Why White? Is there really any advantage to a lens being colored white ?

boomer826 Loc: Florida gulf coast

Is there really any advantage to a lens being colored white ?

Adicus Loc: New Zealand

It would probably not get so hot in the sun is the only advantage I can see.

Haydon

boomer826 wrote:

Is there really any advantage to a lens being colored white ?

Partially for marketing as well. It's very easy to spot Canon's great whites at a sporting event.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Adicus wrote:

It would probably not get so hot in the sun is the only advantage I can see.

That is the main reason, spend a few hours out in direct sun on a hot day with a large black lens and things start to warp and twist due to expansion. Not only can the lenses get hot but it will change the elements alignment and therefore the IQ.
Just go touch something made of black painted metal that has been in sun all day on a hot day. I burned my arm once when I forgot and braced against a black painted part on a streetcar at the museum years ago.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

robertjerl wrote:

That is the main reason, spend a few hours out in direct sun on a hot day with a large black lens and things start to warp and twist due to expansion. Not only can the lenses get hot but it will change the elements alignment and therefore the IQ.
Just go touch something made of black painted metal that has been in sun all day on a hot day. I burned my arm once when I forgot and braced against a black painted part on a streetcar at the museum years ago.

I own a couple of white Canon L lenses, and while there may be some merit to your argument, I believe its more about marketing and visibility. People tend to count the number of pro and advanced amateur Canon shooters at events based on the number of white lenses they see.

Haydon

mwsilvers wrote:

I own a couple of white Canon L lenses, and while there may be some merit to your argument, I believe its more about marketing and visibility. People tend to count the number of pro and advanced amateur Canon shooters at events based on the number of white lenses they see.

Agreed, the convection argument hasn't stopped Nikon from predominantly offering lenses almost exclusively in black including their 400 2.8, 500/600 F4's or their relatively new $18,000 800mm 5.6.

IBM

Haydon wrote:

Partially for marketing as well. It's very easy to spot Canon's great whites at a sporting event.

For sure , you can just see how that board meeting went down , OK men we got to boost our sales with our zooms , any ideas,
Sure make them in White , and charge more for them ,but make them a tad better than the conpation, that way once they get known
As good performers , we can scale back on quality and still charge the same

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

IBM wrote:

For sure , you can just see how that board meeting went down , OK men we got to boost our sales with our zooms , any ideas,
Sure make them in White , and charge more for them ,but make them a tad better than the conpation, that way once they get known
As good performers , we can scale back on quality and still charge the same

Hmmm. Not sure which side of the fench you're on, but that might be true if they had scaled back on quality. However, each new generation of L lenses is better then the ones that preceded it. The 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM II is much better than its predecessor as is the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM II. The 24-70mm f/2.8L USM II is also a much better lens then its predecessor. And so it goes throughout the line.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

mwsilvers wrote:

I own a couple of white Canon L lenses, and while there may be some merit to your argument, I believe its more about marketing and visibility. People tend to count the number of pro and advanced amateur Canon shooters at events based on the number of white lenses they see.

But Canon isn't the only company to make white or near white lenses. And all of them tend to be large ones that will be mounted on tripods at sporting events or in the field doing wildlife.

Haydon

robertjerl wrote:

But Canon isn't the only company to make white or near white lenses. And all of them tend to be large ones that will be mounted on tripods at sporting events or in the field doing wildlife.

I covered my butt on that one Robert.

Quote:

"hasn't stopped Nikon from predominantly offering lenses almost exclusively in black"

Regardless, white lenses are a minority from other manufacturers.

foathog Loc: Greensboro, NC

IBM wrote:

For sure , you can just see how that board meeting went down , OK men we got to boost our sales with our zooms , any ideas,
Sure make them in White , and charge more for them ,but make them a tad better than the conpation, that way once they get known
As good performers , we can scale back on quality and still charge the same

what the hell are you talking about? "conpation"? scaling back quality??

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Why not ask Canon? Why ask on a forum where you'll get nothing but speculation?

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

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Haydon wrote:

Agreed, the convection argument hasn't stopped Nikon from predominantly offering lenses almost exclusively in black including their 400 2.8, 500/600 F4's or their relatively new $18,000 800mm 5.6.

It's not convection, but radiant heating that can affect lenses. A pro lens is generally pretty well sealed, and without ventilation the temps inside the lens barrel can get up there. Lubricants and electronics can suffer. Light colored lenses reflect heat better, and with heat sensitive elements made of Fluorite and ED, it helps keep the temperature-based physical expansion to a practical minimum. But, there is no denying the marketing aspect.

Many of the white Nikon lenses are made for foreign markets. However, I have a US 600mmF4 in light gray, and I have seen the 24-70, 70/80-200, and the 300 F2.8 in addition to the 400, 500 and the 800.

https://petapixel.com/2016/02/19/canon-lenses-white-instead-black/

https://petapixel.com/2012/02/17/camera-lenses-with-custom-paint-jobs/

Starphotog

A few years ago Nikon produced a white 300 f4 lens. Looks great but obviously it didn't catch on! Its the only white Nikon lens I've ever seen!

Normanc Loc: Manchester UK

The main reason, I believe, is that white lens are usually quite long telephoto or zoom. Because of their size , if they were black they would not reflect as much sunlight, and that could increase the internal temperature, which would not be a desireable effect, whereas a white lens will reflect heat much better.