Daniel wrote:
I'd like something in the 500mm range for wildlife shooting, and since
the only lens in that range is the zuiko mirror lens, <snip>
Daniel,
I have a few long lenses, probably the best all-round lens I own is the
300mm f4.5 Zuiko. Usually a little more than a buck a millimeter. I
then picked up an old 400mm f4.5 Tele Votar, that is a real beast over
16" inches long. But I am still not sure of the quality of the optics.
I have a 800mm f10 Mak Cat telescope that has a hard time being either a
telescope or a lens. But the best of all is the Novoflex setup (400mm
f5.6 and 600mm f8 heads) I bought from Brian here on the list. It is
not the cheapest solution around, the dollars per millimeter works out
about the same as the 300mm Zuiko. I am still getting used to the looks
I get while pointing it at airplanes in the pattern at the local airport
Dad uses for flight training. And after awhile you get used to the
focusing mechanism, but the best part is the first time I had it at the
race track I think I doubled my percentage of keepers for panned shots.
You can look at my TOPE 9 entry to see what the 600mm head can do with
the 2 XA. The next project is to build a new focuser for my 1200mm f6
telescope so I can really start to get some reach.
If you are handy around a mill or lathe there are many of the older
preset lenses that with a little effort can be modified with a
sacrificial T mount. The Tele Meyer(sp) seems to be fairly common on
the evil one 400mm f5.5 I think. I see the Vivitar 400mm f5.6 regularly
in OM mount. I don't know its reputation though.
If you are looking to the Vivitar Series 1 CAT's they are some of the
best 3rd party stuff, but pretty rare and I am told can be difficult to
find the proper adapter. Anyway I don't know if my answer helps or not,
I find that aperture is everything, but it is also heavy and after 72mm
or so filter size very expensive.
Good Luck
Mike Butler
Dublin, California
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