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Zeiss Mirotar 500/f8

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Guest

Is Mirotar 500/f8 too big for the light-weight Aria? Is it a good lens?
 
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Guest

The Mirotar is fine with the Aria, especially given that it has an integrated tripod mount. The Aria helps keep overall camera weight down. I've only gotten a single roll back using the Mirotar, but the pics seem quite sharp from edge to edge (at least the ones I focused correctly!) and the color saturation pretty good for such a long lens. I can, for ex&le, easily see feather detail on bird photos. The ring-shaped out of focus highlights haven't been especially distracting on any picture I've shot so far, but are certainly there if you look for them.

After trying to chase down wildlife carrying this rig on a tripod, I've gotten a monopod and ballhead, and I'm ready to go try again.

--Rick
 
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Guest

Pls. see the existing thread on Mirotar 500f8. I would not recommend using it with Aria. I'm considering buying an RTSIII because of the mirror lock-up function and stable shutter (compare with that of S2 I own) which may be the only way to get sharp images when speed is below 1/60 even with tripod.
 
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Guest

Simon,

Can you describe what situations you find yourself shooting the 500 @ 1/60 and slower? Is it landscapes, astrophotography? I'm looking to expand my horizons, so to speak, with this lens, and am open to new ideas. What I've been doing so far, shooting wildlife, renders slow shutter speeds and mirror lockup moot.

I'm curious as to what way the Aria exhibits excess vibration due to mirror slap. In the short time I've had mine I've found it easy to handhold at very low speeds (although admittedly I keep the speeds high if attempting to handhold the 500). It seems a well-d&ed camera to me.

As a thought, if you only need mirror lockup for the 500, you can also get it with an RTS I or II for a lot less money. I'd also make completely certain that any blurring from motion isn't coming from the tripod or head. In my experience it takes a really massive tripod and ballhead to do an adequate job with longer lenses, e.g., a studio Gitzo and a Linhof or Arca-Swiss ballhead.

In the meantime, I'm playing with faster film and a monopod.

--Rick
 
G

Guest

Rick,

I usually use it for landscape, flowers and birds. If the speed can be over 1/125 sec with tripod/monopod, you'll have a good chance to get sharp images. I've tried this with the AX. The Aria is a good camera but the mirror slap vibration is just not up to that required for slower speed shooting with the 500/f8. For higher speed, I've no experience but I guess it should not be a problem.

BTW, the "ring" effect of mirror lens is just another dimension in artistic expression. If use it right, it's fascinating.
 
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pkipnis

Well-Known Member
the 500/8 is a catadioptic lens and as such has a single f stop. Some manufacturers add a filter drawer to use ND filters but that poses it's own problems. Since this lens has only one f stop is neither MM or AE. The camera reads the f stop pin and sets the aperture to f 8 which would be pseudo AE. I have used this lens on many assignments even though it has it's tell-tail spectral highlights I have used this lens with extension tubes for close focus capability on some fashion assignments with good
 
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