why are there WHITE lenses?

[abel]

meaning is there any reason the larger nice lenses being white?

i heard something about they were done that way for war photographers or something like that. just trying to clarify.

thanks

[Belmondo]

Two main reasons:
1. Larger lenses would be more subject to expansion/contraction due to heat absorption in sunlight. White reduces that. :!:

2. It looks so darned cool. :wink:

[PacAce]

Two main reasons:
1. Larger lenses would be more subject to expansion/contraction due to heat absorption in sunlight. White reduces that. :!:

2. It looks so darned cool. :wink:

And they're cool to the touch, too. :wink:

[flashbang]

Yeah, kinda makes one wonder why the "professional" cameras are black...... :wink:

[garethhhhh]

The complete and concise "Canon EOS Digital Cameras Forum" answer:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=28806 :lol:

[karusel]

Well I think that not all lenses are white for several reasons, one noted, heat, then because black is stealthlike, it's a passive color that absorbs light, white just draws more attention. Another one would be because white is easyer to get dirty and there's probably a ton or so more small reasons why. However, it is for a fact that white lens are not for shy people. :D

[Jim_T]

Advertising too..

Look at the photographers on the sidelines of any major sporting or news event.. Those white lenses are by Canon.. Ya can't miss 'em.

[timmyquest]

Advertising too..

Look at the photographers on the sidelines of any major sporting or news event.. Those white lenses are by Canon.. Ya can't miss 'em.

I wish i could find it, there is a fantastic canon add where a photo is taken of a tennis player holding up a trophey but in the foreground is the press...with 90% white big 'ol lenses. I need to dig that up somewhere.

[kb244]

Advertising too..

Look at the photographers on the sidelines of any major sporting or news event.. Those white lenses are by Canon.. Ya can't miss 'em.

One would wonder if coloring 35mm lens white would be a patent/trademark that canon has registered to prevent other manufactures from doing the same.

[timmyquest]

Not what i was talking about, not nearly as dramatic either...still cool.

http://dforum.de/Fotos/galerien/originale/03-foto07.htm

[Lamplight]

I think it's fairly obvious that the reason is so the lenses look like some sort of space exploration vehicle...


Timmy: That's a cool picture! So...much....money...

I think I feel faint...

[kb244]

Hrm want to lose weight, buy a supertelephoto white L lens hehe.

[PacAce]

OK, so how many of you white-lens-carrying photographers out there also have that beige colored vest that I see most pros wearing as shown in the previous post (that makes 'em look like crew members on an aircraft carrier deck)? ???

Should this be another item on my wish list along with the other L lenses? :)

[kb244]

Not what i was talking about, not nearly as dramatic either...still cool.

http://dforum.de/Fotos/galerien/originale/03-foto07.htm

Hrm thats like a camera visiting the playboy mansion of lens.

[kb244]

OK, so how many of you white-lens-carrying photographers out there also have that beige colored vest that I see most pros wearing as shown in the previous post (that makes 'em look like crew members on an aircraft carrier deck)? ???

Should this be another item on my wish list along with the other L lenses? :)

They seem like canon-specific photo jackets or so. Cuz if you look on some of the shoulder pads, it would keep a camera bag from falling off your shoulder. But probally bring you down head first to the ground if your lens was straped to the jacket, and it sliped to the ground.

[abel]

I wish i could find it, there is a fantastic canon add where a photo is taken of a tennis player holding up a trophey but in the foreground is the press...with 90% white big 'ol lenses. I need to dig that up somewhere.

http://www.nitrocross.com/temp/canon.jpg

[IndyJeff]

damn Timmy couldn't you find a bigger photo to display? LOL

Did a count and I think I came up with 12-5 white/black lenses there. Did anyone else notice the guy in the upper left corner in the Rueters shirt chimping? LOL I'll bet he loved that shot and has got some teasing over that from the other guys in the shot.

edit:
pacace, I have a white lens and one of them beige vests. Doesn't everyone? LOL

[Haifidelity]

#1 Reason why Telephoto Canon "L" Lenses are White:

So the fuzz can easily apprehend that guy in the bushes taking peeping shots.

