I came across a 500mm F/8 catadioptric lens on the net and i was wondering if it was worth buying.. =) i keep reading about doughnut bokeh with these kind of lens but im not sure what it is exactly.

please enlighten =) thanks in advance =)

Here's a nice article by Bob Atkins on mirrors:

http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/tutorials/mirror.html

I haven't used a mirror lens yet, but from the reviews and results I've seen, I'll personally opt for even a cheapo conventional lens rather than a fixed-aperture one.

Romy

The main advantages of a mirrow lens are much smaller size and lighter weight compared with conventional lenses. This makes them easily to carry and hand-hold (specially if you intend to use one with a dSLR). Downsides are the doughnut bokeh that you can see from the Bob Atkins article and you are limited to only 1 aperture. However, a good cheap mirror lens at the 500mm range may be easier to find than an "el cheapo" conventional lens if you need the 500mm focal length.

that really help to disuade me not to get one =b i was already hell bent on getting one cause i really like how it looked on the camera! lol =D

though i still would like one for novelty sake siguro =b just so i can say that i have a focal length of 1000mm on my E-300! LOL!

http://www.pbase.com/manilaman04/image/65549280/large.jpg

I still have one of those FD mount lens. An entire set for my F1. They do look small now, specially compared to the 1d bodies. There are more lenses now that has its bokeh capability with more flexibility.

They were awesome then. In fact, there are adaptors for FD to EF mount available in the net, but have not ventured into trying or getting one. One forum says, it works in manual, and you lose all the information electronically, works like a big Lens Baby :D :D

http://focuscamera.com/sc/froogle-lead-1.asp?id=522000186&rf=froogle&dfdate=07_22_2005&sid=35473225

If you find that adaptor, I'm willing to have you guys do a test and check the output for the current DSLR's .:Shock:

that really help to disuade me not to get one =b i was already hell bent on getting one cause i really like how it looked on the camera! lol =D

though i still would like one for novelty sake siguro =b just so i can say that i have a focal length of 1000mm on my E-300! LOL!

If you need something fairly long, affordable and light, the Sigma 70-300 f/4-5.6 Apo DG macro is very well regarded. It's just over half a kg, magnifies as close as 1/2 life size and last time I checked, it's available at JT Photo at about P11.8 k. With a standard Tamron 1.4x, this lens could be 98-420 mm f/5.6-8 (with workable albeit slow AF on 1.6 CF Canon DSLRs). I'd certainly prefer a setup like this over a 500 f/8 mirror. I doubt if they have it for E-300 mount though...:)

Romy

Obviously, you won't be able to get a MF mirror lens to work with AF on a DSLR.

But generally, mirror lenses will not work with most AF systems. Most AF systems need a lens with a maximum aperture f/5.6 to function.

Most mirror lenses only have a maximum aperture of f/8.

I think that the only SLR manufacturer to develop an AF mirror lens was Minolta.

Your shots also tend to have lower contrast with a mirror lens.

Cheers!

K

If you need something fairly long, affordable and light, the Sigma 70-300 f/4-5.6 Apo DG macro is very well regarded. It's just over half a kg, magnifies as close as 1/2 life size and last time I checked, it's available at JT Photo at about P11.8 k. With a standard Tamron 1.4x, this lens could be 98-420 mm f/5.6-8 (with workable albeit slow AF on 1.6 CF Canon DSLRs). I'd certainly prefer a setup like this over a 500 f/8 mirror. I doubt if they have it for E-300 mount though...:)


Ngerks =b I was smiling up until the last part, LOL! =) All the good lens can be really pricey especially the fast telephotos.