Tamron’s 500mm mirror lens: A forgotten gem

This image of a dark-eyed Junco was photographed through the double-paned windows of our back French door with the 500mm mirror lens. I think sharpness is certainly acceptable and although there is hints of donut bokeh, the overall bokeh is very nice in this image. Finding a simple background is key to success with mirror lenses.

Modern cameras and post processing turn vintage lens into a woodland/wildlife gem

Years ago, I owned a Ricoh 600mm mirror lens. It was an f8 lens at a time when Kodachrome 64 was the film of choice and every image cost more than a few pennies.

The combination of manual focus with a darkened f8 viewfinder and a very slow shutter speed, together with a minuscule depth of field, made getting proper focus extremely difficult. Successful images were few and far between and the cost of film made using it difficult to justify.

Needless to say a tripod and static subject was almost a necessity for success. And even then, it was wise to take several images to score a few respectably sharp ones.

A lot has changed since then, and a long supertelephoto mirror lens with a fixed F8 aperture is no longer considered quite the liability it once was.

Modern in-camera stabilization or IBIS, the ability to dramatically increase ISO and the freedom to shoot an unlimited number of digital images at no cost, transforms the mirror lens’s capabilities. Add to that, modern post processing programs with AI sharpening capabilities, and those near misses resulting from the super shallow depth of field, quickly become a thing of the past.

This mallard shows the possibilities of the 500mm mirror lens with a simple background.

In the short time I have owned the lens – and thanks to modern technology – I have found a corner in my camera bag and arsenal of photography tools for the Tamron 500mm constant f8 mirror lens. A major plus for the lens is its incredibly small size and especially its weight at only 575g.

And, for the mere $75 Canadian I paid for the mint-condition lens, I can say that it has already easily paid for itself a couple of times over. I expect even greater things in the spring, when I can get out and really put it to the test.

Just for comparison, a modern autofocus Nikon 800mm f6.3 lens will set you back about $8,500.00 US, or well over $10,000.00 Canadian. Now, it may not be fair to make the comparison, but it’s nevertheless still interesting. I guess it’s better not to even mention the $29,000.00 U.S. Canon 1200mm f8.

If a super telephoto lens with the latest autofocus technology is not something you would use regularly, a mirror lens like this Tamron SP 500mm might be the perfect compromise. I’m currently using it with my Pentax K5 APSC camera but will also be mounting it on my M4/3 bodies with an adapter. And, if I ever have the desire to shoot for the moon, attaching the 500mm mirror lens to my Pentax Q would give me the equivalent of about a 2,500mm lens.

Now that’s some pulling-in power.

Shooting through a double-pane French door at the birds outside my windows can result in some nice keepers when the weather outside is way below freezing.

In the meantime, I’m enjoying putting my $75 mirror lens through its paces in the eye of a Canadian cold front.

Mirror lenses making a comeback

If you’ve been following the latest trends in photography, you’ll know that mirror lenses are beginning to have a little resurgence of late.

TT Artisan, for instance, has released a tiny 250mm f5.6 mirror lens (Amazon link) that is making waves among photographers looking for a small, carry around lens with some telephoto reach. Its small size makes it perfect to carry around and the shorter focal length makes it easier to use whether you are shooting landscapes or street scenes.

The Tamron 500mm mirror lens fitted to my Pentax K5 APSC camera making the effective focal length approximately 750mm.

And the donut bokeh that was always cited as a problem in the past, is being embraced by a new breed of creative photographers looking for a way to have their images noticed on social media.

But that’s not the only reasons mirror lenses are making a comeback.

Let me explain.

This goldfinch was also shot through a double-pane French door with the 500mm mirror lens. Notice the unusual bokeh giving the image a lovely soft look. This bird and the Junco above were just a few feet away 5-6 feet, allowing me to take advantage of the close-focussing ability of the lens.

