How many people still shoot with mirror lens these days ?

Astro-Baby · 01-14-2020, 03:59 PM

Well I suppose I could if I carted my Skymax Pro scope around but its a tad on the heavy side. Its a 7” Maksutov telescope with a 2700mm focal length and f15 to boot. Only problem is it weighs a few pounds

and needs a monster mount to hold on to it. I must get round to taking some shots with it though as I do have the adaptors to hook it to one of my OM1s. Hmmmmmm thats got me thinking

Outside of astro....fast film, lots of seagulls roost near me. Hmmmmmm,

thanks thats a project for me to mess with.

lotech · 01-14-2020, 04:37 PM

Originally posted by Astro-Baby

Well I suppose I could if I carted my Skymax Pro scope around but its a tad on the heavy side. Its a 7” Maksutov telescope with a 2700mm focal length and f15 to boot. Only problem is it weighs a few pounds

and needs a monster mount to hold on to it. I must get round to taking some shots with it though as I do have the adaptors to hook it to one of my OM1s. Hmmmmmm thats got me thinking

Outside of astro....fast film, lots of seagulls roost near me. Hmmmmmm,

thanks thats a project for me to mess with.

Shooting seagulls with a 2700mm monster will take mega patience, sorry to cause you shoulder pain and headache !

Astro-Baby · 02-09-2020, 05:35 AM

Ha ha. - you would struggle to hand hold it for sure as it weighs around 8kg its 8" diamter on its front corrector plate but an effective 7.5" due to considerations in the basic design of a Maksutov.

I had too get the scope out today for some routine checks so thought I would plug a camera on and give you an idea of size.

The small black thing on the back is an Olympus OM1 donated to me by a good friend in the US. She was using it for astro imaging some way back and when she upgraded she handed me it as she knows I have a passion for old cameras. It was quite shabby and had a ton of problems due it being outing Alaskan winters for imaging runs and had been left for dead years previously. Its now a full runner and I imtend to use it for some fun doing planetary work with the Maksutov this summer.

Anyway -enough already - heres some pics of it mated to the scope. Theres also a pic of the scope with its normal focuser mounted which weighs twice what a 70s SLR weighs just for the focuser and is actually larger too but then it normally has to hold lenses which weigh in around 2lbs in weight and fine focus like a super fine lab microscope with no wibble-wobbles.

Anyway pics for anyone who's interested....sorry about low res low quality its taken on a happy snappy digital.

troika · 02-09-2020, 11:20 AM - **1 Like**

Someone gave me a box of film era stuff last year, including a 500mm Tamron fixed aperture mirror lens. I laughed audibly when I saw it, but then I started playing with it. This is all I could find from last year, taken handheld from about 300' up the right field line. Baseball season is starting back up and I will definitely have it in my bag again this year.

Last edited by troika; 02-09-2020 at 12:01 PM.

jcdoss · 03-13-2020, 11:42 AM

I still seek to join this club, and have been lurking on the auction site for a high quality 400-600 reflex zoom. The close-focus plus "specialty" mirror lens bokeh make it attractive to me for a possible spring flower lens. Unfortunately, there are quite a few up for bids but all of them seem to have a detectable delamination problem involving front elements (despite being advertised as "EXC" or "MINT" condition). I shall stay vigilant!

**ThorSanchez** · 03-13-2020, 01:48 PM

I bought a $5 2X teleconverter off of KEH, then attached it to the K-3ii with my $30 500mm Rokinon f/8 mirror lens. Just about the cheapest possible 1000mm lens. It's not good. Initial tests indicate that it's not nearly as sharp as cropping with the 55-300PLM.

lotech · 03-13-2020, 03:57 PM

Yes sorry to say the Rokinon/Samyang is amongst the worst in the class I've ever used, I need heavy POST to produce useable image, where the Tamron and MTO is amongst the best. I pre-own a Tamron with some separation in the coating, although I couldn't tell that from the image it is worrisome the oxidation will get worst in time.

