Bower 500mm F8.0 Mirror Lens - DPChallenge Forums

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III

07/31/2010 08:46:21 PM · #1

I was just given this lens and the T mount for it.

Never used a mirror lens before.

Ive been reading and cant seem to find a lot of information about how to's etc.

So Im reaching out to my fellow DPCer's.

What is this lens good for?

What suggestions do you have for settings etc??

Any thing else you think I might want to/need to know.

Im interested in playing with this and as soon as I get my camera I will be.... but until then I want to gather my information.

Thanks in advance!!

Yo_Spiff

Olympus 12-100mm f/4.0 M.Zuiko ED IS PRO

07/31/2010 09:45:46 PM · #2

Not sure if it is the same model or just something similar, but

coryboehne bought an inexpensive 500mm mirror lens recently. He might at least be able to give you some pointers.

07/31/2010 09:51:53 PM · #3

ok dokie... ill give him a holler if he doesnt respond. It is a weird looking thing lmao

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

07/31/2010 11:48:20 PM · #4

Its a different one... i read the thread... doesnt give how tos lol or any kind of advice... but i still need to pick his brain

MelonMusketeer

Nikon D7000

Nikon MF 50mm f/1.4

08/01/2010 12:51:27 AM · #5

It will be all manual. The mirror lenses do not have an adjustable aperture, so it's going to be f8. If you use a tripod, you can get some pretty nice photos with it.
When you try to focus, you will notice that the image is pretty dark in the viewfinder compared with your other "faster" lenses.
It will be best for shooting in good sunlight.
If your camera does not meter with it, you will have to use iso and shutter speed to control exposure, then use the LCD for feedback about adjusting them.
You will notice that when you bring the images up on your computer that they are not nearly as contrasty as what you are used to seeing, but that's easy to adjust with levels in processing.
Mirror lenses have the advantage of being very light and compact (think hiking) for the focal length that they provide. The drawback is that the bokeh is not so pretty, and they are generally not as sharp as a prime all glass lens. In the bokeh, out of focus points of light make round donuts of light.
Here's a sample shot with a longer mirror lens. I also have a 500 f8 by Celestron. It's built well, but I never seem to use it since I have a Sigma 400 f5.6 that I love for long shots.

Shoot me a pm if you need any help with making the lens work and I will try to walk you through it. Look in your Rebel user's manual about shooting all manual so you will know how to do that when you put the mirror lens on it.

Cory

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

08/01/2010 01:43:30 AM · #6

To be fair, I have a non-mirror 500mm Opteka.

It's not a terrible lens (despite the fact that it will not focus to infinity, see this thread for more information..

Although you have a different (very different) lens, you still might find some interesting information...

The lack of autofocus coupled with the long focal length = few keepers, but if you're looking for something to screw around with, it's pretty cool...

The neatest thing about mirror lenses (cat lenses) is the "doughnut bokeh"... Which I find attractive..

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

08/01/2010 11:10:58 AM · #7

Originally posted by MelonMusketeer:

Thanks Melon!! Sounds like it will be a fun toy!! Now to wait on the camera!

PGerst

Canon EOS-20D

08/01/2010 12:17:03 PM · #8

You could get things like this:

Well...not as close. This was taken with a 1250mm f/9.84 lens.