Mirror lenses ?

Does anyone use a mirror lens?
How does a mirror lens compare to other lenses?
I've seen a cheap 500mm mirror lens and just wondered how they perform (quality etc..) against normal prime lenses and is it worth buying?

Thanks

A good mirror lens will produce excellent results, albeit with the characteristic "doughnut" appearance of out of focus highlights.

Unfortunately there are lots of cheap and not very cheerful mirror lenses, usually 500mm. Many cost £99 when new and have dire optical qualities.

The Tamron is a good one, although I never really liked thew results. I preferred a conventional lens any day.

The Pentax mirror lenses are superb, but very rare and very expensive.

Thanks John, appreciated

just to give you an idea how bad the bad ones are, I sold my Centon 500mm mirror lens when I compared it to my 80-320 and found that I got better images by taking at 320 and cropping.

bear in mind that I consider my 80-320 a little bit ropey past ~250.

It is also very hard to hand hold a lens that long and slow, even with SR.

I owned a Tamron SP 500mm mirror lens, arguably the best of the bunch (other than Pentax), for many years and seldom used it. I've since sold it and much prefer to use shorter focal length lenses.

I have the Tamron and it gives great results, some are posted on here. A lot of the problems with Mirror lenses are down to user error IMO. Aerial haze can cause a lack of sharpness and contrast. They are difficult to focus due to tiny DoF and a dark viewfinder. So on a sturdy tripod - I hang a really heavy camera bag from the centre column, mirror up and a cable release or remote control. On soft ground or wooden floors you or anyone else moving around nearby will cause softness through camera shake. In truth it doesn't get used that often because it doesn't fit in my Lowepro Slingshot and I dont carry a tripod at all times.

Here is an interesting comparison between it and a Canon 500mm - Almost as good as the Canon at about 1/10th of the price. link

i've got the Tamron - i got it back in the film camera days.

plus points - it's fairly small and not too obtrusive. the image quality is great*. the background can be used to artistic effect.

minus points - you need lots of light! focus range is very small.

i've used mine for wildlife shots and it's great having something that you can carry easily and if it's a sunny day it's on the camera most of the time. the reason for the * on the IQ statement is that it is quite hard to get right as the focus band is small. it takes a bit of getting used to and the focus throw is big and a ship's wheel would help go from near to far focus!

there are often Tamron ones on ebay and are worth looking out for. i like the doughnut background and the image quality that the lens produces.

i had given mine away at one point (along with all the film camera gear as someone thought they could sell it) and, luckily, they hadn't. when i found that Pentax digital could use film lenses it was back like a shot.

if you can get a Tamron, then do. the rest i've heard negative stories about.

I have a Pentax 400-600 mirror zoom. Over the years I have taken some excellent pictures with it; from the freezing cold of the Arctic in January to Kenya, and S Africa with many points in between.

I have even used it with a x2 teleconverter (Pentax) with some good results too.

So, far I have not tried it on my K20d - although it has had a couple of outings with my *istD. And having a DA*300, I am thinking about selling the 400-600.

The good quality ones are excellent but the cheap ones are carp!

Just forget the £99 bargains.

You'd probably get a good price on the 400-600, they aren't very common on ebay (i.e., I've never seen one!)

Cheers, Kris.

The problem I have got is deciding what it is worth, in mint condition wit the original rear filters, case &c &c. And then where to set a reserve price if I go the ebay route.

I had a quick google around trying to find another one for sale (or sold) second hand but no luck. They seem to be as rare as hen's teeth!

Best wishes, Kris.

sad to say this (because I want it) but ebay is probably your best bet, the market will certianly tell you what price it will bear......
Me, on the other hand....I'd want it fairly cheap....'cause I can't really afford to buy lens right now....
try a reserve of 2/3 to 3/4 what it cost you new, and leave it up there for a long auction....