All in all, Canon has done us a civil service.

-hza

[IndyJeff]

On the 15th of May I will be seeing the guys from CPS at Indy and I will ask them why some of the lenses are white.

[PacAce]

pacace, I have a white lens and one of them beige vests. Doesn't everyone? LOL

OK, I guess that means I'll have to add the vest to my wish list also. But I think I'll put it on the bottom of the list along with the baseball cap with the Canon logo on it. :mrgreen:

[KennyG]

OK, so how many of you white-lens-carrying photographers out there also have that beige colored vest that I see most pros wearing as shown in the previous post (that makes 'em look like crew members on an aircraft carrier deck)?

Sorry, my vest is black, it makes the lens stand out more :lol:

[PacAce]

OK, so how many of you white-lens-carrying photographers out there also have that beige colored vest that I see most pros wearing as shown in the previous post (that makes 'em look like crew members on an aircraft carrier deck)?

Sorry, my vest is black, it makes the lens stand out more :lol:

But doesn't it make you look like a waiter or a bartender, though? Don't be surprised if someone calls out to you while at the tracks and orders a martini or scotch on the rocks. :lol: :mrgreen:

[IndyJeff]

LOL pacace, I got one of them red Canon caps too

[AzzKicker]

awwwww look at those 2 poor NIKON owners. That was a nice picture, damn imagine the amount of $$$$ in that picture :)

[kb244]

awwwww look at those 2 poor NIKON owners. That was a nice picture, damn imagine the amount of $$$$ in that picture :)

I'm sure someone could rob them all, but you never know how many of those guys would protect those lens with their lives... or worse yet its company owned, and they use it like a baseball bat towards ya.

[KennyG]

But doesn't it make you look like a waiter or a bartender, though? Don't be surprised if someone calls out to you while at the tracks and orders a martini or scotch on the rocks. :lol: :mrgreen:

Not in the UK, makes you look more like a cop. Waiters wear white dinner jackets and bow ties here, we are quite civilized, well sort of. I have to admit to also owning a Domke beige vest, but it used to get so scruffy my wife kept trying to donate it to passing tramps, who refused on the grounds it was too bad even for them. Made me look more like a game warden.

To be a pro photog you have to fit the following (tick all that apply):

Have at least one white lens, more is better, a lot is really cool.
Look cool with a backwards baseball cap.
Look even cooler with a stetson.
Look really stupid in baggy shorts.
Have absolutely no dress sense.
Keep lunch and drinks in your vest in preference to camera gear.
Be overweight.
Look like you really know what you are doing with the big white lens on the monopod over your shoulder.
Look hardcore by having your white lens hood secured with duct tape.
Never chimp, even if it kills you.
Hang everything around your neck, never use the expensive bag you bought, it just does not look pro.
Check where the sun is as though it is for your shots, but really is to make sure you get a balanced tan.
Nod at other white lens users and sort of half smile at the rest.

[IndyJeff]

Good list Kenny but you forgot one thing.....


http://store2.yimg.com/I/accredited_1789_46787076

You must own and wear at least 2 hawaiian shirts. Personally I have about 8 or 9, well ones that fit. I have another 6 or so that have shrunk from the dryer. My wife now allows them to air dry but, I have to do the ironing of them. At one time I had about 20.

If you don't have any, may I suggest my source? Always had good luck and been very happy with Hawaiian shirts (http://rainbowhawaii.com/accredited/hawaiianshirts.html)

[robertwgross]

You know, in the state of Hawaii, if you wear a loud shirt like that, it marks you as a tourist. To some thieves, it marks you as a tourist to be ripped off.

Instead, if you wear a very conservative Hawaiian shirt, like two tones of the same color with a faint flower pattern, then you are marked as a local important guy (da boss).

Personally, I would prefer to blend in rather than to stand out. There are lots of ethnic Japanese that run the state, and there is an old saying in Japan. Translated, it comes out sort of like this:

"The nail that stands up is going to get hammered down."

