* 500 mm on a Rebel XT - Yes or No?

[Digital_Duck]

Thinking about grabing a Phoenix 500mm telephoto Lens.

Anyone used this before? how would you rate it?

I want to catch a deer on an opposite hill while up in a tree stand - will this do it or what would be better in a comparable price range?

Any Advice? ...or Suggestions?
Understand I have totally bypassed the wading pool ... :eyes

AND I am in over my head .... come hell or high water - I wanna find a digital paradise to land on! :mrgreen:

.... I need to learn as much as possible - come the winter holiday time I am hoping to get nice Epson printer that will handle 16 or hopefully 24 inch roll paper :p

So I gotta be poppin' off some great digitals to show case when a printer is in hand ....

[Bob_A]

Depends on what your expectations are. If you're not looking for good image quality and just want a very cheap 500 mm lens to play around with then go for it. If you want decent image quality then maybe look at something like a Sigma 50-500, which will cost about $1000. Note that good quality lenses with 400 to 500mm reach tend to cost between $1000 and $6000, and for the most part you get what you pay for :) (the Phoenix 500mm mirror lens costs $110).

[Dan-o]

As Bob stated " You get what you pay for ".

[liza]

As Bob stated " You get what you pay for ".

So true. Don't buy garbage like that. You're better off saving for the Sigma 50-500.

[Skrim17]

rent a sigma or L and see how you like it.

[wolf]

Another good choice that will not break the bank is the Tamron 200-500 (http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=248&sort=7&cat=43&page=1). In my opinion the image quality is as good if not better than the Sigma 50-500, plus it is about half the weight.

[Lightstream]

Wasn't Condyk praising the 80-400mm Tokina recently? That might be an alternative to the Bigma, at $650.

[ron chappel]

How far away is the deer ?
Using a 500mm lens on your Rebel XT an average sized buck will mostly fill the frame at about 140ft.
Of course you may want some of the surrounding countryside in the shot as well ,so adjust the distance accordingly.

*sigh*..here we go again....
As usual everyone seems to be ignoring your budget and bagging a lens they know nothing about:rolleyes: :rolleyes:
It does get tiring fighting against those that put down lenses based on nothing more than prejudice :evil:

I have used these types of lenses and find them to be really quite usable optically.In absolute terms they'll give slightly sharper pictures than you can get from the EF75-300 when used at it's long end.
Here is a webpage with some example shots -
http://oomz.net/mf/viewtopic.php?id=2208
Note that there are images from several lenses on that page -the ones you need to look at are by the Opteka lens which is basically identical -it just carries a different brand name)

One very important point! The lens i've talked about is the normal looking 'preset' type.Do not buy any of the 500mm f8 mirror lenses which are available at similar prices.They are not worth fooling with !!!
...yes i know that webpage i linked shows some ok looking images from them ,but what i should mention is that the hit rate with such lenses is abysmal -only the very best possible shots are usable

[Lightstream]

Aww come on Ron, we are all just waiting for the 500 f/4L IS to be recommended :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: (it'll happen, just sooner or later)....

[maxyedor]

Forget the 500 f/4 IS, go straight to the home-loan agent at your bank, and get the funding for a 1200 f/5.6, it's 36LBS of optical greatness.

But more realisticly, how far away is the hill that said deer are on?If you can I would start by moving the blind. Get close enough that the 70-300 will do the trick for you. Failing that, the cheap 500s will get the job done, but as mentioned earlier they aren't the best in terms of IQ. If you plan on making 24" wide prints the low IQ will hurt quite a bit. My advice is to take the cash you were going to spend on a printer and put it towards a Sigma 50-500 or a used Canon 400 f/5.6. Then take the money you were going to spend on the lens, and get your 24" prints done at the lab.

[Digital_Duck]

Here is an example of the type of range I am hoping to accomplish ...

Both photo's are the same target ... One is just cropped - I want to get a closer shot of something like this ...