Super telephoto that fits in your bag

On my APS-sized sensor on the Pentax K5 with IBIS, that 500mm becomes a close-focusing 750-800mm, f8 lens. Not only does the in-camera stabilization make it hand holdable in bright conditions, but the ability to bump ISO to unheard of levels when the lens was originally released in 1979, turns a once almost unusable lens into an everyday carry for photographers looking for an inexpensive super telephoto that easily fits into a camera bag.

It’s long reach is really only half the reason for my recent love affair.

Close-focussing from a distance

Its close-focussing capabilities are also worthy of mention. With a minimum focussing distance of 1.7meters (around 5-6 feet) and a magnification ratio of 1:3, the possibilities in the garden are endless.

The birds in this post, for example, were mostly right outside my window. And, while I had my fair share of throwaway images due to missed focus, the keepers make it all worthwhile.

Another image of a goldfinch shot through a double-pane French door with the Tamron 500mm mirror lens.

Unusual bokeh can be a benefit

The other half is the unusual bokeh this lens exhibits. I’m not talking about the weird donut rings that can be effective but are mostly just annoying unless they are used creatively, I’m talking about the “other” bokeh few people seem to focus on when talking about mirror lenses. It’s a painterly effect that can be quite beautiful given the right situation.

This sleeping screech owl is the perfect subject for the 800mm equivalent lens on an APSC camera like the Pentax K5. In this case, a monopod helped me steady the camera and lens.

Here, the specular highlights are bringing out the donut bokeh in the lens that can prove to be a little distracting to many viewers. It can, however, be used in a positive way for creative results under the right circumstances.

Another closeup image showing the flexibility of the 500mm mirror lens. At one moment you might be shooting a bird in a distant tree, and the next, a closeup of your favourite flower.

This extreme close-up of a flower is actually two images stacked together. Both images were taken with the 500mm mirror lens. Modern post processing programs help make the lens even more useable.

The owl image above gives a hint of the painterly bokeh in the out-of-focus green leaves in the background. The image below of a Junco in a snowstorm with two textures added, takes the painterly look to the extreme.

This is an interesting image that you might love or hate. Focus on the sparrow was a little off, but the overall softness of the image made it the perfect candidate to try adding some textures to create an even greater painterly effect. Here, two textures were added to get the finished result.

A little background on the lens

The Tamron 500mm mirror or catadioptric lens was originally introduced in 1979 as the smallest and lightest 500mm mirror telephoto lens ever produced. The lens was significant because it changed the thinking of optical engineers in the industry primarily because it uses Mangin mirrors. Mangin mirrors are lenses with one side of the lens being either aluminized or, in the case of Tamron's mirror lenses, silvered for peak reflectivity.

Light passes and refracts through the unsilvered front side of the lens element, reflects off the aluminized or silvered back surface, and then the light again passes and refracts through the front side of the lens element. The whole point of using Mangin mirrors within a catadioptric lens is to reduce weight and size by getting away from the heavy solid catadioptric lens designs and earlier conventional mirror lens designs which were nowhere as compact."

There are two versions of the Tamron adaptable lens known as 55B. One version is the same size as the later 55BB and has a screw in hood (This is the one I own.). The other is about 15mm longer body and has an integral sliding hood.
The 55B's are easily distinguishable from the later 55BB by the presence of the tripod mount, and the ribbed rather than dimpled pattern of the rubber grip. The lens was manufactured from 1979 to 1983.

For those who care, the optical construction is 7 elements in 4 groups. It has the high end BBAR multi coatings and a minimum focus distance (mm from film plane) 1.7m, with a magnification ratio 1:3
and a filter diameter: 82mm front; 30.5mm rear. It normally comes with a deep flock lined screw on metal hood that inverts for storage. Its Length (at infinity) 8.7cm with a weight of only 575g.

Adding a little sunshine during the cold winter months

This image was made with the Lensbaby Composer and 50mm double-glass element at f2.8 with an Olympus EM10. My goal was to get an image to establish the general scene. From this image, I began to move in closer and closer to create more of abstract images working with soft, delicate lines and colours.

Lensbaby takes creative flower photography to new heights

Winter has set in and taken a firm hold of the garden, but that’s no reason not to let the sunshine in.

