Do you want extreme reach? (1 Viewer)

[njlarsen]

Tokina announced a 400 mm mirror lens which comes with a 2x TC for equivalent reach like a 1600 mm lens! The weight of the lens itself seems to be 355 g, what it would be with the whole kit ()including mount adapter) I do not know.

Tokina - SZX SUPER TELE 400mm F8 Reflex MF & 2X EXTENDER KIT

tokinalens.com

Niels

 

[Essex Tern]

Interesting budget option. Shame no AF or IS, but I could see it might be a fun lens to have a play with.

 

[Richard D]

I wonder how it compares to the venerable Tamron 500 sp ?

 

[njlarsen]

Interesting budget option. Shame no AF or IS, but I could see it might be a fun lens to have a play with.

Yeah, not exactly a lens for birds in flight
Niels

 

[WildPhotographer]

So 800mm on FF, 1200 on APS-C or 1600mm on M43. Interesting option, but have they controlled the Chromatic aberration which is much more visible than it used to be in the days of the old 500mm CAT? Wildlife film (now shot on 6-8k, so higher resolution than many stills) is all manually focussed even for BIF; tripods and practice are the key for MF accuracy.

 

[Dave Williams]

Canon have just announced the launch of their latest RF telephotos , an 800mm f5.6 and a 1200mm F8 . I can't decided which I'll go for so I'll just get them both!

 

[WildPhotographer]

Canon have just announced the launch of their latest RF telephotos , an 800mm f5.6 and a 1200mm F8 . I can't decided which I'll go for so I'll just get them both!

I hope you have strong arms and a deep wallet

The original EF800mm f/5.6 IS L was a gem to use and surprisingly light, but £13k new and rather bulky. They only made a dozen or so 1200mm lenses.

 

[Essex Tern]

My back couldn’t handle either of those Canons!

 

[njlarsen]

So 800mm on FF, 1200 on APS-C or 1600mm on M43. Interesting option, but have they controlled the Chromatic aberration which is much more visible than it used to be in the days of the old 500mm CAT? Wildlife film (now shot on 6-8k, so higher resolution than many stills) is all manually focussed even for BIF; tripods and practice are the key for MF accuracy.

When doing this kind of video I expect they also have the image mirrored onto a screen with the size of a tablet so that they truly can see what the focus looks like.

It does remind me of my own first tele which was a manual focus 450 mm lens on a film camera. Yes, even birds in flight were possible but most shots would not be keepers now.

Niels

 

[WildPhotographer]

When doing this kind of video I expect they also have the image mirrored onto a screen with the size of a tablet so that they truly can see what the focus looks like.

Niels

You would be surprised Niels. Most work is done through viewfinders and many are actually very poor resolution. I was using a Sony Cinema camera until recently for this work and the viewfinder was terrible (for £5,000!!!). The only was to see focus was to use extreme peaking (edge enhancement). in Hollywood, there are camera operators and focus pullers, in wildlife TV, just the camera guy, frequently alone in a hide for many days.

 

[rka]

Tokina announced a 400 mm mirror lens which comes with a 2x TC for equivalent reach like a 1600 mm lens! The weight of the lens itself seems to be 355 g, what it would be with the whole kit ()including mount adapter) I do not know.

Tokina - SZX SUPER TELE 400mm F8 Reflex MF & 2X EXTENDER KIT

tokinalens.com

Niels

FYI - Tokina/Kenko just announced a new 500mm f/8 mirror lens but a bit more expensive than the current 400mm one. Also it appears a Mark ii version of the 400mm lens will be available in selected regions in the near future. All the lenses can work on full frame so are a bit larger than they need to be for a MFT camera. I still hope for a MFT specific 400mm mirror lens (unlikely though).

 

[njlarsen]

Have you used a mirror lens before? The doughnut shaped out of focus highlights are not for everyone.
Niels

 

[rka]

Have you used a mirror lens before? The doughnut shaped out of focus highlights are not for everyone.
Niels

Yes, I have used a couple in the past. Great portability but very challenging at times to focus. I'm fine with the doughnut background properties. Eagerly awaiting feedback on these 2 tokina options ... especially on the focus throw which sometimes tends to be a bit too short. Ideally I would like a 300mm mirror lens similar to what Tokina/Kenko released for MFT a few years ago, but with a couple improvements. That 300mm lens was very portable.

 

[WildPhotographer]

I guess the question is "Do you have a scope?" I have been using a Swarovski STX scope very successfully for Digiscoping for a few years, mainly with M43 cameras - one of the reasons I'm so excited to have my OM-1. Digiscoping can be challenging, but at least the scope is on hand for birding as well as photography.

 

[seawatcher]

I guess the question is "Do you have a scope?" I have been using a Swarovski STX scope very successfully for Digiscoping for a few years, mainly with M43 cameras - one of the reasons I'm so excited to have my OM-1. Digiscoping can be challenging, but at least the scope is on hand for birding as well as photography.

Do you mind if i ask which objective you use with the OM-1 and the STX scope? Do you experience vignetting when digiscoping with your setup? SW

 

[WildPhotographer]

Do you mind if i ask which objective you use with the OM-1 and the STX scope? Do you experience vignetting when digiscoping with your setup? SW

I use two combinations:

1. The Swarovski TLS APO 21 adapter which is no longer cheap, but reliable and fuss-free. This works as the perfect interface between scope and camera and comes with a new objective for the scope.

2. The Panasonic 20mm f1.7 lens with a 'Digidapter'. This gives more light and some say a sharper image. I cannot see a difference personally. This gives a good solution, but is fiddly and prone to need re-adjustment periodically. For filming though, this is the best option as it is possible to add an ND filter to give optimal shutter speeds for filming.

Both can give vignetting without care. A robust tripod and care are essential (I recommend a video tripod and head. Personally I have seen great results. Message me direct or call (website has both) if you need more information.

Nick