---Bob Gross---

[Belmondo]

To be a pro photog you have to fit the following (tick all that apply):


[quote] Have at least one white lens, more is better, a lot is really cool.
I have that covered. I’ve got a couple

Look cool with a backwards baseball cap.
This is a problem. I don’t know if it’s the size of my head, the shape, or both, but baseball caps don’t fit me….frontward or backward. I wear a large straw hat instead.

Look even cooler with a Stetson.
Same problem as baseball caps. Evidently cowboys don’t have large heads either.

Look really stupid in baggy shorts.
Actually, I look quite dashing in baggy shorts. That is the standard uniform of the desert. The legs, although lushly hairy, are a bit scrawny.

Have absolutely no dress sense.
My wife buys my clothes. Sometimes I look pretty good despite myself.

Keep lunch and drinks in your vest in preference to camera gear.

his will take some practice. I’ll have to make sure I don’t shove a hunk of salami into the camera instead of a CF card.

Be overweight.
My forte!!

Look like you really know what you are doing with the big white lens on the monopod over your shoulder.
Sorry. There are just some things I won’t do simply to ‘fit in’. Besides, I’ve found that if you carry it under your arm like a lance with the monopod pointing forward, people will get out of your way, especially if the tip of the monopod is pointed.

Look hardcore by having your white lens hood secured with duct tape.
(and don’t let them see the little bottle of ‘Goo Gone’ in your gadget bag.

Never chimp, even if it kills you.
Is it okay as long as you don’t make the funny sounds and scratch yourself?

Hang everything around your neck, never use the expensive bag you bought, it just does not look pro.
Even my Star Wars lunch box with the picture of Princess Lea? Drat!

Check where the sun is as though it is for your shots, but really is to make sure you get a balanced tan.
Again, a problem. Even though I where shorts 365 days a year, my legs are a sickly fishbelly white. Maybe nobody would notice if I wore pantyhose.

Nod at other white lens users and sort of half smile at the rest.
I guess I’m just too friendly. I even nod at people with Kodak Funsavers.

Well, after finishing this little quiz, it’s pretty apparent that I have some serious impediments to ever looking and acting like a professional, much less being one.

[robertwgross]

Again, a problem. Even though I where shorts 365 days a year, my legs are a sickly fishbelly white. Maybe nobody would notice if I wore pantyhose.


Eeeyo! Too much information.

---Bob Gross---

[CyberDyneSystems]

I wish i could find it, there is a fantastic canon add where a photo is taken of a tennis player holding up a trophey but in the foreground is the press...with 90% white big 'ol lenses. I need to dig that up somewhere.

http://www.nitrocross.com/temp/canon.jpg

I've counted the lenses in this add a hundred times.. there are DEFINATELY more than 32 "L's" in there!!!!!!

[CyberDyneSystems]

Why does the guy with a Sigma lens have a white stripe on it???? :mrgreen:

[IanD]

Got to love those Hawaiian shirts. Got a bunch of them is all flavours. Urban camo :lol:

[Belmondo]

Got to love those Hawaiian shirts. Got a bunch of them is all flavours. Urban camo :lol:

My wife is a great fan of Tommy Bahama shirts. It's okay because here in the desert, nothing stands out. Everyone dresses a little strangely. (Knee socks are very popular with the over-80 crowd. :D )

[MarkH]

I've counted the lenses in this add a hundred times.. there are DEFINATELY more than 32 "L's" in there!!!!!!

Ahhh, but are you counting the ones resting on the ground by some of the photogs feet?

[CyberDyneSystems]

Yup.... :)

[Tom W]

Why does the guy with a Sigma lens have a white stripe on it???? :mrgreen:

Canon Envy? :D

Actually, I've considered adding a white stripe to the Sigma. ;)

[Tom W]

Check where the sun is as though it is for your shots, but really is to make sure you get a balanced tan.

