From B&H Photo comes news that one of the rarest of telephoto lens is on the market and available in their used camera equipment section.

Long known as the "Mother of all telephoto lenses," the Canon USM, autofocusing 1200 mm f/5.6 lens is a monster in all categories.

The lens weights in at 36lbs, is 33" long and 9" wide at the front element. As the B&H announcement says: "Calling this lens a 'tele' is like calling King Kong a monkey.

That's just the beginning. Says the announcement:

The Canon 1200/5.6L USM has been built on a special-order basis since 1993, and the "official word" is there are "more than twelve, less than twenty" of them in existence. With a price tag equivalent to a pair of his-and-her sports coupes, they were produced at the rate of about 2-per-year and a delivery time of about 18 months. National Geographic magazine, Sports Illustrated, Canon Professional Services, and a few well-heeled enthusiasts are counted among the fortunate few who own these unique optics. A box of donuts says the Feds probably have a few squirreled away somewhere, but this is something we can neither confirm nor deny. What you get for your money is a monster lens with an angle of view of about 2° on a full-frame 35 mm camera.

Oh, yes. The price is just $99,000: Cash, credit card or Paypal.