Inexpensive Birding Lens Poll

GibbyTheMole · 01-24-2012, 06:00 AM

Originally posted by MDegri

My pennies worth is be wary of mirror lenses. I find the mirror lens I have (Centon 500mm f8 ) frustratingly soft & lacking detail. I find it very difficult to get a decent photo out of it (It was cheap).

All mirror lenses are not created equal. I was about to give up on mirror lenses until I gave them one last shot and bought a Russian Tair 3M-5CA from another member. It's quite sharp, and a great performer. I hear the Tamron is excellent as well.

After owning several crap mirror lenses before finding a really good one, my advice would be to steer clear of cheap mirror lenses & try to find a nice used Tamron or Tair. They'll surprise ya. Here's a couple of examples: (Eagle shots were handheld.)

Cheers,
Bob :-)

MDegri · 01-24-2012, 06:24 AM

Great photos Gibby love the eagle shots. I think my error was going for a cheap lens without doing any research on it. I was at a camera fair so was an impulse buy.

GibbyTheMole · 01-24-2012, 08:09 AM

Originally posted by MDegri

Great photos Gibby love the eagle shots. I think my error was going for a cheap lens without doing any research on it. I was at a camera fair so was an impulse buy.

Thank ya! I used to think mirror lenses were garbage, too. But there are a very select few that give conventional lenses a run for their money. Plus, there's zero CA, and they're a lot easier to pack around than a lens the size of a baseball bat. I'm never selling the Tair, that's for sure. I love that thing!

Drom · 02-01-2012, 09:24 PM

Originally posted by GibbyTheMole

All mirror lenses are not created equal. I was about to give up on mirror lenses until I gave them one last shot and bought a Russian Tair 3M-5CA from another member. It's quite sharp, and a great performer. I hear the Tamron is excellent as well.

After owning several crap mirror lenses before finding a really good one, my advice would be to steer clear of cheap mirror lenses & try to find a nice used Tamron or Tair. They'll surprise ya. Here's a couple of examples: (Eagle shots were handheld.)

Cheers,
Bob :-)

Those are beautiful images. I wish we had bald eagle here in Northern California where I am. The most common bird of prey in my neighborhood are red shouldered hawks. I am hoping to get an image of them soon.

Drom · 02-01-2012, 10:07 PM

Thanks very much everyone for your great suggestions and gorgeous pictures!
While many of you seem to like the Tokina, most of you chose other solutions, so I decided to go ahead and get one of the lenses on my 2012 LBA list; the Tamron 70-200mm 2.8 and will try out an AF teleconverter like Joe suggested to see how I like it. If the TC works well, then I will have a very nice dual-purpose lens and will have saved some $$$

Until my new lens arrives, I will only be capturing images of these:

View Poll Results: Most Favored Inexpensive Birding Lens
Sigma 400mm f5.6 AF Tele	3	13.04%
Tokina 400mm f5.6 ATX AF	5	21.74%
Tokina AT-X 80-400mm F1: 4.5-5.6	3	13.04%
Other	17	73.91%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 23. You may not vote on this poll

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Nature Trying out a new birding lens	mole	Post Your Photos!	11	01-11-2012 10:50 AM
Recommended Lens For Birding & Wildlife?	seachunk2	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	55	07-22-2011 05:35 AM
Why is this lens so inexpensive?	kenhreed	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	11	11-27-2010 08:16 AM
Nature Perfect Birding lens... FA 50mm f1.4...	icywarm	Post Your Photos!	5	06-18-2010 03:09 AM
Inexpensive AF zoom lens	Asudef	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	6	02-26-2010 07:56 PM

01-24-2012, 06:00 AM	#31
GibbyTheMole Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Iowa Photos: Albums Posts: 2,275	Originally posted by MDegri My pennies worth is be wary of mirror lenses. I find the mirror lens I have (Centon 500mm f8 ) frustratingly soft & lacking detail. I find it very difficult to get a decent photo out of it (It was cheap). All mirror lenses are not created equal. I was about to give up on mirror lenses until I gave them one last shot and bought a Russian Tair 3M-5CA from another member. It's quite sharp, and a great performer. I hear the Tamron is excellent as well. After owning several crap mirror lenses before finding a really good one, my advice would be to steer clear of cheap mirror lenses & try to find a nice used Tamron or Tair. They'll surprise ya. Here's a couple of examples: (Eagle shots were handheld.) Cheers, Bob :-)

01-24-2012, 06:24 AM	#32
MDegri New Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: UK Photos: Gallery Posts: 19	Great photos Gibby love the eagle shots. I think my error was going for a cheap lens without doing any research on it. I was at a camera fair so was an impulse buy.

01-24-2012, 08:09 AM	#33
GibbyTheMole Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Iowa Photos: Albums Posts: 2,275	Originally posted by MDegri Great photos Gibby love the eagle shots. I think my error was going for a cheap lens without doing any research on it. I was at a camera fair so was an impulse buy. Thank ya! I used to think mirror lenses were garbage, too. But there are a very select few that give conventional lenses a run for their money. Plus, there's zero CA, and they're a lot easier to pack around than a lens the size of a baseball bat. I'm never selling the Tair, that's for sure. I love that thing!

02-01-2012, 09:24 PM	#34
Drom Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: California Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 210 Original Poster	Originally posted by GibbyTheMole All mirror lenses are not created equal. I was about to give up on mirror lenses until I gave them one last shot and bought a Russian Tair 3M-5CA from another member. It's quite sharp, and a great performer. I hear the Tamron is excellent as well. After owning several crap mirror lenses before finding a really good one, my advice would be to steer clear of cheap mirror lenses & try to find a nice used Tamron or Tair. They'll surprise ya. Here's a couple of examples: (Eagle shots were handheld.) Cheers, Bob :-) Those are beautiful images. I wish we had bald eagle here in Northern California where I am. The most common bird of prey in my neighborhood are red shouldered hawks. I am hoping to get an image of them soon.

02-01-2012, 10:07 PM	#35
Drom Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: California Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 210 Original Poster	Thanks very much everyone for your great suggestions and gorgeous pictures! While many of you seem to like the Tokina, most of you chose other solutions, so I decided to go ahead and get one of the lenses on my 2012 LBA list; the Tamron 70-200mm 2.8 and will try out an AF teleconverter like Joe suggested to see how I like it. If the TC works well, then I will have a very nice dual-purpose lens and will have saved some $$$ Until my new lens arrives, I will only be capturing images of these: