Right angle “lens”: Does anyone here have experience using a right angle "lens" (a misnomer since it's actually a mirror)? Opteka makes a model which, with a step-up ring, will fit a...

Bettona Loc: San Francisco Bay area

Does anyone here have experience using a right angle "lens" (a misnomer since it's actually a mirror)? Opteka makes a model which, with a step-up ring, will fit a Sony 18-135mm lens on my Sony alpha a6000. It seems to me that such a device would be useful for candid/street photography, but before buying one I'd like the opinions of others. Thank you.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

Bettona wrote:

Does anyone here have experience using a right angle "lens" (a misnomer since it's actually a mirror)? Opteka makes a model which, with a step-up ring, will fit a Sony 18-135mm lens on my Sony alpha a6000. It seems to me that such a device would be useful for candid/street photography, but before buying one I'd like the opinions of others. Thank you.

I used one of them about 30 years ago on a movie camera. They can be fun to use, but don't get any signs or writings in the picture (mirror image). IQ does suffer a bit!

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I used something similar to what you describe back in the late 70s. I worked for a private investigator and it made observational photography a lot less conspicuous.
--Bob

Bettona wrote:

Does anyone here have experience using a right angle "lens" (a misnomer since it's actually a mirror)? Opteka makes a model which, with a step-up ring, will fit a Sony 18-135mm lens on my Sony alpha a6000. It seems to me that such a device would be useful for candid/street photography, but before buying one I'd like the opinions of others. Thank you.

Bipod

Bettona wrote:

Does anyone here have experience using a right angle "lens" (a misnomer since it's actually a mirror)? Opteka makes a model which, with a step-up ring, will fit a Sony 18-135mm lens on my Sony alpha a6000. It seems to me that such a device would be useful for candid/street photography, but before buying one I'd like the opinions of others. Thank you.

Paul Strand used one. He made one, then later bought one.
His had a dummy lens barrel on the front and a hole in the side.

Unfortunately, I don't know the details and I haven't tried it.
Here is what I do know:

There are two kinds: front-surface mirror and right-angle prism.
Mirror is bright, light weight, but lower IQ and easily damaged.
Prism is better IQ, but heavy.

Both will cause cropping with a wide-angle lens (rather like too
long a lens hood would). f-18 is out of the question. f=35 might
be do-able.

Since that Sony lens has a 55 mm filter diameter, you'll need a
fairly large unit. A prism would be fairly heavy and expensive.

If you use an adapter to fit it to the lens, try not to add length.
You wan the mirror or prism as close to the front of the lens as possible.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I had one in the 70's for a Nikon SLR. It was a "surface coated" mirror. The reflection came from the front side, not the back like most mirrors. That prevents shadows but is not very rugged. After a few years the mirror coating pealed off.

It looked like this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/614991-REG/Bower_VL152_VL152_52mm_Right_Angle.html/?ap=y&gclid=Cj0KCQiA5Y3kBRDwARIsAEwloL534lMloT5InVfXLSW-mWGAHr9zBLHVZKd5bgHDvfXgFHRlO5mIvAwaAhnQEALw_wcB&lsft=BI%3A514&smp=Y

The Navy had me fly to a small town in Iran for a couple days when I had the adapter. It was not locally considered nice to point cameras at people. So I thought I would be clever and use the mirror. I was busy aiming to my left through the mirror and paid no attention to where it looked like the camera was pointing. I put the camera down long enough to see this big guy walking towards me and shaking is fist.

The fun part was that people watched me without realizing I was taking their picture.

These were Kodachromes on a 135mm lens and recently scanned with an Epson flatbed.

(Download)

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

Good photos. I assume you were faster than the big guy?

ed3 Loc: Belton, MO

During Christmas time 1967 I was in Japan for R&R from Viet Nam. I purchased an 8mm James Bond spy camera with accessories including a right-angle prism extension.
I don’t think people were celebrating Christmas but rather New Year’s. They were dressed in ancient traditional Japanese clothing. Obviously very expensive with much gold threads. Everywhere were families sometimes three or even four generations together.
One such family was standing on a train platform waiting. With prism installed I was attempting to take pictures of them, and all of a sudden, they started laughing hysterically. If looking up from what I was during I realized it appeared I was attempting to take a picture of a trash barrel on the train platform.
I had to chuckle, American tourist, how to impress and influence other cultures.

Archiefamous Loc: Manhattan

I have one in a box that I bought from Spiratone years ago. I remember having a lot of fun with it

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

speters wrote:

...don't get any signs or writings in the picture (mirror image). IQ does suffer a bit!

Flipping an image is easy with digital post processing. Easy with film, also, but only if you did your own printing.

ngrea Loc: Sandy Spring, Maryland

You can do right angle shots using live view with an articulated screen.

ngrea Loc: Sandy Spring, Maryland

speters wrote:

I used one of them about 30 years ago on a movie camera. They can be fun to use, but don't get any signs or writings in the picture (mirror image). IQ does suffer a bit!

Can’t you reverse the photo in PP?

rjriggins11 Loc: Colorado Springs, CO

When I was a kid we called these Parascopes. We made them ourselves out of cardbord tubes and moms compact mirrors. She got mad but we did it anyway.

gessman Loc: Colorado

Bettona wrote:

Does anyone here have experience using a right angle "lens" (a misnomer since it's actually a mirror)? Opteka makes a model which, with a step-up ring, will fit a Sony 18-135mm lens on my Sony alpha a6000. It seems to me that such a device would be useful for candid/street photography, but before buying one I'd like the opinions of others. Thank you.

I hd one back in the '60s and used it quite a bit and got another one about five years ago but haven't used it, yet. They can be a bit tricky to use at first and, as already stated, you can easily flip an image if it has backward writing in it. They can be fun.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

Bettona wrote:

Does anyone here have experience using a right angle "lens" (a misnomer since it's actually a mirror)? Opteka makes a model which, with a step-up ring, will fit a Sony 18-135mm lens on my Sony alpha a6000. It seems to me that such a device would be useful for candid/street photography, but before buying one I'd like the opinions of others. Thank you.

The image will be reversed and, unless the mirror is optically flat, will suffer some image quality. You will probably do better with an Olympus Pen series and a pancake lens.

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

I had a Spiratone version back in the last century. When I would see people looking at me through it I always wondered if they figured out what I was doing. I felt a little creepy doing it. Is using this device a dishonest intrusion of sorts?