Opteka 650-1300mm (with 2X- 1300-2600mm) Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon EF-Mount EOS 90D, 80D, 77D, 70D, 60D, 50D, 7D, 6D, 5D, 5DS, 1DS, T8, T8i, T7i, T7s, T7, T6s, T6i, T6, T5, SL3, SL2 DSLR Cameras

I've noticed a wide variation in ratings for this lens, so I decided to write a review in the hopes it might aid someone interested in buying one or help them use it better if they already have it. I have a Canon 60D, a decent tripod and a view, so I have been giving this Opteka Telephoto Lens a workout for the last month to see its flaws and to learn how to use it. There is a learning curve - you could write a book on telephoto lenses. If you read a review from someone who sent the lens back the same day he received it, you should probably read that review with caution. First, this is not a Canon 800L mm prime lens, which weighs ten pounds, has 18 elements and costs$13,000 or Canon's 1200mm lens which weighs 36 pounds (80 pounds with the case) and sells for $120,000. These are telephoto lenses, not zoom lenses, so they cannot cover the entire range between them like a zoom lens can. The Opteka lens has a 3.7 inch objective lens, so it can't collect as much light as the Canon 800mm lens, but the Canon won't zoom to 1300 mm either. The Opteka also weighs less than half as much as the Canon and costs $210 with a "2xMultiplier". Tele extenders for new Canon lenses cost more than twice as much as the entire Opteka lens and extender, so if you place the lens in the proper perspective, it is an astounding value . The snap judgment from a lot of negative reviewers on other sites who have not used the product is "This lens must be junk at that price". One nice thing about Amazon is that you get to read reviews from people who have actually bought the item. You can Google wonderful pictures made by the Opteka 650-1300mm lens, to see examples of what it can do. With a little knowledge, you can take pictures you could not possibly obtain with any other lens in your collection (including the two Canon lenses above). Without a little information, you might end up blaming the equipment for a poor picture, instead of the operator. Here are some tips which should have been included with the lens: 1. If you are taking pictures of something far away (more than a mile), try to do so early in the morning after it has rained the night before, so the air will be clear and no heat waves will be rising to distort the air. Air is not really clear, so don't blame the lens if the air is to blame on a long shot for a "soft" focus. There is no autofocus, of course. 2. Always use a tripod and a wireless remote to trigger the release ($10-$20). The touch of your finger can cause a vibration on the tripod/camera system which can last ten seconds. Think of your camera as being on the end of a very long lever. A tiny shake on the camera end will cause blur and reduce sharpness. There is no image stabilization, of course. 3. Try to keep your shutter speed equal or greater than the lens in mm, i.e. 650mm should be roughly 1/640 of a second at least. On an overcast day at noon, this may equal an ISO of 340. 4. Use live view with the magnification setting to focus the lens. Your depth of field in a super telephoto is very shallow and the focus ring is very sensitive. I took a picture of a bird on a branch more than 100 feet away and the branches which were a foot or two away from the bird were beginning to get out of focus. This can make for a quite dramatic picture if used properly. 5. Use the manual setting and set the shutter speed you want. You will have no control over the aperture because this is preset by the amount of zoom in the lens. Set your ISO to auto and the camera will adjust the exposure for you. You can always manually tweak the ISO to adjust the exposure instead of adjusting the aperture. 6. Get a 95mm lens filter to protect the objective (front) lens from scratches. Opteka makes an UV haze filter which sells on Amazon for around twenty dollars. 7. There is sometimes Chromatic Aberration in pictures, which can be seen as a blue fringe on the edge of some colors, depending on the lighting, etc. and I have seen people in forums for other lenses scratching their heads trying to get rid of it in programs like Photoshop. Photoimpact Pro13 ($80 from the manufacturer) has a nice little fix for it if you go to Photo - Color - Correct Chromatic Aberration. Under "Pick Color From Template", go 4 clicks to the leaf with blue on it and click the box. Presto - Changeo! No more CA. 8. Photoimpact Pro 13 also has a "Focus" feature which can sharpen pictures, but introduces a little noise. If you want a laugh, go to "PhotoImpact Pro 13 is better than Photoshop#1" on Youtube for a guy doing a funny tutorial on what else the program can do. 9.You can get dramatic pictures and videos of the moon (you can see it moving in video), but you might try adjusting the ISO down a bit, because the moon has less contrast and is flat when it is too bright. 10. I took a quick picture of a distant, tiny light and blowing it up, found no evidence of lens flaws. I use a 43" 4K TV as a computer monitor, which really helps in adjusting pictures. I have not used the "2x multiplier" much because I am trying to get the best quality pictures possible and extenders put more glass in the way, which might not always be of the best quality. Extenders also require a substantial increase in ISO which is not good. Let's face it, 650-1300 mm is pretty amazing by itself without going to 2600mm. Summarizing, the Opteka 650-1300mm lens has been a lot of fun so far. In an era where most photographers just frame, point and click, it forces you to go back to controlling everything in a picture by yourself. If it's not a $13,000 Canon, you can use your knowledge, skill and a computer to go a long way toward reducing the distance between the two lenses in terms of quality, for a price which is nearly free in comparison. You will also have learned how to use more features in your camera and will understand how to take better pictures. I give it 5 stars because of the value/cost ratio. It arrived on time and in new condition. Apologies for been so verbose, but I hope this will help some of you.

