650-1300mm Phoenix Lens for under $200

[ramblingman]

I discovered this lens:
http://www.phoenixcorp.com/Lenses/Ma...50-1300mm.html

Does anyone have any experience or feedback on the usefulness of this lens. I know it will never stack up (quality wise) to a sigma 50-500mm or a canon 100-400mm, but for under $300, would it be worth it? Anyone have pictures to share with this lens?

[Tannin]

Would it be worth it?

Not a chance in the wide, wide world. You can absolutely guarantee that it will be useless for any practical puropse. It will have all the optical qualities of a coke bottle but you don't get the free fizzy drink.

What if it was free? Walk away. It's a joke.

[robski]

As Tannin has advised walk away even if it was free.

You would try to use once and never again.

The T mount will always become lose.
A nightmare to focus and get the exposure set.
You may get better results if you did use a coke bottle.

I bought this sort of lens (400mm T mount f5.6) secondhand for £10 at a boot fair just for the hell of it. It ended up in the trash can after a week.

[deshojo]

Nothing but frustration and disappointment there.
It's just not possible to produce a useable lens of that focal length at anywhere near that price.
You'd be much better off looking for a used Canon 400mm f5.6 or similar on eprey, at least you'd be able to see what you'd photographed even if it was a bit smaller.

[macshark]

I discovered this lens:
http://www.phoenixcorp.com/Lenses/Ma...50-1300mm.html

Does anyone have any experience or feedback on the usefulness of this lens. I know it will never stack up (quality wise) to a sigma 50-500mm or a canon 100-400mm, but for under $300, would it be worth it? Anyone have pictures to share with this lens?

This lens is practically useless. Note that it is f/16 at 1300mm. It will be practically impossible to manual focus at that aperture.

[Andy Bright]

I think this was the thing I saw on photo.net or somewhere... the 'lens' had a big visible curve with a camera on the end, very comical. The results weren't pretty but I suppose it would be fun to play with for someone just curious about huge focal lengths.

[Quacker]

There is something similar on Ebay - (forgot the trading name) in fact it can be obtained with double that focal length as is supplied with added 2x converter.

I would however like to see some shots from a monster lens like this if anyone has any links ...

[Andy Bright]

I would however like to see some shots from a monster lens like this if anyone has any links ...http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=103319
it's a long read but page 15 onwards is when the photos start to appear.

I'm still holding out for the Nikon 1200-1700mm f5.6-f8 to appear on ebay ;)

cheers,
Andy

[ramblingman]

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=103319
it's a long read but page 15 onwards is when the photos start to appear.

I'm still holding out for the Nikon 1200-1700mm f5.6-f8 to appear on ebay ;)

cheers,
Andy

Thanks for sharing that link Andy. Both the Opteka and the Phoenix have the same focal lengths, but are the same in quality? (edit: Apparently per the thread, they are all made by samyang, just marketed differently.)
This is an interesting thread. Not too bad for the amount it costs.

[robski]

Thanks for sharing that link Andy. Both the Opteka and the Phoenix have the same focal lengths, but are the same in quality? (edit: Apparently per the thread, they are all made by samyang, just marketed differently.)
This is an interesting thread. Not too bad for the amount it costs.

It is common to see rebadging in the cheaper of the market. It looks like your tempted so if you do go for it lets us know you think of it and post some images. If you have good light in your part of the world you may find it OK.

How practical is the lens for wildlife ?
How easy is it to use ?
How milky are the pictures ?
How much processing do you need to get a useable image ?
Are you beggining to regret it ?

[ramblingman]

It is common to see rebadging in the cheaper of the market. It looks like your tempted so if you do go for it lets us know you think of it and post some images. If you have good light in your part of the world you may find it OK.

How practical is the lens for wildlife ?
How easy is it to use ?
How milky are the pictures ?
How much processing do you need to get a useable image ?
Are you beggining to regret it ?

Go to the link Andy Bright posted above and it may answer some of your questions.