Again, a problem. Even though I where shorts 365 days a year, my legs are a sickly fishbelly white. Maybe nobody would notice if I wore pantyhose.


Stop it, ya big tease. :D

[PacAce]

(Knee socks are very popular with the over-80 crowd. :D )

Does that explain your fishbelly white legs? :shock:

:mrgreen: :lol:

[Belmondo]

(Knee socks are very popular with the over-80 crowd. :D )

Does that explain your fishbelly white legs? :shock:

:mrgreen: :lol:

No. It's just my enormous gut. My legs are always in the shade. :cry:

[Tom W]

(Knee socks are very popular with the over-80 crowd. :D )

Does that explain your fishbelly white legs? :shock:

:mrgreen: :lol:

Fishbelly or fishnet? :D

[timmyquest]

I wish i could find it, there is a fantastic canon add where a photo is taken of a tennis player holding up a trophey but in the foreground is the press...with 90% white big 'ol lenses. I need to dig that up somewhere.

http://www.nitrocross.com/temp/canon.jpg

Why thank you :-D

[Belmondo]

Fishbelly or fishnet? ]:D

And what, pray tell, is wrong with either one? :twisted:

[PacAce]

[quote="CyberDyneSystems
I've counted the lenses in this add a hundred times.. there are DEFINATELY more than 32 "L's" in there!!!!!![/quote]

Nope! There are only 32 L (white ones) lenses in the picture. You must also be counting the white sneakers of some the photographers up front! :lol:

[IanD]

Got to love those Hawaiian shirts. Got a bunch of them is all flavours. Urban camo :lol:

My wife is a great fan of Tommy Bahama shirts. It's okay because here in the desert, nothing stands out. Everyone dresses a little strangely. (Knee socks are very popular with the over-80 crowd. :D )
Tommy B's are great shirts. I'll talk to our clothing buyer and see if he cannot find some knee high cycling soxs. :lol: :lol:

[Belmondo]

I'll talk to our clothing buyer and see if he cannot find some knee high cycling soxs. :lol: :lol:

Thanks Ian, but I don't have a knee-high bicycle. It's a bit taller than that. And waist-high socks gets us back to the panyhose discussion again.

[IndyJeff]

While a loud hawaiian shirt may make you stand out as a tourist in Hawaii, I have never shot a race in Hawaii. Not that I wouldn't but, at Indy, I am known for my colorful attire in turn 3.


While I am on the subject, I did buy a real Hawaiian shirt when in Hawaii. Got back home and looked at the washing instructions before washing it....damn thing was made in Paris Kentucky!!!

[PacAce]

I've counted the lenses in this add a hundred times.. there are DEFINATELY more than 32 "L's" in there!!!!!!

Nope! There are only 32 L (white ones) lenses in the picture. You must also be counting the white sneakers of some the photographers up front! :lol:

CDS, I stand corrected. Your are right. I counted 34 L lenses.

[Edit] It must really be a slow night if we're counting white lenses in a Canon ad! :wink:

[Tom W]

I'll talk to our clothing buyer and see if he cannot find some knee high cycling soxs. :lol: :lol:

Thanks Ian, but I don't have a knee-high bicycle. It's a bit taller than that. And waist-high socks gets us back to the panyhose discussion again.

And that, in turn, brings us back to fishnet (which is superior to fishbelly IMHO).
:)

[Belmondo]

Speaking of white lenses, UPS finally delivered my EF 300mm f/4.0L today. I'm taking it with me up to the SF Bay Area this weekend and then to Reno for a couple days and hope to have some fun with it. I took it out in the driveway and shot a couple pictures of the cars, and it seems very sharp.

I'm hoping to get some Canadian-inspired pictures of bird butts with it. Problem is, all the birds here in the desert fly backwards, so even though they're flying away from you, they're still looking at the camera. It's really distracting, although the landings can be spectacular. :wink:

[Tom W]

Speaking of white lenses, UPS finally delivered my EF 300mm f/4.0L today. I'm taking it with me up to the SF Bay Area this weekend and then to Reno for a couple days and hope to have some fun with it. I took it out in the driveway and shot a couple pictures of the cars, and it seems very sharp.

