Bower 500mm f/8 Manual Focus Telephoto T-Mount Lens

Comments about Bower 500mm f/8 Manual Focus Telephoto T-Mount Lens:

I used this lens with my Nikon D 5000 and Nikon D 90. I tried taking just few photos with tripod. It is better to use a tripod and the camera in manual mode.Use the LCD display of the camera as reference for adjusting the lighting by changing the aperture of the lens.It is easy to focus and gives excellent pictures if light is good.I have also tried few more birds and moon.The screws of the T mount had to be adjusted to mount the lens properly.it is a very good product for the price offered.I have links to my photos taken using this Lensone at normal day light and one at low light 1. [...]

Comments about Bower 500mm f/8 Manual Focus Telephoto T-Mount Lens:

The lens is light weight, got some nice wild life photos with it. For it's inexpensive price vs. photo result, it's a good buy.

Comments about Bower 500mm f/8 Manual Focus Telephoto T-Mount Lens:

I am using this product to photograph wildlife and other animals. As I am not a professional and being used to auto-focus and other wonderful auto features, this lens takes a bit to get used to. I have to work pretty hard to get a good clear image with the proper lighting, but it is possible to get them. I guess it is best used on a tripod or some other stabilization device. With the mount it seems to attach to the camera well with out too much trouble.

Comments about Bower 500mm f/8 Manual Focus Telephoto T-Mount Lens:

Have been tring to get a good picture of a pair of eagles, about 600 yards, I got with his lens. You're not going to get ultra sharp pictures. Work on your manual focus skills. I've spent more money in gas to get a good shot then the price of this lens.

Comments about Bower 500mm f/8 Manual Focus Telephoto T-Mount Lens:

I find this lens to be a good wieght, it is easy to point at the moon or birds. It has an easy and accessable focus ring. As an added bonus with this lens you can adjust the apature. It uses a 67mm filter which I acquired through a local business, not B&H [...]. I also use this lens for stellar pics, pressently there has been light cloud cover, but even still I have acquired some amazing pictures of the moon. This lens is excellent. I did remove the mounting ring, as the lens is not too heavy and I preffer to mount my camera body onto a small tripod for still, or low light pictures. This lens has also captured wild close up images of vultures feeding on a carcus :).

Comments about Bower 500mm f/8 Manual Focus Telephoto T-Mount Lens:

Really Great for the price. Works great for 1080p bird/wildlife (tripod) videography with my Rebel T2i. Good quality lens for video, but mediocre for 18MP stills. The auto exposure on the T2i video mode works great with this lens, day and night. Be careful when selecting a T-mount adapter. The first one I bought did not align the lens correctly for infinity focus. Ordered a different one from China on auction site that advertised correct infinity focus, and it works.

Comments about Bower 500mm f/8 Manual Focus Telephoto T-Mount Lens:

Considering how inexpensive this lens is it performs very well. As a nature photographer, it gives me a distinct, and light weight, advantage of getting still images of wildlife that nearly fill the frame - without the subject's awareness of my presence. Definitely a good addition to your existing lenses! Keep in mind that it is manual focus and that because of its focal length you require a tripod and a remote (or cable) release for blur free images.

Comments about Bower 500mm f/8 Manual Focus Telephoto T-Mount Lens:

OK,this lens can take photos for sure, it will only work in full manual mode ,that is "M" on mode selector on camera as there is no electric connection with camera only M mode will work and you have to focus manually.
Taking photos with this lens require lots of patience and practice and of course you need a tripod strong enough to hold at least 6-8Kg for firm stability , this lens is only good in broad day light and very useful for capturing mountain peaks and far away slow moving wildlife.
If you put a good UV filter with a good CPL filter on it , the image and view considerably becomes very clear.Some pictures are really surprising.You can land on Moon with this lens.
At this low price and this much huge focal length there are no regrets.
I also bought the 2x converter with it and it really goes beyond 1000mm on a Nikon DX camera.
Use it on film only if you have got the hang of it in digital first.
Other alternatives to this very cheap but nicely well made lens are above 5000$ , if you need a long telephoto lens and can't afford very expensive lenses then get this one.
Note : you have to use both hands when holding camera with this lens mounted, one on camera and other on lens.

Comments about Bower 500mm f/8 Manual Focus Telephoto T-Mount Lens:

I have used to take some good pictures on the beach.
Best thing about it is that it is cheap
Manual focus is always good as it gives you control
Poor in low light
Minimum focus distance of 10m is too long

Comments about Bower 500mm f/8 Manual Focus Telephoto T-Mount Lens:

I bought this lens for bird photography. I was thinking of dropping a grand for the sigma 50-500 but ended up just sticking with this since I wasn't sure if I was something that I would really get into. After getting this lens I didn't expect a whole lot out of it and I didn't get a whole lot. But I got what I paid for and the optics are very sharp. It has a pretty strong construction with an exception to the mount.
I have noticed a fair amount of coma when shooting at f/8 but that was to be expected. I generally just bump my iso up to 800, shoot at 1/500th of a second and f/11 isn't so bad from there.

