Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

So far, it is ok, certainly worth the money.
Pro - has far reach, adapter bracket works fine, inexpensive, fairly good focus.
Con - Use tripod, no IS or VR on it, must have good light source (though I took some shots of the full moon one evening in manual mode and they were actually ok), heavy.
Overall - glad I purchased it. I have not used it enough yet - just 2 shoots (40 images in daylight and 50 images in evening). Will playwith it some more. Definitely worth the monsy, especialy if you cannot get close to relatively stationary objects.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

I have used this lens for over 2 yrs and it still amazes me. I use a Bogen tripod and still have to watch the shake. Sturdy & heavy will keep entire thing from nose diving in to the ground. Mounting ring use is a must! Suggest dedicating a quick release mounting block left on the lens for convenience. You need to have both hands free to do all the manual adjustments & not get in a hurry. take your time. That being said the moon will seem to streak across the view finder. Now for the issues: 1. infinity focus will depend on individual DSLR & the T mount adapter thickness. I didn't get lucky so I modified the T mount,careful grinding! I do not suggest making any modifications to the lens barrel! another option is to locate infinity and mark that point on the barrel with a fine line permanent marker at the tube joint. 2. The focal length nylon lock ring in my unit was installed backwards allowing creep and barrel sag. This is where the simple sturdy construction is a blessing. I had no problem disassembling this portion of the tube and reversing the tapered nylon ring. Made all the difference in the world. 3. Lens is not fog, water or dust proof. Will eventually require service. Constant humidity will grow stuff inside. Good thing is simple sturdy construction makes this no big deal for those mechanically inclined with basic understanding of cleaning lenses. Even with these ISSUES I love this lens. I don't miss spending 10 or 20 Gs for my favorite brand.I gave it 4 stars only because of the issues listed above. Otherwise it would be a 5 STAR VALUE!!

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

Good product, inexpensive, not only for people demanding

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

Not the sharpest ,but great and easy tu use. I live on the 8th floor in front of the beach in Miami, I shoot birds and people on the beach , with my long experience I can shoot handheld in daylight ,not easy.At night is very hard to focus . but with a strong vivitar flash and flash extender at night I got good pictures . imagine 8 floor and 200 feet of beach is a very good reach for this lens.Sony SLT35 .only one problem is that when the lens is on the tripod and fully extended the weight of the camera makes the last barrel droop a little bit and slightly misaligned with the rest of the lens.......................Thanks BH for carrying great products like these, I've been a customer since 1992

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

I really enjoy using this lens to photograph the moon, mainly. I haven't gotten to use it for stars / deep space yet but that's only because I live in the city. Really nice glass and very clear images!

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

I have had this lens for a couple weeks now and am very happy with it. The photos I am getting are a lot clearer than I expected to get from a $300 lens. I am using the lens to photograph a nest of baby Red Tailed Hawks and can not get any closer than about 175 feet.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

I bought this mainly for astrophotography and let me just say, I'm really glad I did! The quality is great and I'm excited to use it again. Here is a link to the first photos that I took with it: [@] Such a great product and B&H shipped it perfectly and extremely quickly.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

works good make me more active in the photo being manual focus.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

Will give it a 5 for quality. Seems to be well made with no problems mouning to the camera or tripod. I have disabilities and have not had a chance to try it out, until I can get some help. It's a little heavy but a lot easer than a telescope.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

Took some shots of coyotes 400-500 yards away and it came out very sharp.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

This not a point and shoot lens, it's use requires some planning and thought. With that said, I have achieved some very good results. It requires a good stable tripod and I also use a monopod for extra stability.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

It surpassed my expectations, the price of the lens. It is a good acquisition.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

Landscape, Lunar, Abstract, Paparazzi, Sport, Wildlife. This Lens Isn't The Best Optically However For The Price This Zoom Lens Size Is Stunning. If You've Always Wanted A Large Zoom This Lens Lets You See If Long Lens Photography Is Something That You Might Get Into Without Spending A Small Fortune. If You Do Want To Continue With Long Lenses You Find That The Experience Gained Will Be Very Useful.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

Using for Moon's pictures. Good quality for that price. Using with Canon EOS. I recommended using it with a stable tripod. Also recommended Bower UV FILTER 95mm and in my case General Brand REAR LENS CAP f/CANON EOS for that lens with T-mount.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

I will be using this product for taking pics of wild life.

