Big Mike’s High-Power 500mm/1000mm f/8 Manual Telephoto Lens for Nikon DSLR, Black

I'm a birder and like to photograph birds in the wild. However, I found that my 85-200 zoom lens with auto-focus was not powerful enough to get details I wanted of the birds. I also found that the auto-focus often times focused on something other than the birds. I purchased this 500mm lens based on the manufacturer, the inclusion of the doubler, the warranty, and the price. Big Mike's included detailed instructions and FAQ's with the package that provided excellent information for setting the lens and taking photographs. It does take some getting used to, especially if you've relied on auto-focus. I had to practice finding the subject since the field of view is smaller, but that came fairly quickly. The camera must be set on manual or shutter priority since the aperture opening is set on the lens. The nice thing about digital cameras is that I can practice a lot with different aperture settings, shutter speeds, and ISO (film speed). I found that, in good light, I can get excellent photos with a shutter speed of 1/500th of a second, aperture at f11, and ISO at 400, especially if my subject is moving. In darker conditions, 1/100th shutter speed, f8, and ISO 1600 works great. If you want to tweak things between aperture settings of f11 and f22, there is another ring on the lens that will open/close the aperture between the adjacent stops. Maximum settings are f8 and f32. With this lens, I've taken some great pictures of birds, both while stationary and flying. I also used the doubler and took shots of the supermoon with the camera mounted on a tripod. I'm very satisfied with this purchase and with the support provided by Big Mike's.

I recently ordered this lens: it arrived on time and well packaged. I have taken several test shots with the 500mm alone, and with the 2x teleconverter attached (1000mm). I have no issues with the lens and the results so far have been encouraging. Instructions that come with the lens are easy to understand. The lens is fully manual, meaning you have to set both the aperture and focus "by hand". This is not a 'knock' on the lens: it was clearly identified as manual. (Note: put your camera in 'Manual' mode and set the shutter speed there). The aperture is easily set, so that isn't an issue. The focus is another matter. At such a high magnification, the slightest movement or vibration of the lens (like while turning the focus ring) makes the image in the viewfinder 'jump all over' (and the small size of the viewfinder on my Nikon camera doesn't help!) To be fair however, my tripod is of light-weight construction and not very stable to start with--I'm confident that with a solid mount, the focusing would be much easier. Anyone wanting to experiment with long lenses should consider this one: I find it to be a reasonably inexpensive way to do so and look forward to using it to advance my knowledge of photography.

I'm an amateur and mostly take nature photos. I wanted a good telephoto lens but nothing expensive because I'm still learning and didn't want to invest thousands yet. I read the reviews on this lens, not just here, but on the internet as well, and was very impressed. And the price was right. I called the seller first to make sure it fit my Nikon D3500, since it's not listed, and he assured me it was and also offered a lot of tips on using the lens. Most important to know is that it is NOT auto...but since I mostly shoot in Manual mode anyway, that was not a problem for me. First...it did take me a bit of fidgeting to get the t-ring just right on the lens and then to attach to the camera, But once you do it, it's easy. The lens is not too heavy, but it's not too light either. I first tried shooting without a Tripod, and even tho my hand shook, it did take a decent photo. Once I attached it to the tripod, tho, it did take much better photos. Another thing...it does need a lot of light. So, unless you are young and strong (both of which I am not), use a tripod. Pictures on a sunny day were much better than those I took on a cloudy day, even with adjusting the ISO. Also it is a slow shooting lens, takes time to get used to the narrow viewer and focusing, so if you want a quick photo, you may miss your subject. I haven't used the 2x converter much yet, but I'm sure it will be just fine. These photos were taken on the first day I had the lens, a bright sunny day. First one is with ISO of 1600 (recommended) and the second with ISO of 800....so you see even even a sunny day, you will need a high ISO. All in all, I am very pleased with the lens. There is definitely a learning curve, but for the money, I don''t think you can do better.

