Opteka 500mm f8 Mirror Lens.
Apr 28, 2022 19:11:55 #
I just bought an Opteka 500-1000 f8 mirror lens to play with, its a manual lens. My question is what should my camera settings be on my Canon 6D mark II? I will not be able to change the aperture, and I can shoot in manual mode, but to what would I set the shutter speed and ISO? I tried it today and got a very white-outed picture with the camera set on P just to see what would happen. Then I went to M and played around outdoors with shutter at 500 and ISO at 800 and got a few decent pictures, but I feel there is more to do to get the maximum benefit from this lens. I realize this is not a great lens, and maybe a little more than I toy, but I bought it for fun. So, please don't answer by telling me it is not a great lens, and I should get rid of it.
Thanks,
Mike.
Thanks,
Mike.
Apr 28, 2022 19:31:17 #
You picked the wrong lens for the wrong camera. You'd have a lot less difficulty on a mirrorless camera where you tell the camera to ignore the lens and just meter the light as hitting the sensor. Then, you could set the AUTO-ISO, even with EC, and just adjust the shutterspeed (in shutter priority) as appropriate to your composition. The mirrorless will handle the rest of the exposure exactly.
You're probably on the right track in M for the DSLR, but with way more experimenting to zero-in on the working exposure parameters. Try Live-View on the DSLR (from a tripod) and see if you can get the meter to tell you how the exposure will result and then use the focus zoom on the LCD.
You're probably on the right track in M for the DSLR, but with way more experimenting to zero-in on the working exposure parameters. Try Live-View on the DSLR (from a tripod) and see if you can get the meter to tell you how the exposure will result and then use the focus zoom on the LCD.
Apr 28, 2022 20:46:03 #
Thank you, this was unexpected. Instead of telling me I had the wrong lens, you’re telling me I have the wrong camera. I will definitely take your advice on using live view. That makes a lot of sense. I will be able to see if the final results will be too light or dark. Thank you.
Apr 28, 2022 22:11:57 #
mvetrano2 wrote:
I just bought an Opteka 500-1000 f8 mirror lens to... (show quote)
It depends on your situation. If using it in daylight - start with 1/1600 and ISO 400. Overcast, 1/800 or longer, and so on.
Apr 29, 2022 07:39:21 #
mvetrano2 wrote:
I just bought an Opteka 500-1000 f8 mirror lens to... (show quote)
I have a 500mm mirror lens and while I've managed a few good shots with it, I don't use it much. A surprise for me was the extremely narrow depth of field with such a lens. And of course there is no aperture control there is no way to adjust the depth of field. Given the narrow depth of field, accurate focus is both critical and quite difficult to achieve (you don't want to use such a lens when there is any time pressure and probably not even when there are gusts of wind that will move the camera once you get the focus right). But the narrow focus makes it difficult to even get the focus approximately right because you see nothing helpful in the viewfinder until you get the focus pretty close to right. The distance gauge on the barrel of the lens is probably the most useful tool for getting the focus in the right ball-park, but once there some slow and careful adjustment is needed before anything meaningful appears in the viewfinder.
Apr 29, 2022 08:15:21 #
I also have a lens with no f stop adjustment , it is a f11 .So on a bright day , , f11 , 1/1000 sec , iso 500 or 1000 , then use the histogram to fine tune . On most camera you can set in the non cpu lens , the f stop , and the lenght of lens , then you can shoot in aperture priority .
Apr 29, 2022 08:20:15 #
agillot wrote:
I also have a lens with no f stop adjustment , it is a f11 .So on a bright day , , f11 , 1/1000 sec , iso 500 or 1000 , then use the histogram to fine tune . On most camera you can set in the non cpu lens , the f stop , and the lenght of lens , then you can shoot in aperture priority .
Am I right to assume this is not a mirror lens?
Apr 29, 2022 08:46:03 #
fetzler
Loc: North West PA
CHG_CANON wrote:
You picked the wrong lens for the wrong camera. Yo... (show quote)
Paul has good advice.
I have a few manual lenses for my Olympus cameras. I usually put the camera in manual mode and set exposure using the old "match needle" method. I suppose you could use auto ISO here. You have only have two adjustments aperture and ISO.
Apr 29, 2022 11:14:31 #
It is a mirror lens. https://www.amazon.com/Opteka-500-1000mm-Telephoto-Digital-Cameras/dp/B07MNXHLDJ
It is a puzzle to figure out how they are doing that.
--Bob
It is a puzzle to figure out how they are doing that.
--Bob
pecohen wrote:
Am I right to assume this is not a mirror lens?
Apr 29, 2022 11:55:55 #
I shoot Nikon and if I was using that lens I’d Set my camera to Non-CPU Lens and shoot in aperture priority since the aperture is predetermined anyway.
Apr 29, 2022 11:59:29 #
mvetrano2 wrote:
I just bought an Opteka 500-1000 f8 mirror lens to play with, it's a manual lens. My question is what should my camera settings be on my Canon 6D Mark II? I will not be able to change the aperture, and I can shoot in manual mode...Mike.
I recommend using the "Sunny 16 Rule:" < https://photographylife.com/what-is-the-sunny-16-rule >. In your case, with a bright sunny day with distinct shadows, the rule would be with ISO 100, an exposure setting of 1/100 (or 1/125 to be easier) @ F16. But since your mirror lens is F8, then equivalent exposure settings would be 1/500@F8.
Cloudy bright calls for 1-2 stops of additional exposure while overcast will require still another 1-2 stops. Of course you're using a tripod as you'll need to up the ISO and/or use slower shutter speeds.
Have fun! Be well! Ed
Apr 29, 2022 12:10:57 #
rmalarz wrote:
It is a mirror lens. https://www.amazon.com/Opteka-500-1000mm-Telephoto-Digital-Cameras/dp/B07MNXHLDJ It is a puzzle to figure out how they are doing that.
--Bob
--Bob
On these types of inexpensive lenses, the mount is usually a T-mount which will allow different cameras to use it. Also in the Amazon illustration are 2 rear-mounted ND filters which also allow more flexibility with exposure.
Have fun! Be well! Ed
Apr 29, 2022 12:12:28 #
Apr 29, 2022 12:52:52 #
I have the Minolta AF 500mm mirror lens. You should be able to set your camera on "A" since the aperture is fixed and leave the ISO at "auto" for starters. The camera should adjust the shutter speed as needed. But .... You want the shutter speed to be faster that 1/500 sec unless you are using a tripod. You can manually set your ISO to adjust the. shutter speed as needed. Yes they have very short depth of focus... but the same as any 500mm lens at the same f-stop. The big advantage of mirror lenses is they are short and don't weigh nearly as much as other telephoto lenses.
Apr 29, 2022 13:12:13 #
One interesting result of using such a mirror lens is that the specular highlights show up as doughnuts. Have fun experimenting with your new lens.
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