It is easier for me to catch up with my faster family who ran ahead of me searching for the missing glass.
And my older boy has a tendency in avoiding and running away from my camera.
The lens allow me to see farther objects in a good distance as in 50 feet and it allow me to see a view with detail on interesting crop on unnoticed objects in a distance
The doughnut bokeh can be annoying to some and I find it distracting at times but there are few exceptions that I ran into recent shooting. You can see all the donuts bokeh rings about sunset timing and I quite like the doughnut bokeh in the sunset lighting -- very unique.
The off focus rendering can be artistic and I really love my inability to focus on MF on this shot
And I love these two shots of my older boy though they are not perfectly in focus, the off focus rendering is soft and blend in well without the distraction
And I can make a still shot of animals such as a goose in a distance
And close up with this mirror lens quite usable as long as the background is farther away from the subject. When background is too close, I do see harsh bokeh and sometime the doughnut bokeh do happen especially if you look for them.
Impressions & Notes
For readers who have an interest in mirror lens, I will try to sum up the experience and a caution to set the expectation correct
- It is important to find the brand that is recommended by trusted sources. I will concentrate on Tamron 55B, 55BB adaptall-2, Sigma cat 400mm f/5.6 and 600mm f/8.0 and Tokina 500mm f/8.0 and perhaps few others
- Doughnut bokeh are there. Some can be distracting especially when the background object is at a close distance.
- MF is the key thing in getting the shots. The beauty in the mirror lens lies in small size and compact form factor. This misleads me to use it hand-held. However, the best pictures and better keeper ratio does come from the use with mono-pod. With the extra investment, you will enjoy the mirror lens UP a notch or two.
- The speed at f/8.0 is not meant for fast moving objects. You will be disappointed when you compare the mirror lens to a good f/5.6 in 400mm in shooting objects in a distance with fast movement.
- Lower contrast and flat color on pictures are some of the factors that turn people off from mirror lens. I will have some bragging rights on the Tamron 55BB as the color and contrast are at a different camp when compared to the Vivitar 500mm f/8.0 that I previously owned. Don't cheap out in getting a $80 mirror lens as it is not even worth $8.0 for the shipping fee.
- There is no fringing in mirror lens as far as I know
- Tamron 55BB is a later version after the 55B. And 55BB doesn't have a tripod mount. I find it alright to use the tripod mount on camera and it is an non-issue when I use my 55BB.
- Perhaps more to come when I remember them
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