Tokina f8 mirror lens

ivoire · 05-14-2008, 12:54 PM

After reading all the posts on mirror lenses, i stumbled on a tokina 500mm pentax mount mirror lens on craigslist, from a local seller for $90. i just got back from doing the deal and took a couple of test shots. i'm too unsteady to handhold it, so i mounted it on a tripod, with my k20d, set to +2 contrast and +1 sharpness and fired away. the sparrow was about 20ft away. the first shot is with a little pp in cs3. the 3rd shot was blown up and cropped. i think i'm gonna like this lens. the full size images are sharper than the reduced for forum pics for some reason.

Last edited by ivoire; 04-12-2009 at 10:29 AM.

creampuff · 05-14-2008, 03:22 PM

Nice shot of the sparrow, but I think you overdid your sharpening in pic 2 & 3 as I can see haloing.

Why not show a post up a picture of the lens for the benefit of all as it isn't a common one.

ivoire · 05-14-2008, 06:16 PM

Originally posted by creampuff

Nice shot of the sparrow, but I think you overdid your sharpening in pic 2 & 3 as I can see haloing.

Why not show a post up a picture of the lens for the benefit of all as it isn't a common one.

quick pic of lens on camera as requested. i think the haloing is from lack of concern when adjusting color in ps. was in a hurry to post and get out the door.

**Lowell Goudge** · 05-14-2008, 06:20 PM

very nice.

makes me want to go out and play a little with my Celestron 1000mm F11 spotting scope.

one point, and i don't know if it is focus error or just the result of resizing the photo, but it seems the focus point is the front of the blard the sparrow is on. is it just my imagination?

I know these things are tricky to focus accurately and DOF is measured in MM

ivoire · 05-14-2008, 06:36 PM

Originally posted by Lowell Goudge

very nice.

makes me want to go out and play a little with my Celestron 1000mm F11 spotting scope.

one point, and i don't know if it is focus error or just the result of resizing the photo, but it seems the focus point is the front of the blard the sparrow is on. is it just my imagination?

I know these things are tricky to focus accurately and DOF is measured in MM

Thanks for the comment. I've been wondering about the focal point myself. the focus and dof, as you mentioned, is very tricky. i erased the card as i was in a rush, so i can't compare it to a few of the additional shots taken of different sparrows. if its a bright day tomorrow i'll be out shooting with it again and test that idea.

got any pics with that celestron?

**Lowell Goudge** · 05-14-2008, 06:44 PM

Originally posted by ivoire

Thanks for the comment. I've been wondering about the focal point myself. the focus and dof, as you mentioned, is very tricky. i erased the card as i was in a rush, so i can't compare it to a few of the additional shots taken of different sparrows. if its a bright day tomorrow i'll be out shooting with it again and test that idea.

got any pics with that celestron?

not with the digital.

I took some, and even posted one of a heron scanned from ektachrome.

the problem is that at 1000mm, and the crop factor, vibration is a nightmare. There are 2 problems, first is any tripod vibration and the second is that the T-Mount and attachment are prone to a little movement. I have now gotten a long lens stabilizer that should help this situation out a little and hope to test it soon.

its on my to-do list for this summer.

ivoire · 05-14-2008, 08:56 PM

[QUOTE=Lowell Goudge;242897]not with the digital.

the problem is that at 1000mm, and the crop factor, vibration is a nightmare. There are 2 problems, first is any tripod vibration and the second is that the T-Mount and attachment are prone to a little movement. I have now gotten a long lens stabilizer that should help this situation out a little and hope to test it soon.

QUOTE]

I shot the moon tonite and found that i had to stay off the deck to prevent vibration (2second delay). i can imagine that another 4 inches in legth on this lens would be a huge problem. Heres the crop from tonites shoot, f8 at 125th; 2nd pic is pp in cs3. i am very pleased with the resolution on this lens:

Last edited by ivoire; 04-12-2009 at 10:29 AM.

creampuff · 05-15-2008, 12:44 AM

Originally posted by ivoire

quick pic of lens on camera as requested. i think the haloing is from lack of concern when adjusting color in ps. was in a hurry to post and get out the door.

Nice shot. The lens really looks pretty solid and the condition looks great.

ivoire · 05-15-2008, 05:13 AM

Originally posted by creampuff

Nice shot. The lens really looks pretty solid and the condition looks great.

