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Mirror lenses
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Jun 14, 2019 00:53:48   #
ialvarez50
 
I have a question for all of you guys here.
Has anyone used a mirror lens in their digital camera lately? Any that you recommend?
I used to have one that I use with my film camera but I have not used one with digital.

I would appreciate any recommendations

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Jun 14, 2019 02:34:26   #
torchman310 Loc: Santa Clarita, Ca.
 
ialvarez50 wrote:
I have a question for all of you guys here.
Has anyone used a mirror lens in their digital camera lately? Any that you recommend?
I used to have one that I use with my film camera but I have not used one with digital.

I would appreciate any recommendations


I recently bought a used Nikkor 500MM F 8 mirror lens. I thought it would work well with my Nikon D 4-S camera. Big disappointment ! Lenses of today use better glass, ED, Fluorite, Nano Crystal Coatings, etc. So, as you may realize, the quality of those old mirror lenses is NOT what you will get with today's technology.

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Jun 14, 2019 03:40:11   #
RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA
 
ialvarez50 wrote:
I have a question for all of you guys here.
Has anyone used a mirror lens in their digital camera lately? Any that you recommend?
I used to have one that I use with my film camera but I have not used one with digital.

I would appreciate any recommendations

I have the second of the three 500 f/5.0 Reflex-Nikkor prototypes, a 500 f/5.6 Kilfitt Sport-Reflectar with its dedicated 2X teleconverter and adapters for Exakta, Leica R and Nikon F, and a T2 mount 800 f/8.0 Vivitar Series I. They put as good an image on digital as on film. I have also used a Leitz 500 f/8.0 MR-Telyt-R, similar IQ as the Kilfitt and focuses closer and is 1/3 lighter.

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Jun 14, 2019 03:40:27   #
lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA
 
ialvarez50 wrote:
I have a question for all of you guys here.
Has anyone used a mirror lens in their digital camera lately? Any that you recommend?
I used to have one that I use with my film camera but I have not used one with digital.

I would appreciate any recommendations


Yuck, no.

Reply
Jun 14, 2019 06:30:00   #
cameraf4 Loc: Delaware
 
ialvarez50 wrote:
I have a question for all of you guys here.
Has anyone used a mirror lens in their digital camera lately? Any that you recommend?
I used to have one that I use with my film camera but I have not used one with digital.

I would appreciate any recommendations


To be honest, I never felt that the quality of mirror lenses was great even with film SLRs. The reach was nice. The out of focus circles were interesting. The vignetting was horrible. I still have mine but haven't mounted it to a camera in years. Maybe I'll give it a try.

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Jun 14, 2019 07:36:41   #
Keen
 
I have used a mirror lens, but not often. A mirror lens is good for packing high tele capability into a small, lightweight, package at a low price. The trade off is that the image from a mirror lens will always be a bit fuzzier than that from a non-mirror lens. If you are an undercover cop, private eye, or an amateur birder on a budget, a mirror lens will get you shots you can't get get for the same price elsewhere. A new 500mm mirror lens for $99.00 is find-able, and nicely fits into most hobbyist's budgets.....more so than does a $3,600.00 non mirror 500mm lens. If getting the image from a distance is what matters most, and a slight blur is no problem, go for a mirror lens. It is lighter weight, less noticeable, costs less, and lets you sit further away from your subject. If sharpness is what matters most, forget mirror lenses. The mirror lens is great for evidence photos in court which show a suspect doing a drug deal, or whatever. For a National Geographic article on wildlife, the mirror lens is not what will get you a sale. Some artists like blur, and others do not, so for your personal scrapbook, or portfolio, a mirror lens may work....or not. Your tastes will decide that for you. Get a 500mm, or 800mm, mirror lens, and use it a bit. See what you think. If you decide it is not really your cup of tea, it did not cost you a lot, and you can sell it to some other curious type.

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Jun 14, 2019 09:20:28   #
Vietnam Vet
 
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/642521-REG/Vivitar_VIV_500_6_3_500mm_f_6_3.html

I have this one and it's a lot of fun to use. The images will either be tac sharp or out of focus. It's only manual focus but that doesn't bother me.

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Jun 14, 2019 12:07:53   #
cameraf4 Loc: Delaware
 
ialvarez50 wrote:
I have a question for all of you guys here.
Has anyone used a mirror lens in their digital camera lately? Any that you recommend?
I used to have one that I use with my film camera but I have not used one with digital.

I would appreciate any recommendations


Well, that was certainly "quick-and-dirty." My mirror lens is a Sigma 600mm f/8 because, at the time I bought it, the trade mags rated it sharpest vs the other mirror lenses available.
I just did a quick test in my back yard. D850 on sturdy tripod, exposure delay, ISO 100, spot metering, manual focus with focus assist, yadda-yadda. Tested the 600mm vs my Nikkor 70-300mm at 300mm and f/8, all same settings.
Even though the Nikkor doesn't have the best stats, based on what I see, I'd recommend buying a shorter lens and cropping the image. Much more detail.

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Jun 14, 2019 12:10:11   #
juan_uy Loc: Uruguay
 
I have used a Nikkor 500mm f/8 one with a D7200 for moon shots.
I like the reach and the result (as a hobby). I don't think I would buy one (unless extremely cheap), but this one was available for free to use.

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Jun 14, 2019 12:27:29   #
speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho
 
ialvarez50 wrote:
I have a question for all of you guys here.
Has anyone used a mirror lens in their digital camera lately? Any that you recommend?
I used to have one that I use with my film camera but I have not used one with digital.

I would appreciate any recommendations


I wouldn't recommend them for use with film, and that's the same with digital!

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Jun 14, 2019 14:17:28   #
ialvarez50
 
Thank you to all. Your comments helped me decide not to purchase one.

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Jun 14, 2019 15:40:05   #
Leitz Loc: Solms
 
ialvarez50 wrote:
Thank you to all. Your comments helped me decide not to purchase one.

The reason for your post is difficult to understand. It was (correctly) said that a lens that was good for film will be good for digital. You say you used to have a mirror lens - are you actually telling us that you didn't learn anything from your use of it??

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Jun 14, 2019 15:43:44   #
David Taylor
 
Good for selfies.

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Jun 15, 2019 06:54:35   #
billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
 
ialvarez50 wrote:
I have a question for all of you guys here.
Has anyone used a mirror lens in their digital camera lately? Any that you recommend?
I used to have one that I use with my film camera but I have not used one with digital.

I would appreciate any recommendations


I used the 500 mirror Minolta on my digital Sony A77II and liked it. (the older AF Minolta lenses fit the A77, A77 II, A 99, A99 II and many other A mount Sony Digital camera's)
Understand you have a fixed aperture and your background has rings (like donuts), which, in some cases, is sort of neat.
Most are slow, f8 to f11, but with today's high iso low noise camera's it's not a bad thing.

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Jun 15, 2019 07:02:50   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
Since you already have it, why not use it. It won't give you great results, but it's small, reaches to 500 mm, and it doesn't cost you a cent.

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