If you thought photography was an expensive hobby to maintain, you’re right on the money. Leica even more so as the company holds the title for the world’s most expensive lens.
The lucky owner of the 1600mm lens is Sheik Saud Mohammed Al-Thani of Qatar who not only forked out about $2 million, but also had a Mercedes four-weheel drive commissioned to lug the 60kg lens around.
Not much is known about this extraordinary piece of equipment, but there is a prototype model set up in the Leica factory showroom in Germany if you’re dying to have a go.
The lens is 1.2 metres long and 1.55 metres with the lens hood attached boasting a maximum diameter of 42 cm and features f/5.6 aperture. It can be mounted onto Leica’s R-series manual focus SLR cameras, but you’d definitely need a seriously sturdy tripod to use it.
If you can’t stomach the though of spending $2 million on camera equipment, check out some other options.
