500mm reflex lens?
Posted 23/02/2005 - 13:23
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If you don't want to spend a lot of money why not try the teleconverter first, and then look for a lens if you find you need it. A pentax 1.4x or 2x converter would be best IMHO, after that there are several 7 element converters available at modest prices on eBay or from other second hand sources.
Welcome to the forum!
Welcome to the forum!
Best regards, John
Posted 23/02/2005 - 14:11
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Hi Frenk
Try a 500 mirror if you can, I picked up a used Tamron-sp 500 in a local ad and use it for bird photography on my Mx and have been very pleased with the results. Care with direction of light and you should not have prob with "rings" in the image
Try a 500 mirror if you can, I picked up a used Tamron-sp 500 in a local ad and use it for bird photography on my Mx and have been very pleased with the results. Care with direction of light and you should not have prob with "rings" in the image
Posted 23/02/2005 - 16:05
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Hi Frenk,
The teleconvertor is a good idea, they work by increasing the focal length at expense of giving an effective smaller aperture. A 1.4x will lose you one stop and a 2x 2stops. Avoid the cheaper ones, they are not very good. However, I would not use a convertor with the 80-200 zoom. It is likely that it is only an F5.6 at 200.. which would be F11 with a convertor and you would need to use at least 1/500 sec if you were hand holding so unless the light was very bright, you would need very fast film. Personally, I don't like mirror lenses. They can be a bit of a pain to use as you have to use ND filters to change the effective aperture.
Regards
Kim
The teleconvertor is a good idea, they work by increasing the focal length at expense of giving an effective smaller aperture. A 1.4x will lose you one stop and a 2x 2stops. Avoid the cheaper ones, they are not very good. However, I would not use a convertor with the 80-200 zoom. It is likely that it is only an F5.6 at 200.. which would be F11 with a convertor and you would need to use at least 1/500 sec if you were hand holding so unless the light was very bright, you would need very fast film. Personally, I don't like mirror lenses. They can be a bit of a pain to use as you have to use ND filters to change the effective aperture.
Regards
Kim
Posted 24/02/2005 - 06:26
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Thanks everybody. I have been looking for a mirror lens but here in Italy they say the demand is nihil and they don't carry it. I don't want to order it and then test it at the shop and discover I don't like it.
I will search for a second hand unit, or test a hi-quality teleconverter. Veeery difficoult to find the original Pentax one, much easier to find an aftermarket type.
My Pentax 80-200 zoom is 4.5 max aperture so once duplicated would be 9 or so, roughly equivalent to a 500mm mirror (they declare them f8 but they're usually less than that).
The teleconverter I used in the past (cheap: four lenses type) was reducing the contrast a lot, the resulting pictures were only acceptable when originally very good in terms of contast.
Do you guys know a good mail-order source in UK for a 500mm mirror lens?
I have been purchasing from UK mail order companies lots of stuff in the past and never had a problem, so maybe it could be the best solution...
Again, thanks a lot for your help.
F
I will search for a second hand unit, or test a hi-quality teleconverter. Veeery difficoult to find the original Pentax one, much easier to find an aftermarket type.
My Pentax 80-200 zoom is 4.5 max aperture so once duplicated would be 9 or so, roughly equivalent to a 500mm mirror (they declare them f8 but they're usually less than that).
The teleconverter I used in the past (cheap: four lenses type) was reducing the contrast a lot, the resulting pictures were only acceptable when originally very good in terms of contast.
Do you guys know a good mail-order source in UK for a 500mm mirror lens?
I have been purchasing from UK mail order companies lots of stuff in the past and never had a problem, so maybe it could be the best solution...
Again, thanks a lot for your help.
F
Posted 24/02/2005 - 08:04
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Hi again,
Are you looking for a new lens or S/H? ffordes are very good for S/H and have a Tamron 500mm mirror on offer at the moment for £99. They also have a couple of Sigma 400 lenses, an APO and a normal. (https://secure.ffordes.com/Shop/Store/StockList.asp?Type=secd&Sub=1&code... MXV are also very reliable for S/H. No mirrors at the moment but they do have some 400's. (http://www.rcomputers.co.uk/mxv/stock.html) Hope this helps.
Kim
Are you looking for a new lens or S/H? ffordes are very good for S/H and have a Tamron 500mm mirror on offer at the moment for £99. They also have a couple of Sigma 400 lenses, an APO and a normal. (https://secure.ffordes.com/Shop/Store/StockList.asp?Type=secd&Sub=1&code... MXV are also very reliable for S/H. No mirrors at the moment but they do have some 400's. (http://www.rcomputers.co.uk/mxv/stock.html) Hope this helps.
Kim
Posted 24/02/2005 - 08:46
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Will check them out immediately.
Thank you,
F
Thank you,
F
Posted 25/02/2005 - 05:06
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I just ordered the Tamron from FFordes, thanks for the hint.
F
F
Posted 07/03/2005 - 13:00
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As of today I have not yet received the lens, is any of you buying from FFordes and having the stuff mailed to mainland Europe?
How long does it usually takes?
Opon confirming my order they said it was being mailed out same day and should have been here in a couple of days, but that sunds a bit optimistic to me.
However, six days seems a bit long...
How long does it usually takes?
Opon confirming my order they said it was being mailed out same day and should have been here in a couple of days, but that sunds a bit optimistic to me.
However, six days seems a bit long...
Posted 08/03/2005 - 14:40
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Frenk,
I'm sure you'll be delighted with the 500mm - when it arrives!
