Howard5252 Loc: New York / Florida (now)

I was photographing an eagle. I took about 50 shots and this appears on only one. The camera was a Nikon D7000 mounted with an old 500mm mirror lens (from film days). The shutter speed was 1/1000th of a sec. If there is anything else you need to know, just ask. 3PM clear skies.

Meteor ?? Not when it's enlarged.

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BassmanBruce Loc: Middle of the Mitten

I would guess an Oof airliner w contrail. Possibly with sun glare on it.

Oknoder Loc: Western North Dakota

I would hate to even hazard a guess, on a side note though, what was the distance to the eagle if you don't mind me asking. Its not a perfectly sharp image but it is leaps above the first distance images I got of baldies a few years back. I believe I was using the old Nikkor 300mm/4.5 which has since been upgraded and donated for a family member.

I was interested in the Nikkor 1000mm reflex, I assume they are based on the same initial design. Is the image correct when viewing through the camera or is it flipped like is often the case with astronomical optics?

Thanks,
Matthew

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

My thoughts too.
Craig

Howard5252 Loc: New York / Florida (now)

Yes, the eagle is not in focus as it should be. Two excuses: 1- Me - I'm sure I could do better. 2- The distance is 297 yards (according to Google Earth) . The image is not flipped.
Back to #1 for a moment. Is it possible that 3 football fields is just too far for this lens? Considering the low cost of mirror lenses, I would suggest picking one up. Do not add a telextender. In another post I asked about a telescope/camera combo and learned about the world of digiscoping. I plan on going this route ... as soon as I get some money. It's not cheap except when compared to buying a really big 1000mm Nikkor telephoto. PS: I do have several sharper images (relative to the one posted).

jkoar Loc: The Gunks, NY

I have a reflex Nikkor 1000mm. It can take relatively sharp photos. It is an impressive huge piece of metal. It is hard to focus because you have to turn the large barrel for a very touchy adjustment. It would be nice if there was a focus vernier. It is also heavy but not necessarily for something this big. It is fixed at F11. It will not work with a 2x teleconverter ie. it will not focus sharp. This photo was taken with the 1000mm even though the info says 500mm. You can tell from the size of the moon relative to the frame. JPEG direct from the camera no PP. You be the judge...

JK

Reflex Nikkor 1000mm Moon

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Howard5252 Loc: New York / Florida (now)

The consensus is that the object flying across the background is the glint off a high flying aircraft that left a vapor trail too. The reason for the circular image is the bokuh of the lens. I am happy to say that I am awaiting the delivery of a Nikon 8275B Fieldscope. I will post the photos from that just as soon as the needed camera mount arrives - it's on backorder.