500mm Mirror f6.3 or a 500 f8 fixed telephoto lens

Hello Digit,

I have a 500mm f6.3 Canon mount Pro-Optic that I purchased from Adorama for about $150. I am very pleased with this lens.  The lens is totally manual and lacks image stabilization, but it has insane reach and high image quality for the price.  I remember reading that a cropped image from a cheap 70-300 zoom would have better quality than an un-cropped image from a 500 mm mirror lens.  I found the opposite to be true.  I have attached a few sample images, all of which are hand held shots.  I like to shoot with this lens at ISO 1600, to get a fast shutter speed.  Manual focus can be very fun when you get the hang of it.  An argument can be made that a young aspiring photographer can benefit from experience with manual focus.  I recommend this lens.  The Vivitar might be just as good, but I don't have any experience with it.  Also, I recommend the f6.3 over the f8 because it is less extreme.  It has a bigger aperture for more light gathering and still has plenty of reach.

JAH

Female Northern Cardinal

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Male Northern Cardinal