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Maksutov 3M-6A 500mm f6.3 Mirror
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PostPosted: Mon May 15, 2017 1:04 am    Post subject: Maksutov 3M-6A 500mm f6.3 Mirror Reply with quote

I was very cautiously optimistic when I purchased this lens because I don't have great respect for mirror lenses. Today was my only opportunity to give it a good test. Took some quick one at the creek, handheld at various ISO, finally settling on ISO400 in favor of fast shutter speed. The light today was harsh, even maxing out my 1/4000 limit. Easier to focus than I had expected but still difficult to do perfectly without a tripod. The pelican seems to be perfectly focused but not all shots were spot-on. With the dog picture, seems the post and bottle on it are in focus. Click on images for larger. No post sharpening.








PostPosted: Mon May 15, 2017 3:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I like what I see. I mean, for a hand held mirror you have stunning results.
Put it on a tripod and give it a try.


PostPosted: Mon May 15, 2017 7:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Like 1 small Surprisingly good images for handheld shots with such a lens.


PostPosted: Mon May 15, 2017 12:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great results!


PostPosted: Mon May 15, 2017 1:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, Pelikan is so great !! Once if you have a chance to try Tamron or Canon lot more expensive normal lenses in this focal length , none of them will better for cost of fortune.


PostPosted: Mon May 15, 2017 3:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not as hard to handhold as I expected, but still difficult when the depth of field is so shallow (close up pictures). Using the magnification feature on NEX for focusing makes it that much more difficult to steady. I got what I was looking for - a test of sharpness. Most images I took were too much out of focus, so these were the successes, even though only some are perfect focus. I need to use a tripod for my intended purpose of photographing the birds at the swamp rookery. The tests tell me the quality is good enough with careful focusing. Better than I expected from a mirror.


PostPosted: Mon May 15, 2017 7:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I like to take pics with mirror lenses and I like your images too.

I sold such a lens with Nikon mount few weeks ago to a German customer. Unfortunately this mount doesn't work with new digital Nikons because their prism are too large. 2nd image with a Nikon F5. You can see the limited space between lens and prism.







Wink


PostPosted: Mon May 15, 2017 8:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think that when we use a mirror lens we have to expect a higher failure rate, and the joy of digital is we aren't paying for processing so just keep shooting. If we get a few shots as good as these, especially the Pelican, then the lens justifies its place in our armoury.

Many years ago my wife bought me a Canon 500 mirror for Christmas that I used on my A1 and AE1 P ( I still have the lens ) and on a visit to my brother in Nova Scotia I used the lens on a boat tour of the sea bird colonies. I rattled my way through about four 36 exposure rolls of film and got maybe ten really good pictures, which might have seemed a waste of money back then. But today 144 shots is nothing when you're on a once in a lifetime event.

I didn't want to change lenses on a boat on a rough day, and the next lens down I had was a Canon 80-200 / 4, which would have been OK, but 500 was better. So I like 500 mirror lenses, I've got three of them, but it is "a frame of mind" thing when you're using them - they aren't easy. The joy of digital is being able to rattle off as many pictures as you can and accepting the higher failure rate of a mirror lens. And when a mirror lens is as sharp as this, it's worth it because you get pictures that otherwise you'd miss.


PostPosted: Mon May 15, 2017 8:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You are so right, Lloydy. I can't tell you how many times I waited impatiently for my slides to come back only to find the picture I had such high hopes for was a bust. Click away on digital. I do that frequently to increase my chances of hitting focus, especially when photographing flowers in a breeze. I fully expect this mirror experience to be exactly what you described.


PostPosted: Mon May 15, 2017 9:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Rolf wrote:
I like to take pics with mirror lenses and I like your images too.

I sold such a lens with Nikon mount few weeks ago to a German customer. Unfortunately this mount doesn't work with new digital Nikons because their prism are too large. 2nd image with a Nikon F5. You can see the limited space between lens and prism.


Thanks for that information, Rolf. My lens came from Poland and had a Canon adapter. I replaced it with a Nikon which was the only other T2 I had. I didn't have a NEX adapter for Canon. Both my brother and a friend here were looking forward to trying the lens until I learned what you just reported. I presume all mirror lenses are a problem on Nikons.


PostPosted: Wed May 17, 2017 12:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No, my most used mirror lens is the Leica 8/500. I replaced the original Leica mount by a Leitax mount for Nikon without any problem with any digital cam. Furthermore I own a Tamron mirror with Nikon Adaptel2 too. Also no problem with a modern Nikon.

Unfortunately the search function didn't work well here within the forum but there are many pictures which I have taken with the Leica lens (in fact a Minolta) over the years here.

Wink


PostPosted: Wed May 17, 2017 1:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks, Rolf. Too bad this is the mirror I have and my Nikon friends are out of luck as far as trying it. I do know the Minolta - and you say the same as Leica - is considered to be very good, however, it is also quite costly. I found a very nice deal on this 3M-6A. If the Minolta is as good or better than this one, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. Hoping to put this one to good use this weekend.


