Mirror lenses! |
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darosa
Emeritus group Joined: 23 March 2007 Country: Netherlands Location: Old Zealand Status: Offline Posts: 14166 |
Topic: Mirror lenses! Posted: 05 November 2021 at 19:43 |
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This thread is about mirror lenses. I thought about naming it: "Show us your donuts" but decided against it because mirror lenses are so much more than donuts! They are: affordable, hand-holdable and offer extreme focal lengths (250mm-2000mm); and in able hands they produce excellent IQ.
High time these special lenses get a dedicated thread here on Dyxum, the more so as Minolta, and now Sony is famous for their unique AF mirror lens, the Reflex 8/500. So here's the place to post your shots made with mirror lenses, discuss their pros and cons, give advise, tips, and so on and so forth. Let's follow Alice through the mirror, and see what can be found there! |
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Idleidolidyll
Senior Member Joined: 04 August 2010 Country: New Zealand Location: Aotearoa Status: Offline Posts: 779 |
Posted: 05 November 2021 at 19:57 | |
Totally agree!
OK, I'll play: Minolta AF 500mm f8 Reflex as a landscape lens? Hell yes! Taranaki Forest, New Zealand by Michael J Breen, on Flickr Sony ILCE-7R 500mm F8 Reflex f/8.0 500.0 mm 1/400 6400 Flash (off, did not fire) Distortion, what distortion? Around Auckland by Michael J Breen, on Flickr Sony ILCE-7R 500mm F8 Reflex f/8.0 500.0 mm 1/500 100 Flash (off, did not fire) Light Stuff Around Auckland by Michael J Breen, on Flickr Sony ILCE-7R 500mm F8 Reflex f/8.0 500.0 mm 1/500 125 Flash (off, did not fire) Jump! Totara Park MTB by Michael J Breen, on Flickr Sony ILCE-7R 500mm F8 Reflex Turn! Totara Park MTB by Michael J Breen, on Flickr Sony ILCE-7R 500mm F8 Reflex |
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Basil
Senior Member Joined: 03 December 2009 Country: United States Location: Minnesota Status: Offline Posts: 2745 |
Posted: 05 November 2021 at 20:01 | |
To see is to enjoy. To see beyond is to rejoice.
A77Mark II; A6600; A99; various film bodies and an ever-changing collection of lenses |
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Fred_S
Senior Member Joined: 12 January 2017 Country: Netherlands Location: Noord Holland Status: Offline Posts: 13550 |
Posted: 05 November 2021 at 20:03 | |
addy landzaat
Senior Member Joined: 22 April 2006 Country: Netherlands Location: Netherlands Status: Offline Posts: 15624 |
Posted: 05 November 2021 at 21:01 | |
Well, maybe I am missing something - but only Jump is typically mirror, the rest could've been taken with any long lens. Next an APO lens thread
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Why not follow me on Instagram? @Addy_101
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woodrim
Senior Member Joined: 19 October 2009 Country: United States Location: Charleston, SC Status: Offline Posts: 1975 |
Posted: 05 November 2021 at 23:17 | |
The beauty of a mirror lens in good hands is that the donuts can be controlled and the rendering can be quite nice. This isn't a thread to show donuts but what can be accomplished with a good mirror. |
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Regards,
woodrim |
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sybersitizen
Senior Member Joined: 04 August 2006 Country: United States Location: California Status: Offline Posts: 14453 |
Posted: 05 November 2021 at 23:29 | |
I gently remind people that the lens - nice though it is - is not really unique as an AF mirror lens. Minolta also produced a 400mm AF mirror lens for the Vectis system. Carry on. |
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woodrim
Senior Member Joined: 19 October 2009 Country: United States Location: Charleston, SC Status: Offline Posts: 1975 |
Posted: 05 November 2021 at 23:37 | |
Thank you for starting this thread, Leo.
