Are all the cheap 650-1300mm zoom lenses the same?

[Matty W]

I see a bunch of these on Amazon and assumed they were rebranded from the same OEM.

But on Flickr the Samyang 650-1300mm looks a lot sharper than the Opteka.

Is this just a matter of one user having a better tripod (or maybe a FF rather than crop camera)? It's a bit more expensive.

 

[Aoi Usagi]

I see a bunch of these on Amazon and assumed they were rebranded from the same OEM.

Opteka rebrands Samyang lenses like the 500mm catadioptric (mirror) lenses so I am guess this is the same. They are also branded as Rokinon, Promaster, etc.

But on Flickr the Samyang 650-1300mm looks a lot sharper than the Opteka.

Is this just a matter of one user having a better tripod (or maybe a FF rather than crop camera)? It's a bit more expensive.

Probably. Or copy to copy variation. Samyang does not have the best QC and I am guessing they don't put a lot of effort into this cheap lenses.

 

[Matty W]

Thanks.

But now I'm even more confused. There are like four Opteka mirror lenses.

A better question:

Is there an ultra-cheap ultra-telephoto that's less bad than the others? Or can I only go wrong? In that case, how do I go least wrong?

I just think it would be fun to play with, especially with a 2x extender.

 

[fpapp]

Don't waste your money. There's a reason why the Nikon and Canon 800mm lenses are $16,000 & $13,000 respectively. You get what you pay for.

 

[DAVID MANZE]

Thanks.

But now I'm even more confused. There are like four Opteka mirror lenses.

A better question:

Is there an ultra-cheap ultra-telephoto that's less bad than the others? Or can I only go wrong?

In that case, how do I go least wrong?

Read what I've written here ......

I just think it would be fun to play with, especially with a 2x extender.

The fun is very short lived .........

....... many think they've spotted a bargain ...... the 650-1300mm lens is a "telescope lens" with only four elements ....... in general they are unusable with their low mass which needs fast shutter speeds even on tripods ........ wobbly adapters ......... and their lousy construction made focusing jerky and ridiculously impossible and .........they are not sharp ..... finally, the buyer gets a couple of unusable images ......... never to use it again.

I am utterly amazed that Samyang hasn't pulled them from their lens range .......... they were responsible for degrading Samayang's reputation for some years and yet they are still available in their millions!

-- show signature --

--
Dave's clichés

 

[Tord S Eriksson]

Thanks.

But now I'm even more confused. There are like four Opteka mirror lenses.

A better question:

Is there an ultra-cheap ultra-telephoto that's less bad than the others? Or can I only go wrong? In that case, how do I go least wrong?

I just think it would be fun to play with, especially with a 2x extender.

The problem will be the focusing, as with that long, and slow, lenses you really need to use a camera with an EVF (zoomed in) to get the focus right. I occasionally use my 150-600 S with the TC-1401 (giving me the field of view of an 850mm lens), making it an f/9.0 lens, and only occasionally I manage to get useable photos, and that is with a lens with an excellent anti-shake system, and far shorter than the Opteka, which hasn't got any kind of anti-shake built-in. The tripod mount will not be stable enough to keep vibrations at bay, while sand/bean bags and using the timer might work.

Really old long telephoto lenses might work better, as their sheer weight dampens the vibrations! And you might find a cheap one, as their AF usually have given up a long time ago. But I am no old lens connaisseur!

I have tried my Sigma 150-600 S + TC-1401 with my Nikon 1 cameras (crop factor 2.7), giving me the FoV of a 2,268mm lens, which very rarely works even when using a hefty tripod and a ditto tripod head. No AF, of course, except when the sun shines extremely intensively, like today!

Even without a TC it can be marginal:


About 75 meters away this young, unexperienced, grey heron landed on a float. Camera: Nikon 1 V2.


Evidently looking for something edible!


A young grey heron at a new fishing spot, there is a lot that distracts!


Oops, not an eel, but the rope the float is attached with!


Stretching time!


A fish, I caught a fish! A burbot, the smallest ever, but who cares!


A bit lonely on this float, that's for sure! Shot with my only DX in those days, a D3300! Still in use, occasionally.


Crop.

Here is two shots from today, with, and without, the TC:


A lamppost 78 meters away from my balcony (according to Google Earth). 600mm. Again; Nikon 1 V2.


TC on, thus 850mm, AF on (but extremely slow). Slightly underexposed. Handheld! 850mm.

The optical problems would be far greater with the Opteka, no doubt about that! Bad enough here, if I may say so.

Good luck,

Tord

PS

I never managed to get anything like that sequence with the heron again (the float is gone, and no new seems to be planned — the COVID 19 ruined the local boroughs' economy, nothing left over for keeping this nature reserve haven intact)!

I used the same old Nikon for all shots, but the last two of the heron.

--
tordseriksson (at) gmail.....
Owner of a handful of Nikon cameras. And a few lenses.
WSSA #456

 

[Matty W]

Thanks.

But now I'm even more confused. There are like four Opteka mirror lenses.

A better question:

Is there an ultra-cheap ultra-telephoto that's less bad than the others? Or can I only go wrong? In that case, how do I go least wrong?

I just think it would be fun to play with, especially with a 2x extender.

The problem will be the focusing, as with that long, and slow, lenses you really need to use a camera with an EVF (zoomed in) to get the focus right. I occasionally use my 150-600 S with the TC-1401 (giving me the field of view of an 850mm lens), making it an f/9.0 lens, and only occasionally I manage to get useable photos, and that is with a lens with an excellent anti-shake system, and far shorter than the Opteka, which hasn't got any kind of anti-shake built-in. The tripod mount will not be stable enough to keep vibrations at bay, while sand/bean bags and using the timer might work.

