I think the hood is a very important part of the mirror lens. It helps by blocking unfocused light going straight through. I've seen some reviews on similar lenses, and some complain about haze and low contrast, while others obviously are but they don't mention. Some also blamed it on atmospheric haze, while their video shots with a wider angle didn't show anywhere near that amount of haze. I had the same experience with mine, but when I added a 10cm long screw in metal hood, it was like a different lens, all that haze was gone and contrast hugely improved.
A lens shade should be used on every single lens regardless of type, obviously ultra wide angle lenses have limitations on shades but the shade will increase contrast and color saturation on any lens. These Mirror lenses tend to have flat contrast as part of their design, however the shade will help minimize any further loss of contrast. As far as atmospheric haze that will always be multiplied when using tele-photo lenses at long distances.
@@RealtorRod64 one video in particular, I noticed they didn't use any lens shade for the 500mm f/8 mirror. While waving around, they pointed at the grass right in front of them, and it was a gray/green, Then they pointed at a distance, and claimed there were a lot of atmosphere. Yes there were som atmosphere, but not that much. With my 500mm f/8, the picture is about worthless without the shade even with post, but kind of usable even before post when using shade.
Hi; i'm gonna adapt this with a K.M adaptor. Gotta clean out the bad fungus. Wondering how 2 mount this on a tripod? Tripod collar? Gonna b astro-gazing with this. Btw; thx 4 confirming that "rule of thumb rule" .. I'd heard it decades ago & beginning 2 remember these rules. Double that 4 this particular lens is fast man! I did get some 400 film .. maybe 800 nxt time
Just picked my first reflex on ebay today 500mm f8 nikkor N - plan on adapting it to a sony a7iv. Really ❤️ the beautiful build quality of the old lenses + there manual!
Tamron SP 500/8 is the primary lens I discuss in this video. I make mention of a few others as well. The Tamron SP 500 is notably sharper and more contrasty than the smaller Tokina 500/8.
The catadioptric (“cat”) lens (or, “telescope”) is seeing something of a revival with the “sunsetting” of film and the rise of digital image sensors. It’s a design that’s easy to make sharp because the light path is not distorted by glass elements and its requisite coatings. It’s also a design that won’t conjure suicidal tendencies if you drop it - like it’s $5,000+ glass cousins. So, “crank-up the ISO, and away you go!” 😎
Regarding the optical quality of these lenses, it varies a lot with the specific model. I was on the market for one of these for a while, and ended up buying a 50-year-old 3M-5A 500mm F/8 made in the USSR, from Zenit, because the optical quality is so much better than most of the lenses you can find today. I got it for about $80 on ebay, with a very sturdy leather carry case and a bunch of filters. It's obviously an old lens so no autofocus or anything like that, but it's more than worth it for the optical quality. I bought it primarily for astrophotography so I'm manually focusing most of the time anyway. These lenses can be great, but there are a lot of crappy ones you need to avoid.
I have been searching for the Tamron SP for years. I actually saw one on Facebook market space in my town and was 15 min late. It went for $25. I owned the 2nd revision of the Nikon 500mm REFLEX and sold it years ago. I just picked up the 500mm Nikon C model for a decent price. I also had a good experience with the reflex lenses. I really wanted to try the Tamron. I heard they are great lenses. Not sure how they stack up to the Nikon reflexes, but I heard anecdotal reviews stating they out performed them in some instances. I found reflex lenses in a hand held situation can be a challenge, but with a monopod or tripod they create great photos. Thanks for the review.
I have heard of people getting good results with these Tamron mirror lens. I use a Minolta 500mm f8 mirror lens. This lens is auto focus, which is great. I have had some very good results with the lens. A lot of people don't like them, because of the fixed f8 aperture and the doughnut circles that can sometimes appear. My advice is get one and try it, you may like it and it sure beats humping about a big heavy zoom lens...😃👍
As I recall there was an earlier version of the lens with a tripod collar. This later version did not, but Tamron may have made an accessory tripod collar.
I have had one of these Tamrons for many years, my first lens longer than 200mm. For performance, it's resolution is "adequate" but not spectacular. It's shortcoming is lowish contrast. However, its f 8.0 tends to limit its handheld use to brighter days, where contrast isn't much of an issue. I used to use mine mounted on a metal "rifle stock", which makes it very easy to stabilize and shoot handheld under most daylight conditions.If looking for a lens like this, note that in the 1980-90s, a number of similar lenses were made at a low price point without the careful alignments required to make this design work well. Actually, the same crappy lens was sold under a number of brands, so either buy a name brand like Nikon or Canon, or Tamron, maybe Sigma. Not Vivitar, Rokinon, etc. Filters screw into the rear of the lens, almost all taking 30.5mm.
