Mirror lenses!

woodrim wrote: Fred_S wrote: Today I dscovered that I can use this RF800 on my A99ii too. On e-mount it focusses beyond infinity. On A-mount with my dumb MD to A-mount adapter it focusses almost to infinity. No moon shots, but enough for almost all other use. The MFD is slighty shorter than the official 4mtr. That is a nice option for my gear flexibility You have an 800mm now too?

Oops, typo.
No not (yet?)

woodrim wrote: Nikon orange stripe 8/500 Yeah, I know, more birds

Birds are good!

Howard_S wrote: I'm wowed with what you have achieved with the Vectis and the BIFs ... the manual focus mechanism seems

Thank you, Howard. Please keep in mind that there are several failed attempts for every successful one. But it is like in the old days when capturing a BIF seemed like an accomplishment. The Vectis focus-by-wire is certainly a different experience but once you get used to it, it isn't bad at all. Also, the birds, mostly pelicans, fly up and down the creek and are somewhat predictable how far out they will be, so the focus can be set to a ball park distance ahead of time and adjusted quickly while tracking the bird. The rest is luck.

love these shots! and subjects. need donuts?! found a 500mm mirror lens in T.'s thrift store, 2-3 years ago.
so tempted, but since Vectris / APS-C + A-mount do not match, I saved E 10.

Howard_S wrote: Part of the wow comes from the exotic (to me) nature of the pelicans. The tern or gull in the last photo is well caught and not beyond reach here in landlocked Oxford. I must get myself to a good expanse of water on a sunnier day.

I love the pelicans. Shem Creek is a nice inlet where the shrimp boats dock. The birds of many types love the shrimp boats and give them an escort back to dock. The shrimpers sort their catch and discard the unwanted sealife off the back of the boat to waiting pelicans, seagulls, and dolphins.

I grew up in the north where there were very ordinary, small birds. Frogs and turtles, but no alligators or large birds or rookeries. All the wildlife in the Charleston area was exciting to me when we moved here. I'm not a birder, but find them much more enjoyable to photograph than flowers and less trouble than people.

The rookery heated up early this year, so I have already missed some of the nest building. I hope to get back to the swamp this weekend and capture some mating behavior. Maybe some flowers too. There will be photographers there with bazooka-like lenses and I'll be the one with the funny lens.    

Howard_S wrote: Canada Goose | Vectis 400 F8 Baby steps. This bird wasn't flying, and while I haven't absolutely got focus in the right spot, it does capture most of the bird well. The light on the water appeals to me too. I did try to catch a swan taking off but really failed. I won't embarass myself with the result here, but the next time I go out I'll take more time with me too.

Nice job with it, Howard. It looks sharp to me. The Vectis is a tad more forgiving than some other mirrors. With some, you're either in perfect focus or it's a throwaway. I think the rules of DoF are different with mirrors.

Is this your first submission from the Vectis or did I not notice?

Hi Ine, the Vectis 400/8 Mirror (I have one) is totally useless unless you have a suitable adapter (I don't have one) as the lens focusses electronically. There may be a re-issue of an adaptor, nothing confirmed, so I recommend not to go there. The Minolta SR mount Mirror lenses are possibly more useful on FE-mount cameras as they are not designed to focus to infinity on A-mount cameras.