A great part of this product is it will get close up to the subject.

It's not auto focus.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

It is an AWEFUL heavy lens, so mounted on a tripod it is Simple and Easy to use. with my sony A33 I have taken photos of the tips of tree branches clear at the back of my property. When the nights clear I shall enjoy using it as a telescope. I suggest everyone add this to their lens collection.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

I got the lens for taking a few pictures in the open sea of boats and other objects far away. With my Rebel I got some awesome pictures, the F-16 at 1300mm is fine and very usable in full sun and produces images with detail far above what you can pick up with your own eyes.

The downsides are severe chromatic aberration, high weight, and the manual zoom is much more problematic than the manual focus (unlock and pull is a slow and cumbersome way of zooming), at the high zooms the camera clearly is a little off the plane of the lens (it bends the lens at the zoom point). The vignetting in the viewfinder of my rebel at 1300mm is also at the point that it becomes difficult to spot things, this however doesn't show up at all in the final picture.

Overall, for the price, it's a good buy, not the best pictures, but it can be very useful as long as you have a sturdy tripod.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

I give this 4 stars due to the low cost. I didn't expect a [$] lense here. You can really get up close with this lense. Play with the time settings as there is no aperture. It is a fun lense to use.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

i picked this up for my d5000 from the store in nyc last week, and i must say, i wish i knew i wasn't able to adjust the aperture setting in my camera, so its a basic lens. i can adjust the shutter speed, and that works ok, snapped a pic of the moon the other morning with this combo.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

this lens cost me around $300 [...] and price at this price to hope for crystal sharp images at 650-1300mm was out of question to begin with but i realize that if i get focus good enough and with a little bit of post processing the images don't look that bad. You need a good Strong tripod as its heavy and long lens that will cause the camera shake if tripod is not capable of that much weight at a longer leverage,images look blues if we don't adjust for Chromatic Aberration

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

So far, it is ok, certainly worth the money.
Pro - has far reach, adapter bracket works fine, inexpensive, fairly good focus.
Con - Use tripod, no IS or VR on it, must have good light source (though I took some shots of the full moon one evening in manual mode and they were actually ok), heavy.
Overall - glad I purchased it. I have not used it enough yet - just 2 shoots (40 images in daylight and 50 images in evening). Will playwith it some more. Definitely worth the monsy, especialy if you cannot get close to relatively stationary objects.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

I have used this lens for over 2 yrs and it still amazes me. I use a Bogen tripod and still have to watch the shake. Sturdy & heavy will keep entire thing from nose diving in to the ground. Mounting ring use is a must! Suggest dedicating a quick release mounting block left on the lens for convenience. You need to have both hands free to do all the manual adjustments & not get in a hurry. take your time. That being said the moon will seem to streak across the view finder. Now for the issues: 1. infinity focus will depend on individual DSLR & the T mount adapter thickness. I didn't get lucky so I modified the T mount,careful grinding! I do not suggest making any modifications to the lens barrel! another option is to locate infinity and mark that point on the barrel with a fine line permanent marker at the tube joint. 2. The focal length nylon lock ring in my unit was installed backwards allowing creep and barrel sag. This is where the simple sturdy construction is a blessing. I had no problem disassembling this portion of the tube and reversing the tapered nylon ring. Made all the difference in the world. 3. Lens is not fog, water or dust proof. Will eventually require service. Constant humidity will grow stuff inside. Good thing is simple sturdy construction makes this no big deal for those mechanically inclined with basic understanding of cleaning lenses. Even with these ISSUES I love this lens. I don't miss spending 10 or 20 Gs for my favorite brand.I gave it 4 stars only because of the issues listed above. Otherwise it would be a 5 STAR VALUE!!

