500/8 N Reflex Nikkor

[Airy]

Given that the present discussions are future-oriented (Z mount), I'll talk about passé, obsolete, has been stuff, just to keep balance.
In a recent post, Akira showed us the provisional garden in Ginza, replacing the demolished Sony building. What attracted me was the (comparatively modest) Fujiya building visible on his shots, at the bottom of which that fantastic Nikon second hand shop is located. Small shop, large choice.
I visited Tokyo twice and went there twice, getting a 500/8N and a 180/2.8 AIS ED.

Mirror tele lenses are fun but not really useful, as getting a sharp shot is really difficult. Full of Tokyo memories (got the blues, honestly), the 500/8 N was my walkaround lens today. All shots f/8.0 (ha ha).

Paris, champ de mars, école militaire. It has got real bells ringing.

[Airy]

Sparrows, narrow crop (!!!) and don't ask me what produced the background bokeh. That lens will take you to Mars anyway.

[Airy]

Police and steel horse. Also heavily cropped.

[Airy]

Tipsy bush. No post processing, I swear (not even contrast enhancement, which is usually all what this lens would require : from the histograms already, you'll notice that the contrast is "compressed").

I confess I found this one lovely.

[Airy]

Bad shot, just to document the close focus capability (MDF about 1.5m). I have the impression that resolution drops a bit at short distances. Anyway, at such distance and with wind, forget about sharpness.

[Airy]

Tour Eiffel, detail.

[Airy]

Tour Eiffel, 1st "floor", shot from the ground of course.

[Airy]

Tour Eiffel, tip, shot from the ground again.

[Airy]

Limestone models are less fussy.

[Airy]

Bottom line :  optical qualities are there, but
1) focussing an unstabilized 500mm lens without monopod is darn difficult
2) always shooting at 1/1000 and above is a restriction, even with the Df
3) you'll end up hating the wind and live subjects
4) mind your backgrounds
5) when checking your shots on the camera screen, you'll only see sh*t.

On the other hand, it is really a walkaround tele. I should compare it with the 300 PF maybe. No, that would be cruel. The 300 PF is such easy to use...

[Akira]

Airy, this is an enjoyable variation for the unique "one lens, one camera" challenge.  Thank you for posting.

Dispite its potential drawbacks, the Reflex 500/8.0 interestingly shares a few advantages with the up-and-coming 500/5.6PF: compactness, lightweight and absence of CA.

[beryllium10]

Airy, I too like the 'tipsy bush' photo.  The flowers really stand off the background. 

I own a Tokina 500 mm reflex.  It cost less than I'd pay for a protective UV filter for most lenses these days.  Also very small and light, all the same practical drawbacks, though I doubt it's optically as good as your Nikon.  Nevertheless it resolves the moons of Jupiter OK.  I should take it out more often.  The world is a different place through a 500 mm lens (like your detail shot of the ironwork on the Tour Eiffel).

Cheers,   John

[Airy]

John, I started with a Tamron 500/8, smaller and lighter than the Nikon, not quite as good though (contrast was even lower) but, as with all non-perfect lenses, one grows into liking the defects or at least some of them. The big "plus" of the Nikon is that the ring bokeh remains ring bokeh everywhere, and is not clipped to "C" bokeh in the corners.
The Nikkor also looks a bit sharper, no doubt.
 I have not tried the Jupiter moons - Lille is quite overcast and light-polluted a place (but should be OK, since I could observe them with a telescope).
I'm curious to see what you can hex out of your Tokina. It's a good brand, by the way, though less "visible" here in France than it used to be in the eighties.

[Airy]

When the background patterns harmonize with the ring bokeh, the results may become more bearable.
Here's one case - a technical shot, showing a section insulator on a 25kV overhead line, shot from above. The background is mostly ballast stones, plus rails and sleepers of course.

[Erik Lund]

The lens can definitely deliver as you so well demonstrate, it's just a matter of using it where it makes sense for what type of look you want
Very nice sharp crisp images, 500mm is 500mm so yes a stable platform and or high ISO is recommended.