Comments about Bower 500mm f/8 Manual Focus Telephoto T-Mount Lens:

I use this to take shot of abundant wildlife in a nature reserve close to where I live.

The lens, if used properly, can give you great pictures.

But you have to use tripod to support this lens, otherwise your picture will be shaky.

Comments about Bower 500mm f/8 Manual Focus Telephoto T-Mount Lens:

This lens can produce great images, you just have to understand there is no communication with the camera. This means you put your camera on manual, guess at shutter speeds, and adjust them after looking at the picture. I've found I have a pretty good feel for exposure now, so I usually get it close on the first try. I also bracket exposure, so I'm sure to get a properly exposed image. This, coupled with the manual focus, means it might be tough to use for action shots, but for wildlife, it's not so much of a problem. The picture quality is very good though, so it's worth the inconvenience, especially when you look at the price of everything else in this focal length. There is a major problem though; I ended up correcting it myself, but some people may not be able to do what I did. On my Nikon D70 it wouldn't focus on infinity. You could turn the focus ring all the way, and it just wasn't enough. I ended up sending the first lens back for an exchange, but when the second one exhibited the same problem I had to figure out what was going on. The problem is the lens is too long with the Nikon T-mount adapter. I can't say if other mounts would have the same problem, but I would say any prospective customer should keep this in mind. I fixed it by gradually grinding off material on the end of the lens tube, until it was the right length. Problem solved, but admittedly, an extreme measure. In conclusion, for me the lens was a great purchase, which has produced many fine, very sharp images (and I'm a pretty harsh critic of lenses), all for less than the cost of a tele-extender. If you can deal with these issues, I think you would be very pleased with the pictures you can take with this lens. Rating on picture quality alone, I'd have given it 5 stars.

Comments about Bower 500mm f/8 Manual Focus Telephoto T-Mount Lens:

I use this lens for wildlife and sport shooting, for the price i paid for this lens i got wonderful quality.

Comments about Bower 500mm f/8 Manual Focus Telephoto T-Mount Lens:

you most us a tri pod with this item.

Comments about Bower 500mm f/8 Manual Focus Telephoto T-Mount Lens:

This is a lens that needs a keeper who is willing to use manual everything on the camera. Lens has no autofocus or VR so only super still subjects are good at first until user is more experienced with this old fashioned type lens. My best results came when I employed these tactics: heavy tripod, live view which D90 has to sharpen focus, delayed timer set at 20 seconds, and remote cable. I also raised ISO a bit to allow for faster shutter to dampen any blur from movement.

Price is right for person who wants this focal length but the elements that really make an image sing come in much higher priced lens. Weight of unit is important to me..and this lens, though long, is light.

I shoot RAW images so have plenty of parameters to tweak an image that I want to save. Sharpening a frog picture really made the difference. I've not used a 500mm before so have nothing for comparison.

Bottom line: Use this lens if you can tolerate the finicky nature that no autofocus/VR presents. Invest in a cable release or remote. Use the timer and shoot multiple images quickly; one will be good.

Comments about Bower 500mm f/8 Manual Focus Telephoto T-Mount Lens:

I use this lens on a Sony a330 DSLR , for wildlife,birds ,and landscapes . It is built well . I like the metal construction .I think its a great value for the money . I don`t like it being f/8 . It can produce good photos , if you have the patience , as it is manual focus , and getting the right shutter speed takes time . I have been able to get a clear photo at 50 yard and can count the needles on a branch of a pine tree . A sturdy tripod is a must have . I have a cheap one and a breeze will make " camera shake " .

Comments about Bower 500mm f/8 Manual Focus Telephoto T-Mount Lens:

Pros lens took awhile to use but now able to take photos in low light you have to use your camera in manual mode and set ISO and Aperture and shutter speed and it works great.

Comments about Bower 500mm f/8 Manual Focus Telephoto T-Mount Lens:

I use the lens for wildlife, the manual focus take a bit of getting use to and for the money it is a good lens. You do have to set the camera in "M" mode or the camera will not work. I have to say for me this is a great starting lens for the range to gives me.

Comments about Bower 500mm f/8 Manual Focus Telephoto T-Mount Lens:

For the price, quite a good lens. Not too heavy and easy to use controls - decent photos can be taken hand-held in bright conditions. Good quality construction however Canon EOS T-Mount adapter comes lose easily and needs fairly frequent tightening.

Main downside is lack of sharpness focusing on infinity, however other distances are quite good.

Comments about Bower 500mm f/8 Manual Focus Telephoto T-Mount Lens:

Takes patience, but good pictures can be had with tripod. Quality surprizing for the price, but beware, it will make You want a more expensive one.