I wouldn't buy a Sigma from the 1980s, Sigma is much better today than they were back then. You are correct, the Tamron 500 takes 30.5mm filters mounted in the rear but also takes 82mm mounted up front allowing for use of speciality filters that rotate such as a gradient or polarizer. Almost all cat reflex lenses suffer from low contrast images, but in todays world of Photoshop and Lightroom, low contrast is an easy fix. Reflex lenses are also not noted for their excellent resolution in general, the Nikon, Canon, Tamron and other camera maker versions are all pretty good. And it is very good advice to stay away from all those cheap brands from the 80s and 90s because "crappy" is a good adjective for them :)
I was given this same lens although I'm fairly new to photography. Do I need some tools or extension to connect this lens to my EOS SL2? It's got an EF mount.
Tamron adaptall lenses use an interchangeable mount system. If the lens you were given is equipped with an ef mount it will work on any EOS SLR or DSLR body in manual or aperture priority auto M or AV on the settings. The lens may have a different mount for some other camera system or no mount at all. If this is the case you will need to buy an adaptall II canon EF mount
I recently had an exchange with a viewer regarding the quality of these lenses. Perhaps I was a tad overly enthusiastic about the performance of these lenses. The Tamron, Canon FD, Nikon F, Zeiss Mirotar and a handful of others had solid performance. There was however seemingly countless cheap 500/8 reflex lenses that were pretty crappy and should probably be avoided at any cost more than $50. That said this Tamron lens is pretty sharp, now full disclosure the least expensive Canon EF 75-300 or a Nikon, Sony equivalent will produce superior resolution to these older reflex lenses and you get AF plus all the electronic magic of a modern lens. The downside is that these entry level camera maker lenses are not as solidly built as pro grade older lenses, have less reach, subject to fail and may not be repairable later on (parts, etc. older lenses are simpler mechanical devices without electronics) and generally not adaptable cross platform. I am also seeing quasi affordable long lenses coming out, particularly from Canon like the new RF 100-400 which is an f/5.6-8 lens for around $650 and will trounce this lens in any serious optical analysis. BUT it is 3 times the price, a bit longer and heavier than this Tamron 500. The more resolution your sensor has the more you will see the optical limits of these or any other lenses.
Big fan of the information and of your energy!
The Tamron 55BB was known to be the best 500mm reflex lens, 2nd I would say is the Soviet MTO 3M5CA I still own now.
Some would argue the Zeiss Mirotar is the best. I have not shot it however. The Tamron is about as good as it gets for a Reflex 500/8
I think the hood is a very important part of the mirror lens. It helps by blocking unfocused light going straight through.
I've seen some reviews on similar lenses, and some complain about haze and low contrast, while others obviously are but they don't mention. Some also blamed it on atmospheric haze, while their video shots with a wider angle didn't show anywhere near that amount of haze.
I had the same experience with mine, but when I added a 10cm long screw in metal hood, it was like a different lens, all that haze was gone and contrast hugely improved.
A lens shade should be used on every single lens regardless of type, obviously ultra wide angle lenses have limitations on shades but the shade will increase contrast and color saturation on any lens. These Mirror lenses tend to have flat contrast as part of their design, however the shade will help minimize any further loss of contrast. As far as atmospheric haze that will always be multiplied when using tele-photo lenses at long distances.
@@RealtorRod64 one video in particular, I noticed they didn't use any lens shade for the 500mm f/8 mirror.
While waving around, they pointed at the grass right in front of them, and it was a gray/green,
Then they pointed at a distance, and claimed there were a lot of atmosphere.
Yes there were som atmosphere, but not that much.
With my 500mm f/8, the picture is about worthless without the shade even with post, but kind of usable even before post when using shade.
Got my Nikon 500mm F8 copy. It is wonderful!
I may try to snatch a Nkon 1000mm F11 if I find a good copy in Ebay.
Hi; i'm gonna adapt this with a K.M adaptor. Gotta clean out the bad fungus. Wondering how 2 mount this on a tripod? Tripod collar? Gonna b astro-gazing with this. Btw; thx 4 confirming that "rule of thumb rule" .. I'd heard it decades ago & beginning 2 remember these rules. Double that 4 this particular lens is fast man! I did get some 400 film .. maybe 800 nxt time
The Tamron is small enough to mount not he body and the body can be mounted on the tripod. A collar isn't necessary with this lens.
Can you make another video for mirrorless camera with Tamron SP 500mm mirror lens ?
I used two mirrorless cameras in this video, Canon R5 and Canon M6 Mk II
Just picked my first reflex on ebay today 500mm f8 nikkor N - plan on adapting it to a sony a7iv. Really ❤️ the beautiful build quality of the old lenses + there manual!
Tamron SP 500/8 is the primary lens I discuss in this video. I make mention of a few others as well. The Tamron SP 500 is notably sharper and more contrasty than the smaller Tokina 500/8.
You keep saying "Tamron". I thought it was a TOKINA. Which is it? I didn't know Tamron had the SZ 500mm lens.
The catadioptric (“cat”) lens (or, “telescope”) is seeing something of a revival with the “sunsetting” of film and the rise of digital image sensors. It’s a design that’s easy to make sharp because the light path is not distorted by glass elements and its requisite coatings. It’s also a design that won’t conjure suicidal tendencies if you drop it - like it’s $5,000+ glass cousins.
