A frogal 500mm

ziggy53

There are times when brand new is just not possible for a lot of us. A case in point is the 500mm prime class of lens from either Canon or Nikon (alphabetical order, of course).

At around $5500 for a Canon f4L or $7000 for a Nikon f4D, these are just way out there.

An option is an older refractor lens from days gone by. Last year, I happened to go to Lundgren Camera Store in Rockford, IL. I asked to see some old Pentax Screw/Universal/M42 lenses they might have. The store person brought forth a drawer of old glass. Even tho this was middle of the year, it felt like Christmas to me. Granted, a lot of what I saw was junk, but I found a couple of gems, among them was a Pentax 50mm, f1.4, SMC Takumar, that I have wanted for some time.

I was about to check out when, as a joke, the employee brings this giant oldee from the Vietnam era. I looked through it and I used a small LED flashlight to check for internal problems and such. Here was a nice example of old glass. Trying to contain myself, I asked the employee how much for both lenses?

He went to the owner to get a price, and we did a little bargaining, and I got both for a very fair price. I figure the 500mm at around $60 of the transaction.

I already had the proper adapter from Adorama, so I was set.

Today, I tested the lens and it looks pretty good.

Here's a test shot:

pathfinder

Pretty darn good Ziggy!!

The optics of some of the older lenses were excellent. I kept my Zuicko 50mm f1.2 and f1.4 for the same reasons. Just really good glass. Maybe I'll look around for that Zuicko 21 somewhere. Hmmm....

ziggy53

... and here's a 100% crop.

ziggy53

Both of those shots had considerable PS work and then Neat Image because I used ISO 1600 to get an acceptable shutter speed.

Here's how the lens looks on the camera (yes, I could have chosen a better background):

gtc

very jealous
jealousy from a recently obsessed old glass fan

ziggy thats a real find-$60.00! i would be interested to see some close ups of the front element etc and how it deals with flare etc

i wonder how much its really worth?

also, I would like to see some of your smc takumar shots

greg

ziggy53

Pathfinder,

It will never compare directly with the better glass, but for the money, I think I did OK.

Thanks,

ziggy53

ziggy53

Greg,

I don't have a lens shade, what you see in the front is the barrel for the front element. The lens is not coated and flair is probably a considerable problem.

Considering what the lens does, I would value it at around $250. I won't sell it until I get a replacement for it, and it will be a long time before I could consider a $5000-$7000 quality lens.

It is clumsy to use, heavy, manual focus, preset aperature, etc.

It is also a lot of fun!

Thanks,

ziggy53

wxwax

That does look like fun!

But jeepers, you had to go to ISO 1600 on an overcast day?

ziggy53

Sid,

Wide open, it's an f6.3, and that's what I used. I had shot some casual stuff this last summer, handheld, but that was bright sunlight and around noon. Nothing much to show.

I am waiting for it to get cold and for our local river to freeze. Some Bald eagles come close to where I live and they are spectacular. I'm looking forward to catching them in flight. (Well, ... trying to catch them anyway.)

Thanks,

ziggy53

Red Bull

What a great find...at a great price! I would love to have an old super telephoto lens like that. Looks like you'll be having some fun with it.

gluwater

The way the weather has been going this winter I am beginning to wonder if anything will ever freeze around here.

ziggy53

Red Bull wrote:

... I would love to have an old super telephoto lens like that. ...

Steven,

You just have to keep your eyes and ears open. Sometimes it's just the right time and place. If never you try, then never you will know. (No, that's not an Andy quote.)

Thanks,

ziggy53

ziggy53

gluwater wrote:

The way the weather has been going this winter I am beginning to wonder if anything will ever freeze around here.

Be carefull what you wish for! February can seem longer than any other month when the weather closes in.

Thanks,

ziggy53

gluwater

ziggy53 wrote:

Be carefull what you wish for! February can seem longer than any other month when the weather closes in.

Thanks,

ziggy53

That's why I'm going to visit Harry in Florida

Well if the Eagles do show up and you want some company shooting them send me a PM, I'm always up for birds and meeting dgrinners.

gtc

make?
hi ziggy,

do you know what it is?

i recently tried out a smc takumar 500/4.5,which is a similar looking lens-the asking price was $1200 AUD-multicoated but still had flare-the image quality with the 20d was good-no edge softness but an unacceptable amount of dust.

as your lens is from the sixties i am sure that a moon shot would be an appropriate subject.

keep up the old lens resurrections.

greg

ziggy53 wrote:

Greg,

I don't have a lens shade, what you see in the front is the barrel for the front element. The lens is not coated and flair is probably a considerable problem.

Considering what the lens does, I would value it at around $250. I won't sell it until I get a replacement for it, and it will be a long time before I could consider a $5000-$7000 quality lens.

It is clumsy to use, heavy, manual focus, preset aperature, etc.

It is also a lot of fun!

Thanks,

ziggy53

Justiceiro

I am right there with you man! I love old glass! Have you had a chance to test this out at sporting events?

ziggy53

gtc wrote:

hi ziggy,

do you know what it is?

...

greg

Greg,

It is a Vivitar by the label. I found one source which said that the glass for these was by another manufacturer, Vivitar simply assembled and sold the lens through its outlets.

