce the amplitude of oscillations in an oscillatory system, particularly the harmonic oscillator.In mechanics, friction is one such damping effect...
, a distance window with infrared
Infrared photography
In infrared photography, the film or image sensor used is sensitive to infrared light. The part of the spectrum used is referred to as near-infrared to distinguish it from far-infrared, which is the domain of thermal imaging. Wavelengths used for photography range from about 700 nm to about...
index, the ability to limit the focus range, a focus-preset mechanism, and the ability to set the AF speed. A 9 blade, maximum aperture
Aperture
In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture of an optical system is the opening that determines the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. The aperture determines how collimated the admitted rays are,...
of 4.5, gives this lens the ability to create depth of field
Depth of field
In optics, particularly as it relates to film and photography, depth of field is the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in an image...
effects. The optical construction of this lens contains 8 lens elements, including one fluorite
Fluorite
Fluorite is a halide mineral composed of calcium fluoride, CaF2. It is an isometric mineral with a cubic habit, though octahedral and more complex isometric forms are not uncommon...
lens element, and one UD (Ultra low Dispersion
Dispersion (optics)
In optics, dispersion is the phenomenon in which the phase velocity of a wave depends on its frequency, or alternatively when the group velocity depends on the frequency.Media having such a property are termed dispersive media...
) Lens element. This lens uses an inner focusing
Focus (optics)
In geometrical optics, a focus, also called an image point, is the point where light rays originating from a point on the object converge. Although the focus is conceptually a point, physically the focus has a spatial extent, called the blur circle. This non-ideal focusing may be caused by...
system, powered by a ring type USM
Ultrasonic motor
An ultrasonic motor is a type of electric motor powered by the ultrasonic vibration of a component, the stator, placedagainst another component, the rotor or slider depending on the scheme of operation...
motor. The front of the lens does not rotate nor extend when focusing. This lens is compatible with the Canon Extender EF
Canon Extender EF
The Extender EF lenses are a group of teleconverter lenses made by Canon. These lenses are used between any compatible EF type lens and any of the Canon EOS line of cameras. When used with a compatible lens, such as the Canon EF 500mm 4L IS USM, they will multiply the focal length of the lens by a...
teleconverters.
EF 500mm 4L IS USM
Image stabilization
Image stabilization is a family of techniques used to reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera during exposure. Specifically, it compensates for pan and tilt of a camera or other imaging device. It is used in image-stabilized binoculars, still and video cameras, and astronomical...
that is effective up to two stops and is tripod sensing, an AF stop switch, and is weather sealed. An 8 blade, maximum aperture of 4, gives this lens the ability to create depth of field effects. The optical construction of this lens contains 17 lens elements, including one fluorite lens element, and two UD Lens elements. This lens uses an inner focusing system, powered by a ring type USM motor. The front of the lens does not rotate nor extend when focusing. This lens is compatible with the Canon Extender EF
Canon Extender EF
The Extender EF lenses are a group of teleconverter lenses made by Canon. These lenses are used between any compatible EF type lens and any of the Canon EOS line of cameras. When used with a compatible lens, such as the Canon EF 500mm 4L IS USM, they will multiply the focal length of the lens by a...
teleconverters.