Mirror lens
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Box Brownie
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Watching to see what others say..........but my understanding is that as you will manually focusing and almost all dSLR are not ideal when comes to manual focusing. Just how quick will you be to ensure you "get the shot...." ???
Cagey75
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I have seen people post decent results using an old Tamron mirror lens [55BB 500mm F8], you need a specific adapter for it [Adaptal to whatever mount you use] - but it can be used for macro also [focuses down to 6 feet]
If you can get one cheap with the right adapter then it might be fun to try out [£150 max for both]
If you can get one cheap with the right adapter then it might be fun to try out [£150 max for both]
mikew
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A few problems but the most annoying can be the out of focus highlights, they look like doughtnuts
https://www.google.com/search?q=exa...WtnsPbAhVHWsAKHe0SC8gQsAQIKA&biw=1920&bih=915
https://www.google.com/search?q=exa...WtnsPbAhVHWsAKHe0SC8gQsAQIKA&biw=1920&bih=915
soupdragon
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They are also fixed aperture. (I think)
Kodiak Qc
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I do… Nikkor 500mm ƒ8 catadioptric lens (latest version) but only
on static subjects as it is not AF. Short and light, it is most practical
where there is dramatic scenes with specular surfaces.
I use it for close-ups too.
It has a distinguishable way to render DoF, specularities, and has a
beautiful way with contrasty scenes.
I see it more like a specialty item and could hardly imagine using it
elsewhere than for imagery where it does wonders.
chris malcolm
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The Minolta A-mount 500mm f8 mirror lens had AF. When Sony took over Minolta and their DSLR A-mount they continued this lens (and its AF). Like Kodiak, I would only use this lens for static wildlife otherwise, but I use it for most of my wildlife shooting. It's one of my favourite lenses. MIchael Reichmann of Luminous Landscape was so taken with the portability and AF of this lens that he said that just to be able to use that lens was a good reason to buy a Sony A-mount camera body, not change to it, just to buy the body for the lens.
I found an annoying feature of it was that it was peculiarly prone to what I at first thought was mirror shake, but later discovered was shutter shake, at shutter speeds below about 1/250th sec. It's the combination of short physical length and light weight which reduces the rotational inertia of the camera & lens combination, and therefore exaggerates any shutter shake compared to a very long and very heavy refractive 500mm lens.
That's not a shutter speed you'd be likely to use handheld of course, but using it on a tripod to shoot a tiny bird perched in the shadows of a tree canopy is one of the ways of keeping the ISO low and the image quality high of this f8 lens in dim light. Especially since its rather wiry "doughnut" bokeh when there's lots of nearby twiggery or grasses to the bird is exaggerated by (at least most) noise removal algorithms. As linear detail like grasses or twigs fade from sharp focus they become doubled by the edge-exaggerating bokeh. But if you have an A-mount camera body with electronic first curtain shutter (and no clattering mirror) that shake magically completely disappears and allows you to use shutter speeds way down into at least large fractions of a second (all that I've bothered to try) with lowest ISO and sharp detail. It's an extremely useful extension of the performance of the 500mm mirror lens.
What a pity then that Sony discontinued this lens just before they actually developed the technology in their camera bodies that so improved its performance! But you can still get them, and the earlier Minolta version, second-hand. Here's some examples of my bird shots with it, including birds in flight, which would be impossible without AF.
This is not a good seagull shot, but it illustrates the possibility of getting the eye in focus with AF, and shows the doughnut bokeh in the foliage behind.
MF 2012 Flying Seagull 3 by Chris Malcolm, on Flickr
Here's another sharp-eyed flying seagull shot, without the bokeh problem.
MF 2012 Flying Seagull 6 by Chris Malcolm, on Flickr
Here's a preening heron, illustrating the wiry effect of the bokeh on nearby background reeds.
Preening Heron by Chris Malcolm, on Flickr
Here's a shot of a heron snatching a little fish from the water. To get a good quality low ISO while freezing the movement I shot this at 1/125th sec, not possible without shutter shake unless using electronic first curtain shutter.
Untitled by Chris Malcolm, on Flickr
Here's a heron I took in bright sun at lowest ISO as part of a detail and image quality comparison experiment with a newly acquired Tamron 70-300mm zoom at f8. Some fellow photographers had been sneering at the terrible image quality of my mirror lens shots and asking when I was going to get myself a "proper" long lens, i.e. non-mirror. If you're interested to follow the links on the Flickr image through you'll find two detailed and enlarged crops down to the beak detail which show quite clearly that the 500mm mirror lens is better than the 300mm.