One kinda cool thing, the lens disassembles! I can get to the innards for cleaning. I could also knock it down for transport.

Contrast is very low, but the resolution and sharpness of the lens is not bad.

ziggy53

ziggy53

Justiceiro,

I did take it to one H.S. football game, and I used it for the first half of the frosh-soph game (why isn't it "fresh-soph"?) By half-time, there was too little light for even a huddle shot. Focussing is a real bear and the results were not bad, but not great.

My son plays Varsity, so I really need a decent lens in the 70-200mm range. It looks like I'll be going Canon "L" glass very soon. (Not for football, of course.)

The observations and comments from bystanders and other photographers were worth what I paid for the lens.

Now if I could just find some spraypaint the same light-gray color as the Canon "L" and the Nikon "D" glass ...? (Just trying to keep it cool! Nyuck,nyuck.)

ziggy53

Justiceiro

ziggy53 wrote:

Justiceiro,

I did take it to one H.S. football game, and I used it for the first half of the frosh-soph game (why isn't it "fresh-soph"?) By half-time, there was too little light for even a huddle shot. Focussing is a real bear and the results were not bad, but not great.

My son plays Varsity, so I really need a decent lens in the 70-200mm range. It looks like I'll be going Canon "L" glass very soon. (Not for football, of course.)

The observations and comments from bystanders and other photographers were worth what I paid for the lens.

Now if I could just find some spraypaint the same light-gray color as the Canon "L" and the Nikon "D" glass ...? (Just trying to keep it cool! Nyuck,nyuck.)

ziggy53

I have an old 300mm Orestegor I am going to try out soon. It's an MF 300mm, so it weighs a ton, and I am going to need a lot of light. Handholding is impossible.

ian408

Sounds like you found a good deal. And not a bad picture either.

KA0TVO

cool down for lens?
Nice lens and great price. I was wondering if this lens needs to cool down or adjust to new temperatures as a telescope. I have several scopes and they need to adjust to the surrounding air before any good viewing is possible.
Just a thought.

mynakedsoda

Great thread Ziggy! It seems to have gotten some people thinking about some of the options that exist out there. I've got quite a few oddball lenses that I use with my Nikons. Actually even a few old industrial Canon lenses even. Since there seems to be an interest in these economical alternatives I'll be sure to post about some of them soon.:):

JimM

Having a big gun looks like fun! I just picked up an older Sigma 400mm f5.6 on FM. Sounds like I will be stuck at f5.6 on the 20D, but having a big gun will be fun. I am told AF will work too! I got it for less than $200! I'll post some pics when it arrives.

gtc

re:af

JimM wrote:

Having a big gun looks like fun! I just picked up an older Sigma 400mm f5.6 on FM. Sounds like I will be stuck at f5.6 on the 20D, but having a big gun will be fun. I am told AF will work too! I got it for less than $200! I'll post some pics when it arrives.

good luck with that-re AF it might work but if it dosent you can get the lense rechipped -re 5.6 aperture,its no big deal -dial up your nice clean 20d iso 400 and fire away!look forward to your posts.

gtc

manual lenses
old glass is rather addictive- i hang around in a manual lens forum

http://oomz.net/mf/index.php

mynakedsoda wrote:

Great thread Ziggy! It seems to have gotten some people thinking about some of the options that exist out there. I've got quite a few oddball lenses that I use with my Nikons. Actually even a few old industrial Canon lenses even. Since there seems to be an interest in these economical alternatives I'll be sure to post about some of them soon.:):

gtc

m42 database

gtc wrote:

old glass is rather addictive- i hang around in a manual lens forum

http://oomz.net/mf/index.php

and here are all of the m42/pentax screwmount lenses

http://m42.povlab.org/

gtc

keh treasure trove

gtc wrote:

and here are all of the m42/pentax screwmount lenses

http://m42.povlab.org/

and here is a veritable wonderland of old lenses for sale-keh condition rating is very conservative too so if its rated as excellent ,it is.

http://www.keh.com/onlinestore/home.aspx

gtc

rare
ziggy

it is a rare lens-i haven't been able to find anything like it in my searches-so it is worth considering it in terms of rarity rather than optical performance and features etc

the ability to dismantle and clean is a great feature!

ziggy53 wrote:

Greg,

I don't have a lens shade, what you see in the front is the barrel for the front element. The lens is not coated and flair is probably a considerable problem.

Considering what the lens does, I would value it at around $250. I won't sell it until I get a replacement for it, and it will be a long time before I could consider a $5000-$7000 quality lens.

It is clumsy to use, heavy, manual focus, preset aperature, etc.

It is also a lot of fun!

Thanks,

ziggy53

gtc

takumar gallery
and here is an excellent asahi pentax takumar gallery
http://jcoconnell.com/lens1.htm

gtc wrote:

and here is a veritable wonderland of old lenses for sale-keh condition rating is very conservative too so if its rated as excellent ,it is.

http://www.keh.com/onlinestore/home.aspx

ziggy53

Greg and all,

Thanks for all your kind comments and diligent insight. This is greatly encouraging and I really do appreciate it, more than you will know!

ziggy53