Canon's New FD long supertele — the 600mm f/4.5 in the later black FD styling.
The Canon New FD 600mm f/4.5 arrived in 1981 as the New FD generation version of Canon's long 600mm supertelephoto. It brought the design into the black New FD barrel with the redesigned bayonet mount, remaining an extreme-reach option for wildlife and distant sports photography.
This is a manual-focus Canon FD lens with a fixed 600mm focal length and a maximum aperture of f/4.5. It is a large tripod-mounted supertelephoto in the New FD styling, with focus and aperture set manually on the barrel. The long focal length requires firm support for sharp results.
A 600mm f/4.5 gives extreme reach for distant wildlife and field sport, strongly compressing perspective and bringing far subjects large in the frame. Its aperture is bright for the focal length to aid daylight action, and the high magnification makes stable support essential to realise its detail.
On the used market the New FD 600mm f/4.5 is a specialist long telephoto for committed wildlife and sports photographers. Inspect the large elements for haze, fungus, scratches and separation, confirm smooth aperture and focus operation, and check the tripod foot, hood and drop-in filter holder. It can be adapted to mirrorless with an optics-free FD adapter, though it needs sturdy support.