On Sat, 11 Jan 2003 15:23:27 -0000, "***" <***@***.***> wrote:

>I have just returned a Centon 500mm mirror lens to Jessops (UK) as

>completely unsatisfactory. Even with fine grain film properly exposed, with

>camera mounted on a tripod and shutter speeds around 1/1000 it was extremely

>fuzzy. Subject was at some distance so it wasn't a depth of field feature

>either.

>

>I'm looking for alternatives. The next option looks like the Sigma 600mm

>mirror lens. Does anyone have opinions, good or bad, for this item?

Likely better than the one you returned, and maybe

about as good as a Tamron 500mm f8, but unlikely as

good as the best (Nikkor - and probably Minolta, and

Canon versions, also...). BTW, these are VERY DIFFICULT

to use (I get best results hand-held, at 1/500th or

faster, with 4-5 frames taken of the same thing for

"sharpness-bracketing" - but I do get good results).

BTW, the Tamron 350mm f5.6 is very good (better than

the 500mm), as is the 250mm f5.6 Minolta - and I did

not like the Vivitar Series I mirrors I tried, and all

cheap mirrors I tried were poor...