ProOPTIC 420mm-800mm Impressions and Review

Bifurcator · Sep 17, 2008

Well you posted after the moon images so I assumed you were talking about the moons where indeed there is no CA.

Also this level of CA is about the same as on any lens available for ≤$2000 (USD). The resolving power is much lower than a $2k lens produces though. Most of the resolving deficiencies can be cured in PS with multi-level sharpening. All total I'd say it was an awesome lens at anything under about $800.

Do'Urden's Eyes · Sep 17, 2008

yes sorry i was referring to the original images posted not the shots of the moon.
and yes considering you cant touch the 800mm focal length with anything less that 1000 (except of course these) its a good deal. would i spend 30 bucks on this? yeah probably just to screw around with. but i cant see it lasting too long in my bag because the IQ is just beyond my lowest standards. those are just MY standards, this lens could obviously be used by some people comfortably.

EDIT

after thinking about it for thirty seconds more id like to seriously experiment with one of these lenses in black and white. i think the results with the severe CA and other deficiencies might add a nice touch.

Bifurcator · Sep 17, 2008

OK I see. I know what you mean.

Dang, I thought I was in for a nice debate.

--
There's a Nikon 200~400 w/doubler ($10,000) and a Sigma 300~800 $8,000 that I'm sure kick it's butt.

Do'Urden's Eyes · Sep 17, 2008

haha sorry man. id also like to bring up the topic of mirror lenses. that would be another neat experiment as they are also very in expensive and provide LONG focal lenth equivalents. any one use one before?

Bifurcator · Sep 17, 2008

I played with a few in the 80's. All had more CA and more pronounced CA than this lens and about the same resolving power. I tried a 500mm and a 800mm. They were still expensive back then as they were just being introduced. I dunno if newer ones are any better or not. The reviews I skim show that they aren't tho.

(but obviously only for the ones that were reviewed.

)

monkeykoder · Sep 17, 2008

Darn it now I think I'm going to have to pick one of these up for my fm10 just to see what I can do with it.

mdsoares · Sep 17, 2008

Did some post to bring out more contrast and sharpness.

Warren_G · Sep 18, 2008

As a confirmed gadget addict, I ordered both a 500mm mirror and a 650-1300mm Phoenix lens off Amazon. They were so cheap I could not resist trying them out. The mirror lens also included a 2x converter. My only real test so far was to shoot a few pics of last months full moon with the 1300mm and the converter.
First, the cons:
Camera shake at 2600mm length, the tripod had to be kept extremely still, even the slightest touch or breeze, and the shake was amplified greatly. I used a remote shutter release, but it was still tedious.
IQ - not the greatest, hard to focus manually as just touching the lens often shook so much that the moon would move entirely out of the frame.

Pros:
Zoom, zoom, zoom. Wow! the moon filled the entire frame and there was actually lots of detail.
Wow factor, the camera with a 2 foot lens sticking out on it does look kinda massive

The quality of these lenses are not even in the same ballpark as a decent zoom, and they shouldnt be compared at all. Many people are happy with the pictures that their camera phones take, so CA and softness are not concerns. If I want a high quality photo, I will put on one of my primes. If I want to be able to read a license plate from 4 blocks away, this lens is perfect.

Bottom line, lots of fun for the low price. I am sure many of us have more expensive gadgets that get little or no use. If you have a little disposable income, you wont go wrong adding one of these to your lens collection.

epp_b · Sep 18, 2008

Can you post some samples with the mirror lens?

Bifurcator · Sep 18, 2008

If he doesn't here some fron net:

http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/tutorials/mirror.html
http://mirrorlens.blogspot.com/
http://www.photozone.de/nikon--nikk...p-macro-adaptall-to-nikon-review--test-report
http://www.photozone.de/mirror-lenses
http://www.buzzillions.com/dz_63638_samyang_500mm_f_8_ultra_telephoto_manual_reviews
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=28750982
http://oly43club.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=88
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=28752148
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=28752537
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=28753835
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=28753806
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=28768444
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=28867194
http://www.pbase.com/cameras/sigma/600_8_mirror

most of these look much better than I remember.

---> http://www.canonfd.com/mirrorlenses/pages/page10.html <---:lmao:

Do'Urden's Eyes · Sep 18, 2008

that tamron 500mm mirror isnt looking too shabby on IQ. i have no idea what the price tag is on it though but i bet its probably still worth the price, you just have to put alot of work into the shots...