I'm hoping to get some Canadian-inspired pictures of bird butts with it. Problem is, all the birds here in the desert fly backwards, so even though they're flying away from you, they're still looking at the camera. It's really distracting, although the landings can be spectacular. :wink:

I'm getting concerned - San-Fran, (janet) Reno, and waist-high fishnet cycling socks - that is borderline kinky. :D

On a more serious note (and that isn't always easy for me), I'm interested in seeing what that 300 f/4 lens does for you - I've considered the same lens provided I can get it to work with my 1.4 Sigma TC on occasion.

[PacAce]

Speaking of white lenses, UPS finally delivered my EF 300mm f/4.0L today. I'm taking it with me up to the SF Bay Area this weekend and then to Reno for a couple days and hope to have some fun with it. I took it out in the driveway and shot a couple pictures of the cars, and it seems very sharp.

I'm hoping to get some Canadian-inspired pictures of bird butts with it. Problem is, all the birds here in the desert fly backwards, so even though they're flying away from you, they're still looking at the camera. It's really distracting, although the landings can be spectacular. :wink:

You have flying birds in the desert? :shock: :shock: :shock:
I thought all the bird there went "beep, beep" and then ran like crazy. Man, all those years of watching TV really messed up my brain, didn't it? :?

BTW, congrats on the 300 f/4. Let us know how it works for you.

[Belmondo]

Funny you should mention that, Tom, because I'm really interested in seeing how this lens is going to work with the Canon 1.4X TC. That's one of the experiments I intend to conduct this weekend. If the results are as good as I hope, the 300/1.4X TC combo could be a replacement for the 400 f/5.6.

The thing that's always startling about these lenses (both the 300 f/4 and the 400 f/5.6) is how small and light they feel alongside the 100-400 and the 70-200 f/2.8. I found myself tapping it with my fingernail after opening the box to make sure it's really a metal housing. It just feels mugh lighter than I expected.

Someday I'll strike oil under the patio or invent the next 'Pet Rock', and when I do, I'll buy all the big primes. Until then, I really believe these lenses will serve me quite well. One f/stop? I'll make do for now.

[scotgasch]

pacace, I have a white lens and one of them beige vests. Doesn't everyone? LOL

OK, I guess that means I'll have to add the vest to my wish list also. But I think I'll put it on the bottom of the list along with the baseball cap with the Canon logo on it. :mrgreen:

That's funny..... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I just bought such a hat on Ebay...and I already own a vest, I even got my company logo monogramed on it....

[Mthorpe_Davies]

Hmmm not wanting to steel anyones thunder or piss off people but I'm quite confident that the first white telephoto lense were released by Minolta when they released the AF lense mount, my granddad had a Dynax 9000 with 70-200 and 300 f2.8 lense which were white.

This might me nit picking but my brand new rather shiny (and I'm very proud of it) 70 - 200 f4.0 and 300 f4.0 are a greyish colour not white. My Minolta 70 - 200 f2.8 was white not gray or cream but really white.

I ended up purchasing an eos 33, I'm going to wait for the 10d replacement which will hopefully be a nice christmas present for myself. I hope that Canon improve the focusing as the 33 is terrible and I've been told the 10d uses the same system, my previous Dynax 9xi would eat this for lunch.

Go the off white grayish lense......

[PacAce]

Hmmm not wanting to steel anyones thunder or P*** off people but I'm quite confident that the first white telephoto lense were released by Minolta when they released the AF lense mount, my granddad had a Dynax 9000 with 70-200 and 300 f2.8 lense which were white.

This might me nit picking but my brand new rather shiny (and I'm very proud of it) 70 - 200 f4.0 and 300 f4.0 are a greyish colour not white. My Minolta 70 - 200 f2.8 was white not gray or cream but really white.

