Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this lense , I am a Homeless Photographer so I definitely couldn't afford a $2500.00 lense and I do mostly landscape photography from wherever I set up my tent to live. I shoot with a beginner's camera, a Nikon D3500, I am excited to be able to have a lense like this for that one shot that I need for extra reach. I am a recovering addict and alcoholic (4 years and 10 months clean and sober) been homeless about 10 years now, I believe that photography has saved my life. I nolonger suffer from the poor me's. I don't have many possessions other than the clothes on my back an old 20 years old pickup and my camera gear. Photography is the one thing in life that brings me happiness beyond anything I have ever done in life. Thank you again for your input.
I have a Jintu 420 800 8.3. Japanese design and Chinese made. I have had great results with it. Its completely manual and I use it mostly hand held. I've captured amazing moon detailed moon shots with and even flying birds. I've been doing photography for 50 years so manual is not that much of a stretch. Most of my years have been using manual. I've been digital since 08 and my main lens is a Canon 75 300 4 on a t7 Canon . Great video
Thank you for this video. I've been on the fence about buying one of these. I shoot mainly ghost towns, mines, and landscape, so I'm thinking this would work find for me.
It's not what you're shooting, its the "how" you're doing it - when it comes to the telephoto. This type of lens is designed for shooting at a distance. If you can use the 18mm-55mm lens, do it. If you need the 80mm-300mm lens given the distance, use that. The 500mm + lens should really only be used when you need it considering the distance between you and the subject. The reason being is because the big telephoto lenses have tradeoff problems that have to be fixed somehow to get a good shot, and are a real pain. If you don't absolutely need a 500mm lens, don't use one. simple as that.
Thank you Blake for sharing the research. I have a 500 mm mirror lens that I have not used in years. I think I'll get it out and try it again. And, if it still disappoints I can get the Vivitar. Nice reasoning on the use of our funds. Thanks...
My wife has a Vivitar 1200mm lens for her Sony a6000 that she paid somewhere around 240 for. It even comes with a doubler. And it is a PAIN to focus, so the good, or even "OK" shots she has gotten from it are pretty close to zero. I may try it out on my a7III though. :)
I'm on board with you, Blake. 2500 bucks for a lens I'd use twice a year doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I already have a decent Canon 100 - 300 I got years ago with my old EOS650. It works just fine on my 6D! That 500mm looks like a decent way to go for guys like us. Yeah, it's good to see the old Western Auto sign lighted up again. I wonder if anyone remembers what Western Auto was...LOL
A good review. I decided to go with a simple Kenko 2x extension for my Nikon 300 mm lens instead of walking around with something so huge. Such a Vivitar/Bower lens would be useful when visiting Parks abounding with bears, cougars, eagles, geysers, bison, etc. that just can't be approached up close with a conventional lens. I do hear people claim, these lens are not particularly good because they need a stand, or because of chromatic aberration. From the photos you took, it seems more than adequate.
I've been looking at this lens for a couple months wondering if I should get it. I want to take pictures of the moon. I want to get a little closer than my 70-300mm gets me. Your video is pretty cool, I enjoyed it.
It'll work pretty well, especially with a teleconverter. The moon is so bright that you can stop down pretty far and still get good shots. I've been shooting a 400+tc combination, and I'm not sure I'd want more.
I appreciate the information you shared. I have the 500mm lens for my Nikon dslr. I got it because I shoot photos of animals at the zoo some times. I understood the risks before I bought it. I will let you know how I feel after I shoot with it.
Blake, I'm just throwing this out there as an idea, but wouldn't using a 2x converter on your 70-200 give a better result and crop to get the same size image?
Something faster than this :) You really want something that can go at least to f/4.0 on its longest zoom. 2.8 even better.Much of that will depend on your camera as well and how high you can take the ISO before running into noise issues to help with the speed of the lens. There are quite a few variables..
so...ooooo you can do this but its my secret so neeeener neeener :-) seriously though. AMAZING shots on such a lens !!! very impressive. I hope one day you share the enhance 2 you used to really clean them up !!