Originally posted by ThorSanchez

I bought a $5 2X teleconverter off of KEH, then attached it to the K-3ii with my $30 500mm Rokinon f/8 mirror lens. Just about the cheapest possible 1000mm lens. It's not good. Initial tests indicate that it's not nearly as sharp as cropping with the 55-300PLM.

**ChrisPlatt** · 03-13-2020, 05:39 PM

More donuts, please!

Chris

automorphism · 03-13-2020, 08:49 PM

When I first started out with long lenses I got the Tamron 55BB 500mm f/8. It was a cool lens and I think it still is a cool lens, being pretty much as compact as a 500mm lens can be. It was extremely difficult to use. Even with careful use on my Manfrotto tripod maybe 1/10 shots of birds were okay, if I could get close to filling the frame. The resolving power was quite low and it took a lot of postprocessing to get the image to look decent. I love the bokeh though. Donuts.

I actually later found that this lens was better for video. Somehow the movement of the video downgrades the need for sharpness that is so critical in still bird photography.

If you have a fairly controlled environment and can make the bokeh work for you, it's a fun and cheap way to try that focal length, but far too frustrating as a general purpose lens.

**ThorSanchez** · 08-18-2020, 07:41 AM - **3 Likes**

I post on a Baltimore Orioles (baseball) forum, and someone posted a photo of Boog Powell on his 79th birthday. He was the O's first baseman during their glory years in the 1960s and early 1970s.

When I saw it I immediately thought "that's a mirror lens!" Am I right? The doughnut bokeh can't come from anywhere else, right? Did people actually use mirror lenses in the 60s or 70s to shoot sports? Were the normal telephoto options so poor or expensive that this was a reasonable choice?

lotech · 08-19-2020, 06:32 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by troika

Someone gave me a box of film era stuff last year, including a 500mm Tamron fixed aperture mirror lens. I laughed audibly when I saw it, but then I started playing with it. This is all I could find from last year, taken handheld from about 300' up the right field line. Baseball season is starting back up and I will definitely have it in my bag again this year.

It is one of the sharpest shot taken with mirror lens I've ever seen great job ! I owned couple Tamron mirror before they are the very best of the kind, unfortunately my one got separation in the coating, I traded it for a Russian MTO, the 2nd best of the kind and much easier to find and cheaper.

stevebrot · 08-19-2020, 06:43 PM

Originally posted by ThorSanchez

Were the normal telephoto options so poor or expensive that this was a reasonable choice?

Often lighter and always more compact, with some offering very decent image quality, I don't see the issue and the results you show look pretty good. BTW...the good ones were never inexpensive (FSU excepted).

Steve

**ThorSanchez** · 08-20-2020, 04:29 AM

Originally posted by stevebrot

Often lighter and always more compact, with some offering very decent image quality, I don't see the issue and the results you show look pretty good. BTW...the good ones were never inexpensive (FSU excepted).

Steve

No issue, just in today's world it would be exceptionally unusual to use a mirror lens to shoot sports. Manual focus, relatively small fixed aperture requiring pretty high ISO for typical sports shutter speeds unless the light is exceptional.

I guess I didn't even know if mirror lenses were available for SLRs 50 years ago.

stevebrot · 08-20-2020, 09:19 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by ThorSanchez

guess I didn't even know if mirror lenses were available for SLRs 50 years ago.

He retired in 1977 and Nikon had offered mirror lenses in F-mount since the early 1960s, so it is feasible.

Nikon | Imaging Products | NIKKOR - The Thousand and One Nights No.13

Steve

**RobA_Oz** · 08-20-2020, 02:43 PM

Originally posted by jcdoss

I still seek to join this club, and have been lurking on the auction site for a high quality 400-600 reflex zoom. The close-focus plus "specialty" mirror lens bokeh make it attractive to me for a possible spring flower lens. Unfortunately, there are quite a few up for bids but all of them seem to have a detectable delamination problem involving front elements (despite being advertised as "EXC" or "MINT" condition). I shall stay vigilant!

I’ve only just noticed this thread. Have you found one? Your post prompts me to get mine out and check the front element.

