yang_yan Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 hi guys! after quite a bit of hunting around for reviews i settled on getting either 1 ofthe abv mentioned lenses for my supertelephoto setup. I need help in deciding which is better and more value for money. on a side note, i am considering between 1000mm rubinar or a 1000mm f11celestron (telescope lens) shld i be comparing nikon 500mm vs sigma 600mm and 1000mm rubinar vs 1000mmcelestron or compare all 4 lenses together? would appreciate any help and reviews on the abv mentioned lenses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yang_yan Posted June 2, 2007 Author Share Posted June 2, 2007 Mods...is it possible to shift my thread to the correct forum?? some how i posted this in the wrong forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_keane2 Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 I owned the Sigma, and loved it. VERY solid and sharp, but you really need support. I always had good seats at Yankee Stadium with this one! I would imagine the Nikon is excellent too. You know about the out of focus doughnut shaped highlights these lenses will produce. Mainly out of focus bright hightlights (something not always present in scenes you may be shooting). It's also VERY critical to focus properly (make sure your camera's diopter setting is right on for your eyes). Rubinar, I don't know. Celestron manufactures excellent telescopes, and for a while put out a 300, 500 and 1000mm mirror lenses. Tolerances for astronomy often exceed glass for consumer lenses, and as I recollect, the Celestrons had a good reputation. Neat, but how often do you need 1000mm? On a digital Nikon, this becomes 1500mm! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_s__n.e._mass_ Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 "You know about the out of focus doughnut shaped highlights these lenses will produce." Bill- could you please post a photo with an example? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_keane2 Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 Hey Bob. No I can't, but here's a piece from the text in an article on mirror lenses at PhotoZone: "Unfortunately the design results also in some significant disadvantages like... the secondary mirror produces an odd effect doughnut-like effect on the out-of-focus high-lights. The following picture illustrates this problem." (The article includes images) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptkeam Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 I had the sigma 600mm f/8 years ago which I used on an Olympus OM-1 at the time. Very well-built. Good optics -- Pretty doggone hard to take a picture hand-held, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjt Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 i can't help much in providing an opinion about lens choice, but i would like to comment that in the photographic world, we refer to these "doughnuts" collectively as "bokeh". more info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokeh also, the "doughnut" article is found here: http://www.photozone.de/3Technology/lenstec5.htm regards, michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdcarma Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 mmmmmmm......donuts <img src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/mdcarma/Porch%20shots/plumbokahringscopy.jpg"> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdcarma Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 Sorry, forgot the details, old beat to crap Nikon F, Zykkor 500-800mm f8/12 cat zoom, handheld. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yang_yan Posted June 2, 2007 Author Share Posted June 2, 2007 ok, so between N 500mm and S 600mm. what's yr pick? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_greaves1 Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 While not the lenses you ask about, I used Tamron 500 mirror for top half of below linked page. The out of focus parts in upper photos, when compared to lower photos, are obviously a bit annoying, though I DO like the sharpness of the Tamron lens, and it is one to consider as well. It's lighter weight AND focuses to a little over 5 (FIVE) feet, which I have found extremely useful for lizards and flowers. The other lens, not made anymore, has been a great one as well, and focuses to a little over 4 (FOUR) feet: http://mysite.verizon.net/res1u8vm/ChestnutcollaredLongspur.html Happy Traill's! - Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_keane2 Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 I'd go with a 300mm Celestron (if you could find one), or the Sigma 600mm (that comes with a built-in tripod socket). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay_hector Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 You don't always get OOF donuts, and I found the original Nikkor 500mm F8 produced magazine quality photos and still does . . . <a href="http://www.jaypix.com/pix/villb01.jpg"> Example 1 </a> <a href="http://www.jaypix.com/pix/stomm.jpg"> Example 2 </a> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_keane2 Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 Great shots Jay! Congratulations! The 1st example has an OOF donut and a crescent on the rear car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobbesken Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 For an example of extreme donut action, done to maximise the effect <a href=" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/58/202731993_070890a7e8.jpg" width="317" height="400" alt="Extreme donut action" /></a> Taken with a Tokina 500mm f/8 mirror. Other examples of mirror lens images can be seen at <a href=?http://flickr.com/photos/hobbesken/tags/catadioptric/?>Mirror lens examples</a> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobbesken Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 Oh and in answer to your question, of the mirror lens mentioned I'd pick the Nikon first followed by the Sigma, if the price difference was not excessive. Just be aware, there are several versions of the Nikon (differences in minimum focussing distance) depending on age. Also it can be quite restrictive using a mirror lens (fixed aperture and lower contrast), such that a normal non-mirror lens ie Sigma or tokina 400mm f5.6 may be a better choice as a budget telephoto. For a write-up on the Nikon reflex have a read here <a href=?http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/reflex/500mm.htm?>Nikon 500mm reflex</a> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yang_yan Posted June 4, 2007 Author Share Posted June 4, 2007 k ng..what if the price difference is 200USD? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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