Mmmmmthinking about a mirror telephoto.

I know these are crap lenses. But I have seen good results with them if you can work in their sweet spot. And I have been eyeing them at B&H for a while now, and am starting to slip. I am thinking of the Bower 500/6.3 lens for "just in case" times. And at $179 why the heck not.

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …m_f_6_3_Manual_​Focus.html

I have bought more expensive things that I thought I needed, but never used. So why not this, knowing it may never get used.

Does anybody have any examples shot with a mirror telephoto?

I don't have a ton of input to add here--never owned a mirror--but for that price I'd prefer an Adaptall-2 mirror over anything with the name "Bower" on it.

Search at the dpreview forums, I remember seeing samples from a sigma mirror that were not that bad, the only really con for me would be the bokeh

It is going to be difficult to use, keep that in mind. What camera do you have? You *WILL NOT* be able to reliably manual focus this lens without live view or some sort of focusing screen. Preferably live view.

Been there, done that, never again. Mine was a Tamron 500mm f/8. Catastrophic lenses have some upsides, but not worth the downsides for me. Doughnut shaped highlights, fragile to the point that they are designed to focus beyond infinity to compensate for how temperature and humidity changes affect the focusing. And, there is no, none, zip, zero depth of field.

jr_senator wrote in post #8338796
And, there is no, none, zip, zero depth of field.

so lots of donut bokeh then right?

I've also been tempted but have come to the realization that my TCs on my 100-400 give me the same crappy manual focus lens... Their size is appealing though.

Check the flickr pools for them though, there are some VERY GOOD bird shots in there actually. You just need to know how to work them and they seem like the nifty 50 of the tele world to me.

I've read enough about mirrors back in the 70's and 80's to know not to touch that sh!t.

i have the same tamron adaptall 500mm f/8 mirror...i think depending on your situation you can get good results...i knew it would be good for my uses which is primarily a few nesting peregrine cliff sites...they're far away, the donut bokeh is non existent due to the cliff face...i can easily set it up on a tripod, use live view to focus and get some good results...most of it is for documentation more than printing...but here's a sample...i got this shot when my longest lens was 135mm so i couldn't crop enough to get it this close...also this is a crop too...but now i'm looking at a sigma 150-500mm so not sure how much i'll use it then

jr_senator wrote in post #8338796
Catastrophic lenses

Best typo.

Not sure what lenses you have now, but mirror lenses are not razor sharp by any means. They can produce acceptable results, but so can cropping 50% out of an image taken with a 300mm lens. Just get a newer Sigma or Tamron 70-300 for the same price (or less) and crop it. You will likely be happier and you will have aperture control and autofocus.

Or if you want one as a toy, used ones go for $40-100 on ebay, so at least pay a lot less than $180 for one.

I somewhat disagree with several folks here about the general consensus of mirror lenses. If you have the funds, go ahead and find a good one (not sure about the bower?). I had a chance to play with a Russion Rubinar 1000mm mirror lens and it was fun. I ended up selling it because it wasn't practical in day to day "gotta have that one shot" and I hated the bokeh, but if you are patient, you can make the lenses work in certain situations.

Here is my mini-review of this said lens.

https://photography-on-the.net …=537136&highlig​ht=rubinar

jr_senator wrote in post #8338796
Catastrophic lenses have some upsides, but not worth the downsides for me.

"Catadioptric"? Or was that a Freudian slip?

Anyway, I have a Sigma 600mm f/8 mirror lens which is probably one of the better mirror lenses out there. It is compact and light, has a rotating ripod foot, filter tray and a deep hood. It gets close enough for 1:3 magnification too.

There is a thread about it here with some example photos:
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=632388

I manual focus it directly on the standard focus screen. It does take some practice. Depth of field is very thin even at long distances so you need to be accurate, however that same thinness helps you focus. You have to concentrate and "see" the plane of best focus and how it moves back and forth along your subject. Snap the picture when it is in the right spot. The viewfinder isn't very bright either which doesn't help.

Bower is one of three names for the exact same lens. They literally make Bower for a week, change the name plate then make Vivitar for a week, etc..etc. I forget the other name. Basically it is the Chevy truck/GMC truck thing.

I am not expecting.... well .... anything really. But a 500mm lens for shots you stumble upon and dont have anything longer than 200, it might be nice to have. That is all I really want it for. I have no plans for useing it for production work. Just as a "just in case" item.

I didnt think of looking on eBay. Im sure one can be found there. And if it is $80. There is no real reason not to.

I think it's all Sakar at the end of the day... And probably not very good.

Tamron 500/8 goes for the same though (Maybe less?) and isn't much of a gamble.

Would rather get something like this: http://www.keh.com …BC=&GCC=&KW=sig​ma%20400mm

Or this: http://www.keh.com …BC=&GCC=&KW=sig​ma%20400mm