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Fun with the Pocket Rocket

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
To call the Nikkor Reflex 500mm f/8 pocketable may be to stretch things a bit, but compared to other 500mm lenses, it's lightweight as well as compact.

I acquired this lens a few weeks ago for two reasons: I'd heard so many negative things about it that I simply had to try it, and it was rather cheap.

Most of the critics are right of course, but there are positive things as well, and the better digital cameras become, with clean high ISO and in-body IS (can't wait to try it on an Olympus E-3), the easier the 500mm is to use.

The first thing I found out was that a tripod is no use, unless it's made of concrete and bolted to the ground. Mirror-slap is probably the worst enemy of this lens, since it has little inertia of its own (another argument for the E-3, which has a smaller mirror than any Nikon DSLR).

Below are a few shots from yesterday, all with the Fuji S3 (hopeless viewfinder for manual focus) at ISO 800, 1/4000th second and f/8, handheld. Bokeh is as funky as it gets, so watching the background is important. The full shots have a little bit USM (120%, 0.4) and curves adjustment, while the crops are untouched by human hand. All photos are taken around mid-day under tropical sun, but the lens isn't very contrasty, and handled the situation well, even without a proper sunshade.

Slow-moving object



100% crop (from 6MP file)



Fast-moving object



100% crop (from 6MP file)



Intruding into the private sphere :angel:



I'm looking forward to having lots of fun with this lens, and the better digital cameras get, the easier this lens will be to handle.
 

Stuart Richardson

Active member
Yes, they don't show up for me, but if I open them in a new tab or window, they show up. Whomever you are using to host them is preventing you from hotlinking them. It might be easier if you either upload them here, or simply list them as links. Regardless, the images are interesting and the idea of a compact 500mm lens that performs reasonably is quite appealing.
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
Strange. They were hosted at pbase, so it shouldn't be a problem. Anyway, here they are again:

Slow-moving object



100% crop (from 6MP file)



Fast-moving object



100% crop (from 6MP file)



Intruding into the private sphere

 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
Regardless, the images are interesting and the idea of a compact 500mm lens that performs reasonably is quite appealing.
What struck me is that, due to modern technology (better high ISO and/or in-body IS), mirror lenses have become much more useful than they were on film bodies. I wondered why Sony took up production of the old Minolta 500mm, but with their in-body IS (and the fact that it has AF as well), I think I understand that now.
 
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