It's a button in my Zone System Express panel, but no, I won't share it for free, lol. I've got 300+ videos here that are free, some things you must invest in 😜
@@nerys71 thanks 😁 www.f64elite.com/zse6-promo That will get you to the launch price with a discount. You can always email me if you need anything, blake@f64academy.com
This is the first review where the lens look good, I have found a lot of others where it looks barely usable, I am a bit confused. In fact I have same problem this is a lense I will barely use, it would be for like timelapse of the Sun or clouds. Do you find it good for shooting the sun during sunset etc.
@@f64Academy Thanks, I was thinking more at 500mm on Full frame, not at 1000mm. But you confirm that the quality is nice if you use a sturdy tripod and take your time. For me with a z6, I think having focus peaking and very good evf will make it easier to focus.
thanks for sharing all that info. I recently found this lens on ebay for $80. I use a mft camera (olympus epl1) and was debating whether to get this lens or not. and after watching the video - i'm certain that I do not need it. i don't photograph very often - I have very simple lenses but was looking for a telephoto sports lense on a mft system. (but i like shopping in the budget side of things). perhaps - if I have more time, I will again look into this lens for landscape opportunities. (oh, do you by any chance have a suggestion for a sport-like telephoto lens?
Just got a $70 500/f6.3 from Amazon similar to this one. Immediately I regretted buying a 400mm f5.7 Celestron travel scope 2 days ago. For the price, it out-competes a $300 telescope at least. And if you don't use it as camera lens, you can buy a T to 1.25in eye-piece adaptor and convert it to a very good quality telescope. Trust me, with this lens, I pity those entry level astro-photographers like myself who pays so much to get a shitty refractor telescope.
I didn't even think to use this for astro, it might be good for the moon since it is soo bright anyway, but the aperture is a little too small for other astro stuff. At least I would think, but I don;t know a whole lot about that stuff. Maybe you could enlighten me :)
@@f64Academy Aperture is not very critical for astro photography, and this is the reason most astro photographers use simpler refractors instead of large aperture reflectors. Most deep-space objects like galaxies and milky way are not actually visible. Astro-photograph either makes long exposal with a EQ mount, or uses software to stack hundreds of shorter exposals.
Yeah... $300 for a small refractor is not a good deal. All large telescopes are reflectors, and a nice 100mm/4 inch reflector can be had for $100 or so used.
this is interesting. I've watched 50 or so videos on these budget zoom lenses. all of them (reviewed) produce pretty bad quality images almost unusable. your video makes me believe this is actually very good. may be you had a good lighting and focus ? I'll give this a try
It is NOT going to be $3000 lens quality, but the images are usable. I would only do so with highly controlled variables though, like a tripod, still objects etc. This would never be a good Wildlife or sports lens or anything with fast motion. But it isn't bad for landscapes and things in the distance.
hey so im on the fence about this lens still but im more or less over the fence already w just a snag i wanna get over . my purpose for getting this lens is because i want to take some cool pics of the moon and i need a bigger focal reach . my main concern is will the f 8 minimum aperture hinder me in any way ? im interested in capturing photos of earth shine but even if i can just get normal moon pics i will be happy . my biggest concern is that i will have to turn the shutter speed too slow to the point where it will capture small movements as the moon orbits and i dont really like cranking the iso too high because the atmosphere already kinda hazes up the clarity of the moon . if anyone has any advice please let me know ! ( im a beginner so sorry iff i sound like idk what im talking about lol i literally just follow tutorials )
@@f64Academy aah well no just looking to try it to see if i can get the pics im trying to get . at this point im not making any money from any of my artistic ventures so i think i need to do a bit more learning before i can have some success offering my services to people ! i do have access to a 135mm lens w an image stabilizer within it but i was also interested in catching shots of mars or andromeda or even jupiter ( which seemed like a really far off pipe dream without a good magnification lol ) i dont mind if theres some chromatic aberrations as im sure theres a way to clean them up for astrophotography also if im able to learn that !