This week I decided to pick up a bouquet of flowers so I could get back to one of my favourite pastimes – photographing flowers. Rather than shooting in the garden, I brought a little of the garden into the kitchen where a large bay window allows a lovely soft light to bathe the flowers.

Even if you have no intention of photographing the flowers, it’s never a bad idea to bring a little sunshine into our homes during the long days of winter. We could all benefit from a little happiness these days.

It turned out to be the perfect opportunity to put a few Lensbaby lenses to good use. The following images are a little taste of my morning with a trio of Lensbaby lenses.

Moving in a little closer with the Lensbaby composer creates a delicate, soft-focus image with a very graphic element to it. Perfect focus can be difficult with Lensbabies, especially in the more wide-open aperatures such as f2.8.

Getting creative with a trio of Lensbaby lenses

If you are not familiar with Lensbaby lenses, they are specially designed lenses aimed at encouraging photographers to have a little fun by adding a more creative element to their images, mostly in the form of selective and soft focus.

Unlike traditional lenses, the goal is not to attaina perfectly sharp, sterile image.

This image was taken with the Lensbaby Velvet56 on a Lumix GF7. The Velvet series of lenses are able to focus very closely making them ideal for flower photography. The Velvet series of lenses create a dreamy, more ethereal look that sports a sharp centre and soft, glowing halo around subjects. Some would say they have a vintage look to them and are ideal for flower photography and portraits. Stopped down a little at F4-8 and beyond reduces the soft-focus effect and makes them ideal for landscape images with a dreamy look.

One Youtuber describes experimenting with Lensbabies like sitting at the high school lunch table with all the artsy students complete with body piercings, vintage clothing and “interesting hair colour.” Now, while I can’t say that would describe me in high school, it sure sounds like hanging out with them would be a lot more fun than talking calculus.

Nothing wrong with perfectly sharp, perfect sterile images, but, when it comes to creative flower photography, sharp and sterile just doesn’t make the grade.

This image was made with the Lensbaby 2.0 at F2.8 on a Pentax K5 camera. Two Lensbaby macro filters – the 4X and 10X – were added to allow the extreme closeup.

For these images, I used a combination of a Lensbaby 2.0 with a double-glass element 50mm lens, a Lensbaby Velvet56, and a Lensbaby Composer with a double-glass element 50mm. In addition, I used Lensbaby’s 4X and 10X macro filters to move in extremely close for some images. The macro filters can be stacked for even closer views.

All Lensbaby lenses are manual focus and do not have electrical contacts to communicate with your camera body. As a result, settings on many cameras need to be adjusted to work with these lenses. I usually use them on aperture priority and use the +/- compensation adjustment for fine tuning the correct exposure.

There are several other Lensbaby lenses available that create a variety of different effects.

This image was made with the Velvet 56 at around F4.

For more information on Lensbaby lenses, go to the Lensbaby website here.

Here is an Amazon link to Lensbaby lenses for those interested in pursuing this very fun and rewarding form of photography.

While Lensbaby lenses can be used for any type of photography including portraiture, street photography and landscapes, they really shine when it comes to capturing soft, delicate and impressionistic images of flowers.

Capturing the flower petals in a lovely soft light with the Velvet56. The Velvet series of lenses, which include a 28mm wide angle lens, look more like traditional lenses rather than the more unique looking Muse, Composer and Spark designs.

These images are just a few examples of my recent morning with a trio of Lensbabies and a handful of flowers on a cold winter morning.

Moving in close to explore the details of a flower using the Lensbaby macro filters takes the image more into the realm of abstract. I focussed on the lines leading into the inner flower petals for this abstract image.

Again, moving in close and having fun using shapes, lines and colours helps to free your mind from trying to capture a sharp, traditional image of a flower.

In the world of Lensbabies, sharpness and realism is certainly overrated. Exploring visually opens up a whole new world and creates a sense of freedom in your photography.

Small changes in perspective can take your images to a whole new level. This image, along with the one below are similar but different and allow small movements within the lens (not the camera) to change the look of the image as well as the focus.

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