Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Who’s the Cheapest of Them All?

Samyang 500mm f/8 Reflex “Mirror” Lens, marketed under the Phoenix brand name.

I just can’t seem to pass up a good bargain...

Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve wanted a mirror lens, also known as a “reflex” or “catadioptric” lens. Canon offered a 500mm f/8, and I was intrigued by the donut-shaped bokeh. I saw it as a special effect, not a degradation, much the same as the softness of a pinhole image, or the dreamy halo effect of a zone plate.

I had another opportunity in the late nineties when I found the very same lens used at a camera fair. But, again, I passed it up.

I’m revisiting this yearning once again, and discovering how limited the options have become. Right now, the only company I can find making new catadioptric lenses is Samyang, based in Korea. Their three models are marketed under several brand names; Bower, Phoenix, Pro-Optic, Quantaray, Rokinon, Vivitar, and Wallimex. I’m sure I’ve missed a few. They’re quite inexpensive, so I will likely wind up with one, such as this ultra-compact 500mm version:

Back in the day, all major camera companies offered reflex lenses, usually in 500mm focal lengths with a fixed maximum aperture of f/8. Tamron’s version used an “Adaptall” mount, a system in which a separate mount could be installed to fit any camera body. Today’s options use a similar system called a “T-mount”, and T-Mount adapters are available for a wide variety of camera bodeis. This system lends itself well to this type of lens, since no aperature control is necessary due to the fixed aperture.

By their very nature, cat lenses are strange animals, and are challenging to work with. The mirror in the middle of the objective lens creates a ring-shaped bokeh, and softens the image overall. Plus, it blocks some of the light, so the f/8 aperture is more like f/11. It’s no wonder many poor reviews are written by people who don’t understand their applications and limitations. But, they’re small, lightweight, and have virtually no chromatic aberration. I believe that in the hands of a skilled photographer, they can yield images no other lens can achieve.

Another “bargain” lens I will most likely buy is...

Samyang 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye Lens, marketed under the ProOptic brand name.

The Samyang/ProOptic 8mm f/3.5 fisheye lens. It’s a manual focus lens, which is not a big deal with fisheye lenses which typically have enormous depth of field. It’s received very good reviews, and seems to have somewhat of a cult following. At under $300.00, it’s perfect for those who want to have fun with a fisheye lens, without getting too serious.

Here’s how it all came about. I’ve been enjoying my Nikon FC-E8 Fisheye Convertor lens on my Coolpix P5100, and I was thinking how cool it would be to be able to do fisheye on my D90. For a while I considered the Fisheye Optic for the Lensbaby, but it’s only 140°, and not that sharp. Plus, I’m not sure that it would work that well with an APS-C size sensor. At $149.00 it’s not that cheap.

Then, I read a great review of the Samyang 8mm f/3.5, which I quickly learned is also marketed under several brand names; Bower, Opteka, Phoenix, Pro-Optic, Rokinon, and Vivitar. They’re all the same lens, so I’ll just refer to it as the Samyang. Turns out, it’s actually a bit sharper that the Nikon under certain conditions, but 2/3 of a stop slower and manual focus. But, it’s also $400.00 cheaper. And, it looks amazingly similar to the Nikon, down to the gold ring and the speckled paint finish.

For the price, this is a great lens, and it comes it mounts for Canon and Pentax as well. And, interestingly enough, Samyang has many other fine products to offer.

The Samyang branded version of the 8mm fisheye it tough to come by in the US, but it’s easily had under the Bower, Pro-Optic, Phoenix, Rokinon or Vivitar brands at various price points.