Really old long telephoto lenses might work better, as their sheer weight dampens the vibrations! And you might find a cheap one, as their AF usually have given up a long time ago. But I am no old lens connaisseur!

I have tried my Sigma 150-600 S + TC-1401 with my Nikon 1 cameras (crop factor 2.7), giving me the FoV of a 2,268mm lens, which very rarely works even when using a hefty tripod and a ditto tripod head. No AF, of course, except when the sun shines extremely intensively, like today!

Even without a TC it can be marginal:


About 75 meters away this young, unexperienced, grey heron landed on a float. Camera: Nikon 1 V2.


Evidently looking for something edible!


A young grey heron at a new fishing spot, there is a lot that distracts!


Oops, not an eel, but the rope the float is attached with!


Stretching time!


A fish, I caught a fish! A burbot, the smallest ever, but who cares!


A bit lonely on this float, that's for sure! Shot with my only DX in those days, a D3300! Still in use, occasionally.


Crop.

Here is two shots from today, with, and without, the TC:


A lamppost 78 meters away from my balcony (according to Google Earth). 600mm. Again; Nikon 1 V2.


TC on, thus 850mm, AF on (but extremely slow). Slightly underexposed. Handheld! 850mm.

The optical problems would be far greater with the Opteka, no doubt about that! Bad enough here, if I may say so.

Good luck,

Tord

PS

I never managed to get anything like that sequence with the heron again (the float is gone, and no new seems to be planned — the COVID 19 ruined the local boroughs' economy, nothing left over for keeping this nature reserve haven intact)!

I used the same old Nikon for all shots, but the last two of the heron.

Thanks, these look good (much better than the Opteka for sure) but I can see the softness where the teleconverter is used, I think.

Do you find IS helps when you're on a tripod or do you turn it off? I guess I can just rent a 400mm lens and use a 2x extender rather than buying the Opteka. Interesting I did see good results from one Flickr user, but just one.

 

[Tord S Eriksson]

Thanks.

But now I'm even more confused. There are like four Opteka mirror lenses.

A better question:

Is there an ultra-cheap ultra-telephoto that's less bad than the others? Or can I only go wrong? In that case, how do I go least wrong?

I just think it would be fun to play with, especially with a 2x extender.

The problem will be the focusing, as with that long, and slow, lenses you really need to use a camera with an EVF (zoomed in) to get the focus right. I occasionally use my 150-600 S with the TC-1401 (giving me the field of view of an 850mm lens), making it an f/9.0 lens, and only occasionally I manage to get useable photos, and that is with a lens with an excellent anti-shake system, and far shorter than the Opteka, which hasn't got any kind of anti-shake built-in. The tripod mount will not be stable enough to keep vibrations at bay, while sand/bean bags and using the timer might work.

Really old long telephoto lenses might work better, as their sheer weight dampens the vibrations! And you might find a cheap one, as their AF usually have given up a long time ago. But I am no old lens connaisseur!

I have tried my Sigma 150-600 S + TC-1401 with my Nikon 1 cameras (crop factor 2.7), giving me the FoV of a 2,268mm lens, which very rarely works even when using a hefty tripod and a ditto tripod head. No AF, of course, except when the sun shines extremely intensively, like today!

Even without a TC it can be marginal:


About 75 meters away this young, unexperienced, grey heron landed on a float. Camera: Nikon 1 V2.


Evidently looking for something edible!


A young grey heron at a new fishing spot, there is a lot that distracts!


Oops, not an eel, but the rope the float is attached with!


Stretching time!


A fish, I caught a fish! A burbot, the smallest ever, but who cares!


A bit lonely on this float, that's for sure! Shot with my only DX in those days, a D3300! Still in use, occasionally.


Crop.

Here is two shots from today, with, and without, the TC:


A lamppost 78 meters away from my balcony (according to Google Earth). 600mm. Again; Nikon 1 V2.


TC on, thus 850mm, AF on (but extremely slow). Slightly underexposed. Handheld! 850mm.

The optical problems would be far greater with the Opteka, no doubt about that! Bad enough here, if I may say so.

Good luck,

Tord

PS

I never managed to get anything like that sequence with the heron again (the float is gone, and no new seems to be planned — the COVID 19 ruined the local boroughs' economy, nothing left over for keeping this nature reserve haven intact)!

I used the same old Nikon for all shots, but the last two of the heron.

Thanks, these look good (much better than the Opteka for sure) but I can see the softness where the teleconverter is used, I think.

Do you find IS helps when you're on a tripod or do you turn it off? I guess I can just rent a 400mm lens and use a 2x extender rather than buying the Opteka. Interesting I did see good results from one Flickr user, but just one.

To me, it helps a lot, as it keeps the viewfinder steady, even over 1/500! The IS/OS/VR (depending on the lens manufacturer) stays on, for me at least.

The scientific guys here will point out that you should turn off the IS when you attach the lens to your tripod, as the tripod's vibrations are very unlike human shaking when it comes to frequency and amplitude, and the IS is designed to dampen human feebleness, not a badly designed tripod's failures.

On a gimbal where I seldom lock the head, I always have the IS/OIS/VR/OS on, on a locked, rigid, tripod head, say aimed at a nest, I keep it sometimes off.

--
tordseriksson (at) gmail.....
Owner of a handful of Nikon cameras. And a few lenses.
WSSA #456

 

[QuietOC]

Thanks.

But now I'm even more confused. There are like four Opteka mirror lenses.

A better question:

Is there an ultra-cheap ultra-telephoto that's less bad than the others? Or can I only go wrong? In that case, how do I go least wrong?

I just think it would be fun to play with, especially with a 2x extender.

My Minolta AF Reflex 500mm F8 is fairly sharp.

Pentax Q7 - 1.85 µm pixel pitch