Get a cheap 400 or 500 lens and try it! At ISO 800, you're going to be shooting the moon at 1/250th or 1/500th of a second at f/8 or smaller, so it should work pretty well. Depending on what you're going for, an inexpensive reflector telescope could be an even better option for moon photography. Obviously you can't set an aperture ring there. Handheld will be shaky, but a tripod and a remote shutter release will solve that. You can also use it as a small telescope of sorts.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this lense , I am a Homeless Photographer so I definitely couldn't afford a $2500.00 lense and I do mostly landscape photography from wherever I set up my tent to live. I shoot with a beginner's camera, a Nikon D3500, I am excited to be able to have a lense like this for that one shot that I need for extra reach. I am a recovering addict and alcoholic (4 years and 10 months clean and sober) been homeless about 10 years now, I believe that photography has saved my life. I nolonger suffer from the poor me's. I don't have many possessions other than the clothes on my back an old 20 years old pickup and my camera gear. Photography is the one thing in life that brings me happiness beyond anything I have ever done in life. Thank you again for your input.
Love the video. I just received the same lens. Can’t wait to try it out. Thanks for all the tips.
So is it good, saw a lot of other reviews and it does not look that good. In fact it is the only one where it does look good.
Did you like it?
I have a Jintu 420 800 8.3. Japanese design and Chinese made. I have had great results with it. Its completely manual and I use it mostly hand held. I've captured amazing moon detailed moon shots with and even flying birds. I've been doing photography for 50 years so manual is not that much of a stretch. Most of my years have been using manual. I've been digital since 08 and my main lens is a Canon 75 300 4 on a t7 Canon . Great video
Awesome! That's a lot of experience! Glad you liked the video.
@@f64Academy it's lots of fun and more fun as time goes by.
Thank you for this video. I've been on the fence about buying one of these. I shoot mainly ghost towns, mines, and landscape, so I'm thinking this would work find for me.
It's not what you're shooting, its the "how" you're doing it - when it comes to the telephoto. This type of lens is designed for shooting at a distance. If you can use the 18mm-55mm lens, do it. If you need the 80mm-300mm lens given the distance, use that. The 500mm + lens should really only be used when you need it considering the distance between you and the subject. The reason being is because the big telephoto lenses have tradeoff problems that have to be fixed somehow to get a good shot, and are a real pain. If you don't absolutely need a 500mm lens, don't use one. simple as that.
Thank you Blake for sharing the research. I have a 500 mm mirror lens that I have not used in years. I think I'll get it out and try it again. And, if it still disappoints I can get the Vivitar. Nice reasoning on the use of our funds. Thanks...
Mirror lenses are fun and huge 😁
GOOD Scottish accent for an American! I'm impressed! Pics came out good!
Haha 😁
You're everywhere!
@@650thunderbird I TRY to be! (But as of tonight, NOWHERE!)
My wife has a Vivitar 1200mm lens for her Sony a6000 that she paid somewhere around 240 for. It even comes with a doubler. And it is a PAIN to focus, so the good, or even "OK" shots she has gotten from it are pretty close to zero. I may try it out on my a7III though. :)
It is very hard to focus, it moves a lot! I had to stabilize it with two hands it picks up so much movement.
I'm on board with you, Blake. 2500 bucks for a lens I'd use twice a year doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I already have a decent Canon 100 - 300 I got years ago with my old EOS650. It works just fine on my 6D! That 500mm looks like a decent way to go for guys like us. Yeah, it's good to see the old Western Auto sign lighted up again. I wonder if anyone remembers what Western Auto was...LOL
the contrast 2 looks awesome!!!! 🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤
A good review. I decided to go with a simple Kenko 2x extension for my Nikon 300 mm lens instead of walking around with something so huge. Such a Vivitar/Bower lens would be useful when visiting Parks abounding with bears, cougars, eagles, geysers, bison, etc. that just can't be approached up close with a conventional lens. I do hear people claim, these lens are not particularly good because they need a stand, or because of chromatic aberration. From the photos you took, it seems more than adequate.
