Welcome Jim - you're certainly in a picturesque part of the world so plenty of opportunity to put that camera to good use. Went to school in Macclesfield....

Cheers,

Jon

Marc sounds like an interesting character - a well-known Pentaxian and professional jazz musician! Nice mix

Don't write off the Opteka. As I mentioned above, Marc Sabatella has posted a nice review using Vivitar version of the Samyang mirror. Give it a Google...

....I only share the images that are OK to share!

My recommendation is to set the camera to continuous shooting and take several shots at a time, praying that one of them turns out OK! That said, my proportion of keepers from the mirror lens is actually quite high - because it really forces you to think about what you are doing and take your time before pressing the shutter. I even remember to only press the shutter with this lens when I'm gently breathing out to try and manage the camera shake! Oh, and when the composition allows, catch in focus is a god-send.

Frogfish - happy to answer any questions if you have them (PM me). Good thing about this lens is that all you need is a cheap PKM adapter, as there's no aperture to control.

Cheers,

Jon

A few example images from my 500mm lens:

























Although I agree that technique and patience are important, I do think that the advice above is overkill. None of my shots here were taken with a tripod. Yes, that would be desirable. But it is not always possible. And good results without one are obtainable.

Jon

Mirror lenses can be capable of great results in the right conditions but need to be used with care. Many people give up, not least because bright highlights in the frame can lead to the characteristic and ugly donut bokeh. I do not have experience of the Opteka (Samyang) lens but would not be parted from my Tamron 500mm mirror lens. Some tips:

1) try using it as a "macro" lens - you don't only have to use it for distant objects.
2) if you have one, use a lens hood to maximise contrast
3) don't be fooled by how small it is. Shutter speeds need to be at least 1/250 for successful handheld shots. I recommend using a monopod and leaving shake reduction on
4) try and shoot subjects that are isolated from their backgrounds. The further away and less fussy the background, the better your bokeh will be.
5) I'd recommend taking it for some walks in a local park. Try shooting some of the ducks for target practice!
6) expect to have to put in some effort, but it will be worth it - ignore the naysayers because great results are possible
7) search on the Internet for an article and test of your lens by Marc Sabatella
look at the thread on mirror lenses at Pentaxforums website for lots of owners experience and images.

Hope this helps,

Jon

35/2.8 sold subject to payment. Tamron 24/2.5 and Kenko DG 2X TC are all that's left now....

If people are interested, I think if you try hard you can still track down new 16-45s. I recently bought a Samsung one from Park Cameras for a lot less than LCE are charging for a secondhand copy. And, aside from remembering again how good these lenses are, was also pleasantly surprised at the build quality - it feels rather tighter than the Pentax version I had a while ago but perhaps that's because it's new. I think Park still had another one or two left.

PM replied re 35mm. Tamron ADii 24/2.5 is feeling lonely and wants to know why nobody has pm'd for it

135/3.5 sold subject to payment. As new Tamron AD2 24/2.5, Kenko DG 2x TC and mint 35/2.8 SMCM still available