α700 & MF 200-500mm f/6.9 LD

[SONYNUT]

500 mirror works great too

[DonSchap]

500 mirror works great too

The TAMRON or SONY? I have a Vivitar MF 500mm Reflex. I just don't see it as a sharp lens, though. Believe me, I have tried. Lightweight, oh yeah. A whole ten ounces. LOL

[SONYNUT]

i have a vivitar..but there are others..basically all the same

[DonSchap]

Okay, here is a side-by-side ... same exposure settings off the A700, same distance to subject ... 10-feet.

Vivitar MF 500mm f/8

EXIF: 500mm - f/8 - 1/200 sec - ISO-100 - Manual - Elex Flash (Full Power)

TAMRON MF 200-500mm f/6.9

EXIF: 500mm - f/8 - 1/200 sec - ISO-100 - Manual - Elex Flash (Full Power)

The TAMRON appears brighter ... so f/8 is obviously in question, here. That is the Reflex lens' rating and it is "fixed", so I guess we take it up with them for pushing an f/11 lens ... and wishing it was an f/8. Without a third lens for comparison ... it's up for grabs, but still ... the TAMRON delivered a brighter shot. It also looks like the magnification is a bit longer with the TAMRON. So ... call the Vivitar a 450mm lens, based on the TAMRON's calibration, because on the Vivitar ... it is "fixed" also. (LOL)

Both are manually focused ... and handheld. The Reflex makes for a very light tote, but no flexibility in framing. You are stuck with that ~450mm f/11 shot, every time ... and just hope for a real bright day, I suppose

[SONYNUT]

i know it's not the best but it's ok for some stuff..

while we are comparing lenses

here is a shot with the 500 vivitar f8 12ft away

[SONYNUT]

sigma 70-200dg 2.8 at f8 200

[SONYNUT]

mc mount with 1:1 adapter 200 mm 3.5........

at 5.6

[SONYNUT]

same lens with out the lens element in the adapter...(my focus was off a bit)

[DonSchap]

Well, it might be fun to check this one out ... but SONY's version (the SAL-500F80 - 500mm f/8 Reflex Super Telephoto Lens) is ... yeah, Autofocus. I kid you not ... the world's only one, from my understanding. Add that to the α100/α700's built-in anti-shake and you might have a very competative lens.

It is also a little too seriously priced at $699, which is a far cry from the $100 you probably paid for the Vivitar 500mm f/8 Reflex, right? If they chopped that price in half, I might even try one ... but, if I'm popping for a $700 lens ... that would definitely go for the TAMRON SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD, first, for only $100 more. It just does more and brighter.

I guess what surprises me is that the SONY can actually autofocus with a fixed f/8 lens. Most AF cameras simply can't. They would either stop or just drift back and forth, through the subject's focal plane. There's another darn good reason to grab a SONY and start shootin', right? BETTER AF RESPONSE. <- Darn tootin'!

[SONYNUT]

i like my sigma apo 70-200 2.8...i have yet to try it with a 2x but i suppose it couldn't be to bad..even at about 4.8 400mm