Great couch, and set up. 👌🏽
Thanks 😁
@@f64Academy Sure thing, great channel. Subbing... 🤙🏽
I've been looking at this lens for a couple months wondering if I should get it. I want to take pictures of the moon. I want to get a little closer than my 70-300mm gets me. Your video is pretty cool, I enjoyed it.
It'll work pretty well, especially with a teleconverter. The moon is so bright that you can stop down pretty far and still get good shots. I've been shooting a 400+tc combination, and I'm not sure I'd want more.
Blake, good idea for us landscape photographers, thanks
I appreciate the information you shared. I have the 500mm lens for my Nikon dslr. I got it because I shoot photos of animals at the zoo some times. I understood the risks before I bought it. I will let you know how I feel after I shoot with it.
What did you think of it
is it good?
Blake, I'm just throwing this out there as an idea, but wouldn't using a 2x converter on your 70-200 give a better result and crop to get the same size image?
It sure would.... but Sony didn't make one for the f/4 😑 punks!
lol 😄.
Great video!I must ask though,what's a good budget lens to shoot sports?
Something faster than this :) You really want something that can go at least to f/4.0 on its longest zoom. 2.8 even better.Much of that will depend on your camera as well and how high you can take the ISO before running into noise issues to help with the speed of the lens. There are quite a few variables..
Great idea. Thank you !
so...ooooo you can do this but its my secret so neeeener neeener :-) seriously though. AMAZING shots on such a lens !!! very impressive. I hope one day you share the enhance 2 you used to really clean them up !!
It's a button in my Zone System Express panel, but no, I won't share it for free, lol. I've got 300+ videos here that are free, some things you must invest in 😜
@@f64Academy so you sell it? where is it available? nothing wrong with you profiting from your hard work. nothing wrong with that at all.
@@nerys71 thanks 😁 www.f64elite.com/zse6-promo
That will get you to the launch price with a discount. You can always email me if you need anything, blake@f64academy.com
Thanks Blake. Your the best.
My pleasure!
You're.
i love the shots of down town skyline im a kc born and raised girl no other city in the world like kansas city even the beatles agree
Absolutely! I love this City!
This is the first review where the lens look good, I have found a lot of others where it looks barely usable, I am a bit confused. In fact I have same problem this is a lense I will barely use, it would be for like timelapse of the Sun or clouds. Do you find it good for shooting the sun during sunset etc.
Probably not, it's just too much of a telephoto for that, the sun would move too fast I think
@@f64Academy Thanks, I was thinking more at 500mm on Full frame, not at 1000mm. But you confirm that the quality is nice if you use a sturdy tripod and take your time. For me with a z6, I think having focus peaking and very good evf will make it easier to focus.
thanks for sharing all that info. I recently found this lens on ebay for $80. I use a mft camera (olympus epl1) and was debating whether to get this lens or not. and after watching the video - i'm certain that I do not need it. i don't photograph very often - I have very simple lenses but was looking for a telephoto sports lense on a mft system. (but i like shopping in the budget side of things). perhaps - if I have more time, I will again look into this lens for landscape opportunities. (oh, do you by any chance have a suggestion for a sport-like telephoto lens?
For Sports I use the Sony 100-400 lens, excellent for sports.
Another great video 👍
Thanks!
Wouldn't renting a long lens every two years gather better results in general?
True, but still a lot more than $100 and in the landscape world it can be hard to predict when you will need it.
You've convinced me.
It's extremely specialized and not good for wildlife or sports. Be aware of what you want it for.
I'm considering getting this to take video of birds and other wildlife with a 70D. Good idea or no?
No,too fast moving
What program do you use for the pictures
Adobe Camera Raw it's within Photoshop
@@f64Academy ok so just look up for photo shop this is a new to me just starting up.
