Mirror v Zoom lenses

I have taken a series of photos with both of my Tamron Mirror Lenses.

Both these lenses are quite elderly at this stage and are completely manual focus. The have a fixed aperture, the 350mm is f5.6 and the 500mm is f8. Thus means they will not operate the metering system on my Nikon D5300, so I had to take a series of pictures at different shutter speeds and look at the screen on the camera to determine which ones have the best exposures. The ISO was set at 100 and this could be increased if necessary.

A big advantage of these mirror lenses is that they are quite short in comparison with a standard telephoto of the same focal length. They are based on the same plan as an astronomical reflector telescope, where the light is "bounced" around inside the lens, instead of going straight through as in a refractor telescope. The 350mm body length is only 70mm while the 500mm is only 80mm long. The 350mm has the facility to fit rear counted filters, UV, Red, Orange etc. The 500mm does not have this facility.

Likewise, they are quite light, the 350mm weighing only 732 grams and the 500mm is only 593 grams. Consequently in reasonable light you can hand hold the 350mm but a tripod is best for the 500mm (because of the extra magnification shake is a problem, even if you haven't been drinking!!).

Both lenses have a comparatively close focus when compared to their conventional lenses equivalent. The 350mm focuses down to 38 inches (97 cms), while the 500mm gets as close as 60 inches (152 cms).

One disadvantage of mirror lenses is that bright out of focus items can appear as bright doughnuts, called circles of confusion, which can detract from the main image. Sunlight on waves on the water are notorious for this.
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  • 350mm f5.6, 1/125 sec

    350mm f5.6, 1/125 sec

  • 350mm f5.6, 1/60 sec

    350mm f5.6, 1/60 sec

  • 350mm f5.6, 1/30 sec

    350mm f5.6, 1/30 sec

  • 350mm f5.6, 1/15 sec

    350mm f5.6, 1/15 sec

  • 350mm f5.6, 1/60 sec, 38" = 97 cms closest focus

    350mm f5.6, 1/60 sec, 38" = 97 cms closest focus

  • 500mm, f8 1/15 sec, 60" =152 cms closesr focus

    500mm, f8 1/15 sec, 60" =152 cms closesr focus

  • 500mm, f8 1/125 sec

    500mm, f8 1/125 sec

  • 500mm, f8 1/60 sec

    500mm, f8 1/60 sec

  • 500mm, f8 1/30 sec

    500mm, f8 1/30 sec

  • 500mm, f8 1/15 sec

    500mm, f8 1/15 sec

  • Sigma 150 - 500 zoom, 1/6 sec f22 at 150mm

    Sigma 150 - 500 zoom, 1/6 sec f22 at 150mm

  • Sigma 150 - 500 zoom, 1/13 sec f22 at 300mm

    Sigma 150 - 500 zoom, 1/13 sec f22 at 300mm

  • Sigma 150 - 500 zoom, 1/8 sec f22 at 500mm

    Sigma 150 - 500 zoom, 1/8 sec f22 at 500mm

  • Sigma 150 - 500 zoom, 1/25 sec f20 at 500mm

    Sigma 150 - 500 zoom, 1/25 sec f20 at 500mm

  • Sigma 150 - 500 zoom, 1/25 sec f20 at 150mm

    Sigma 150 - 500 zoom, 1/25 sec f20 at 150mm

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