Found this on ebay last week and it arrived yesterday. Tokina 500mm f/8 mirror lens. Suprisingly very sharp when you nail the focus. Came with the original box, leather case, hood and both caps, and the three filters--one is a skylight and the other are ND2 and ND4! Minty condition. $76.00

nice...

i really liked the 500 cat nikkor , i just wish i could remember where i put it

is that a special lens and what does do it do? educate the young! plz...

This lens is built on the same principal as most high end telescopes - mirrors not lenses.

You can get incredible focal lengths (out to 1000 plus) for cheap with these.

The problem is they often have uneven illumination, are tricky to focus, are fragile, and are large.

IIRC you can get russian mirror lenses for cheap if you google around a bit.

there is a Nikkor 500mm AIS version for sale in my neighborhood for approx 500USD... mint condition. Would you buy it ?

Guy

This is my second non Nikon lens purchase, the first being the Canon T/S. I read alot about mirror lenses as I wanted a cheap option to shoot the moon. It is light, but well built. Focusing would be difficult if handheld as at f/8 it's a bit dark in the viewfinder. I doubt I'd shoot handheld--I tested it on a tripod using the timer to trip the shutter.

Guy, I wouldn't spend $500 for a Nikon mirror lens. But that's because I'm very satisfied with my $76.00 Tokina. I'd read more about which manufacturer produces sharper and more contrasty pictures. Seems the Nikkor isn't on the top of the list, but the Tokina has very little said about it on the 'net--mostly links to ebay auctions.

I think mine was a sigma. They're a blast. Took many photos of my kid playing soccer with it. I hand held it a lot outdoors in sunlight with no problems.

That is a bargain. I bought a new Samigon 500mm mirror lens from the junk shelf of the old now defunct Charlotte Camera still in the box marked $75. I offered $50 with a T-mount thrown in and they went for it. I doubt it's as good as your Tokina but I enjoy using it just the same. It came in real handy shooting sailboats last summer.