At 10m the depth of field with a 500mm lens at f/8 is 12cm. Even at 30m it is only 113cm. With a 400mm lens it increases to 19cm and 178cm respectively.

The advantage of the 400mm, of course, is that you can open it up wider to focus and shut it down further for more depth of field.

Best wishes, K.

Low light focusing with non-macro subjects could be improved by using the focus assist feature of a flashgun such as the AF360FGZ provided the subject wasn't too far away.

K.

Great lens but hardly cheap any more. I am glad I bought mine before the prices shot up.

K.

Just picked one up for £40 and free postage.

K.

Often poor results with the 500mm mirror come from people using it like a nifty fifty. It may be a featherweight but it is still a 500mm lens and requires careful support, focusing and so forth. Also, using some sort of magnifier to check the focusing can help.

I dare say the 400mm is a lovely lens, but you'll still need sound technique to get the most from it.

Sorry if I am teaching grandma to suck eggs here.

K.

EDIT: some useful tips here.

Some fantastic photos. K.

I have an A50 f/1.4 and hardly ever use it. If I want a 50mm straight I tend to use the K50 f/1.2 and if I am using tubes I use my M50 f/1.7. Sometimes I use my M50 f/2 for nostalgia reasons (it was my first ever lens) or simply because it is small (although if I want really small I use my M40 f/2.8 or my FED2). The K55 f/2 and A50 f/1.4 are the least used of my nifty fifties. When I get around to having my Program A serviced the A50 will probably get more use then.

K.

A review of the current exhibition has been posted here.

K.

"Camera was passed down by the family sorry I am no expert

This item is untested."

I wonder if the seller is feeling somewhat amazed?

K.