I acquired this lens about 10 years ago. It was very well preserved and even came with its original user manual. It hasn't any loose parts, i.e. its mechanism is smooth and tight. I noticed the doughnuts from the beginning. So I tried to avoid it whenever possible. Some of my best photographs were taken with this lens. I both have analog and digital Nikon cameras (D7000 and D7200). I once took pictures from resident monkeys at my hometown zoo. Though, we were far from each other, separated by a body of water, when checking out the pictures at home, I realized they were staring at me, more specifically at my camera as if posing for it. I also noticed that they were curious about it. And since they seemed to be close due to this long focal length, we can see their facial expressions. The colours and the contrast were spot on. It is one of my favorite manual lens. And I have a lot of them.
Hi David, I hope you are still monitoring this post's comments. I recently bought a -C version from the Kamerastore. Watching this post, I've learned a great deal. My propose for the lens is airshow still shots. My pics will be better for my having watched this. Thanks for a great review.
I have the Tamron 55bb lens, a very similar lens. I've found my best success on mirrorless with IBIS and an electronic shutter. The shutter movement is enough to create blurry images, even handheld. With the electronic shutter, rolling shutter becomes an issue. If the subject is moving, I opt for a very short shutter speed and an electronic front curtain shutter only. ❤ Great video! Mirror lenses are a lot of fun.
Since I am not a native speaker I consider myself a 'native listener'. Hats off to this vid. You were able to revive an iconic piece of equipment that can not compete with nowadays fancy lenses but has earned itself a place in 'the hall'..
Perhaps the only one that challenges the Nikon reflector is the Tamron Adaptall 500 f8; I don´t know if anyone has done a side by side comparison, but among its users there are only good opinions, which put it far from the catadioptrics of other brands. And yes, it's common for people to believe that long lenses are suitable for photographing far away things. The same happens with refracting lenses (glass): when we try to photograph distant things - in addition to dust and smog _ thermal distortion plays against us. Warmer layers of air between us and the subject to photograph change the refractive index of the air. Since it isn't a homogeneous change, we see things distorted, we lose sharpness Nice review !
Thank you! I do not have this lens any more, but it would be a fun comparison. I have also heard that the Vivitar Series 1 Solid Catadioptric 600mm is as good as this one, too.
I use one Old with my Lumix, sometimes with a dumb adapter, sometimes with a dumb adapter with focal reducer, aka the Viltrox N to m43. So I get a 350mm f/5.6 (720mm f/5.6). I shoot Surf and Birds and I find it awesome. The focus peaking of the Lumix works superb!
Thank you for the lack of moon photos in this review ;) I swear every forum thread about someone getting a mirror lens is filled with nothing but photos of the moon. I use a Tamron SP 500/8 on APS-C for birds, it's really fun but definitely takes a lot of practice. I have an old AIS 400/5.6 with TCs also, but I can't hand hold it nearly as long because even without a TC it weighs twice as much as the mirror lens. That tripod foot on the Nikon is appealing not just as a tripod foot, but I think it would give you a place to rest the lens on your hand without touching the focus ring, which is difficult on many mirror lenses.
The tripod collar can be a good grip. I didn't try this, but an extension grip, sort of like the kind used for video camera cages, could be very useful mounted there.
Great review and technical analysis of the lens! I recently picked up the newer version of this lens (focuses down to 1.5m), and it has been a challenge to make good images with it. Watching this video gives me more understandings and idea of how I will use it in the future!
Really great review! I'm now almost certain that the lense does not suit my intended use cases. However, after watching the review I'm also very tempted to try one :)
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. Yes that is the same version I am using. I heard the N or newest version is superior, but my experience was different. Not scientific I now. I was able to pick up a C version for a good price that was in excellent condition. They are good lenses and I heard all the nay saying about them, but like you I experimented with the lens and found its strengths and use it for just that. Additionally, I just find them cool conceptually and knowing how to use one when so many others just give up also makes it worth while. I like your comment on other catadioptric lenses out there. It is true that the stuff manufactured in China for $100 is garbage. A friend had one and I found it unusable even after so much work in post. However, Tokina released a new 400mm reflex that seems to be ok. I would at least like to try it out some day. Thanks again.
With a monopod? No. If you want a gimbal head for a telephoto lens like this, you'll really need a rather sturdy tripod. I don't, personally, use a gimbal. I have a three-way head on my standard tripod and a ball head on my compact tiny tripod. Both give me enough stability with telephoto lenses for my work (honestly I usually just hand hold them or use something in the field like a fence post -- the less I have to carry the better.)
Thank you and I forgot your question about hand holding this lens. In general, don't use any lens at a shutter speed slower than the focal length. With macro and ultra long lenses, though, sticking to at least twice the focal length is good. So I would suggest nothing slower than 1/1,000 for this lens.
@@DavidHancock I forgot that rule, thank you. Im looking to get the later macro version of this lens, does a macro tele means it will give me a macro image of a distance object or just general telephoto capability?
@@DavidHancock Wonder how this compare to the Vivitar Series 1 Solid Catadioptric? I had one, got stolen, replaced it with a Nikkor. There was no way I could get any wildlife shot with either. I had a specific screen for the F4 for it, not much help.
I just bought the 500mm f/8 C on eBay to use with my Nikon D700, and I'm realizing that it might not mount since it's a pre-AI lens. Do you know if that's the case? I can't find the answer anywhere. Thanks for the informational video!
Have a bad (mirror desilvering) Sigma 600mm mirror. Probably less sharp than this. Been shooting -0.3, -0.7 exposure to darken up the darks due to lowered contrast. Did find cool use for donut bokehs. Shot Grackle with bright yellow eyes and the donuts echoed the eye behind the bird. haha.
Hi dave, have you tried this lens on film cameras? Im wondering if the "donut bokeh" only shows up when using a digital camera. Also, what is the ideal shutter speed for handheld shooting?
For film, I forget if this video had the film vs. digital ships labeled. There are film photos throughout, though. And yes, the doughnut OOF area characteristics appear regardless of image media. The way that lenses perform is baked into their engineering and construction and relatively few parameters differ from film to digital, most of the issues that are different arise from sensors being flatter than film and behind a glass stack.
@@DavidHancock ok, so what I gathered from the video is the variation of the background the more you will see the donuts or the further away from the subject, is that right?
@@monsieurgolem3392 If you had, say, a white wall in the background, that would be a flat or diffuse background. If you replaced it with a black wall that has lights, then those lights would be source points and each would be a doughnut if they were far enough behind the subject of your photo.
Great video, but you lost me when you said ice-o instead of the letters I S O. Maybe a generational thing, but it really bothers me that RU-vidrs don't say I S O.
