For a while I used a Tamron SP 8/500. It is compact, lightweight and easy to use from a tripod (which I use anyhow). Compared to the huge Novoflex follow-focus telephoto lenses and all those nice modern expensive telephoto lenses that are even bigger and heavier this small gadget is a pleasure to carry, and for what I do it's a great concept... and I admit that I like the look:
The Tamron has a reputation to be a better-than-average mirror lens. But though it has a built-in hood it does not like backlighting situations... and I love backlighting. I can take shots like these with an old 4.5/80-200 Nikkor-C hands down, but with the Tamron I could only see 24 x 36 mm of glare in the viewfinder:
(All made with Nikon F2, Kodak Ektar 100, scanned from 1-hour-lab prints)
Reflex Nikkors might be better... and most probably they are better than all those el-cheapo mirror lenses on ebay.
There were several versions of the 500mm Reflex Nikkor. The last version is still pretty expensive. Is it worth the extra money compared to its ancestors? Is anyone here who can share some experience with the various versions? How are these lenses in backlighting situations?
The future belongs to the few of us still willing to get our hands smell like fixing bath.
I don't have a reflex-Nikkor, but I really want the latest 500/8. According to Nikon, they went out of their way to ensure that the donut bokeh remains circular across the entire frame, instead of turning into crescents near the edges. Also, the latest version is capable of focusing VERY close. Not owning one, I can't comment on its resistance to flare and/or ghosting. I have to say though, that you do amazing work with the lens you already have. I especially love the last photo.
I sold my 500mm Nikon a few years ago, don't know what version it was but i had it for at least 25 years so it must have been an early version. The lens was sharp but had terrible Bokeh as mentioned above. I do regret selling as i did not get that much for the lens, i think around 200$
Nice images CMO, i like the second and the third. Very nice colors from the Ektar.
There was also a 500/4 Reflex Nikkor at one time. I remember seeing a 600/8 Sigma mirror lens which was suposed to be decent. I have no mirror lenses but the ones I would be interested include the 500/8 Canon, the 500/8 Minolta and the 800mm Minolta. The old Vivitar Solid Cat lenses are also interesting. Years ago a friend has the Tamron. He put it on a tripod and shot out of a window. The lens didn't seem to be very sharp but I figured out that the tripod was set up right near an air conditioning unit and the vibration was causing the problem. I have a 90/2.5 Tamron SP (52BB) which is very sharp and has excellent out of focus rendition so some Tamrons are quite good.
Hi Dynachrome! You wrote a 500 F4 Nikkor? Did you mean F 5,0? Do you know anything more about it? There was a 500 F4 Sigma in the late 60's. There is one for sale in the net for € 1500, but it is not supposed to be very good.
At f8 and 500mm DOF is as thin as a sheet of paper... but at f5.6 And there is no such thing as stopping down to f16...
I remember there was a few single mirror lenses that could be stopped down and had a normal bokeh, but they had a reputation to be as useless at f8 as on f16, due to a siginficant lack of sharpness and contrast.
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Originally Posted by cmo
And there is no such thing as stopping down to f16...