Just got a $70 500/f6.3 from Amazon similar to this one. Immediately I regretted buying a 400mm f5.7 Celestron travel scope 2 days ago.
For the price, it out-competes a $300 telescope at least. And if you don't use it as camera lens, you can buy a T to 1.25in eye-piece adaptor and convert it to a very good quality telescope.
Trust me, with this lens, I pity those entry level astro-photographers like myself who pays so much to get a shitty refractor telescope.
I didn't even think to use this for astro, it might be good for the moon since it is soo bright anyway, but the aperture is a little too small for other astro stuff. At least I would think, but I don;t know a whole lot about that stuff. Maybe you could enlighten me :)
@@f64Academy Aperture is not very critical for astro photography, and this is the reason most astro photographers use simpler refractors instead of large aperture reflectors.
Most deep-space objects like galaxies and milky way are not actually visible. Astro-photograph either makes long exposal with a EQ mount, or uses software to stack hundreds of shorter exposals.
Yeah... $300 for a small refractor is not a good deal. All large telescopes are reflectors, and a nice 100mm/4 inch reflector can be had for $100 or so used.
this is interesting. I've watched 50 or so videos on these budget zoom lenses. all of them (reviewed) produce pretty bad quality images almost unusable. your video makes me believe this is actually very good. may be you had a good lighting and focus ? I'll give this a try
It is NOT going to be $3000 lens quality, but the images are usable. I would only do so with highly controlled variables though, like a tripod, still objects etc.
This would never be a good Wildlife or sports lens or anything with fast motion. But it isn't bad for landscapes and things in the distance.
Budget _zooms_ might be rough, but prime lenses like this are simpler in construction, so you still get quality at a reasonable price.
It is adaptable to Olympus e-410?
maybe, you'd have to search Amazon.
f64 Academy Amazon does not deliver to Switzerland unfortunately 🙄
@@rangovanlife well .. it's not about Amazon. The lens and it's rebrands are broadly available from a variety of resellers.
If you think that is ugly, see my Vivitar 800 from around 1966. Stop down for best results
haha
Can I use Vivitar with a Canon?
Sure. They made them in FD mount, and if you have an EOS, there are adapters for just about every lens.
hey so im on the fence about this lens still but im more or less over the fence already w just a snag i wanna get over . my purpose for getting this lens is because i want to take some cool pics of the moon and i need a bigger focal reach . my main concern is will the f 8 minimum aperture hinder me in any way ? im interested in capturing photos of earth shine but even if i can just get normal moon pics i will be happy . my biggest concern is that i will have to turn the shutter speed too slow to the point where it will capture small movements as the moon orbits and i dont really like cranking the iso too high because the atmosphere already kinda hazes up the clarity of the moon . if anyone has any advice please let me know ! ( im a beginner so sorry iff i sound like idk what im talking about lol i literally just follow tutorials )
Yeah it would give you I believe. This lens is also very long and not very stable.
@@f64Academy when u say unstable is it shaky ? i usually put on self timer mode to try to keep it as still as it can be when i take a pic of the moon
It is shaky for it's length. I wouldn't recommend it for serious work.
@@f64Academy aah well no just looking to try it to see if i can get the pics im trying to get . at this point im not making any money from any of my artistic ventures so i think i need to do a bit more learning before i can have some success offering my services to people ! i do have access to a 135mm lens w an image stabilizer within it but i was also interested in catching shots of mars or andromeda or even jupiter ( which seemed like a really far off pipe dream without a good magnification lol ) i dont mind if theres some chromatic aberrations as im sure theres a way to clean them up for astrophotography also if im able to learn that !
Get a cheap 400 or 500 lens and try it! At ISO 800, you're going to be shooting the moon at 1/250th or 1/500th of a second at f/8 or smaller, so it should work pretty well. Depending on what you're going for, an inexpensive reflector telescope could be an even better option for moon photography. Obviously you can't set an aperture ring there. Handheld will be shaky, but a tripod and a remote shutter release will solve that. You can also use it as a small telescope of sorts.