Arsat 600mm lens

[alpenglow]

Greetings all,

 

I'm considering getting an Arsat 600mm mirror lens for my Mamiya 645 and I was

wondering if anyone here has experience (good or bad) with this lens.

 

Thanks for any feedback.

 

Mike

[dan flanders]

I have no experience with that particular lens but 'mirror' lenses are questionable for general telephoto work. The limited fixed aperture is a deterrant as well as the donut shaped OOF highlights. OTOH, they afford considerable saving of weight, bulk, & cost, and might be an excellent choice for special situations; particularly for astronomical work. Just not an adequate substitute for conventional telephoto.

[robert_marvin]

A test of this lens along with the cheaper Rubinar mirror lenses is here:

 

http://www.pentaconsix.com/500_600new2.htm

 

FWIW I have a 500mm f8 Rubinar and am not too happy with it.

[john lehman, college alask]

Another alternative, which I use, is a Cambron 500mm f/8 preset converted to Mamiya 645 by Zoerk Fototecknik. It is not a mirror lens. I got it on *bay for very little after having used the same lens on a 2x3 Speed Graphic for years. The same lens is available from various other suppliers (the one I used on the Speed Graphic came from Porters and I converted it myself). Buying it used avoids having to deal with the scum at Cambridge Camera (assuming they are still in business).

[ondebanks]

I second Robert's recommmendation that you study Trevor Allin's recent tests very closely. Then follow that up by reading the discussion of these tests on the Kiev Report (Delphi forums).

 

Basically, the Arsat 600mm emerges from the tests as the best of the pack of 600mm lenses/combinations for the P6 mount, and by far the best of the mirror lenses. Note that the 500mm Rubinars are actually more like 600mm, since the mirror spacing has been changed to the longer back focus required by the P6. This also results in greater vignetting, and a reduction in the speed (the f-stop increases by about 20% - the f5.6 becomes about f6.7, and the f8 becomes about f9.5). The 600mm f8 Arsat is different, and rather better, in that it was originally designed as a P6 lens. It should perform well on your M645.

[alpenglow]

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

 

Thanks Dan for the warnings regarding mirror lenses in general. I know about their limitations, but am willing to deal with them if the quality is decent. If I had the money, I would just buy the 500mm Mamiya APO and be done with it. Alas, my pockets aren't quite that deep ;)

 

Thanks John for the alternative idea. I will have to look into that in more detail. Sounds like a nice set-up.

 

And thanks Robert and Ray for the review and additional info. It does seem like of all the mirror options, the 600mm Arsat would be the best choice. I am leaning more in that direction.

 

Cheers for now, and many thanks again,

Mike

[lightminer]

Would the Arsat 600mm work with the 2X lens converter?

[xato]

I don't have experience with this particular lens but I have tried the Rubinar 500/8, Harblei 500/5.6 and Pentacon 500/5.6. Aside from the out of focus highlights, the Pentacon is by far the most usable of the three lens and sharper as well.

[ondebanks]

Yes, the Arsat 600mm will work with the M645 _and_ the Kiev/Hartblei 2X lens converters. You could either have

 

600mm lens - P6-M645 adapter - M645 2x TC - M645 body

 

or

 

600mm lens - Kiev/Hartblei 2x TC - P6-M645 adapter - M645 body

 

The M645 2x TC has protruding front elements, but they only protrude into the space provided by the P6-M645 adapter, so there's no danger of them hitting glass at the back of the 600mm lens. The Kiev/Hartblei 2x TC has no protruding glass, so it too will work.

 

The Mamiya 2x N TC is probably better optically, but rarer than the Kiev/Hartblei 2x TC. A used Mamiya TC is 2-3 times the price of a new or refurb'ed Kiev/Hartblei 2x TC.