The guy pointed out a very small bubble in the front lens at its periphery and it doesn't seem to have any effect. other than that, it is in excellent condition. The lens hood is a long metal sleeve that takes forever to screw on and it reverses to cover the lens. The end cap is a push-on piece of plastic. As all the posts in this forum pointed out, the lens does have its quirks, focus, dof, light, need for tripod. Since a lot of my long lens shots are done in Florida during the day on a tripod, I don't think light will be a problem. My manual focusing will improve with time.

ftpaddict · 05-15-2008, 05:20 AM

It's so compact for a 500mm lens. Great find at a great price.

creampuff · 05-15-2008, 05:22 AM

I used to own a few Minolta mirror lenses in the past and one interesting thing that I noticed is that if left out in the open sun for a period of time, there can be an ever so slight focus shift, which I would put down to thermal expansion of the lens barrel.

ivoire, I'd say you got yourself a bargain.

ivoire · 05-15-2008, 05:42 AM

Originally posted by creampuff

I used to own a few Minolta mirror lenses in the past and one interesting thing that I noticed is that if left out in the open sun for a period of time, there can be an ever so slight focus shift, which I would put down to thermal expansion of the lens barrel.

ivoire, I'd say you got yourself a bargain.

Creampuff, thanks for the reminder on heat effect. Several other forum posts mentioned this as a potential problem and a couple of companies produced theirs in white. Hope i remember this when i'm shooting in Florida. If you can find this Tokina RMC 500mm 1:8 for a few $s, (have the interest and are willing to deal with its quirks) i highly recommend it (its not for everyone).

noblepa · 05-15-2008, 12:02 PM

I have a version of this lens, with a different name on it. Its an interesting lens.

The rear filter is a standard 30.5mm screw-in filter, so you can use any filter you like. Most of these came with three neutral-density filters, since there is no aperture. I don't have the ND filters, but f/8 is okay. I'd like to get an ND2 or ND4 filter, just to be able to have a little more control over the shutter speed. The way it is, I just shoot in Av mode and let the camera decide what shutter speed to use.

The drawback to rear filters, of course, is that you must remove the lens from the camera to change them.

Paul Noble

benjikan · 05-15-2008, 12:41 PM

Here is the Tamron 500mm lens I purchased in Paris for 180 euros. It is in excellent condition. It seems that it was rarely used.

Very, very sharp lens.

Ben

ivoire · 05-15-2008, 01:55 PM

Ben, it was your comment about using a mirror lens for a pro shoot that made me take a look for one. Most of the comments made me skeptical as it looked like this type of lens would be trouble. For $90, i think i got a decent lens. The tamron was among the highest rated but never seemed to come up when i looked. It is surprising that these lenses look almost identical. Looking forward to some of your posts with the Tamron.

Paul, i had no idea that these had a 'filter kit'. It is a very different way of shooting with this lens. the moon was shot manual and the others in av mode. controlling exposure requires some thought. now i will be looking for a lens kit after seeing Bens. Post a couple of pics when you have a minute.

05-14-2008, 12:54 PM	#1
ivoire Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,381	Tokina f8 mirror lens After reading all the posts on mirror lenses, i stumbled on a tokina 500mm pentax mount mirror lens on craigslist, from a local seller for $90. i just got back from doing the deal and took a couple of test shots. i'm too unsteady to handhold it, so i mounted it on a tripod, with my k20d, set to +2 contrast and +1 sharpness and fired away. the sparrow was about 20ft away. the first shot is with a little pp in cs3. the 3rd shot was blown up and cropped. i think i'm gonna like this lens. the full size images are sharper than the reduced for forum pics for some reason. Last edited by ivoire; 04-12-2009 at 10:29 AM.

05-14-2008, 06:16 PM	#3
ivoire Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,381 Original Poster	Originally posted by creampuff Nice shot of the sparrow, but I think you overdid your sharpening in pic 2 & 3 as I can see haloing. Why not show a post up a picture of the lens for the benefit of all as it isn't a common one. quick pic of lens on camera as requested. i think the haloing is from lack of concern when adjusting color in ps. was in a hurry to post and get out the door. Last edited by ivoire; 04-12-2009 at 10:29 AM.

05-15-2008, 12:02 PM	#13
noblepa Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bay Village, Ohio USA Posts: 1,142	Rear filters I have a version of this lens, with a different name on it. Its an interesting lens. The rear filter is a standard 30.5mm screw-in filter, so you can use any filter you like. Most of these came with three neutral-density filters, since there is no aperture. I don't have the ND filters, but f/8 is okay. I'd like to get an ND2 or ND4 filter, just to be able to have a little more control over the shutter speed. The way it is, I just shoot in Av mode and let the camera decide what shutter speed to use. The drawback to rear filters, of course, is that you must remove the lens from the camera to change them. Paul Noble

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05-14-2008, 03:22 PM	#2
creampuff Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Singapore Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,953	Nice shot of the sparrow, but I think you overdid your sharpening in pic 2 & 3 as I can see haloing. Why not show a post up a picture of the lens for the benefit of all as it isn't a common one.

