650/f8.5 Soligor

Taken this morning.
link

Regards

Not very sharp, especially on the eye, so maybe some camera shake there? Good colour though and certainly 650mm pulls in the subject very effectively.

I found it quite difficult to pull a sharp focus John. Did not use mirror lock. Set up was Slick 813CF with a Manfrotto 3275 geared head and cable release.

Focus issues down to me. Still trying the 200 and 300 SMC's now. The 1.7AF is impressive in operation! First ever use of it.

Regards

I presume it's a mirror lens? If so, they can be quite difficult to focus. I did have a Tamron 500mm but I was never very happy using it.

Aye it is John. They have always been difficult to focus, hence I bought the Minolta AF version. I also have the Russian 1100mm f/13.5, it's a beast, never gets used. I suppose I take as a real challenge trying to get acceptable results from the MF versions. Making a rod for my back?

Just been out with the 28mm shift and hold my hand up "apart from seeing the image shift through the viewfinder, I dont see how it reduces convergence". It is the third time its ever been on a body.

Regards

I wouldn't waste time on a mirror lens from any of the independents, but I would be tempted to try the Pentax 250-600mm Reflex Zoom. "eBay Fodder" would be the fate of any mirror lenses that found their way to me!

The shift lens needs to be used with a full frame camera, so film only for the Pentax range. Its primary use is in architectural photography. If you don't want it, why not offer it for sale here? There may be someone who does want it and could use it.

I'll try the shift on the MZS John.

Used the 50-135 today and also put the 1.7AF converter behind it. Huge difference in focus speed. Lens alone is slow, snaps straight in with the 1.7 attached. It would seem that the screw dive is faster than the lens motor.

Regards

You have to make sure the body is exactly level either with a hotshoe mounted spirit level or one on the tripod. Unfortunately, 28mm isn't very wide on an APS-C sensor as John said, and so it is less useful for architecture than it is on film. The current Canon equivalent is 18mm and includes tilt as well as shift. What it would be useful for is architectural details like doors, windows etc. where you still want to keep the verticals vertical but would rather not crop the bottom third off the image.

I'd rather like one but they are pricey.

Best wishes, Kris.