PostPosted: Wed May 17, 2017 1:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Another concern I had going into this was the speed of the lens, although this one is a tad faster than the more common f/8. The NEX electronic viewfinder adjusts for the darker view as expected but I was surprised with how well the peaking worked. In my experience, peaking does not work or does not work well with slow lenses.


PostPosted: Fri May 19, 2017 6:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, I tried out over the years a lot of mirror lenses from Canon, Tamron, Tokina, Russian lenses, Leica/Minolta, Olympus etc.

I decided (for myself of course) that the Leica is or was the best one of them all. I wrote it before it is my most common lens. I own now and collected over the years approx. 15 Leica-R lenses but the 500mm is my favorite focal length.

I'm just selling the Tamron, it is not bad too but the Leica is a tick better - but as you said before with the double price. The Olympus mirror was also a very good lens - above all a very lightweight lens, but in fact very rare on the market.

Wink


PostPosted: Mon May 22, 2017 9:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I took the big mirror to the swamp yesterday. The birds are there in force and the chicks are at various levels of development. Some have already learned to fly while others have just hatched. A few others have fallen to the alligators.

I had not yet fully learned my lesson about trying to handhold this lens. However, I did grab for the tripod before leaving only to find the quick release missing. This lens can be handheld with a deep breath and slow exhale and leaning up against a tree helps even more. I found the bigger problem to be focusing. Using the magnification feature on my NEX was nearly impossible and difficult at best. The effect of a 1.5 crop plus the magnification just intensifies the shake. Consequently, many of my images were unsatisfactory and some good opportunities were missed. A tripod will be a priority before my next trip to the swamp.

I have been extremely impressed with this lens. I have learned that it is quite sharp when focused properly. It is all too easy to just miss the focus and I wonder how many people are experiencing that and mistaking it for a soft lens. In the end, I did get many in good focus and others nearly, but close enough to keep. I took hundreds of images. These are a sampling of this lens in real use.





















PostPosted: Tue May 23, 2017 12:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Like 1


PostPosted: Tue May 23, 2017 7:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow! Amazing results, especially for being handheld. 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are winners! Like 1


PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2017 3:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fantastic results! Did you use single shot mode or multi-shot mode?


PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2017 4:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

pdccameras wrote:
Fantastic results! Did you use single shot mode or multi-shot mode?


Both. I use the multi, but not rapid, when something is about to happen or is in progress of happening. Most of these were not multi. Handheld while bracing against a tree and watching for alligators with my other eye... and trying not to step on fire ant mounds. I often come across gators along the waterside trail and must be aware because they don't move. Water moccasins (cotton mouth), and copperheads are also a worry. Came across a moccasin that same day. Two months ago a fire ant attack landed me in the hospital overnight. So far no alligator bites. One cannot watch the birds out in the swamp while walking - must watch where walking. All this adds to shaky hands.


PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2017 7:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Like 1 Like 1 Like 1


PostPosted: Thu May 25, 2017 12:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

[quote="woodrim"]
pdccameras wrote:
Fantastic results! Did you use single shot mode or multi-shot mode?


Came across a moccasin that same day. Two months ago a fire ant attack landed me in the hospital overnight. So far no alligator bites. One cannot watch the birds out in the swamp while walking - must watch where walking. All this adds to shaky hands.

-------------------------------

That's what I call true dedication! And you have the beautiful images to show for it. It's also why I live here in NE Connecticut - despite some nearby bear sitings, the worst things I usually have to contend with are deer ticks (Lyme disease) and mosquitos. Smile

Best,

Paul


PostPosted: Sun May 28, 2017 1:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Back at the swamp today, I used the big mirror to take this candid portrait of a fellow photographer.



PostPosted: Tue May 30, 2017 7:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My Tamron 500 f8 is crazy shaky on the Nex 5N, and on the Nikon D600 the f8 makes the VF image quite dark. f6.3 might help a bit for spotting focus, though the DOF is even shallower.
I imagine an A7 series camera, or A6500 with sensor stabilisation and focus peaking might make for a more reliable experience.


PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2017 4:16 am    Post subject: Re: Maksutov 3M-6A 500mm f6.3 Mirror Reply with quote

[quote="woodrim"]I was very cautiously optimistic when I purchased this lens because I don't have great respect for mirror lenses. Today was my only opportunity to give it a good test. Took some quick one at the creek, handheld at various ISO, finally settling on ISO400 in favor of fast shutter speed. The light today was harsh, even maxing out my 1/4000 limit. Easier to focus than I had expected but still difficult to do perfectly without a tripod. The pelican seems to be perfectly focused but not all shots were spot-on. With the dog picture, seems the post and bottle on it are in focus. Click on images for larger. No post sharpening.

Nice. Reminds me of Tamron's 350mm f/5.6



PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2017 4:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That looks very good. I also like the Rubinar 300mm. Both are quite pricey.