02-09-2020, 05:35 AM	#63
Astro-Baby Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: Reigate, Surrey Posts: 764	Ha ha. - you would struggle to hand hold it for sure as it weighs around 8kg its 8" diamter on its front corrector plate but an effective 7.5" due to considerations in the basic design of a Maksutov. I had too get the scope out today for some routine checks so thought I would plug a camera on and give you an idea of size. The small black thing on the back is an Olympus OM1 donated to me by a good friend in the US. She was using it for astro imaging some way back and when she upgraded she handed me it as she knows I have a passion for old cameras. It was quite shabby and had a ton of problems due it being outing Alaskan winters for imaging runs and had been left for dead years previously. Its now a full runner and I imtend to use it for some fun doing planetary work with the Maksutov this summer. Anyway -enough already - heres some pics of it mated to the scope. Theres also a pic of the scope with its normal focuser mounted which weighs twice what a 70s SLR weighs just for the focuser and is actually larger too but then it normally has to hold lenses which weigh in around 2lbs in weight and fine focus like a super fine lab microscope with no wibble-wobbles. Anyway pics for anyone who's interested....sorry about low res low quality its taken on a happy snappy digital. Last edited by Astro-Baby; 05-09-2020 at 06:33 AM.

08-19-2020, 06:43 PM	#72
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Originally posted by ThorSanchez Were the normal telephoto options so poor or expensive that this was a reasonable choice? Often lighter and always more compact, with some offering very decent image quality, I don't see the issue and the results you show look pretty good. BTW...the good ones were never inexpensive (FSU excepted). Steve Last edited by stevebrot; 08-19-2020 at 07:02 PM.

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01-14-2020, 03:59 PM	#61
Astro-Baby Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: Reigate, Surrey Posts: 764	Well I suppose I could if I carted my Skymax Pro scope around but its a tad on the heavy side. Its a 7” Maksutov telescope with a 2700mm focal length and f15 to boot. Only problem is it weighs a few pounds and needs a monster mount to hold on to it. I must get round to taking some shots with it though as I do have the adaptors to hook it to one of my OM1s. Hmmmmmm thats got me thinking Outside of astro....fast film, lots of seagulls roost near me. Hmmmmmm, thanks thats a project for me to mess with.

01-14-2020, 04:37 PM	#62
lotech Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 1,311 Original Poster	Originally posted by Astro-Baby Well I suppose I could if I carted my Skymax Pro scope around but its a tad on the heavy side. Its a 7” Maksutov telescope with a 2700mm focal length and f15 to boot. Only problem is it weighs a few pounds and needs a monster mount to hold on to it. I must get round to taking some shots with it though as I do have the adaptors to hook it to one of my OM1s. Hmmmmmm thats got me thinking Outside of astro....fast film, lots of seagulls roost near me. Hmmmmmm, thanks thats a project for me to mess with. Shooting seagulls with a 2700mm monster will take mega patience, sorry to cause you shoulder pain and headache !

02-09-2020, 11:20 AM - 1 Like	#64
troika Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Seattle, WA USA Posts: 1,753	Someone gave me a box of film era stuff last year, including a 500mm Tamron fixed aperture mirror lens. I laughed audibly when I saw it, but then I started playing with it. This is all I could find from last year, taken handheld from about 300' up the right field line. Baseball season is starting back up and I will definitely have it in my bag again this year. Last edited by troika; 02-09-2020 at 12:01 PM.

03-13-2020, 11:42 AM	#65
jcdoss Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,754	I still seek to join this club, and have been lurking on the auction site for a high quality 400-600 reflex zoom. The close-focus plus "specialty" mirror lens bokeh make it attractive to me for a possible spring flower lens. Unfortunately, there are quite a few up for bids but all of them seem to have a detectable delamination problem involving front elements (despite being advertised as "EXC" or "MINT" condition). I shall stay vigilant!