05-14-2008, 06:20 PM	#4
Lowell Goudge Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,891	very nice. makes me want to go out and play a little with my Celestron 1000mm F11 spotting scope. one point, and i don't know if it is focus error or just the result of resizing the photo, but it seems the focus point is the front of the blard the sparrow is on. is it just my imagination? I know these things are tricky to focus accurately and DOF is measured in MM

05-14-2008, 06:36 PM	#5
ivoire Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,381 Original Poster	Originally posted by Lowell Goudge very nice. makes me want to go out and play a little with my Celestron 1000mm F11 spotting scope. one point, and i don't know if it is focus error or just the result of resizing the photo, but it seems the focus point is the front of the blard the sparrow is on. is it just my imagination? I know these things are tricky to focus accurately and DOF is measured in MM Thanks for the comment. I've been wondering about the focal point myself. the focus and dof, as you mentioned, is very tricky. i erased the card as i was in a rush, so i can't compare it to a few of the additional shots taken of different sparrows. if its a bright day tomorrow i'll be out shooting with it again and test that idea. got any pics with that celestron?

05-14-2008, 06:44 PM	#6
Lowell Goudge Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,891	Originally posted by ivoire Thanks for the comment. I've been wondering about the focal point myself. the focus and dof, as you mentioned, is very tricky. i erased the card as i was in a rush, so i can't compare it to a few of the additional shots taken of different sparrows. if its a bright day tomorrow i'll be out shooting with it again and test that idea. got any pics with that celestron? not with the digital. I took some, and even posted one of a heron scanned from ektachrome. the problem is that at 1000mm, and the crop factor, vibration is a nightmare. There are 2 problems, first is any tripod vibration and the second is that the T-Mount and attachment are prone to a little movement. I have now gotten a long lens stabilizer that should help this situation out a little and hope to test it soon. its on my to-do list for this summer.

05-14-2008, 08:56 PM	#7
ivoire Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,381 Original Poster	[QUOTE=Lowell Goudge;242897]not with the digital. the problem is that at 1000mm, and the crop factor, vibration is a nightmare. There are 2 problems, first is any tripod vibration and the second is that the T-Mount and attachment are prone to a little movement. I have now gotten a long lens stabilizer that should help this situation out a little and hope to test it soon. QUOTE] I shot the moon tonite and found that i had to stay off the deck to prevent vibration (2second delay). i can imagine that another 4 inches in legth on this lens would be a huge problem. Heres the crop from tonites shoot, f8 at 125th; 2nd pic is pp in cs3. i am very pleased with the resolution on this lens: Last edited by ivoire; 04-12-2009 at 10:29 AM.

05-15-2008, 12:44 AM	#8
creampuff Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Singapore Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,953	Originally posted by ivoire quick pic of lens on camera as requested. i think the haloing is from lack of concern when adjusting color in ps. was in a hurry to post and get out the door. Nice shot. The lens really looks pretty solid and the condition looks great.

05-15-2008, 05:13 AM	#9
ivoire Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,381 Original Poster	Originally posted by creampuff Nice shot. The lens really looks pretty solid and the condition looks great. The guy pointed out a very small bubble in the front lens at its periphery and it doesn't seem to have any effect. other than that, it is in excellent condition. The lens hood is a long metal sleeve that takes forever to screw on and it reverses to cover the lens. The end cap is a push-on piece of plastic. As all the posts in this forum pointed out, the lens does have its quirks, focus, dof, light, need for tripod. Since a lot of my long lens shots are done in Florida during the day on a tripod, I don't think light will be a problem. My manual focusing will improve with time.

05-15-2008, 05:20 AM	#10
ftpaddict Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Yurp Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,666	It's so compact for a 500mm lens. Great find at a great price.

05-15-2008, 05:22 AM	#11
creampuff Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Singapore Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,953	I used to own a few Minolta mirror lenses in the past and one interesting thing that I noticed is that if left out in the open sun for a period of time, there can be an ever so slight focus shift, which I would put down to thermal expansion of the lens barrel. ivoire, I'd say you got yourself a bargain.

05-15-2008, 05:42 AM	#12
ivoire Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,381 Original Poster	Originally posted by creampuff I used to own a few Minolta mirror lenses in the past and one interesting thing that I noticed is that if left out in the open sun for a period of time, there can be an ever so slight focus shift, which I would put down to thermal expansion of the lens barrel. ivoire, I'd say you got yourself a bargain. Creampuff, thanks for the reminder on heat effect. Several other forum posts mentioned this as a potential problem and a couple of companies produced theirs in white. Hope i remember this when i'm shooting in Florida. If you can find this Tokina RMC 500mm 1:8 for a few $s, (have the interest and are willing to deal with its quirks) i highly recommend it (its not for everyone).

05-15-2008, 01:55 PM	#15
ivoire Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,381 Original Poster	Ben, it was your comment about using a mirror lens for a pro shoot that made me take a look for one. Most of the comments made me skeptical as it looked like this type of lens would be trouble. For $90, i think i got a decent lens. The tamron was among the highest rated but never seemed to come up when i looked. It is surprising that these lenses look almost identical. Looking forward to some of your posts with the Tamron. Paul, i had no idea that these had a 'filter kit'. It is a very different way of shooting with this lens. the moon was shot manual and the others in av mode. controlling exposure requires some thought. now i will be looking for a lens kit after seeing Bens. Post a couple of pics when you have a minute.