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Smallest, Lightest, decent 300mm?
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 9:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
JohnBee wrote:
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
This is my Tair, been well used but the optics still sparkle.

Very heavy but worth putting up with that for the IQ imho, on my EOS 10D it's a 450mm lens and is still useable handheld.

Ever since I got the Tair I feel my long lens needs are fulfilled.


Wow I had no idea the Photosniper version was this good!
Any idea if the 300A versions(Kiev-60) are the same optically?


I've got the plain 300A version and it's just the same optically, and a bit lighter because it's a conventional lens and hasn't got the odd focusing knob that the Photosniper version has, and it seems slimmer as well. But it's still a big heavy old thing !


Pigeon. by Mudplugga, on Flickr

Optically it's superb, and it's easy to use being a conventional lens, in manual focus terms.
I shot this picture today with the Tair through the window of our house.


PostPosted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 9:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Actually, I really love the wheel focussing on my 3C, I find it makes focussing much faster, horses for courses I suppose.


PostPosted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 10:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
Actually, I really love the wheel focussing on my 3C, I find it makes focussing much faster, horses for courses I suppose.


Just wait.....what I have coming will make your tair look like a 40/2 summicron Smile got focus wheels too.

You are right, I need to learn about dealing with CA, for sure.


PostPosted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 11:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have a couple of lenses that make the Tair look reasonably compact and light, one has twin external focusing rails...

But really look forward to seeing what you have to come!


PostPosted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 4:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
I have a couple of lenses that make the Tair look reasonably compact and light, one has twin external focusing rails...

But really look forward to seeing what you have to come!


Smile you will love it

if somebody else has one in shooting condition I'll be impressed.

Here are the Tam MD and AI EDIF for scale:



PostPosted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 4:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
AhamB wrote:
^^^ No CA in the crop at all, but it looks like there's fairly heavy CA on the right side of the picture?


Heavy?

Original @ 100 % CA rear ridge line and starting from the right where the snow begins on the close mountain face.



LR3 settings - CA adjustment Red/Cyan +28 and ALL EDGES + default LR3 settings that includes masking 22



Seems trivial. Once pix loaded in LR3 it all took a few seconds. Remember this was done on a jpeg and not raw. If it was raw and other than default settings used other colors could have been easily preserved if one wished.


PostPosted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 12:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Yes, it can be fairly easy to remove the CA in one place, but usually it will be added in other places where there was no CA before the "correction". I'm glad I never have to work on this with my Mamiya 645 200/2.8 APO. Wink

I think defringing in LR is bad though. I noticed that it invariably decreases saturation over the whole image (also with RAW), so I never use it. Just look at the warmth of the snow (decreased by defringing).


PostPosted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 4:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
AhamB wrote:

I think defringing in LR is bad though. I noticed that it invariably decreases saturation over the whole image (also with RAW), so I never use it. Just look at the warmth of the snow (decreased by defringing).


Ok same PP as above except for use of Highlight Edges instead of All edges. "Colors" seem to be retained fairly closely without doing anything else.



I am not against APO or lenses closer to it than not. In the last five years the price of most used equipment, no matter the mount, has increased enormously. This is somewhat less true of long lenses because of the smaller than full frame sensors if the lenses are not made with special glasses and thus closer to "apo" Relative bargains are still to be had and my only point here is that they are usable by most for practical purposes without much PP fuss.

I have used true apo lenses for decades in large format - Red Dot Apo Artars, Apo-Skopars, G-Clarons. The bottom fell out of that market quite some time ago and I was able to obtain many other samples for practically nothing. They are usually f9 and thus easiest to use in sunny circumstances. I have used them for many years on 35mm format with bellows. They are for all purposes free of aberrations (and not just CA). If exposed properly, no PP needed in any way.


PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 4:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
local drama last nite

so grabbed my two long nikons and my 12 yr old and we marched to the guns....

turned left up this valley

a few miles late I pulled out the 180 AIS ED, which is my sharpest really long lens.



then finnaly pulled out the 300/4.5 AI ED

not terrible for handheld f/5.6 on 1.5x crop sensor...Smile


these guys were doing 5 min sorties from a nearby pond





no crops--frame as shot


PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 8:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Beautiful series, Uhoh7!


PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 8:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
About the smallest and lightest 300mm lens, the best that I found so far is the Vario-Sonnar 100-300 of Contax CY.
But it's rare and expensive.


PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 10:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
About the smallest and lightest 300mm lens, the best that I found so far is the Vario-Sonnar 100-300 of Contax CY.
But it's rare and expensive.


The Vario-Sonnar 100-300 is the only 300mm which is left in my collection. Versatile, light (925mm) and the quality is hard to beat. Only complaint is the missing clamp for attaching the lens direct to a tripod.


PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 4:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
What I'm finding with the 300s is fine performance out to say, 1/4 mile:



but getting really great detail long range is not something I've been able to do: it may be my copies or technique, or even the day (atmosphere).

up to 100mm I can get pretty decent stuff, and my new little 135 is adequate--the 180 delivers--but beyond that its hard to approach, say the rez of a tele-elmarit, for example:


leica 90/2.8


PostPosted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 5:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I know from my 500 mirrors that an ability to focus beyond normal infinity can be useful depending upon temperature?

Maybe an adjustment to focus can be made to improve infinity focus? The only practicable way is to have a limiting screw and move that a little way. I am not sure if all or any 300mm telephoto refractors have this?


PostPosted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 7:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
The Vario-Sonnar 100-300 T* is my sharpest 300mm by some margin, and it also produces the nicest character.

I've just started using it for wildlife and it's superb - sharp wide open and there's very little, if any, purple fringing.

A few small examples:





And finally, this photo (one of luisalegria's birds) is a 100% crop with @ 300mm with a Kenko 300 DGX Pro 1.4x teleconverter added to make 420mm - I added standard minimal sharpening of 40% USM @ 0.5 px:



So it takes a TC well too, although this is only recommended in good light of course!


PostPosted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 3:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Well, you'll all be up in arms but the Nikkor 70-300 VR II is 744 gms, 80 x 143.5 mm and a pretty solid lens. Shut off AF and it qualifies for this forum.... Cool


PostPosted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 6:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have a bid on ebay 300 / 4.5 ED no IF lens. This is a pretty rare and Bjørn Rørslett Said, this is better than the IF. Let's see what happens.


PostPosted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 10:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
the vario-sonnar 100-300 does look good, but a bit pricey no?


PostPosted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 10:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
muddus wrote:
I have a bid on ebay 300 / 4.5 ED no IF lens. This is a pretty rare and Bjørn Rørslett Said, this is better than the IF. Let's see what happens.


I don't remember the last time one of those made it to auction. According to Roland Vink's database, 967 were made. Can't imagine more than half of these survive from the late 70's.

What is the asking price on that? Always wondered what they go for.


PostPosted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 11:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
uhoh7 wrote:
the vario-sonnar 100-300 does look good, but a bit pricey no?


Yes, I said it, in fact.

Then of course we could open a discussion on what is really expensive, is it more expensive a VS 100-300 for 500Eur that will serve you a lifetime excellently, or maybe another lens for 250Eur that you are not really happy about, then sell losing money, and buy another one for other 250Eur hoping that it's better...
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