I ended up purchasing an eos 33, I'm going to wait for the 10d replacement which will hopefully be a nice christmas present for myself. I hope that Canon improve the focusing as the 33 is terrible and I've been told the 10d uses the same system, my previous Dynax 9xi would eat this for lunch.

Go the off white grayish lense......

That's OK. Mr. Alexander Graham Bell wasn't the first inventor of the telephone either but he's getting all the credit for it. :mrgreen: :D:

[JoeTampa]

What I wanna know is why some of these guys are using 300mm or greater lenses to shoot a guy 10 feet away.... A study of his nose hair, perhaps? :lol: I'd actually expect to see more of the 70-200's in that shot.

[PacAce]

What I wanna know is why some of these guys are using 300mm or greater lenses to shoot a guy 10 feet away.... A study of his nose hair, perhaps? :lol: I'd actually expect to see more of the 70-200's in that shot.

You actually have to take a course in Advertising 101 to really appreciate (and understand) the answer to your question. :mrgreen:

It has to do with the first postulate taught in Advertising 101: Always assume that the general public has an IQ of 50. :mrgreen: :lol: :mrgreen:

[KennyG]

It has to do with the first postulate taught in Advertising 101: Always assume that the general public has an IQ of 50. :mrgreen: :lol: :mrgreen:

That high, that's about 10 more than most advertising executives. :lol:

[Mthorpe_Davies]

I was just thinking some of those white lenses could be Nikon I just noticed all there pro spec lense are now made in white as well as traditional Nikon black. Just a thought.

[Roy NN7DX]

If you don't get it, I couldn't ever explain it...

[Stealthy Ninja]

MAN is this thread OLD

http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/infobank/lenses/black_or_white_lenses.do

[RiaGurl]

yes it is and guess what...you revived it single hoofedly!! :D
were you searchin'?

[Stealthy Ninja]

yes it is and guess what...you revived it single hoofedly!! :D
were you searchin'?

I'm just awesome as a unicorn i is.

Before I posted here, no one posted here since before my son was born. Now my son is 4.

In internet years that's like 520 years.

[Double Negative]

...Because green would look stupid?

[RiaGurl]

not really. depends which green. i would love an olive colored lens.

[benesotor]

Hahaha 'i want a 70-200 but my wife will notice I've got a new lens' that's brilliant XD

[Double Negative]

not really. depends which green. i would love an olive colored lens.

True, OD or camo would be nice... But we have LensCoats for that. :p

[MikeFairbanks]

I like my big, white lens.

People say, WOW, that's a big lens!

I like that.


Heck, I'm thinking of buying a huge piece of white PVC pipe and painting black stripes on it and a few numbers. Then I'll connect it to my camera and make people drool.

[rklepper]

I was at a cross country meet yesterday with my 70-200 and TC on. Crowded, but wherever I showed up they made room instantly to get me to the front. Like I was a celebrity or something, I did not have the heart to tell them. :)

[RiaGurl]

I was at a cross country meet yesterday with my 70-200 and TC on. Crowded, but wherever I showed up they made room instantly to get me to the front. Like I was a celebrity or something, I did not have the heart to tell them. :)
i love when that happens.

[sebr]

Black or white is perfectly fine for me. If my lenses were pink, my wife would start using my camera. :D

[heatherwb]

Pentax makes their 18-55 kit lens in not only white, but also red and navy blue to go with the K-x bodies of the same color. See for yourself:

http://www.pentaximaging.com/slr/K-x_White/
http://www.pentaximaging.com/slr/K-x_Navy/
http://www.pentaximaging.com/slr/K-x_Red/

As for me, I think I'll just stick with basic black with 1 white lens thrown in for good measure. :) To make said white lens a good bit less noticeable, I've thought about getting a black LensCoat for it.

Heather :)

[Stealthy Ninja]

I was trying to street snipe (you know, take photos of people with a telephoto lens without them noticing) the other day, so I tried my friends 28-300L (that's a weird lens... very similar to a 100-400 in size etc.). People kept noticing me (darn it) so I switched back to my lovely 200 2.8L. Now THAT'S a Ninja Lens™.