 Peggy Swann |
lenses Can anyone tell me if a minolta 500mm F8 reflex lense is a good telephoto lens for wildlife. I have a zoom lens that goes to 300mm but need more distance for birds and other animals.
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Kerry L. Walker |
Normally, I would say that a reflex lens is not a good lens - good for some fun but that is about it. However, from what I have read about this one, it may be the exception.
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David A. Bliss |
If the widest aperture it has is f8, you would be stuck shooting in very bright light, or with very long shutter speeds, or with a very high ISO. Any of these would be detrimental to shooting wildlife. I would say you would need a lens that has at least 5.6. Anything wider would be a plus. I understand that money can be an issue with a big piece of glass like this, but you would most likely be very unhappy with an f8, in my opinion.
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Kerry L. Walker |
That is a good point. You are stuck with a single aperature. Even though this lens is cheap by long telephoto standards, it is expensive by reflex lens standards.
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Jon Close |
It's expensive because it is the only reflex lens with AUTOFOCUS. It will AF with most (not all, check compatibility) Maxxum/Dynax bodies. That and much higher quality than the cheapy Samyang/Vivitar/Phoenix mirrors. The Minolta Reflex (~$500) is about 1/2 the size and weight of the Sigma 170-500 f/5-6.3 APO (~$700), Tamron 200-500 f/5-6.3 Di LD (~$900), or Sigma 50-500 f/4.5-6.3 EX (~$1000). The following article from PopPhoto a couple years ago gives some useful information on reflex (aka catadioptric or Cassegrain) lenses. Advantages, drawbacks, what to look for in buying, etc. "The CAT did it." by Herbert Keppler
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