You might also consider the Tamron Adaptall II 200mm F3.5.
I know you already have this focal length with your zoom but I have the 135mm F2.5 version of this lens and it is fabulous.
I'm thinking that with a 2x converter, you'll have a 400mm lens with a very usable max. aperture of F7.
You may find the 500mm mirror lens sometimes to be too cumbersome and inflexible and the 200mm/2x converter combination may suit your needs better.
You should be able to pick up a nice 200 for well under 50GBP (although I've seen them higher) and you'll be able to use the mount from your 500.
Make sure you choose the later Adaptall II version, as the older ones are often advertised and you may get the wrong one - although they may be optically identical.
With regard to the converter, prime lenses and converters are relatively easy to make and usually deliver decent results - I once owned a Vivitar 4 element converter, it was very cheap and actually pretty good!
For optimal quality (usually 7 elements) however, I'd recommend Pentax or Tamron.
Tamron's F-system converters are high quality and will enable you to use any Pentax fit lens or you could opt for their SP Flat-Field converter (8 elements I think) which is arguably the best 2x converter available but can only be used with Tamron adaptall lenses.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=707&item=3878583010&rd=1
Whatever you decide, I hope your 500mm arrives soon - it's a great lens!
I'm sure you'll be delighted with the 500mm - when it arrives!
You might also consider the Tamron Adaptall II 200mm F3.5.
I know you already have this focal length with your zoom but I have the 135mm F2.5 version of this lens and it is fabulous.
I'm thinking that with a 2x converter, you'll have a 400mm lens with a very usable max. aperture of F7.
You may find the 500mm mirror lens sometimes to be too cumbersome and inflexible and the 200mm/2x converter combination may suit your needs better.
You should be able to pick up a nice 200 for well under 50GBP (although I've seen them higher) and you'll be able to use the mount from your 500.
Make sure you choose the later Adaptall II version, as the older ones are often advertised and you may get the wrong one - although they may be optically identical.
With regard to the converter, prime lenses and converters are relatively easy to make and usually deliver decent results - I once owned a Vivitar 4 element converter, it was very cheap and actually pretty good!
For optimal quality (usually 7 elements) however, I'd recommend Pentax or Tamron.
Tamron's F-system converters are high quality and will enable you to use any Pentax fit lens or you could opt for their SP Flat-Field converter (8 elements I think) which is arguably the best 2x converter available but can only be used with Tamron adaptall lenses.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=707&item=3878583010&rd=1
Whatever you decide, I hope your 500mm arrives soon - it's a great lens!
Die my dear doctor, that's the last thing I shall do!
Posted 08/03/2005 - 19:10
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Hi Frenk,
I have bought several items from Ffordes and have always found them to be an excellent company. I can not offer the sane recommendation for Royal Mail though. I would allow 10 days and then contact Ffordes. They should be able to provide tracking information which you should be able to use on www.royalmail.com.
Regards
Kim
I have bought several items from Ffordes and have always found them to be an excellent company. I can not offer the sane recommendation for Royal Mail though. I would allow 10 days and then contact Ffordes. They should be able to provide tracking information which you should be able to use on www.royalmail.com.
Regards
Kim
Posted 09/03/2005 - 07:31
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Thanks everybody again for your help and suggestions.
Yesterday I found the slip in the mailbox advising that the package arrived at the post office and can be picked up there, so today my wife will take care of that.
In the meantime I had also contacted FFordes and Steve confirmed that there was a shipping delay on their side, which explained the delivery delay here.
If the lens wasn't damaged in transit and is up to my expectations upon close inspection, I'll be very happy.
I'll let you know how it works in a few weeks.
I do agree that getting a hi-quality converter could be a good idea, but before getting a somewhat "duplicate" lens like the Tamron 200/3.5, I'd rather get a Pentax M 24mm and, if I can find it at a good price, the Pentax M 20mm (the 20mm I use now is a Vivitar 42mm with K adapter).
I will let you know.
Thanks again,
F
Yesterday I found the slip in the mailbox advising that the package arrived at the post office and can be picked up there, so today my wife will take care of that.
In the meantime I had also contacted FFordes and Steve confirmed that there was a shipping delay on their side, which explained the delivery delay here.
If the lens wasn't damaged in transit and is up to my expectations upon close inspection, I'll be very happy.
I'll let you know how it works in a few weeks.
I do agree that getting a hi-quality converter could be a good idea, but before getting a somewhat "duplicate" lens like the Tamron 200/3.5, I'd rather get a Pentax M 24mm and, if I can find it at a good price, the Pentax M 20mm (the 20mm I use now is a Vivitar 42mm with K adapter).
I will let you know.
Thanks again,
F
Posted 10/03/2005 - 14:30
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Don't restrict yourself to just the M series (unless you intend to build a collection), the A and autofocus lenses will also work fine on your cameras and you can take advantage of the extra features should you get hold of a later body.
Die my dear doctor, that's the last thing I shall do!
Posted 15/03/2005 - 14:25
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Agreed, I'm just afraid the A series would cost more...
Thanx,
F
Thanx,
F
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2277 posts
24 years
I have a nice kit with ME, MX and 20, 28, 50, 100, 80-200.
My wife wants to photograph and classify all the birds that populate our garden, the 200mm is too short, should I get a 2x teleconverter (how do they work? 4 or 7 lenses?) or a 500mm reflex lens?
Any input is appreciated, thanks.
F