What is this??

Snakedudeman328 · Nov 25, 2006

I was looking at this lens and it looks very good as in it can take pictures of things from very far away but its a preset lens. What does that mean??? And can this lens take pictures from very far away?? And its for my Nikon D100 so I dont even know if this will work for that.

thanks

http://www.ritzcamera.com/product/251664256.htm?bct=t13031003%3Bcidigital-cameras-and-accessories%3Bcilenses-for-digital-cameras%3Bcislr-lens%3Bcilenses-for-nikon

usayit · Nov 25, 2006

Preset as in the aperture is set manually.. the preset aperture is usually slow... f/11, f/8 for example.

Using such type of lenses is like attaching you camera to a regular telescope.

If you want to look further... check out phoenix, samyang who make similar lenses. Another type of lens to consider is mirror lenses which have their own limitations but are a bit more compact.

Snakedudeman328 · Nov 25, 2006

sweet. Will that lens I posted work for my Nikon D100??? So that lens can zoom very very very well huh?? If it can than why is it onle a 100 bucks?

Johnboy2978 · Nov 25, 2006

b/c as the previous poster noted, it's verrrry slow. It has an aperture of f/8-32 so it will be of limited use. Basically shooting stationary things under a decent amount of light and with a fair amount of grain. You're basically going to be limited to using it during the middle of the day or at night with bulb exposure.

Mad_Gnome · Nov 25, 2006

That lens isn't a zoom lens. It is a prime lens, meaning it has one fixed focal length. It is a 500mm lens, and there is an available matched teleconverter that would make it a 1000mm lens. It is a T-mount lens, which has adapters available to mount it to any kind of camera, although it is manual focus only. There are three drawbacks to this particular lens, if the fixed focal length isn't also an issue. (Considering how often you mention zoom, I'm guessing it is.) First is its sheer size. The lens is over a foot long WITHOUT the teleconverter, and it is nearly 3" in diameter. Second, the minimum aperture is f/8, which means it is relatively slow. This particular lens is intended for bright outdoor photography, however, so that isn't necessarily a limiting factor. Last is that it is made by Quantaray, a company not particularly known for high quality glass. This, coupled with the $99.99 price tag would be an indicator to me that it is a fairly cheap piece of glass, and you would probably be disappointed with it.

benhasajeep · Nov 26, 2006

It is basically a telescope. I borrowed one from a different brand (this is labeled by about 8 different brand names). Anyway the center of the picture is actually pretty good (crop to just the center and get good pics). It does not have any corrective lenses in it to control distortions or coating to control flare / reflections. It is fairly light (due to very little glass in it). If you want a long focal length lens you also might look for a CAT lens. The cheap ones are also in this price range. They are a fixed aperature though normally f8. But they are only about 4" dia and 4" long.
Both types are very slow and need bright light.

To use it on a digital camera you will be in FULL MANUAL mode only! Not even metering will work with it (lower end models, not sure about D2's).

Innocence · Nov 26, 2006

snakedudeman, it doesn't zoom at all. its just very zoomed in - and you can't zoom out.

JIP · Nov 26, 2006

I worked for Ritz, do not waste your money. Quantaray/Sigma make some good lenses but this one is a piece of crap. Many have been sold at my store only to be later returned.

fmw · Nov 26, 2006

usayit said:
Preset as in the aperture is set manually.. the preset aperture is usually slow... f/11, f/8 for example.

For the record, preset doesn't mean the aperture is set manually. It means that the lens is not indexed for maximum aperture metering and exposure. With a modern indexed lens you view, meter and fire the shutter with the diaphragm open wide. The lens then stops down to the taking aperture automatically for the exposure and then opens up for viewing the next shot. Metering is done with the lens wide open and is indexed to the aperture.

Preset lenses don't do this. They need to be stopped down for metering and for taking the exposure by the photographer. So the fancy ones have an additional ring to allow the photographer to switch between maximum aperture and taking aperture without looking at the lens barrel. The aperture is "preset" and the photographer can stop down to it using this ring.

Also, it has nothing to do with maximum aperture. Virtually all lenses were made this way in the past. Auto indexing appeared only after in-camera metering appeared - 1960's.

jwkwd · Nov 26, 2006

The saying " You get what you pay for " comes to mind.

Snakedudeman328 · Nov 26, 2006

Alright. I will try it out next time I go to Ritz to see how it is. Whats a teleconverter?? And also where are the better lenses like this for a cheap price?

thanks

benhasajeep · Nov 26, 2006

First you have to take into consideration in price when you look at these lenses. You get what you pay for is true. A $100 lens the same focal length as a normally $6,000 lens will perform way below. Now if you can live with the pictures thats fine.

When I was in college I bought a cheap $99 cat lens. 500mm f/8. Nice lens to look through. But thats about it. Any picture from it had noticeable grain. And if you put an extender on it. Even worse. Was not too bad for moon pictures (would make sence as its a design used in telescopes). Nikon makes a better version of the 500mm f/8 and of course it costs a bit more. But it also had coatings on the glass and put out a better picture. Again you get what you pay for.

If you are looking for something cheap to play around with. Thats fine. But don't expect crystal clear pics of an eagles eye from 100 yards away.

A tele extender is an add on lens that extends the focal length of the lens infront of it. There are several sizes. 1.4x, 1.5x, 1.7x, 2x, 3x. Now again there are some really cheap ones that have cheap glass and just magnify (increase) faults in the main lens. As well as adds it own. Good ones are made as well. but again the cost factor comes in. There is a penalty for using extenders. They reduce the light that reaches the film / digital sensor.

Snakedudeman328 · Nov 26, 2006

Ok so if I use that lens the pictures wont look good??

benhasajeep · Nov 26, 2006

Snakedudeman328 said:
Ok so if I use that lens the pictures wont look good??

It deppends on what you call good. Yes it will take a picture. And yes you will be able to tell what you took a picture of. But it will not be a great immage, or maybe even good. It deppends on what your looking for. Also will definately need a tripod all the time! No hand holding. Not because of weight. But because of the length, and the aperature is small. So shutter speeds will not be that high.

And again you most likely have to use the d-100 in full manual mode.

Mad_Gnome · Nov 26, 2006

What it all comes down to is that a cheap lens isn't good, and a good lens isn't cheap. You're better off to save your money until you can afford a better lens. If you're looking for long zoom, try a third party 70-300mm lens. They can usually be had for just over $100, and will give you better image quality. If you can afford to wait just a bit more, try either the Sigma 70-300mm APO Macro or the Tamron 70-300mm LD Macro. They're fairly bright, with f/4.0-5.6 apertures and will give you good image quality.