Looking to find a good telephoto, or fixed 200 or 400 mm lens in exakta mount.

[jeana_doers]

Hello all, since I was helped so much with my developing conundrum, I figured I would ask again!

 

I am trying to find a telephoto lens, or fixed 400mm lens, for nature. Under a hundred dollars.

 

I have always shot either landscapes or macro (I know big gap), but I am really wanting this lens for two reasons. One to take pictures of

birds in trees, and two, to get decent wildlife shots (I know it seems silly). I found a zeis triotar 135mm on eBay for 60, but don't know if

135 is good enough for the job, for 75mm is the largest lens I have used. I found a Meyer telemegor 400mm, for 140 or so. The thing I

really want a heinz kilfitt 400mm fern kilar, but alas I can not afford that. I apologize if this sounds ignorant, but I've been seeing shots I

really would like to take but I just don't have enough lens to get there.

 

P.s does anyone make like to exakta mount adapter? Example being M42 to exakta.

 

Forgot to add, that I am trying to stick with German lenses, unless they make a "some lens mount to exakta"

[willis]

<p>I have a Topcor 1:5.6 f=300mm made by Tokyo Kogaku in Japan for the Topcon cameras (Exakta mount.)<br /> It does a pretty good job.<br /> I also have an accura MIRROR-ULTRATEL F:8 500mm mirror reflex using a T mount.<br /> If you could find it, a Schnider-Kreuznach Tele-Xenar 1:5.5/350 and a Meyer-Optic Gorlitz Telemegor 5.5/400. Both made in Germany. I have both.<br /> Be advised that the M-O Gorlitz weighs about 5 pounds!</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>There were many cheap 400mm 6.3 and 500mm f/8 lenses made. Spiratone comes to mind. Vivitar probably. Many were made in T-mount, where the lens itself was threaded (but not the standard Pentax M42 thread). The T-mount was an adaptor that had the threads on one side that the lens went into, and then the appropriate camera mount on the other -- Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Exakta etc.<br /><br />The odds of finding the lens you want at the price you want either in Exakta mount or in T-mount with the Exakta T-mount adaptor are slim. But if you find the lens in T-mount and can find the Exakta T-mount adaptor separately, that would get you there.<br /><br />These are going to be lenses that sold for anywhere from about $60 to $100 in the 60s and 70s. In other words, not great optical quality. Unless they're right outside your window, you do need something in the 300mm range and up for birds.<br>

If you can't find what you're looking for in Exakta mount, it might be nearly as cheap to buy it in something like Pentax and then pick up a cheap body to go with it. </p>

[lex_jenkins]

<p>The various T-mount adapter preset telephotos were often very good, if a bit low in contrast and saturation. The best I'd tried was a Vivitar 300mm f/5.6, which was better made than the 400mm f/6.3 and 500mm f/8 presets I tried. But all were sharp stopped down a bit. There were a gazillion of those lenses made by various Japanese and other Asian optical companies since the 1960s and all should cost well under $100.</p>

<p>The trick to getting good results from those lenses is to use a shade. If nothing else, carry a sheet of black construction paper, roll it up into a tube and tape it around the front of the lens barrel. These lenses are very vulnerable to veiling flare and consequent loss of contrast and color saturation. (If you look at photos of sports photographers from the 1960s-'80s, that rolled up sheet of paper lens hood was a common trick, even with some very good quality telephotos.)</p>

<p>The other trick is to keep your expectations realistic. These lenses were adequate for sitting birds in trees or shorelines, but that's about all. The dim view of a 500mm f/8, stopped down to f/11, makes it very difficult to use quickly in the deep shade typical of forests and marshes, especially early or late in the day when the light is more flattering, or under overcast conditions.</p>

<p>I finally got tired of those compromises and got a good and affordable 300mm f/4.5 Nikkor AI ED with auto-diaphragm. It was much better than any of those T-mount presets, and useful within limits even for some moving birds such as male grackles quarreling in springtime, and slowly hovering turkey vultures around the lake where I used to live.</p>

[rod_rhoads]

<p>As an Exakta owner of old but not since the 70's, I would highly recommend the Meyer Telemegor 300 or 400mm but also any Tamron adaptall I or II telephoto with Exakta/Topcor interchangable mount. These are all affordable unlike Zeiss or Schneider,Kilfitt. I currently have a monster Tamron 200-500mm adaptall II lens which I like and many different mounts for it BUT it is huge. Tamron DID make adapters for their adaptall and adaptamatic lenses as well as T-Mount teles. The adaptalls would give you auto stop down (you wouldn't have to focus stopped down) BUT if you go that route buy the correct adapter first as Exakta adaptall adapters are hard to find, even online. They are cheap . T-mount adapters are even cheaper(I have 3 for exakta)</p>

[dennisgg]

The Tamron adaptall sp 300mm f5.6 is quite good.