Mxpics
journeyman
Reged: 16/07/2007
Posts: 56
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i do quite a bit of kitesurfing pics and one of the beaches is out of reach for 70-300, budget is very restricted at the moment due to no work, and have seen 500mm mirror lens on eblag for reasonable money, would they be worth considering, thanks Nick it would be for my d200
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Nod
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 08/04/2006
Posts: 4411
Loc: Devon, UK.
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500mm mirror lenses tend to be f/8 and manual focus only, so you might be better off with a 1.4x teleconverter behind your 70-300 (which might AF in good light). Nikon telecons might not fit your lens but some independent ones do (but be aware that some cheap telecons might not help picture sharpness - you might be better off cropping a 300 shot.)
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MATWSIJ.....
To avoid being offended, please insert apropriate smiley.
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LargeFormat
veteran
Reged: 24/10/2006
Posts: 1213
Loc: Buckinghamshire and Cumbria
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Quote:
500mm mirror lenses tend to be f/8 and manual focus only
True if you're stuck with Canon, Nikon etc but if you are in the Sony camp ..... 
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El Sid
Going potty
Reged: 14/04/2003
Posts: 9546
Loc: Sussex-by-the-Sea
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Unless it's a really good one (Nikkor, Sigma, Tamron etc) then probably not. I have a cheapo one (Sirius - but I've seen the exact same design under other names) and it's not particularly good. It's also an utter swine to focus accurately as the depth of focus is very shallow - on a moving target I suspect that it's damn near impossible.
Here is an example of it in action...
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Nigel
Completely BSRIPN 
ElSid Gallery
A camera in the hand is more fun than one in the cupboard........
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Mark_Norton
Reged: 29/06/2002
Posts: 1197
Loc: London, UK
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Nasty (IMHO) donut/doughnut bokeh as well....
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Mark
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geepee
Reged: 26/09/2002
Posts: 1566
Loc: Bolton, Gt Manchester
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Another example of a Tamron 500mm F8 mirror lens.
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Graham CRIPN 
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Learning
Ethelred the Ill-Named
Reged: 26/09/2006
Posts: 2475
Loc: Nottingham
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Lateral thinking here. Why not buy one of those toddler proof waterproof FW compacts and go kite surfing yourself. A compact at 20 feet might give better quality than a Nikon DSLR at half a mile!
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GeoffR
Reged: 31/05/2003
Posts: 3938
Loc: Bucks
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Kite surfing requires both hands!
I have a Sigma 600 mirror and it is probably as good as any currently available at the price. They aren't as good as conventional lenses but for what you want perfectly satisfactory.
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mediaman
Nearly Laid Back
Reged: 28/07/2008
Posts: 619
Loc: edinburgh
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Q. Has anyone compared the results from a film image taken with a mirror lens, and the same scene on digital, also with the same mirror lens. Would the out of focus *donuts* be
identical? 
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Kenny.
The tears of laughter were running down my legs.
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Mark_Norton
Reged: 29/06/2002
Posts: 1197
Loc: London, UK
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These results will be the same - donuts everywhere.
One reason I think why mirror lenses have fallen out of favour. The other used to be that with fixed aperture, you could only adjust exposure by using the right film and adjusting the shutter speed. At least with digital, you can change the ISO to provide you with an extra exposure "lever".
Personally, I'd prefer to use a tele-converter, though of course their quality can be variable. I have the Nikon TC17 EII which works well but it doesn't fit all lenses.
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Mark
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El Sid
Going potty
Reged: 14/04/2003
Posts: 9546
Loc: Sussex-by-the-Sea
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I guess a lot depends on how out of reach the beach is but the most budget option may be to stick with the 70-300 and crop - assuming the lens delivers good results at 300mm...
The trouble with mirror lenses is not so much the donut shaped point highlights (which can be quite attractive at times) but the unnatural way that OOF linear features are rendered and that I heartily agree is ghastly.........
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Nigel
Completely BSRIPN
ElSid Gallery
A camera in the hand is more fun than one in the cupboard........
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Mxpics
journeyman
Reged: 16/07/2007
Posts: 56
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i have a jessops 2x converter, which sometimes af, sometimes doesnt, thanks for the replies
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El Sid
Going potty
Reged: 14/04/2003
Posts: 9546
Loc: Sussex-by-the-Sea
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It probably depends on the lens in use. If the maximum effective aperture of the lens/converter combo goes over f8 the AF is very likely to give up altogether. Most non-pro cameras are only set up for lenses with a maximum aperture of f5.6 so anything above this is likely to be pushing your luck.
I have found that my Canons can just about manage to operate with reasonable light or contrast with an effective f8 - this means I can get away with using an f4 lens with my 2x converter and I ought to be OK using f5.6 lenses with a 1.4x. With an f5.6 aperture lens on the 2x converter the AF simply does not focus at all...
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Nigel
Completely BSRIPN
ElSid Gallery
A camera in the hand is more fun than one in the cupboard........
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Nod
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 08/04/2006
Posts: 4411
Loc: Devon, UK.
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Oddly enough, I was experimenting yesterday witha Sigma 170-500 (f/6.3 at the long end) on a Teleplus 1.5x teleconverter. Both my D70 and D200 autofocused on fairly low contrast subjects at 10 feet and at 30 feet distances despite dire light conditions (1/4 second @ ISO200, wide open) which surprised me! My calculations make than an effective max aperture of around f/10.
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MATWSIJ.....
To avoid being offended, please insert apropriate smiley.
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Gordon_McGeachie
Joke Historian
Reged: 19/01/2007
Posts: 4252
Loc: East Yorkshire,
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Quote:
Quote:
500mm mirror lenses tend to be f/8 and manual focus only
True if you're stuck with Canon, Nikon etc but if you are in the Sony camp .....
I was just thinking that myself...........
Us Minolta/Sony users are lucky people........... 
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She (Avro Vulcan XH558) Took To The Sky Like A Lovesick Angel.
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Towershot
old hand
Reged: 19/03/2007
Posts: 773
Loc: Lancashire, U,K.
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What breed is you,re 1x5 teleconverter Nod.
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Got a good camera, now to get a good photographer.:~<
Rick
My Flickr
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Nod
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 08/04/2006
Posts: 4411
Loc: Devon, UK.
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Kenko.
Starting at the red index dot, the writing on the converter reads...
N-AFD 1.5X TELEPLUS SHQ KENKO Lens Made in Japan
There are 7 contact pins and 7 contact "wipers".
As for quality, I reckon I'm as well off cropping a non telecon picture as I am using the teleconverter but that could be because to keep shutter speeds reasonably high, the aperture needs to be wide open - not ideal on budget lenses!
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MATWSIJ.....
To avoid being offended, please insert apropriate smiley.
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Towershot
old hand
Reged: 19/03/2007
Posts: 773
Loc: Lancashire, U,K.
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Thanks for that Nod........A case of A Nods as good as a wink 
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Got a good camera, now to get a good photographer.:~<
Rick
My Flickr
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