While it's decidedly lacking compared to some telephoto lenses we've seen, Digital Cowboy's new 7x number here should still be more than enough to make most other short-sighted webcams feel woefully inadequate about themselves. Detach that lens, however, and you're left with a fairly run-of-the-mill webcam, with a 1.3 megapixel resolution, face-tracking functionality, and video recording at up to 30 fps -- if you don't mind dropping things down to 640 x 480, that is (you'll just get 15 fps at the cam's full resolution). Those looking to put the webcam to some remotely-controlled use will also be out of luck, with the lens strictly a manually operated deal. Look for this one to hit Japan next month for 9.800 Yen, or just over $80.

[Via Popgadget]

This new telephoto lens comes to us from the: "because we can" department. Lens manufacturer Carl Zeiss has just made one of the world's largest telephoto lenses -- it's so big in fact, that you nearly need a construction crane to lift it up. Weighing in at 256 kg (564 lb.), this monstrosity of a lens has a focal length of 1700mm (over 5.5 feet!), a speed of f/4, and has 21x magnification. You can't miss it if you attend this year's Photokina convention in Cologne, Germany starting September 29. Based on the company's press release, it sounds like it was custom-built for a client who wanted to shoot wildlife at a distance on the very high-end Hasselblad 203 FE using 6 x 6 medium format film -- in other words, she/he has some serious cash to spend. No word on if it will be ever made available to the public, but it sounds like Carl Zeiss is open to ideas if you've got a briefcase full of euros to pay for the project, not to mention the means to get it from wherever you are to wherever you actually want to use it without scaring every living thing in your path.