Comparison of 300m refractor vs 500mm reflex: 500mm by Chris Malcolm, on Flickr
To be fair I've also done a quick comparison of it with the very much bigger heavier and much more expensive sony 70-400mm f4 lens, both at f8, and painstakingly careful pixel peeping on church roof shots did show that the refractor had better contrast, better bokeh, and better shadow detail. At eye-wateringly greater cost and muscle-straining weight.
I remain a fan of my 500mm f8 mirror lens with AF, which I often carry around on walk-abouts just in case a long lens opportunity turns up.
I'd better point out that I found catching birds in flight extremely difficult with the very narrow 3 degrees view angle of this lens on a crop sensor body, until I fitted a red dot gun sight to it, which is so useful for very quickly pointing the lens at what I want that it's a permanent fitting.
Red Dot gun sight on 500mm reflex lens by Chris Malcolm, on Flickr
Among the reasons for persuading me to go for Sony when I switched from film SLR to digital were this unique 500mm mirror lens with AF, and another unique Minolta A-mount lens continued by Sony, the 135mm STF.
I found an annoying feature of it was that it was peculiarly prone to what I at first thought was mirror shake, but later discovered was shutter shake, at shutter speeds below about 1/250th sec. It's the combination of short physical length and light weight which reduces the rotational inertia of the camera & lens combination, and therefore exaggerates any shutter shake compared to a very long and very heavy refractive 500mm lens.
That's not a shutter speed you'd be likely to use handheld of course, but using it on a tripod to shoot a tiny bird perched in the shadows of a tree canopy is one of the ways of keeping the ISO low and the image quality high of this f8 lens in dim light. Especially since its rather wiry "doughnut" bokeh when there's lots of nearby twiggery or grasses to the bird is exaggerated by (at least most) noise removal algorithms. As linear detail like grasses or twigs fade from sharp focus they become doubled by the edge-exaggerating bokeh. But if you have an A-mount camera body with electronic first curtain shutter (and no clattering mirror) that shake magically completely disappears and allows you to use shutter speeds way down into at least large fractions of a second (all that I've bothered to try) with lowest ISO and sharp detail. It's an extremely useful extension of the performance of the 500mm mirror lens.
What a pity then that Sony discontinued this lens just before they actually developed the technology in their camera bodies that so improved its performance! But you can still get them, and the earlier Minolta version, second-hand. Here's some examples of my bird shots with it, including birds in flight, which would be impossible without AF.
This is not a good seagull shot, but it illustrates the possibility of getting the eye in focus with AF, and shows the doughnut bokeh in the foliage behind.
MF 2012 Flying Seagull 3 by Chris Malcolm, on FlickrHere's another sharp-eyed flying seagull shot, without the bokeh problem.
MF 2012 Flying Seagull 6 by Chris Malcolm, on FlickrHere's a preening heron, illustrating the wiry effect of the bokeh on nearby background reeds.
Preening Heron by Chris Malcolm, on FlickrHere's a shot of a heron snatching a little fish from the water. To get a good quality low ISO while freezing the movement I shot this at 1/125th sec, not possible without shutter shake unless using electronic first curtain shutter.
Untitled by Chris Malcolm, on FlickrHere's a heron I took in bright sun at lowest ISO as part of a detail and image quality comparison experiment with a newly acquired Tamron 70-300mm zoom at f8. Some fellow photographers had been sneering at the terrible image quality of my mirror lens shots and asking when I was going to get myself a "proper" long lens, i.e. non-mirror. If you're interested to follow the links on the Flickr image through you'll find two detailed and enlarged crops down to the beak detail which show quite clearly that the 500mm mirror lens is better than the 300mm.
Comparison of 300m refractor vs 500mm reflex: 500mm by Chris Malcolm, on FlickrTo be fair I've also done a quick comparison of it with the very much bigger heavier and much more expensive sony 70-400mm f4 lens, both at f8, and painstakingly careful pixel peeping on church roof shots did show that the refractor had better contrast, better bokeh, and better shadow detail. At eye-wateringly greater cost and muscle-straining weight.
I remain a fan of my 500mm f8 mirror lens with AF, which I often carry around on walk-abouts just in case a long lens opportunity turns up.I'd better point out that I found catching birds in flight extremely difficult with the very narrow 3 degrees view angle of this lens on a crop sensor body, until I fitted a red dot gun sight to it, which is so useful for very quickly pointing the lens at what I want that it's a permanent fitting.
Red Dot gun sight on 500mm reflex lens by Chris Malcolm, on FlickrAmong the reasons for persuading me to go for Sony when I switched from film SLR to digital were this unique 500mm mirror lens with AF, and another unique Minolta A-mount lens continued by Sony, the 135mm STF.