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

Good product, inexpensive, not only for people demanding

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

Not the sharpest ,but great and easy tu use. I live on the 8th floor in front of the beach in Miami, I shoot birds and people on the beach , with my long experience I can shoot handheld in daylight ,not easy.At night is very hard to focus . but with a strong vivitar flash and flash extender at night I got good pictures . imagine 8 floor and 200 feet of beach is a very good reach for this lens.Sony SLT35 .only one problem is that when the lens is on the tripod and fully extended the weight of the camera makes the last barrel droop a little bit and slightly misaligned with the rest of the lens.......................Thanks BH for carrying great products like these, I've been a customer since 1992

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

I really enjoy using this lens to photograph the moon, mainly. I haven't gotten to use it for stars / deep space yet but that's only because I live in the city. Really nice glass and very clear images!

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

I have had this lens for a couple weeks now and am very happy with it. The photos I am getting are a lot clearer than I expected to get from a $300 lens. I am using the lens to photograph a nest of baby Red Tailed Hawks and can not get any closer than about 175 feet.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

I bought this mainly for astrophotography and let me just say, I'm really glad I did! The quality is great and I'm excited to use it again. Here is a link to the first photos that I took with it: [@] Such a great product and B&H shipped it perfectly and extremely quickly.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

works good make me more active in the photo being manual focus.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

Will give it a 5 for quality. Seems to be well made with no problems mouning to the camera or tripod. I have disabilities and have not had a chance to try it out, until I can get some help. It's a little heavy but a lot easer than a telescope.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

Took some shots of coyotes 400-500 yards away and it came out very sharp.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

This not a point and shoot lens, it's use requires some planning and thought. With that said, I have achieved some very good results. It requires a good stable tripod and I also use a monopod for extra stability.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

It surpassed my expectations, the price of the lens. It is a good acquisition.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

Landscape, Lunar, Abstract, Paparazzi, Sport, Wildlife. This Lens Isn't The Best Optically However For The Price This Zoom Lens Size Is Stunning. If You've Always Wanted A Large Zoom This Lens Lets You See If Long Lens Photography Is Something That You Might Get Into Without Spending A Small Fortune. If You Do Want To Continue With Long Lenses You Find That The Experience Gained Will Be Very Useful.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

Using for Moon's pictures. Good quality for that price. Using with Canon EOS. I recommended using it with a stable tripod. Also recommended Bower UV FILTER 95mm and in my case General Brand REAR LENS CAP f/CANON EOS for that lens with T-mount.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

I will be using this product for taking pics of wild life.

A great part of this product is it will get close up to the subject.

It's not auto focus.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

It is an AWEFUL heavy lens, so mounted on a tripod it is Simple and Easy to use. with my sony A33 I have taken photos of the tips of tree branches clear at the back of my property. When the nights clear I shall enjoy using it as a telescope. I suggest everyone add this to their lens collection.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

I got the lens for taking a few pictures in the open sea of boats and other objects far away. With my Rebel I got some awesome pictures, the F-16 at 1300mm is fine and very usable in full sun and produces images with detail far above what you can pick up with your own eyes.

The downsides are severe chromatic aberration, high weight, and the manual zoom is much more problematic than the manual focus (unlock and pull is a slow and cumbersome way of zooming), at the high zooms the camera clearly is a little off the plane of the lens (it bends the lens at the zoom point). The vignetting in the viewfinder of my rebel at 1300mm is also at the point that it becomes difficult to spot things, this however doesn't show up at all in the final picture.

Overall, for the price, it's a good buy, not the best pictures, but it can be very useful as long as you have a sturdy tripod.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

I give this 4 stars due to the low cost. I didn't expect a [$] lense here. You can really get up close with this lense. Play with the time settings as there is no aperture. It is a fun lense to use.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

i picked this up for my d5000 from the store in nyc last week, and i must say, i wish i knew i wasn't able to adjust the aperture setting in my camera, so its a basic lens. i can adjust the shutter speed, and that works ok, snapped a pic of the moon the other morning with this combo.

Comments about Bower 650-1300mm f/8-16 Manual Focus T-Mount Lens:

this lens cost me around $300 [...] and price at this price to hope for crystal sharp images at 650-1300mm was out of question to begin with but i realize that if i get focus good enough and with a little bit of post processing the images don't look that bad. You need a good Strong tripod as its heavy and long lens that will cause the camera shake if tripod is not capable of that much weight at a longer leverage,images look blues if we don't adjust for Chromatic Aberration