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Marvelous Mirotar vs Magnificent Minolta battle of the 500 R
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 10, 2022 8:30 pm    Post subject: Marvelous Mirotar vs Magnificent Minolta battle of the 500 R Reply with quote

I mentioned I would compare these two lenses in the thread on the Mirotar. This is not a scientific test with charts and lines of resolution and all that stuff. Just my thoughts on the two lenses in use in the same or similar conditions. All shots taken with a tripod and remote shutter release.









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Ostensibly the same FL and speed but the Zeiss obviously has a a bigger mirror. This clearly translates to more light which makes the Mirotar images about one notch of shutter speed brighter for the same effective image exposure. It also means the lens is bigger and quite a bit heavier. It is a bit longer overall. It has a bit better contrast. It focuses about 8 inches closer. The colors are a bit closer to what my eye sees. Both have razor thin depth of field. When shooting the "Infinity" shot the cell tower, while not truly Infinity, is about a mile and a a half distant and I could focus at different depths of equipment with miniscule focus ring adjustments, both of these lenses are very, very good. A few more comparisons.

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Some shots with Mirotar handheld with the Techart AF adapter. (Sony A7rii to Techart LM, LM to EF, EF to C/Y)



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If I could only have one and the three hundred fifty or so dollar differential wasn't that big a deal, sure get the mirotar. It is, as predicted, better in every category, optically speaking. But not by much. But if kit size and the money are more important the Minolta will work quite well!


PostPosted: Sat Sep 10, 2022 9:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Like 1 Like 1 Thank you! I like the comparison; the lenses and photo examples are quite different, aren't they? Clearly one is optically better than the other, at least to my eyes and brain. Kudos on the two nearly identical Sleepiong Duck photos taken with two different lenses -- skillful camera kung-fu to change lenses quick enough and not awaken the sleeper. Smile


PostPosted: Sat Sep 10, 2022 10:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Like Dog


PostPosted: Sun Sep 11, 2022 2:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Like 1 Friends

You results are consistent with the other test i have seen: the winner is the Zeiss. Wink


PostPosted: Sun Sep 11, 2022 8:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Zeiss performs better; the Minolta is perhaps more practical.

Minolta's philosophy probably went along the lines that if someone needs a long 500mm lens but practical limitations on size & weight they can carry means that they are prepared to put up with the drawbacks of a catadioptric mirror lens in the first place, then perhaps they would be better served with a lens truly aimed at compactness rather than an optically less compromised lens that is still reasonably bulky and heavy compared to a normal 500mm lens.


PostPosted: Sun Sep 11, 2022 9:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for posting! Like 1


PostPosted: Sun Sep 11, 2022 10:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Like 1 Like 1


PostPosted: Mon Sep 12, 2022 11:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have a few books on the Contax/Yashica system (1978-85 time frame), as well as a few leaflets on the Zeiss CY lenses (dating early 1990s). Sure enough, they don't mention the Mirotar 8/500mm.

Is there any relation between the Yashica ML 8/500mm and the Zeiss Mirotar 8/500mm?

S


PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2022 2:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

stevemark wrote:
I have a few books on the Contax/Yashica system (1978-85 time frame), as well as a few leaflets on the Zeiss CY lenses (dating early 1990s). Sure enough, they don't mention the Mirotar 8/500mm.

Is there any relation between the Yashica ML 8/500mm and the Zeiss Mirotar 8/500mm?

S


They might be both made by Kyocera but they are completely different. The Yashica is much lighter than the Zeiss and focus one meter closer.


Source: Zeiss


Source: https://www.pacificrimcamera.com/rl/00804/00804.pdf


Last edited by calvin83 on Tue Sep 13, 2022 4:28 pm; edited 2 times in total


PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2022 3:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Calvin, very helpful!


PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2022 4:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

kds315* wrote:
Thanks Calvin, very helpful!

My pleasure. Friends


PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2022 7:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

calvin83 wrote:
stevemark wrote:
I have a few books on the Contax/Yashica system (1978-85 time frame), as well as a few leaflets on the Zeiss CY lenses (dating early 1990s). Sure enough, they don't mention the Mirotar 8/500mm.

Is there any relation between the Yashica ML 8/500mm and the Zeiss Mirotar 8/500mm?

S


They might be both made by Kyocera but they are completely different. The Yashica is much lighter than the Zeiss and focus one meter closer.


Source: Zeiss


Source: https://www.pacificrimcamera.com/rl/00804/00804.pdf


My understanding is that both lenses were made by Tomoika but definitely are different, despite some rumors. I've used both and while both are capable of good images, the Mirotar is superior in use.


PostPosted: Wed Sep 14, 2022 12:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I forgot to mention the odd color cast in the photos was not down to a white balance selection but due to significant atmospheric wildfire smoke. Dramatic yellowing of images is the result. These are all straight from the camera JPG's with no modification whatsoever aside from selecting the 190000 resize in the upload widget.


PostPosted: Wed Sep 14, 2022 12:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

jamaeolus wrote:
I forgot to mention the odd color cast in the photos was not down to a white balance selection but due to significant atmospheric wildfire smoke. Dramatic yellowing of images is the result. These are all straight from the camera JPG's with no modification whatsoever aside from selecting the 190000 resize in the upload widget.


What was camera white balance set to, auto?


PostPosted: Wed Sep 14, 2022 12:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Daylight sun.


PostPosted: Wed Sep 14, 2022 12:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The smoke from a nearby forest fire was quite variable. The first day the east winds blew it over the top of the valley. It was OK to be outside. Some of the photos were taken underneath that pall but the cloud was so thick I probably should have switched to overcast. The lenses were compared with no changes to settings though. The 2nd and the early part of the 3rd day it was not good to be outside for long at all but the available light was actually better. The bird photos were taken later in the afternoon after particulates had fallen to "moderate" It still put a bit of a color cast on the photos.


PostPosted: Wed Sep 14, 2022 3:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you for sharing, jamaeolus! I am impressed by your both 500mm and their powerful rendering. No sign of blurry softness and really rich colours. Quite an opposite to what I sometimes saw in this forum when a mirror lens was tested. Congrats!


PostPosted: Thu Sep 15, 2022 12:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks . I used a tripod on all the comparison shots. Even so, I excluded many shots at the pond near the canal where the duck photos were taken. There was a gusty wind of say 4 to 11 which I could see in were shaking the camera enough to blur the image. I tried to adjust film speed up, so some pretty high ISO were used.


PostPosted: Thu Sep 15, 2022 12:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very interesting article by Marco Cavina about the various versions of Zeiss Mirotar, including Zeiss Jena Spiegelobjektiv:
http://www.marcocavina.com/articoli_fotografici/Zeiss_cute_DFR_DDR_lenses/00_pag.htm







PostPosted: Thu Sep 15, 2022 2:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That f/4.5 is a beauty!!!


PostPosted: Thu Sep 15, 2022 2:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It will be interesting to compare the Jena Spiegelobjektiv 500/4.0 to the Zeiss Mirotar 500/4.5 and Sigma 500/5.0. Wink


PostPosted: Fri Sep 16, 2022 7:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

calvin83 wrote:
It will be interesting to compare the Jena Spiegelobjektiv 500/4.0 to the Zeiss Mirotar 500/4.5 and Sigma 500/5.0. Wink


Like 1 small Like 1 small