Customer Reviews

Opteka 500mm f/8 High Definition Telephoto Mirror Lens for Nikon D3, D3S, D3X, D40, D40x, D50, D60, D70, D80, D90, D100, D200, D300, D300S, D700, D3000, D3100, D5000, D7000 Digital SLR Cameras

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Yes I know this is not an award winning lens that will pass all those technical tests you see in the photo magazines with flying colors but what do you want for $75? I've paid more than that for a filter. At this price you can feel free to experiment with a long telephoto (this lens should be 750mm equiv on most DSLR cameras)

I say try this lens and if you find that your creative skills start to exceed its' quality and features then by all means invest in a lens costing 10 to 20 times as much... If you are like most photographers out there (me included) I think you will find this lens perfect for the few times you need a long reach telephoto.

I used this lens long enough to maximize its potential. I shot handhold with ISO 800 at 1/800s when the subject is in sunny day and ISO 1600 at 1/800S when subject is in cloudy day with my 40D, and I just uploaded some here. My subjects are mostly moving people, but focus is no problem with me. I have to say that the deep of field of this lens is very very shallow, and if you don't focus right or if you don't know how to focus a lens which is by turning the focus ring to the right or left, then your picture will be very very soft to a point that is out of focus.

THIS LENS IS OUTDOOR ONLY LENS. Even if you use tripod indoor, focus is nearly impossible because of this lens's maximum aperture is F/8, since you need light to be able to focus.

Lens flare is a big problem. you need to use front or size lighting when using this lens, or you will get very very low contrast pictures.

Post-Process is not an opinion. you have to increase the contrast and the color saturation of every pictures. Sharpness is no way comparable to my other canon L lenses, but when the focus is acceptable and with some Photoshop sharpening, the result is comparable to most consumer-level lens.

I used quite a number of lens before this lens. I own three Canon professional L lens and have sigma's EX line lens. This is the cheapest lens I bought. I learned one thing that a good lens can produce bad picture if you don't know how to use it in an appropriate way. For real, the time I bought my L lens, I am totally count on it, but it disappointed me after I got bad results.

That is to say: buy it if you want to learn to use it. It is good deal for real, for less than 100 dollar.

Pro
500mm
Cheap in tag

Con
manual focus maybe hard for most of the people (but not me)
Low contrast (you can increase contrast in Photoshop)
Slow Lens (you have to use at least ISO 800 with handhold)

About sharpness: YOU HAVE TO FOCUS PRECISELY. Since it is hard, most people will comment that this lens is not sharp. THEY ARE WRONG.

For $75 on special I found this to be a good bargain.

It works strictly in manual mode, so you have to know how to actually work your camera! Don't expect anything automatic: if you are a point and shoot photographer in full-auto mode, then this is not the lens for you!

Images are of reasonable quality. I have not detected any distortion. The lens is wonderfully compact for a 500mm telephoto, so I can add it to my collection of lenses in a fairly small camera bag - Otherwise I would not be carrying a telephoto of this magnitude around, and would miss those occasional moments that this can capture.

It also does a great job with macro - So I don't have to carry a separate macro lens around.

Only negative - At a fixed F8 you have to have very good lighting conditions for the lens to be useful at faster shutter speeds - With lower lighting you have to slow the shutter, which can add a lot of shake.

Of course I didn't expect the same kind of performance as a $$$$ Nikkor lens would give me. So I wasn't disappointed.
But I had hoped for better results -- I put it on a tripod to avoid vibration focusssed as exactly as possible onto a high-contrast banner at a race track. But still I never could a sharp edge from that banner.
Using the same setup & procedure with a different lens, sharpness jumped a lot. Price of that lens also jumped a lot.

I cannot recommend it on D80 and lower as this is a non-CPU lens and metering will not work so it is 100% manual and try & error. The D200 can meter in "M" mode.

Be forewarned -- this lens is not for the faint-hearted photographer!

This manual lens has a fixed aperture and no telemetry with your camera. This means that for most Nikon DSLR cameras, it will only work in manual mode. It will not work in aperture priority mode on most cameras. I have a D50, and I have no way of knowing what shutter speed to set using just the camera.

Second, at 500mm and f8, this lens has a very narrow depth of field. There's obviously no AF. Focusing can be difficult. Really difficult.

Third, at fixed f8, shutter speeds in anything but bright sunlight will be slow. You can try operating handheld, but you really need a tripod.

The image quality is adequate, not great. Softness in the image, color shift, some flare - to be honest, I'm still tinkering, so more on this later.

Finally, the t-mount adapter that ships with the lens comes loosely attached, by which I mean the inner thread ring is loose inside the outer t-mount ring (at least, that's what I got). I'm guessing it ships this way so you can align the focus ring correctly so it shows at the top of the camera. However, you'll need to tighten the ring using the four tiny, recessed nuts around the adapter outer edge. To do this you'll need a set of micro-screwdrivers. I say all this because there are NO INSTRUCTIONS with the lens worth reading.

As other online reviews have noted, you get what you pay for. At about $100, this isn't a bad way to explore long focal length photography without spending a fortune. I'm not greatly impressed, but it works.

The 500mm is on Amazon for a bunch of different cameras, I think they are the same lens with a different ring mount. This lens is great for shooting shots across the waterways and at the zoo. With an f/8.0, it works best on a bright sunny day. Use of a tripod helps get sharp pictures. Simply put... I use it more for wildlife & that hard to get close shot when someone or something is in your way, very inexpensive easy to use once ya get used to it, can't complain.

This lens works as indicated in the description and is a fun lens to have in my collection. However, if you are a 'PRO', you probably already know you don't want this lens because its not as crystal clear as your $800 500mm lens. Also it does not meter, or auto-focus. However for me, and for the price, you can't go wrong. Its not really fair to compare it to a lens of the same focal length, because of what you pay for it. Even Nikon's own mirror lens sells for near 500 dollars on Amazon. If you still have doubts, do a search for the lens on Flickr, and look at the results. If you are looking for birthday gift ideas, this is a great suggestion... it worked for me!

I got this lens mainly for when my husband goes to the track for the long range.
thought it have to take alot of getting used to b/c its manual but i've been playing with it since i got it.
and price was great

My husband absolutely love this lens! I would highly recommend this lens for the price. The quality and the price is the best.

No question that Opteka 500 mm gave the better image for the price. For young birdwatchers (without rich parents) it is a tool to have. It also allow good shots with poor light conditions. But if you are trying to buy this product from Europe, you better look for a very good friend in USA, otherwise you can't use your one as shipping address.