Am I going crazy? Or is it my camera?

[dirty berdie]

I got new gear 4 Xmas that I cant seem to get working... I have the Rokinon 650-1300mm w/2x converter but for some reason I cant get it to work with my Nikon D3000. It didnt come with directions on how to assemble it!!! CAN SOME1 HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!!

 

[Vinny]

I don't think it "works". I believe everything is manual on those lenses, you don't have metering capabilities and you have to experiment with the shutter speed to get photos; I believe it is similar to the Vivitar one here: Vivitar 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus Lens - with Nikon SLR B&H

 

[Markw]

Everything is manual. When you do get photos, please post some samples.

Mark

 

[MrLogic]

It's little more than a cheap telescope. It's pretty much useless.

Try to sell it on eBay if you can.

 

[tirediron]

It's little more than a cheap telescope. It's pretty much useless.

Try to sell it on eBay if you can.

Ehhh... I don't think that's totally fair. The IQ isn't up to a 600mm prime to be sure, BUT those are pretty good bang for the buck, and if you want a LONG reach and aren't a pixel peeper, it's a good way to get it.

As others have said, these are 100% manual lenses. Here's how to make it work:

1. Put the kit lens on your camera, set the camera to 'Manual' and meter the scene you want, ensuring that your shutter speed is as high as you can get it (You have to mount this on a tripod, it is NOT a hand-holding lens).

2. Note the aperture and shutter speed, then remove the kit lens, put on your new toy, and manually set the aperture on the ring at the rear of the lens, and ensure your shutter speed is correct. Mount the lens/body on your tripod and shoot (pref. using cable/remote release).

3. Check the results on your LCD and adjust exposure as necessary. In preference to changing lenses, you may simply want to mount your Rokinon and then use the Sunny 16 rule as your exposure starting point.

 

[mjhoward]

Everything is manual. When you do get photos, please post some samples.

Mark

I would also be interested in some pics taken from this... mounted on a tripod of course! For $300 and 1300mm.... even if the pics are meh, it'd still be a really cool toy to have and could be quite useful for some things.

 

[djacobox372]

You have to put your camera in "M" mode, and then you have to make your best guess at what shutter speed and aperture to use.

It's going to be an EXTREMELY slow lens, especially with the teleconverter. You MUST use a tripod with this lens, as your shutter speeds will be VERY slow.

In bright sunlight at mid-day, the correct exposure would be something like 1/200th of a second at f16 at iso 200. With the teleconverter you would reduce the shutter speed to 1/50th of a second.

 

[KmH]

It is my understanding the lens is a 650 mm prime that is fixed at f/8.

When the 2x teleconverter is attached, it is then a 1300 mm f/16 lens.

 

[Derrel]

These long-focus designs are usually pretty simple, optically. Due to their slow maximum apertures, their use is best limited to the bright-weather months, or to places where there is a LOT of reflected light, such as snowscape or marine scenes. I would definitely, definitely ditch the 2x converter--the loss of two f/stops' worth of light is a killer...

I have a low-cost $99 500mm f/8 that's surprisingly not too bad when the weather is good, and the environment (the air) is clear and not filled with haze,etc.

 

[MrLogic]

It is my understanding the lens is a 650 mm prime that is fixed at f/8.

When the 2x teleconverter is attached, it is then a 1300 mm f/16 lens.

It's a push-pull zoom lens, not a prime. With the TC it becomes a 1300-2600mm f/16 - 32