So, “crank-up the ISO, and away you go!” 😎
Regarding the optical quality of these lenses, it varies a lot with the specific model.
I was on the market for one of these for a while, and ended up buying a 50-year-old 3M-5A 500mm F/8 made in the USSR, from Zenit, because the optical quality is so much better than most of the lenses you can find today.
I got it for about $80 on ebay, with a very sturdy leather carry case and a bunch of filters.
It's obviously an old lens so no autofocus or anything like that, but it's more than worth it for the optical quality. I bought it primarily for astrophotography so I'm manually focusing most of the time anyway.
These lenses can be great, but there are a lot of crappy ones you need to avoid.
I have been searching for the Tamron SP for years. I actually saw one on Facebook market space in my town and was 15 min late. It went for $25. I owned the 2nd revision of the Nikon 500mm REFLEX and sold it years ago. I just picked up the 500mm Nikon C model for a decent price. I also had a good experience with the reflex lenses. I really wanted to try the Tamron. I heard they are great lenses. Not sure how they stack up to the Nikon reflexes, but I heard anecdotal reviews stating they out performed them in some instances. I found reflex lenses in a hand held situation can be a challenge, but with a monopod or tripod they create great photos. Thanks for the review.
Hi, I purchased one in top mint condition. Very happy with it! Best wishes, Ralf
Just make sure you keep your speeds up, it's a nice lens :)
I have heard of people getting good results with these Tamron mirror lens. I use a Minolta 500mm f8 mirror lens. This lens is auto focus, which is great. I have had some very good results with the lens. A lot of people don't like them, because of the fixed f8 aperture and the doughnut circles that can sometimes appear. My advice is get one and try it, you may like it and it sure beats humping about a big heavy zoom lens...😃👍
Yes, you have heard about it, but you have never seen it. It's one of those mythical things that start religions. :-)
Did Tamron make a tripod collar for these?
As I recall there was an earlier version of the lens with a tripod collar. This later version did not, but Tamron may have made an accessory tripod collar.
I added a new video about the Samyang 800mm f/8 lens here: ua-cam.com/video/5bhH67E2FRE/v-deo.html
I have had one of these Tamrons for many years, my first lens longer than 200mm. For performance, it's resolution is "adequate" but not spectacular. It's shortcoming is lowish contrast. However, its f 8.0 tends to limit its handheld use to brighter days, where contrast isn't much of an issue. I used to use mine mounted on a metal "rifle stock", which makes it very easy to stabilize and shoot handheld under most daylight conditions.If looking for a lens like this, note that in the 1980-90s, a number of similar lenses were made at a low price point without the careful alignments required to make this design work well. Actually, the same crappy lens was sold under a number of brands, so either buy a name brand like Nikon or Canon, or Tamron, maybe Sigma. Not Vivitar, Rokinon, etc. Filters screw into the rear of the lens, almost all taking 30.5mm.
I wouldn't buy a Sigma from the 1980s, Sigma is much better today than they were back then. You are correct, the Tamron 500 takes 30.5mm filters mounted in the rear but also takes 82mm mounted up front allowing for use of speciality filters that rotate such as a gradient or polarizer. Almost all cat reflex lenses suffer from low contrast images, but in todays world of Photoshop and Lightroom, low contrast is an easy fix. Reflex lenses are also not noted for their excellent resolution in general, the Nikon, Canon, Tamron and other camera maker versions are all pretty good. And it is very good advice to stay away from all those cheap brands from the 80s and 90s because "crappy" is a good adjective for them :)
I was given this same lens although I'm fairly new to photography. Do I need some tools or extension to connect this lens to my EOS SL2? It's got an EF mount.
Tamron adaptall lenses use an interchangeable mount system. If the lens you were given is equipped with an ef mount it will work on any EOS SLR or DSLR body in manual or aperture priority auto M or AV on the settings. The lens may have a different mount for some other camera system or no mount at all. If this is the case you will need to buy an adaptall II canon EF mount
I recently had an exchange with a viewer regarding the quality of these lenses. Perhaps I was a tad overly enthusiastic about the performance of these lenses. The Tamron, Canon FD, Nikon F, Zeiss Mirotar and a handful of others had solid performance. There was however seemingly countless cheap 500/8 reflex lenses that were pretty crappy and should probably be avoided at any cost more than $50. That said this Tamron lens is pretty sharp, now full disclosure the least expensive Canon EF 75-300 or a Nikon, Sony equivalent will produce superior resolution to these older reflex lenses and you get AF plus all the electronic magic of a modern lens. The downside is that these entry level camera maker lenses are not as solidly built as pro grade older lenses, have less reach, subject to fail and may not be repairable later on (parts, etc. older lenses are simpler mechanical devices without electronics) and generally not adaptable cross platform. I am also seeing quasi affordable long lenses coming out, particularly from Canon like the new RF 100-400 which is an f/5.6-8 lens for around $650 and will trounce this lens in any serious optical analysis. BUT it is 3 times the price, a bit longer and heavier than this Tamron 500. The more resolution your sensor has the more you will see the optical limits of these or any other lenses.