Junior Member Registered: February, 2009 Location: maisons laffitte 78 Posts: 31
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 28, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $250.00
| Rating: N/A |
| Pros: | | | Cons: | | | Camera Used: Pentax K3
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well I have just ordered it actually ... I have the 500 f8 too , but thought that for 1/2 the price of the Pentax converter , I would save 1 f-stop for almost same focal length (as well ...) - I'll see !  | |
Pentaxian Registered: February, 2008 Location: Hawkesbury Posts: 1,662
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 8, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $240.00
| Rating: 6 |
| Pros: | long reach, reasonably sharp, resists flare | | Cons: | low contrast, poor focus design, would benefit from a hood | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 6
Handling: 4
Value: 8
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This mirror lens has failings typical of all mirror lenses and then some.
While the lens is all housed in metal and has a smooth focus action, the action is too short. If it had about double the throw in the focus ring, It might be just enough. Many of the newer Samyang lenses have a 250° focus throw and that is certainly required here.
The lens can take reasonably sharp images but you really have to shoot RAW because the contrast is pretty ordinary. The lens really only comes into its own for bridging vast distances, when the air mass between you and your subject is so great that contrast and precision are already reduced anyway.
I'm going to try adding a lens hood and see if that can improve the contrast issue.
This lens has so many refractive elements that the major advantage of mirror lenses (no colour aberations) is lost. I seem to get purple fringes in many high contrast situations.
One good feature of the lens is that it has one of the best bokeh's in the mirror lens world of donuts. Out of focus highlights can be quite inconspicuous and the focus fall out is also relatively subtle.
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Veteran Member Registered: March, 2009 Location: Perris, CA Posts: 380
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 6, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $220.00
| Rating: N/A |
| Pros: | gives you good reach at an affordable price | | Cons: | slow | |
I bought this lens off E-Bay with minimal expectations.
The focus is something to get used to as the depth of field envelope is VERY narrow. The focus ring is smooth and has very little play. I found that pushing the shutter release half way and moving the focus ring slowly, I could get the image focused accurately as long as I had the K20D on manual focus and letting the camera tell me when focus was achieved.
Construction is pretty good. Not a whole lot of plastic and the lens is a bit heavy, but not nearly as heavy as the non-mirror 800mm lens. It feels like it is well made.
I haven't had bad luck with this lens. I have read reviews where people have griped about the fixed f-stop, but as long as you use a steady hand, tripod or monopod you should be good to go.
The pictures attached were all taken at 800 ISO, F8.0 and 1/800 second, hand held and the distance to target was about 80'.
The only drawback is the fixed f8.0 aperture. Either you have to manipulate the shutter speed, keeping in mind the "1/focal length" rule or you have to up the ISO. I have had no problems on bright days going with ISO 200-400 and achieving at least 1/800 second. Longer distances on grayer days using slower ISO may require a tripod/monopod as was previously stated.
The lens I bought came with an adapter for Pentax, a 2X converter, cleaning kit etc for about $220. I haven't used the teleconverter too much yet because I was concentrating on getting used to the lens and manual focus prior to attaching the converter and having to deal with the decreased light etc.
Conclusion: Good lens, worth the money. I already have the 18-55 kit lens and a Tamron LD Di 70-300 1:4-5.6, but the 800mm is better for wildlife photography in my opinion. Not as quick, and not AF, but you can get REALLY close.
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