I am hoping to catch some wildlife shots from a hunters self climbing tree stand (I'm also a survivalist not trophy hunter) or shortly when the ducks migrate to catch them on an island a couple hundred yards away.

[Ronald S. Jr.]

What length were you at with the full size shot?

[Digital_Duck]

How far away is the deer ?
Using a 500mm lens on your Rebel XT an average sized buck will mostly fill the frame at about 140ft.
Of course you may want some of the surrounding countryside in the shot as well ,so adjust the distance accordingly.

*sigh*..here we go again....
As usual everyone seems to be ignoring your budget and bagging a lens they know nothing about:rolleyes: :rolleyes:
It does get tiring fighting against those that put down lenses based on nothing more than prejudice :evil:

I have used these types of lenses and find them to be really quite usable optically.In absolute terms they'll give slightly sharper pictures than you can get from the EF75-300 when used at it's long end.
Here is a webpage with some example shots -
http://oomz.net/mf/viewtopic.php?id=2208
Note that there are images from several lenses on that page -the ones you need to look at are by the Opteka lens which is basically identical -it just carries a different brand name)

One very important point! The lens i've talked about is the normal looking 'preset' type.Do not buy any of the 500mm f8 mirror lenses which are available at similar prices.They are not worth fooling with !!!
...yes i know that webpage i linked shows some ok looking images from them ,but what i should mention is that the hit rate with such lenses is abysmal -only the very best possible shots are usable

I am correct to understand you saying that the older 500/8 Opteka would be a more desirable lens for clarity and true colors?

Would any of you buy used as quick as new lenses?

If so (in the states) which used lens places do you recommend?

[Digital_Duck]

What length were you at with the full size shot?

shamefully - I am not schooled in some terms - LENGTH? that was with the 75 300 mm fully extended with the bird out about 5 or 6 hundred yard (rough guess).

Is that what you were asking? sorry - I am hungry for not full of knowledge.

[Ronald S. Jr.]

Yes...that would be 300mm, then. I meant focal length.

[Hellashot]

Get yourself a Bigma. Cheap telephoto lenses are at a cheap price for a reason - low quality.

[Tyreman]

You can do it but any imperfections will just be magnified.
I predict they will
Borrow one of those lenses 1st and play.
Don't make the buy it then not like it on lenses

[ron chappel]

I am correct to understand you saying that the older 500/8 Opteka would be a more desirable lens for clarity and true colors?

Would any of you buy used as quick as new lenses?
If so (in the states) which used lens places do you recommend?

The Opteka is a new model. As far as i can find out it is absolutally identical to the Pheonix lens you first asked about .
Are you asking about older lenses because i mentioned those on my example photo's webpage?


In the USA the best places to buy used are KEH ,B&H,Adorama ,etc
If you want to buy the sigma 50-500 or similar good zooms you can save alot buying secondhand.But the cheaper lenses i recommended -these are best bought new on ebay...there's no real point buying secondhand because they are so inexpensive new.

[ron chappel]

Get yourself a Bigma. Cheap telephoto lenses are at a cheap price for a reason - low quality.

Mostly wrong
Those 'cheap' tele lenses are inexpensive for two main reasons .They have NO electronics (AF,etc) and they are not zooms.Optically they are far better than their price implies
In fact they are very well built also (all metal)

[Digital_Duck]

Sorry if this is a mindless question: However; In another frame I am on B&H's site - why import lenses cheaper by $30.00 to the ones from here? The info indicates they are the same - no?

[hudsonch]

Sorry if this is a mindless question: However; In another frame I am on B&H's site - why import lenses cheaper by $30.00 to the ones from here? The info indicates they are the same - no?

The imports are "grey market lenses", warranty provided by B&H, not by Canon. In other words, if the lens needs repair and B&H can't fix it, you have to take it to Canon's service center and pay for the repair even if the lens is new.

Lenses with USA warranty are priced $30 higher. Technically both lenses are the same.