Anyone Have a Mirror Lens?

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Andy
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Just wondering how many here have a mirror lens. I've been looking at the Nikkor 500mm f/8 (I think). Some of the shots I've seen are just plain horrible but some do have a certain quality too then.

I know they are very cheap compared to ED glass equivalent but are they even worth that much?
 
Used to have one a long time ago. TBH they're not really worth having for anything other than a curiosity. I quite like the look of the OOF areas from a mirror lens but it's not something you want very often.

Pete
 
Very shallow depth of field and very hard to focus, very soft. I have a 1000mm mirror lens I bought years ago, I converted it into a small telescope because it was pretty useless as a lens.
 
Steep said:
Very shallow depth of field and very hard to focus, very soft. I have a 1000mm mirror lens I bought years ago, I converted it into a small telescope because it was pretty useless as a lens.
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telescope sounds pretty neat, got any shots you could post as an example? I'm really fascinated by the idea of getting close to the moon
 
Mirror lenses also called Cat lenses (Catadioptric) are relatively cheap. They achieve very long focal lengths within a short housing by bouncing the image back and forth off internal mirrors. They usually have a fixed aperture of f8 or f11, and a characteristic of these lenses is that any oof highlights are reproduced as looking like circular donuts or smoke rings. The effect isn't necessarily unattractive IMO, but the fixed small aperture is a severe handicap in all but really good light and you find yourself struggling for usable shutter speeds with any moving subject.

It's difficult to really recommend them - I had one years ago and it was pants in all honesty.
 
Well optical quality apart, which is gonna depend on the lens, it should be OK for Moon shots. The moon is brighter than you think and 125th at f8 and 100 ISO is a good starting point for exposure. You'll have to focus very accurately as there's no facility to stop down on these lenses.

Some have them have very small ND filters which screw onto the tiny rear element to give you some exposure control in lieu of aperture control.
 
the doughnut bokeh you get from a mirror lens is pretty weird, and from what i've read it's pretty difficult to get handheld shots without getting shake!
 
Thanks for all the replies. They do seem like an interesting lens but it's clear that mirror lenses are no alternative to ED glass. I do like the look of the doughnut bokeh but wouldn't want it on every shot.

I think I'll give them a miss unless I can find one super cheap second hand. £300 for a new one is a lot for something that essentially is just a gimmick.
 
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