Has anyone used one of these. It's on Ebay for all of $149.95
500mm /1000mm f/8 Super Telephoto Lens
500mm f/8 Mirror Lens with HD 2x = 1000mm Range
it comes with a 2X converter to pump it up to 1000mm from 500mm
500mm mirror lens
junk, any other questions?
Fixed aperture, iffy glass, generic trash.
That said, if you want to take MOON shots this lens is for you.
If you expect to use it for wildlife, think again
Birding? Only for stunned birds, BIF Not hardly
Sports fuggetaboutit.
I have used these cheap generic lenses (650-1300) incl 2X converter, Only good shot was moon, on tripod, with timer and mirror lock up, pretty damn decent shot.
Mirror lenses are not noted for superb image quality.
Look on Ebay for this glass and it will lead you to Cameta Camera,
All the above in perspective
1 you gets what ya pays for.
2 good gear aint cheap, cheap gear aint good.
Bottom line is what is your intended purpose?
If a slow lens works for you this lens, or actually the non mirror version will meet your needs. Just align your expectations to the limitations of the lens.
Kind of what I thought. Divorced guy here two kids....on a budget.
missletoe wrote:
Kind of what I thought. Divorced guy here two kids....on a budget.
Well take heart, all is not lost.
KEH, Adorama, B&H and local shops have used gear, some quite reasonable.
Think about what you absolutely need and see whats on sale, used gear, factory refurb.
KEH as with most reputable dealers UNDER RATE their used gear, whet they call "GOOD" is generally VERY Good.
Do not be afraid to buy BGN ( bargain) lenses. they will LOOK used and they WILL be. but look at any pro, they do not have pristine looking gear, why? because they use it a LOT. If the gear functions reliably its a great lens.
Look over the classifieds on this site, might find what you need right here.
Good luck and other shooters in here will have ideas I have not thought of
Bruce
missletoe wrote:
..... Divorced guy here two kids....on a budget.
Then you don't need a $5k or $10k lens the size and weight of a Canon !....right??!
Nothing wrong with a small reflector telescope equipped to fit a camera then......no chromatic aberration to worry about ! and the compactness and light weight is well worth the try !
before you get this consider the f8 Opteka 1200mm lens which is manual focus like this one for about 250-300. its a long heavy lens though for use on a tripod. it also comes with a 2x teleconverter making it an f16 2400mm.
Bret
Loc: Dayton Ohio
I use the Bower 500mm F8 lens from time to time (120 bucks from B&H )and get some pretty nice shots with. Its fun to play with...learn with but on a budget....it fits. If you'd like I can post a shot.
better than bruce with a canon lets on.with a high iso can be a pretty fast lens. ttype in mirror lenses in search at the top of this page and look at some on the examples.
Hmm...I feel for you. I know the temptation to get a lens but don't have the cash...you gotta have something now! :)
Having gone this route more times than I'd care to remember...I'd suggest you get a nice quality lens (used) from Adorama or B&H, use "bill me later" and pay it off slowly.
In the end, you will keep the nice lens for a LONG time, you can sell it back to Adorama or B&H for about 70% of what the current price is if in a few years your tired of it...it's a win-win.
I've had DOZENS and DOZENS of "not that great" lenses saying to myself "this will hold me until later when I can afford a really good lens" and the only thing that came out of it was that I paid for two lenses instead of one and I got some crappy images until I bought the good lens.
And the bokeh is AWFUL- unless you like the bright spots to appear as little circles... As mentioned above- OK -just- for astronomy.
Like Bret I have used one and own one. They can be neat to use if you don't want to haul around some $1500 piece of glass that weighs 10 pounds. But, get to know it and its short comings then get to enjoy it.
I read a nice piece about one by Keppler some years ago.
By the way to many a UHH anything that is reasonably priced is not as good as their highly priced piece of equipment. Of course, many of their photographs do not reflect the money spent.
But, I am just a crusty old guy.
jeryh
Loc: Oxfordshire UK
That statement just shows you have not used one for any length of time;
A minolta 500mm F8 a/F lens is one of the best lenses for birding- I have used one for the last 5 years, and would NOT trade it for anything- and I have been a Pro photog for the last 40 odd years. Go figure !
It could actually be a decent lens. Photo mirror lenses are cats, catadioprtric lenses , which are spherical mirror and lens combinations that have long focal lengths in short bodies. I still have an old Spiritone 500 mm lens that I would use with my film cameras. There was no spherical aberration on it but you had to use a tripod to get the best use out of it. You could get decent pictures out of it, but out of focus points were donuts. Some fine compact astronomical telescopes today are the Cat type. They are usually about f/8 or f/11 on AV. Try one as you may enjoy it or use a new bridge camera such as the Canon SX50 which will give you better pix than you'll ever get with that mirror lens.
Brett please do post a couple of pictures taken with that lens. I have a Canon t3 will I be able to use that lens will I need an adapter?
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