Author: | | Pentaxian Registered: February, 2014 Posts: 408 | Review Date: February 23, 2023 | Recommended | Price: $105.00
| Rating: 9 |
Pros: | sharp, zero CA, good value | Cons: | bulky | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 5
Handling: 5
Value: 8
Camera Used: Pentax KP
| | I had one of these lenses decades ago, and was very pleased with the ( mostly) bird photography shots I used it for, especially when used in conjunction with a sturdy tripod.
Being tempted by the relative compactness and weight of the Tamron mirror I sold it,but somehow the results were never quite as good, although they were certainly acceptable enough. Subsequently I had a number of different makes of mirror lens pass through my hands, including the Sigma 600mm, as well as a few vintage examples, but none seemed particular sparkling where results were concerned.
A few years ago I came across the Pentax zoom mirror lens for a reasonable price, and parted with theTamron, and although that is also quite sharp, I have never really warmed to it, and it wasn't really any better than a very cheap Opteka mirror that also came my way at the same time. Not a clue where the Opteka vanished to, but although the Pentax zoom is still in my hands, it will probably be going soon. A few months ago I also bought the Vivitar series 1 600mm solid cat, and yes, it is sharp, but that solid lump of glass ( in place of one of the mirrors) means it is not very easy to hand-hold successfully. Solid cat it certainly is!
I still had a hankering for my old MTO, so I have just bought a 1978 example for a very reasonable price, and have been testing it out. And this is probably the sharpest example of all the 500/600 mirror lenses I have ever used, and on a par with a very expensive , adapted to Pentax, Canon 300mm f4.5 L series I also use for bird photography, only much easier to hand-hold. In fact the MTO , far from being as heavy as I remember, is actually quite reasonable, and although by no means a lightweight it is well-balanced.
So I am now a happy bunny, and it just shows that sometimes you should hang on to what lenses you already have and are happy with! [ | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: April, 2012 Posts: 1,311 | Review Date: January 26, 2023 | Recommended | Price: $200.00
| Rating: 8 |
Pros: | Good sharpness | Cons: | Focusing stiff | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 5
Handling: 6
Value: 10
Camera Used: K3
| | I bought this lens directly from Ukraine, it took near a month to arrive but worth the wait.
First I found this lens was not sharp and I can barely focus to infinity with a 'flood adapter', this is not normal for mirror lens since it has overshot infinity focus, then later I learned that, this particular lens is always over tightened during assembly to cause the mirror to deform a bit. There is a simple instruction on the internet to 'relex' the mirror, I did that and completely changed things ! Now I can not only get sharper image, but also able to focus to infinity with room to spare, need not to use those flat m42 adapter that hard to remove and install.
I would rate this lens on par if not better than the Tamron 55BB, the only complaint is the focus ring quite stiff to turn especially in cold weather, and relub the lens is not easy, due to the tiny screws used to fix the tubing that easy to crack so I did not do that.
| | | | New Member Registered: June, 2016 Location: Le Mans, France Posts: 4 | Review Date: October 24, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $75.00
| Rating: N/A |
Pros: | Very sharp lens even compared to my Tamron SP 500mm f/8 55BB | Cons: | none @ this price | Sharpness: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Pentax K-5
| | Hi :
I was on a business trip to Baku, Azerbaijan, some 10-years ago, losing myself in some flea markets looking for the USSR's usual stuff, binos, lenses ... and Matrioskas on a Saturday-afternoon. Jumped on this 500mm in mint-condition, as brand-new, the asking price was $150 ... however I hardly negotiated to walk away with it for $75.
Mine is the 3M-5CA, identical to the one in the 4th picture.
I was not able to try it once back home as I was not in possession of any original Pentax M42 adapter, and hell, I thought to be already very well equipped with my Tamron SP 500mm 55BB, so I did not bother for years. Lately, I got my hands on some NOS Pentax M42 adapter @ abt. $20 each so I decided to give to the Russian's made tank a chance... I should have done that before! It blows the 55BB away @ least within my shooting environments: birds and leaves with the use of a tripod. Soo easy...
The cormorants are lazing on the little islet we see on the landscape shot taken with the Pentax DA 35mm f/2.4 AL, the huge crop is from the full W/H taken with the 3M-5CA 500mm. Zero PP. Custom image set to Vibrant, except the one shot with the 35mm which was set to Landscape.
So do not hesitate to buy it if you jump on a specimen in good working condition! [/url] .
