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Are all cheapo 500/8 mirror lens equally bad?
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 09, 2014 7:25 pm    Post subject: Are all cheapo 500/8 mirror lens equally bad? Reply with quote
Hello.

I'm working on ambicious project - by merging various techniques, I want to create telephoto lens with camera-independent AF. So I needed telephoto lens, lightweight and compact. I won Vivitar 500/8 on ebay, in perfect condition, rear-front etc caps, nd filters, everything is included and lens is in great shape overall. But the image quality - don't. While there is no CA to be noticed, and bokeh donuts are perfect shape, which indicates that mirror is OK, image sharpness is very bad.

I had no usage practice of cheap mirror lens, so I don't know, is this quality I should expect, or mine is bad copy?


PostPosted: Wed Apr 09, 2014 7:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
you probably got newer vivitar mirror lens. their quality took a nose dive in the 90's.


PostPosted: Wed Apr 09, 2014 7:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
don't know what you get , I had several 500mm mirror lenses all was equal quality with same focal length non mirror lenses, Tamron SP500mm f8, MTO 500mm f8 or f6.3 all very sharp vs focal length


PostPosted: Wed Apr 09, 2014 7:45 pm    Post subject: Re: Are all cheapo 500/8 mirror lens equally bad? Reply with quote
CuriousOne wrote:
Hello.

I'm working on ambicious project - by merging various techniques, I want to create telephoto lens with camera-independent AF. So I needed telephoto lens, lightweight and compact. I won Vivitar 500/8 on ebay, in perfect condition, rear-front etc caps, nd filters, everything is included and lens is in great shape overall. But the image quality - don't. While there is no CA to be noticed, and bokeh donuts are perfect shape, which indicates that mirror is OK, image sharpness is very bad.

I had no usage practice of cheap mirror lens, so I don't know, is this quality I should expect, or mine is bad copy?


How did you use it? Lenses that long punish the least unsteadiness.

What were seeing conditions like when you tried it out? Two major problems, air that isn't perfectly clear and air that isn't perfectly still.

Are you sure it was focused on the subject?


PostPosted: Wed Apr 09, 2014 7:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
This is my rating but may not 100% reflects the truth
Best: CONTAX Mirotar
Good to Very good: Nikon N Reflex-NIKKOR, Minolta AF Reflex
Decent to Good: Tamron, Olympus, Canon nFD, Minolta, MTO
Average to Bad: Samyang, Tokina or other no name brands

No idea about Lecia or Yashica ML.


PostPosted: Wed Apr 09, 2014 7:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I had a Centon 500mm that was truly my worst ever lens. I wouldn't even give it to a charity shop.
My Tamron 55BB is pretty good though.


PostPosted: Wed Apr 09, 2014 7:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I will have look at papers, which came with lens, tomorrow. Don't remember the year, but even dealers card was included and it had no email/website or mobile phone mentioned on it, so I guess it should be pre-90s.

How I tested?

I have 500/8 non mirror lens (Five Star MC) I did a side by side test and took at least 50 pictures on various distances, to check the image quality. The best in terms of sharpen I can get from this lens is this:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/99494748@N03/13744780775/lightbox/



Weather was very post windy and clear - I have other telephoto lens and I definetly know how to choose shooting conditions for telephoto lens.


PostPosted: Wed Apr 09, 2014 8:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Why did you try to insert Iframe ? what bullshit is in location "Home" , in footer nothing interesting ?


PostPosted: Wed Apr 09, 2014 8:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Because flickr changed the way it generates the embed code Smile

Regarding the personal info, I prefer to control it according to my preferences, as much as possible. Any problems?


PostPosted: Wed Apr 09, 2014 8:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Many cheap mirrors are bad. I tried many Korean and Japanese samples of dubuios makes, all mediocre or very bad.

My rating of mirror lenses is as follows.

Great: Yashica ML 500/8, Olympus 500/8, Russian MC 3M-5A 500/8
Very good: MC Rubinar 500/8, Tamron 500/8
Good/average: RMC Tokina 500/8

Some old Soligor C/D and Vivitar Series 1 mirrors could be good, but I haven't tried them.


PostPosted: Wed Apr 09, 2014 8:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks.

As total cost for this lens was around $20, I think I have nothing to complain, but for final product, I'll have to buy better one.

Forgot to mention, it is actually darker than F8, around F9 I feel.


PostPosted: Wed Apr 09, 2014 8:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
CuriousOne wrote:
Because flickr changed the way it generates the embed code Smile

Regarding the personal info, I prefer to control it according to my preferences, as much as possible. Any problems?


Yes, I have problem with it, quiet obvious from my question, it looks rather arrogant than normal behavior. Most people tell some lens, cameras, a quote "nothing interesting" and home as location shows me impolite behavior. Many thread of yours suggest also something strange, this was a few moderators impression from beginning. A banned member did return or similar guess. To give a country where do you live or a city not harm any privacy, also some gears in footer.

Last edited by Attila on Wed Apr 09, 2014 8:57 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Wed Apr 09, 2014 8:56 pm    Post subject: Re: Are all cheapo 500/8 mirror lens equally bad? Reply with quote
CuriousOne wrote:
nd filters, everything is included and lens is in great shape overall.

Have you tried it with or without a clear/skylight filter in the slot?

My understanding is that the optics are designed to have an extra glass element: skylight, ND, whatever.


PostPosted: Wed Apr 09, 2014 10:46 pm    Post subject: Re: Are all cheapo 500/8 mirror lens equally bad? Reply with quote
-rageQuit- wrote:
My understanding is that the optics are designed to have an extra glass element: skylight, ND, whatever.

I wonder if it's the depth of the rim of the rear-filter -- rather than the glass mounted in it -- which makes some difference in mirror lenses
(not worth dismantling a rear filter on my Tamron 500mm just to find out, though).


PostPosted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 4:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Front filter mount diameter is 72mm and rear screw in filter diameter is 30.5mm. I've tried various combinations, no diffrence in quality.


PostPosted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 8:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
CuriousOne wrote:
Front filter mount diameter is 72mm and rear screw in filter diameter is 30.5mm. I've tried various combinations, no diffrence in quality.

And it shouldn't be. Yashica ML 500/8 is designed to take drop-in filters, but it is equally sharp with and without a filter. Focusing point changes slightly when a filter is inserted, but that's about it. The use of filters (especially read-mounted filters) greatly affects wide-angles, but not telephotos.


PostPosted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 8:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Just checked box and papers. Mfg date is Apr. 1991.

So definetly a crap lens.


PostPosted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 11:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
If the filter is in the back it doesn't affect quality, just the focusing point is affected (much more for fast lenses then slow lenses - not related to focal length as somebody mentioned above). Filter between any lenses more likely affects quality.

Front filter diameter 72mm? So it's an ~f/7 lens...Tamron is an f/6.3... Why do they all write on the lenses then f/8?


PostPosted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 11:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Because it has large piece of 2nd mirror, which blocks part of incoming light Smile


PostPosted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 3:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I got once an direct reply on the forum, so I know it now Very Happy That's a T-number not an F!!!
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