Mike Idleidolidyll: That tree pops nicely. Great job on the bike pictures; I know how difficult it is to capture anything moving. Basil: Those are some of the better images I've seen from the 800mm. And Fred: You're missing some fun. Mirrors take some time to get used to and to develop technique. I've been using mirrors since 2017 after giving them a second try. My first cats were not very good, which is an important lesson to understand when purchasing. After trying again and having bought a good one, I got hooked. I actually like the unique rendering provided by a mirror, I put up with the donuts, and have found the lenses that provide more than acceptable sharpness. My mirror accumulation (not exactly a collection) is more than a dozen and has duplication of focal lengths. Some are better at close, some distance, and some just superior. Size and weight vary as well. Technique is very important. Most if not all of the mirrors require precise focusing, more so than refractor lenses. And the depth of field is typically very narrow. Rules that we understand about normal optics don't seem to apply the same to cats. In addition to technique, I find it essential to use a mirrorless camera with focus magnification in order to obtain precise focus. This, of course, applies more to the manual focus lenses. I consider this thread to be for mirror lenses of all types, not just the Minolta and Sony brands. Dyxum is a collection of very good photographers. I look forward to seeing what others are accomplishing with mirrors. |
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Regards,
woodrim |
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woodrim
Senior Member Joined: 19 October 2009 Country: United States Location: Charleston, SC Status: Offline Posts: 1975 |
Posted: 05 November 2021 at 23:57 | |
I'll be posting my first mirror pictures from my most recent purchase, the Nikon (new) 8/500. I have only just recently started using this lens. The "new" designation is misleading since it refers to the last or latest Nikon, not that it is new. I had read good things about it but the price had kept me away until now. It's a very well made lens with a long focus throw. The sharpness and contrast is better than most. I put this one among my top three performing mirrors.
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Regards,
woodrim |
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woodrim
Senior Member Joined: 19 October 2009 Country: United States Location: Charleston, SC Status: Offline Posts: 1975 |
Posted: 05 November 2021 at 23:58 | |
Yes, and a wonderful lens it is. |
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Regards,
woodrim |
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Jozioau
Alpha Eyes group Joined: 13 May 2007 Country: Australia Location: Melbourne Status: Online Posts: 10266 |
Posted: 06 November 2021 at 01:21 | |
I bought my first Minolta 500mm f8 AF Reflex way back when using a Minolta 35mm AF camera, and it's been a very useful part of my kit ever since. I've found that on the a99ii it has really been given a new lease of life.
A sampler of photos I've taken with it is posted to the lens sample images thread in the Dyxum data base, but now this thread has been created, I'm happy to add to it. Some moon shots to start: 1. Full moon, Melbourne by Joe Lewit, on Flickr 2. Lunar exclipse. Total eclipse, blood red super moon by Joe Lewit, on Flickr And some big orange ball sunsets: 3. Big ball sunset over Newport, from Brighton by Joe Lewit, on Flickr 4. Sun dipping below the breakwater, Brighton marina by Joe Lewit, on Flickr Pulling in distant subjects: 5. Kite surfer powering off by Joe Lewit, on Flickr 6. Fishing off the breakwater, Brighton by Joe Lewit, on Flickr 7. Waiting for a bite, Brighton pier by Joe Lewit, on Flickr 8. Rainbow lorikeet looking out from nesting hollow by Joe Lewit, on Flickr 9. Tawny Frogmouth 6 by Joe Lewit, on Flickr And some telephoto compression: 10. Brighton bathing boxes 1 by Joe Lewit, on Flickr 11. High St. Armadale sunset by Joe Lewit, on Flickr A bit of deliberate donut: 12. High St. Armadale sidewalk impression by Joe Lewit, on Flickr And finally, for candid shots: 13. Artist at work, Brighton beach by Joe Lewit, on Flickr 14. Covid-19 Coiffure by Joe Lewit, on Flickr I find it a handy walkabout, discrete, with tons of reach, zero distortion, zero chromatic aberration, and lots to recommend it once you learn your way around its limitations and get them mastered. |
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"Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst" - Henri Cartier-Bresson
My FlickrPro site |
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addy landzaat
Senior Member Joined: 22 April 2006 Country: Netherlands Location: Netherlands Status: Offline Posts: 15624 |
Posted: 06 November 2021 at 08:43 | |
I see you guys enjoy your mirrors! |
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Why not follow me on Instagram? @Addy_101
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darosa
Emeritus group Joined: 23 March 2007 Country: Netherlands Location: Old Zealand Status: Offline Posts: 14166 |
Posted: 06 November 2021 at 09:15 | |
We are not interested in what you are missing when you have obviously not (cared to) read the OP. |
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darosa
Emeritus group Joined: 23 March 2007 Country: Netherlands Location: Old Zealand Status: Offline Posts: 14166 |
Posted: 06 November 2021 at 09:19 | |
You're right, thanks! |
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