Lens User Reviews (435)

Cheap manual 500mm. All metal lens. Good focus throw. Easy to adapt to almost any DSLR (Canon, Nikon, Pentax).

It's fun to use.

Weaknesses:

Difficult to use handheld, difficult to nail focus, too dark (it's a f/8). Lack of sharpness (pictures needs to be edited).

Comments:

Don't be fooled by this old vintage 500mm f/8 cataddrioptic lens. If the lenses are clean with no haze nor separation, then you will be able to take nice shots with patience and perseverance.

Pictures from this lens will always lack of contrast, so you need to edit all shots or use a camera specific tuned profile if you shoot in JPEG.

This lens is best suited for stationary objects like architecture details or flora. For wildlife it is a true hit in the ass but fun too, when you get it right you will be happy for the rest for the day.

With non stabilized bodies you will need to use exposures values starting at 1/1000s, that means that yout ISO setting will also increase a lot ins come light situations.

So keep calm and enjoy.

Inexpensive today. Sharp. Lightweight. Real 1:1 macro. Max aperture of f/2.8. Autofocus available.

Weaknesses:

On Nikon F mount camera it uses the screwdriver motor to move the focusing group, slow and noisy.

The manual focus-throw is too short near infinity.

Made of plastic, feels cheap in the old Sigma way.

Comments:

A nice cheap 50mm f/2.8 with 1:1 macro capabable.

The only downsides for me is the short focus throw near infinity.

About handling I prefer Canon's 50mm f/2.5 compact macro with its 1:2 ratio or Pentax SMC 35mm f/2.8 Macro Limited (for Pentax APS-C cameras).

Regarding macro, this 50mm is nice to use but some times the working distance will be short interfering the light, a 100mm macro will do a better job.

Central sharpness is excellent and build quality is very high.  It offers a constant f4.5 across its focal range.

Weaknesses:

This is not a lens for hand-holding!  Edge definition at f4.5 is pretty fair but not outstanding.  Like most long zooms, it is a little soft at its longest focal length though in the case of this lens, it's better than most. 

Comments:

This lens demands respect.  It is big and heavy but produces great images.  When mounted on a good tripod with a fluid head, it is great for shooting aviation and wildlife photos.  I have also known it be used for surveillance work by the police and military.  If it used some low dispersion glass and internal focusing, it would be amazing but despite the absence of both, it will deliver images of detail, with low distortion and even illumination through most of its focal range.  

Good optical and mehanical quality with great contrast and color rendition, closes focus is 40 cm, 52mm filter size, weight is OK!

Weaknesses:

Coma on f 1.8 - 2.8 , not a bokeh monster, some aluminium elements in focus mechanism, only 7 blades iris with ninja star effects

Comments:

Price a little bit hight

Low price, small, lightweight, autofocus and electronic aperture control.

Weaknesses:

Poor build quality, metal mount but the rest is made of plastic.

Loose focusing ring and small focus throw, difficult to use in manual.

Too few DOF marks.

Poor border image quality at all apertures. Barrel distortion.

Comments:

It is a small and very cheap made prime lens by Nikon, it has autofocus and electronic aperture control, but has nothing to do with previous Nikon Ai-S lenses.

The Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 Ai-S I own outperforms this lens in any regard, except aufocus and electronic aperture control of course.

Modern Nikon DSLR have no correction profiles for this lens. Nikon software also do not includes the correction profile for this lens. Use Darktable instead.

If you want to use this lens manually, forget it, the focusing ring is loose and has a short focus throw that makes it difficult to use. I you like to use zone focusing techniques you will not like this lens too, the value prior to inifinty is 2 meters and it has few DOF marks, less marks than the Ai-S cousin.

In order to get the best results start closing the aperture to f/8, if you need something better go for the Nikon Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 Ai-S o Ai instead.

But not everything is negative, it is a cheap autofocus prime lens, that is the point.

Other cheap option is the Tamron 28mm f/2.5 Adaptall-2 bundled with an Adaptall-2 to Nikon F Ai-S adapter. The Tamron has smoother focusing ring, better build and smaller. Optically the Tamron is a bit better.

Sharpness on f1.4 corner to corner, bokeh,min. focus distance, excellent color and contrast rendition,hight material body quality (metal,glass and good plastic combination), weathershealed. Made in Japan made for lifetime!

Weaknesses:

Little bit big and heavy, some situation slow auto focus

Comments:

I think one of the best Fujinon lens ever made for APS-C sensor for street-,landscape-,evening- and indoor photgraphy for the price. Made in Japan made for lifetime, I never sale this lens in my life....

Very good price,lightweight and small,good color an contrast rendition,f2,0 apperture excellent for astrophotography! Good quality of body material.

Weaknesses:

Lens flare and vignetting, no auto focus,big lens hood.

Comments:

Great lens for the price, good material quality.

The lens with the preset is amazing and put it on a helicoid and you can get some wonderful bokeh (wide open). The lens is very sharp.

Weaknesses:

The T mount I have keeps loosening up, but I will solve that soon. RAF Camera to the rescue again.

Comments:

A solid, well made lens.

