billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

I buy through B&H, they have a 12 month program with no interest if you pay within the year.
Amazon has similar deals, so does Ebay.
It is helpful to have some equipment you can sell.
Sometimes you can get refurbished or mint used for a lot less. I have found great deals on Ebay, they offer a 30 day return policy if the lens is not as described.
You can also find great equipment here.
I did not buy my 600 for almost 50 years in photography. Sold a lot of equipment to purchase it.
Good luck and keep on shooting until the end.
And todays zooms are a great value, one of the best telephoto lenses I have found is the Sony 200-600 for about $2000.00. I also use the Nikon 200-500 5.6 for about $1200.00. Both of these lenses rival my 600 f4 for sharpness. That is the way I started. Then I moved up.
Then there is the Nikon 500 5.6 PF lens, very sharp and around $3500.00.
You don't have to start with the most expensive, you can get great results for a lot less.

traderjohn Loc: New York City

The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys. Or you are good at your $h!t and make money at it. For me not enough $$$$

Capn_Dave

Well it is more that just a reboxed item. Many people are put off by the “refurbished” tag, but it’s a blanket term that covers a lot of potential scenarios. As with the “renewed” term favored by Amazon, all it tends to mean is the product has been returned. The manufacturer may have repaired a minor or a major fault, it may have been returned because there is cosmetic damage to the product, or it could have been returned because the packaging was damaged. There’s also a chance that the buyer just changed their mind.

In many cases, you’ll get a device that is as good as new.

The manufacturer will fully test the product and make any repairs that are deemed necessary. It will then clean the product up, reset the software to factory conditions where appropriate, and repackage it. In many cases, you’ll get a device that is as good as new. You can also expect it to work every bit as well, and last as long, as a brand new product.
The only thing I haven't bought refurbished is the new R6. I look at refurbished as being tested twice and is probably actually better than new operational wise.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

I do not.
I own L lenses but save for years for a lens or two.
No way to justify for me a $12,000 lens with no ROI.

pithydoug Loc: Catskill Mountains, NY

Not many or maybe a pro that earns a living has a $12,000 lens. You can ask the same question about $2,000 - $3,000 range. No one said photography was cheap. I guess it's called saving or going into dept.

ELNikkor

Welcome to the forum! If you already have a Canon DSLR, you could get a good used 70-300 for under $200, and do some cropping to get the 400mm effect. A Tamron 100-400 for Canon used could be had for around $600.

ARW

Lenses hold there value pretty well. Better than bodies. If someone has the
money it's an equity to own with a return on their money enjoying the lens.
Some people have cars, boats and motorcycles as their hobby. The long prime
lenses do something special to the images. I'm happy with my $3500 Nikon
500mm pf.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

Canon makes a lot of equipment for the pro sports photographer market.
The first rule of sports photography is:
"If you have to ask the price, choose another profession."
A starter setup for a pro sports shooter would come in somewhere around $30-40K
$10-15K in camera bodies, a similar amount or more in lenses, and then there are the monopods, computer equipment, protective gear, etc....

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

Most of us don’t have those lenses. I got my Nikon 200-500mm lens used in excellent condition for $914. My actual out of pocket was a little over $500 because I traded in an old lens.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

I would have to rob a bank ......

Sidwalkastronomy Loc: New Jersey Shore

I have a canon 77D and T7i. The kit I bought with the 77D was the 18-135 and 75-275? might be 55-275. With my stimulus check I bought the Tamron 150-600 G2. Love the range but I need a tripod.
At Christmas canan had their 24 mm pancake lens for little over $125. great walk around lens

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

If you shoot DSLR the Canon 400 5.6 is what you want. New its around $1100...you can find it used for less. This prime lens out resolves all the zoom lenses in this class.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

The OP "may" want that, but it really depends on what kind of photography they shoot. The 400 5.6 is a nice (as in AWESOME!) lens. Not for macro, event or portrait photography, but wildlife heck yeah. Unfortunately, we do not know much about the OP's wants and needs.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

Well, since the OP’s question was specifically about long lenses I think we can surmise that they’re interested in long lenses.

Stan W. Loc: Tampa, Fl

LMAO!!