03-13-2020, 03:57 PM	#67
lotech Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 1,311 Original Poster	Yes sorry to say the Rokinon/Samyang is amongst the worst in the class I've ever used, I need heavy POST to produce useable image, where the Tamron and MTO is amongst the best. I pre-own a Tamron with some separation in the coating, although I couldn't tell that from the image it is worrisome the oxidation will get worst in time. Originally posted by ThorSanchez I bought a $5 2X teleconverter off of KEH, then attached it to the K-3ii with my $30 500mm Rokinon f/8 mirror lens. Just about the cheapest possible 1000mm lens. It's not good. Initial tests indicate that it's not nearly as sharp as cropping with the 55-300PLM.

03-13-2020, 05:39 PM	#68
ChrisPlatt Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Rockaway Beach NYC Posts: 7,692	More donuts, please! Chris

03-13-2020, 08:49 PM	#69
automorphism Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Ontario, Canada Photos: Albums Posts: 791	When I first started out with long lenses I got the Tamron 55BB 500mm f/8. It was a cool lens and I think it still is a cool lens, being pretty much as compact as a 500mm lens can be. It was extremely difficult to use. Even with careful use on my Manfrotto tripod maybe 1/10 shots of birds were okay, if I could get close to filling the frame. The resolving power was quite low and it took a lot of postprocessing to get the image to look decent. I love the bokeh though. Donuts. I actually later found that this lens was better for video. Somehow the movement of the video downgrades the need for sharpness that is so critical in still bird photography. If you have a fairly controlled environment and can make the bokeh work for you, it's a fun and cheap way to try that focal length, but far too frustrating as a general purpose lens.

08-18-2020, 07:41 AM - 3 Likes	#70
ThorSanchez Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2012 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,803	I post on a Baltimore Orioles (baseball) forum, and someone posted a photo of Boog Powell on his 79th birthday. He was the O's first baseman during their glory years in the 1960s and early 1970s. When I saw it I immediately thought "that's a mirror lens!" Am I right? The doughnut bokeh can't come from anywhere else, right? Did people actually use mirror lenses in the 60s or 70s to shoot sports? Were the normal telephoto options so poor or expensive that this was a reasonable choice?

08-19-2020, 06:32 PM - 1 Like	#71
lotech Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 1,311 Original Poster	Originally posted by troika Someone gave me a box of film era stuff last year, including a 500mm Tamron fixed aperture mirror lens. I laughed audibly when I saw it, but then I started playing with it. This is all I could find from last year, taken handheld from about 300' up the right field line. Baseball season is starting back up and I will definitely have it in my bag again this year. It is one of the sharpest shot taken with mirror lens I've ever seen great job ! I owned couple Tamron mirror before they are the very best of the kind, unfortunately my one got separation in the coating, I traded it for a Russian MTO, the 2nd best of the kind and much easier to find and cheaper.

08-20-2020, 04:29 AM	#73
ThorSanchez Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2012 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,803	Originally posted by stevebrot Often lighter and always more compact, with some offering very decent image quality, I don't see the issue and the results you show look pretty good. BTW...the good ones were never inexpensive (FSU excepted). Steve No issue, just in today's world it would be exceptionally unusual to use a mirror lens to shoot sports. Manual focus, relatively small fixed aperture requiring pretty high ISO for typical sports shutter speeds unless the light is exceptional. I guess I didn't even know if mirror lenses were available for SLRs 50 years ago.

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08-20-2020, 09:19 AM - 1 Like	#74
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Originally posted by ThorSanchez guess I didn't even know if mirror lenses were available for SLRs 50 years ago. He retired in 1977 and Nikon had offered mirror lenses in F-mount since the early 1960s, so it is feasible. Nikon \| Imaging Products \| NIKKOR - The Thousand and One Nights No.13 Steve

08-20-2020, 02:43 PM	#75
RobA_Oz Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tasmania, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,191	Originally posted by jcdoss I still seek to join this club, and have been lurking on the auction site for a high quality 400-600 reflex zoom. The close-focus plus "specialty" mirror lens bokeh make it attractive to me for a possible spring flower lens. Unfortunately, there are quite a few up for bids but all of them seem to have a detectable delamination problem involving front elements (despite being advertised as "EXC" or "MINT" condition). I shall stay vigilant! I’ve only just noticed this thread. Have you found one? Your post prompts me to get mine out and check the front element.