| | | | New Member Registered: April, 2018 Location: Larissa Posts: 2 | Review Date: April 14, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $60.00
| Rating: 9 |
Pros: | Very sharp lens | Cons: | Difficult to handle | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 6
Camera Used: Pentax Q
| | Very sharp lens I used them for video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKoFgbUVgO4 | | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2016 Location: Pisz, Poland Posts: 1 | Review Date: September 16, 2017 | Not Recommended | Price: $70.00
| Rating: 5 |
Pros: | bokeh | Cons: | value | Sharpness: 6
Aberrations: 5
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 5
Value: 8
| | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: October, 2014 Location: Washington Posts: 2,176 | Review Date: January 20, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $125.00
| Rating: 9 |
Pros: | Sharp and relatively easy to hand hold | Cons: | heavy | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 10
Handling: 5
Value: 10
Camera Used: k3
| | I had a Sigma 600mm mirror. There is no comparison. The 3m-5a is a close to a conventional lens as you can get. The image attached is my standard test shot hand held. It shows shadow detail, highlight detail, ca, contrast and bokeh. I am amazed at how this lens performs. The contrast is a little low but nothing you can't correct in any program. It is a keeper! IMGP3772 by teamrimfire, on Flickr
| | | | New Member Registered: March, 2014 Posts: 12 | Review Date: March 5, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $180.00
| Rating: 8 |
Pros: | the optics are first class-best mirror i have ever used. | Cons: | 4 meters minimum focus, clearence issues with some D slrs's | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 5
Handling: 6
Value: 9
Camera Used: Nikon D7000
| | Read about these lenses here, and made me want to try one. Just did my first images with it, and although the keeper rate is still low (not unusual for a 500mm anything) there are enough stellar shots that its a keeper already. total freedom from CA's, and very good color and contrast for a mirror lens, or any lens. here are a couple of shots i took with it today https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2880/12938419344_136e4510b7_o.jpg https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3712/12938119143_bf754abc5a_o.jpg | | | | Veteran Member Registered: June, 2013 Location: Sunny Dun(ny)fermline, Fife Posts: 405 | Review Date: July 16, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $80.00
| Rating: 8 |
Pros: | Capable of pretty sharp results | Cons: | the weight and the fixed aperture | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 4
Handling: 5
Value: 10
| | Bought this as a means of trying my hand at telephoto before I splash out on an expensive lens. I had a 500mm f8 mirror lens before (a Centon) which I absolutely hated. Having read reviews here I feel the general consensus is that a good mirror will not be as good as a good regular lens so I can assume that the MTO is a good example of a mirror lens because I think the results are quite sharp.
The build is very solid and the lens is substantially bigger and heavier than the Centon that I hated so much.
The lack of aperture control is a source of frustration but I think the lens can be got at a terrific price and ultimately if you move on you would probably recoup your costs when selling on
| | | | Forum Member Registered: October, 2010 Location: Klaipeda Posts: 78 1 user found this helpful | | | | New Member Registered: September, 2011 Posts: 2 | Review Date: September 23, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $160.00
| Rating: 9 |
Pros: | Optical quality, comstruction | Cons: | Weight | | It is a solid, well built, and optical quality is excellent for being a mirror lens,
I own several mirror lenses (none more expensive than 400 $) including other MTO's and the Tamron 500 f8, and this is the best performer.
I am amazed by the total lack of aberration.
It is a tripod-only lens (1,2 kg),
| | | | Veteran Member Registered: November, 2009 Location: Iowa Posts: 2,275 | Review Date: May 6, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $100.00
| Rating: 9 |
Pros: | Size, weight, good image quality, no CA or PF | Cons: | Fixed f:8 aperture | | After using several mirror lenses for wildlife & bird photography, I picked up one of these from a fellow forum member. I was about to give up on mirror lenses, but I thought I'd give it just one more go. Since it's a widely held opinion that the two best mirror lenses are the 3M and the Tamron SP, (with a slight edge in performance given to the 3M) I confined my last-ditch mirror lens purchase to one of those.
With other mirror lenses, I was always dissapointed with the image quality. Poor detail rendering, washed-out colors, and low contrast tainted my opinion of what a mirror lens could do. I wasn't too optimistic when I screwed my new acquisition onto my trusty *ist DS and took a few test shots of mundane objects in my yard. I was stunned to find a handheld shot of a weathered shed door revealing a surprising level of detail that other mirror lenses failed to show. Every grain and blemish on the wood, and every speck of rust on the padlock were tack sharp, even at full resolution. A random shot of tree bark showed equally crisp detail and excellent contrast. Colors were also much more vivid than any other mirror lens I tried. It had the usual mirror lens "donut" bokeh, but it was smoother and less distracting than with other mirror lenses I've tried.
In fact, I would rate the overall image quality as comparable with my Tamron SP 60-300mm zoom, which is no slouch. To make a long story short, this one's a keeper! The only reason I'm not rating it a "10" is because it's a fixed aperture f:8 design, which really is a non-issue for me.
I used to lust after a Bigma... Not so much anymore. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that if I had a Bigma, I'd still use this one more.
Here are a few test shots I took with it:
I just took these as quick & dirty test shots. Nothing fancy. All were taken at ISO 800 (which accounts for the grain), handheld, with an *ist DS body.
And here's a direct comparison of the 3M vs. Tamron SP, with test shots: http://photoprop.blogspot.com/2009/06/tamron-vs-3m-5ca.html
In the above comparison, the Tamron shots look good, but I think the shots taken with the 3M have just a bit better contrast. On mounting this lens to a Pentax DSLR: There are at least two versions of this lens. The one pictured (the earlier 3M-5A-MC) has a retractable lens hood, tripod collar, and is a larger diameter than the one I have (the later 3M-5CA model). Mine lacks the retractable hood and tripod collar, so it's smaller. My copy is an M42 mount. I use a cheap, flanged (non-infinity focusing) M42 to PK adapter from eBay (around $6) for this lens. On a conventional lens, the flanged adapters don't allow infinity focusing, but since mirror lenses focus past infinity anyway, the cheap adapter allows infinity focusing with no problem. When mounted to either my *ist DS or K100D, the rear edge of the lens barely clears the overhang of the pentaprism... just enough to work. Other Pentax DSLRs have less of an overhang, so it would be even less of a concern on those cameras. If you're considering buying this lens for an *ist DS or K100D, look for the 3M-5CA version like mine, without the retractable hood or tripod collar. Otherwise, mounting could be a problem. I basically converted mine to a PK mount by screwing the adapter onto the lens very tightly with a PK rear lens cap. It's tight enough that it prevents the adapter from unscrewing from the lens when dismounting the lens. Pretty slick. The cheap flanged adapters also have a lens locking pin slot that locks the lens to the camera just like a conventional PK mount lens, so that's also a plus.
If you want a good mirror lens, this (or the Tamron SP) is the one to go with.
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