500MM Opteka Lens for Canon

[lilbumbee]

Hi..
I was going the ebay and came upon a 500mm lens
its specs said something like

Opteka 500mm HD Telephoto Mirror Lens for Canon EOS /EF

and all this for $90...whats is all that...can anyone enlighten

[Rhuarc]

crap...crap...crap...

Can't really say much else..

Seriously though, don't even begin to contemplate this thing. There is a reason that Pros spend thousands of dollars on lenses. Quality. I don't know the technical reasons behind why this lens would be a apoor investment, but I'm sure others here would be glad to help enlighten both of us further! :dunno

[claudermilk]

The Opteka lenses are perfect examples of "you get what you pay for." The really amazing thing about these is that they form a recognizable image at all.

For the quality thing, how many really good mirror lenses have you ever seen? It's a shortcut way to get the long focal length in a short, cheap package. Optics are not very good at all; soft, distortion-filled images. My grandparents had a 500mm Vivitar lens for their Pentax SLRs back in the '70's. Blech! This Opteka is cheaper in 2007 dollars than that Vivitar in 1970'2 dollars. You do the math.:puke1

[USAIR]

This has come up before and all above is true but you can get some "fun" images from these lenses.
I think of them as creative tool like a LensBaby.
Check out this thread (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=26856)

Quantaray 500mm /f8...20 to 25 years old...maybe older :dunno

http://www.riverbendphotos.com/photos/54111187-M.jpg



http://www.riverbendphotos.com/photos/54112542-M.jpg

Fred

[claudermilk]

This has come up before and all above is true but you can get some "fun" images from these lenses.
I think of them as creative tool like a LensBaby.


Very true. Kind of like an expensive Holga. As long as you know what you're getting into no worries. But just don't get one of these thinking you found a shortcut to a Canon 500/4L IS, because they aren't. I know at least three guys at POTN went and got the Opteka 650-1300/8-16 lens for grins, just to see what it could do--and with low expectations. Here's a shot of it mounted: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=857458&postcount=230 note the sag. :huh

An amusing quote I found in the POTN threads:
Opteka lenses are just organized coke bottle bottoms.
:rofl

So, yeah, think big expensive Holga and you won't be disappointed.

[USAIR]

Very true. Kind of like an expensive Holga. As long as you know what you're getting into no worries. But just don't get one of these thinking you found a shortcut to a Canon 500/4L IS, because they aren't. I know at least three guys at POTN went and got the Opteka 650-1300/8-16 lens for grins, just to see what it could do--and with low expectations. Here's a shot of it mounted: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=857458&postcount=230 note the sag. :huh

An amusing quote I found in the POTN threads:

:rofl

So, yeah, think big expensive Holga and you won't be disappointed.


:nod