Very disappointed of this product, I understand that for its price you should not expect too much in terms of quality and functionality but being a low cost product does not necessarily mean that its quality is so bad. In spite of being familiar with the manual function, the reality is that the number of missed shots is uncountable while trying to focus and stabilize the camera, even using a tripie or monopod and WORST even if the X2 is used. On the other hand, one could say that it is a lens for beginners and low budget, but once this lens is used, I doubt very much that any beginner wants to continue due to the degree of frustration of the results. Use the lens with Nikon D5100 and D3400 cameras and I must say that maybe I will get a couple of acceptable pictures but not of good quality, two of hundreds of them !!!!! For the above, I recommend that if someone is interested in obtaining a telephoto for nature, wildlife or shots where the detail is very interesting, better collect more money and invest in something of quality, expensive but of quality and not cheap without quality. This lens is really offensive, I hope I can return it.

The good. It does take good photos if you know how to work a manual… The bad. The adapter stripped out within a few uses permanently stuck to the 2x section. I’d suggest ordering an extra adapter… for the price it’s a good lens to mess around with.

This works well for what is meant to be. As others have stated, it is fully manual so you focus and set the F stop. I purchased this for an upcoming vacation where wildlife is a main draw. Did not want to spend money for a high end lens I will seldom use so this fits the bill nicely. It does take practice so if you want to use for something specific (I.e. vacation, etc.) purchase with enough lead time to practice. I have used this to photograph baseball, softball, lacrosse, rowing races, and landscapes. For sporting events you must pre-focus and wait for the action to arrive. I have good shots of outs at 1st and 2nd from the outfield and the goalie in lacrosse and points on the river during a race -all known and fixed locations. It would not be useful for dynamic sport shots like the middle of a soccer or lacrosse field unless you previously focused on that area. For exposure setting you can start with the old Sunny 16 rule (do a Google search if unfamiliar with it) and shooting in RAW format helps during post processing. RAW is helpful but not mandatory. I suggest you use a tripod or brace against something (your knee sitting on a field) to avoid camera shake. I have not tried the 2X extension yet. BTW - I received a Vivitar brand lens. Again this is a good product but be fully aware of what it is - full manual.

I took the first two shots shown here within minutes of pulling the lens out of the box. It's a great buy if you plan to be shooting to a fixed point at least 50' away with the lens mounted on a tripod and it's an amazing value if you don't already have a good telephoto lens and if you want pretty darn good (but not quite amazing photos). Please note that the lens is a fixed 500mm lens (plus a 2x converter to get it to 1000mm). It is not a zoom. It is also a manual lens. You have to manually focus and set your shutter speed and aperture. You also have to be at least 40' away from your subject. It's not going to work well for shooting moving targets or action. I bought the lens primarily for shooting a bunch of Orioles and some other colorful birds that have been hanging around my yard. A few years ago I bought a Nikon camera kit from a big box store. It came with a Nikor 55-300mm zoom lens. The third photo I included was shot with that lens. While this Vivitar 500mm fixed lens does a great job, it doesn't have the ability to focus in tight enough to match the detail I can get with the lens I already have. If I didn't already have something that works a little better (the better lens costs about $550 vs $119), I would be amazed with this Vivitar lens. If you don't already have something that can do better, you will be amazed with this lens. If you like those first two photos... and you are ok with shooting or learning to shoot manually, those are the kind of shots you can get from a $119 lens. Buy it.

Actually lasted a good 2 weeks which was surprising. The screws on the ring mount are very odd and you should unscrew and re tighten them whenever taking the lens off, other wise it'll slowly start stripping the threads and leave metal shavings in your camera. Eventually the inter inner lining of the ring mount came out and stayed stuck on the read of the lens and i don't think i'll be able to take it off without pliars and even then it'll be too stripped to properly use. Had i known this i could have made it last a little longer. But thats why i get for paying what i did. It's Ok when it did work.