Sharp, APOchromatic and small. Long manual focus throw. Good build quality.

Weaknesses:

A bit pricey in the second market, you can still get them cheaper brand new. LoL

Slow f/3.5 max aperture.

Comments:

This lens was a discovery for me. Of course a f/3.5 medium telephoto lens seems not to be the most exciting lens in the world, but judge the results hot the specs.

This little gem is very sharp, close the aperture a bit and it is even sharper.

Not a cheap manual focus lens, but you will not find anything smaller and better build for this price. Well, may be the Tamron SP 90mm Adaptall-2 can compete here.

Manual focus is a pleasure, like cutting butter. As the lens has a chip on it, you can trust the focus confirmation on your Canon DSLR most of the time.

Remember that it is a APO lens.

And it is very small for an 90mm lens. Front thread is 52mm diameter like the other Voigtländer SL lenses (20mm, 28mm, 40mm), most Nikkors Ai and Ai-s and the firs batch of EF lenses (28mm, 35mm and 50mm primes).

Autofocus, lightweight, small, cheap.

Weaknesses:

Bad sharpness, feels cheap in the hand.

Comments:

Optically it is far inferior to my Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 Ai-S in any regard except autofocus. Optically It is more close to my Tamron 28mm f/2.5 Adaptall-2, but the Tammy is sharper at f/8.

If you need the borders to be sharp, simply forget this lens or begín to close at f/11...

On the other hand, you will not find a cheaper f-mount 28mm lens that can do autofocus.

Cheap, lightweight and fully pocketable (very small). Good center sharpness.

Weaknesses:

Strong vignetting and magenta cast.

No way to adjust focus nor aperture.

No lens cap, you can use instead a 56mm diameter binocular lens cap.

No lens hood, beware the sun.

Comments:

IMHO it is a toy lens, a funny one in anycase. Simply point and shoot... This lens renders subjects sharp when they are 3 meters away.

Mine is always on my Canon EOS M when the 22m is not in use.

Sharpness is good in center, a bit worse in the corners. Chromatic aberration is well controlled. But it has very strong vignetting, and a booring magenta cast. It has no bokeh to show.

If you shoot in black and white you will get nice vintage pictures without much post-processing, colour pictures need more work.

If you have concerns about damaging the front element of this lens as there is no lens cap, you can use cheap 56mm diameter binocular lens cap instead.

I also tried the second version of this lens which is less sharper in my opinion but provides manual focus function.

This lens is the sharpest lens I own. I know not everyone agrees with that. I use this lens for light table photography to import my negatives into raw format. And is hands down the sharpest, edge to edge of every lens I could use for that purpose. And as far as normal photography, this lens shines.Mine has 12 blades.

Weaknesses:

None.

Comments:

This is a keeper lens.

This is to my opinion the sharpes lens that mamiya has ever made, I use it  in my Mamiya 645AFn with a Phase one 50mp digital back. I have enlarged prints to 96 inches (244 cm) wide and the quality is excellent.

Weaknesses:

None

Comments:

Small and light, very unusual for medium format lenses.

This lens have a high IQ, it is very sharp and I used it at weddings for many years with excellent results.

Weaknesses:

It is big and heavy!

Comments:

It is build like a tank!

This is a very sharp lens and the images are saturated with beautiful colors. Small and lightweight. I use it for Landscape photography on my Sony a7Rii.

Weaknesses:

It is dificult to focus because the focus ring is big and in my copy not very smoth. I don't think is a good walk around lens but excellent for landscape photography.

Comments:

I got my at a very low price, it was mounted in an Exakta camera. The camera was damage, but I opened the lens and fixed,  (it was missing the rubber that goes on top of the focusing ring, I bought a generic one and was able to use it with good results) I manage to salvage the lens and I have used it with excellent results.

I use to be a portrait photographer for 40 years and still today I do some portraits. This is the lens I use for outdoor portraits, I love the skin tones and the bokeh of this lens.

Weaknesses:

Some times it may have a little chromatic aberration, but it can be fix in LR.

Comments:

I have sold most of my Canon EF lenses, but I don't think I can depart from these one.

This is an exellent lens if you like the fisheye effect. 

Weaknesses:

none

Comments:

I have the Canon EF version and in more tham 20 years it has never been for repair.

This is one of the sharpest lens I own. It is also build like a tank.

PERIOD OF USE IS 5 YEARS, (For some reason i pick 5 years and it shows 5 months).

Weaknesses:

None

Comments:

I will never leave home without it, it is always in my bag.

This lens has good contrast, small and light, and overall decent IQ, I compare it and it is lighter and a little sharper than my manual focusing Nikkor 28mm 2.8. Especially on the edges.

Weaknesses:

Has Plastic in it, but it makes it lighter. Actually it may be and avantage.

Comments:

Good quality at low price (about $60). If you want a better performer you can buy an Art lens 28mm for about $600

This is a beautiful lens and it is a great performer, it is very sharp and the colors are amazing.

Weaknesses:

None

Comments:

I also have the 58mm 1.4 that has a nice Boke but I like the colors of the 1.8 better. For Landscape and Nature photography the 1.8 is better. I do mainly Landscape.