As anyone that’s recently bought a new wide-aperture pro-caliber zoom or super-speed medium telephoto knows, premium lenses can put a dent in your wallet. Of course, high-quality lenses can be excellent investments that elevate your shooting experience. Good lenses can migrate to your new higher-tech camera, and they’re far less likely to be technologically outclassed in the near future.
But are there limits to this logic? Does it still apply when a lens costs more than, say, 10 grand? To find out, we went on a quest in search of the most expensive lenses currently on the market. Here are the mind-boggling results.
To begin with, we had to set some limits. Zeiss will custom make a lens to your specs if you have few hundred grand to lay out and are prepared to wait 2 years or so for delivery, but we decided not to include such lenses in our search. Ditto for highly specialized cine lenses in the $75k to $100k range. All of the featured lenses that made our cut retail for at least $10,000 and will fit on a current DSLR or mirrorless camera. While they may have to be special ordered they’re all in production, in stock, or available within a few weeks.
Not surprisingly, the majority of the most expensive lenses below are wide-aperture ultra-long telephotos, and wide aperture super-telephoto zooms. However, one medium-range zoom and one super-speed normal lens managed to break the $10k barrier. Can anyone possibly justify buying a lens that costs as much as a small car? Yes, if it’s your passion and you have lots of money, or it can earn you a hefty paycheck.
1.Sigma 200-500mm f/2.8 EX DG APO IF Autofocus
Adorama price:
The most expensive lens in our survey, this 34.5-pound green behemoth offers a constant f/2.8 maximum aperture, employs SLD glass and 3 Extraordinary Low Dispersion (ELD) elements to achieve a very high level of correction, and includes a 2X Teleconverter that makes it a 400-100mm f/5.6. On cameras with APS-C-size sensors it provides an effective zoom range of 300-750mm, or 600-1500mm with the converter. It reads out focal length settings on an LCD, requires a battery for its AF motor, and according to one user its fitted hard case is the size of a small Volkswagen!
Alternative: If that’s too rich for your blood, check out the Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 EX DG APO IF HSM Autofocus, affectionately known as the Sig-monster, which employs 2 ELD elements to achieve apochromatic correction. It weighs only 12.9 pounds and its Adorama price is a mere in Nikon mount.
2.Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR
Adorama price:
This hefty super-telephoto prime in F-mount for FX format Nikons uses 2 fluorite and 2 ED elements to achieve a high level of optical correction, and a Silent Wave motor with manual override for fast, precise AF. Other features: built-in VR image stabilization, electromagnetic aperture control, and weather-resistant magnesium alloy construction. It comes with a dedicated 1.25X tele-converter and weighs in at a reasonably light 10.1 pounds.
3.Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM
Adorama price:
Canon’s longest telephoto employs aspheric elements, as well as fluorite, UD, and Super UD (ultra-low dispersion) elements to achieve a high level of optical correction, It also features a USM ultrasonic motor for fast, quiet, precise AF with manual override, and a two-mode image stabilization system (IS). The lens is sealed against weather, dust and moisture, and magnesium alloy construction keeps its weight down to on;y 9.9 pounds, facilitating handheld use.
Alternative: Prefer a shorter, faster zoom with internal 1.4C Extender? Check out the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM, which features 3-mode IS, internal focusing, a power focus mode, weatherproof construction, and a fluorine coating on front and rear elements to facilitate cleaning and resist smudges. Adorama price: only .
4.Sony 500mm f/4.0 G
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Sony’s new long, fast high-performance ultra-telephoto prime in Sony Alpha mount employs 3 Extra-Low Dispersion (ED) elements to reduce chromatic aberrations and achieve outstanding color accuracy. It also has a Super Sonic Wave Motor (SSM) for fast smooth, silent AF that’s compatible with Sony’s SteadyShot in-camera image stabilization. It features a magnesium alloy barrel to reduce its weight to an impressive 7.6 pounds, an internal focusing system (IF) to maintain balance, and weather resistant construction.
5.Leica 30-90mm f/3.5-5.6 Vario-Elmar-S ASPH
Adorama price:
Designed for medium-format S-series Leicas, this beauty provides an equivalent focal length range of 24-72mm in a compact, lightweight (2.8 pound) package. Nine of its 14 elements are made from anomalous partial dispersion glass, and it employs 3 low dispersion fluorite elements and two aspheric surfaces to achieve excellent color correction, minimal distortion, and negligible vignetting.
Alternative: Prefer a super-speed normal prime lens for your Leica M? Check out the remarkably sharp Leica Noctilux 50mm f/0.95 ASPH in classic silver finish. It employs a rear floating element and 2 aspheric surfaces to achieve excellent image quality even wide open at close distances, Adorama price: .