So I got my zoom lens yesterday. It came well packed from Circuit City. ( with Amazon prime, 2 days delivery). I haven't have a chance to use the lens yet... but one little culprit... When I tried to screw in the Canon EOS EF T-mount adapter, it screwed in. But it has an inner, intermediate ring, that was lose... there are 3 lock screws, on the adapter body, that needed to be tighetened up. Otherwise the mount adapter would rotate freely, and out of control. Once I tightened the lock screws, everything went alright. Lens seems of good quality and with reasonable anti reflex coated optics. One needs to learn to use it. I would try it tonight with the Moon. However this lens is all it is... fully manual. And I would treat it as such.... Of course at an unbelievably low price. But the quality is there. No doubt about it. Note: I moved the 95 mm UV filter from the other lens to this one. Careful the front lens element is on a barrel of its on, and is screwed in to the lens body. If one removes that inadvertendly, then a 95 mm filter is too big. And the thread is male on the lens. Need to keep that barel immobilized, and carefully unscrew the lens hood. This reveals the front lens element and the female thread to accept a 95 mm diameter filter. It screws in place quite easily and firmly. So camera with camera mounted on a sturduy tripd I had. and I used a Tamron 2X pro tele converted that I had too (did not use the Opteka 2X converter that It came with the lens). See some random test pics. THe license plate was below the min. focusing distance. So I couldnt make it sharp. But lens is fairly sharp. Focusing ring is very sensitive. The objects were relative close. Some vigneting is apparent on the last pic (it was done with the tele converter. I am quite impressed by the quality and built of this lens? Updated. The pic of the Moon was done at max zoom and 2X optical converter. Enhanced a bit in Photoshop for sharpness, and cropped. There does not seem to be evidence of cromatic aberation, which is GREAT !!

I got this lens 18 months ago and have enjoyed it. I took photos of the tops of nearby mountains, and I climbed the mountains to take a photo of my backyard. I've explored some astrophotography. I can now see the difference between this and a real telescope, but for the price, for some people, this will be an amazing lens. Pros: Reach. 1300mm is amazing, and the optics quality is better than I expected. This costs a few percent of what a "real" telephoto lens with similar reach would cost. If you're patient enough and not super wealthy, you can use this to take photos you couldn't get other ways. Cons: You will need patience to work with this. Here is what I had to do: -I had to get a big sturdy astronomy tripod because my normal tripod couldn't hold this steady. This won't be necessary if you use it during the day, but I wanted this to be my astronomy telescope too. -I had to mount the lens on an astronomy dovetail bar using third-party mounting rings, just to keep it from bending in the middle. That's right, when zoomed to 1300mm, its own weight bends it in the middle. -I had to tape the lens caps (front and back) to the lens using painters' tape, because the caps won't stay on at all. -Soon I will need to repair the camera-body adapter since it broke yesterday. Now it is still sturdily attached to the lens, but it spins freely. My camera will now spin freely too if I try to use this lens. -The optics are almost as good as a photography telephoto lens. Almost is the key word. Get ready to use software like GIMP to remove chromatic aberration and increase contrast. My Saturn picure below is black and white for that reason. With all those cons in mind, I'd still buy it again. This brings me to another Pro: This lens is a great learning experience for someone who is getting into photography and astronomy. I learned a LOT as I slowly improved this lens. Now I'm ready to move up to a real telescope, but I will keep this lens for daytime photography. Maybe planes taking off. Maybe the moon rise over faraway mountains. Maybe bats flying in front of an enormous moon. All of this is possible to someone with this lens, persistence, and patience.

Considering the price which makes this an amateur and NOT a professional lens the optical quality is OK - Good. It is definitely NOT a professional lens, but if you want such quality you will have to pay at least 8-10x the money. I like to summarize some important notes and remarks which some other customers in several feedbacks have given as well to help you to get the most possible out of these lenses: (1) The sharpness limited by the lenses chromatic aberration is good at 650 - ca. 900mm and from 1150-1300mm. For some strange reason in the middle zoom range it gets worse and very noticeable! So try avoiding the middle zoom range. You will either way have to set the zoom before you shoot as there is no autofocus nor any smooth zoom setting via turning a ring. One has to first unlock, then slide out or in your changing the focal length and finally lock again. If you looking for a tele with fast zoom and auto focus, then these are not the ones! (2) Place the telephoto lenses with set zoom/focal length and attached camera on a REALLY ROCK-STABILE tripod! This is VERY ESSENTIAL!!! I bought a semi-pro Tripod from Davis+Sanford (Provista 18 with FM18 Head) which came about the same price like the lenses, but it is really essential and that made all the difference in the world!! Believe me, you will NEVER get sharp and well focused shots WITHOUT a real GOOD and STABLE tripod!! Another important fact to consider concerning tripod: Get one with a good smooth Fluid Drag Head for at least 10-15lbs weight! and NOT with a FRICTION Head. If you want to find a photo target (wildlife etc) with a zoom lens at 1300mm and your tripod head has NO smooth gliding and fine adjustable head, it will get a pain in the a... to ever find your desired object. (3) To accurately focus the lens on your object is EXTREMELY important but tricky too. A camera (like Canon EOS 70D I use) with a digital zoom option helps here a lot: Focus first without zoom, then put your digital zoom (mostly only available on your display screen and not your viewfinder) to x5 or even x10 magnification and fine adjust your focus. That way set up you will get everything out of these lenses they are capable of, which is pretty good. I did several test shots using test charts (4' x 8') in distances of 100 - over 1000ft. The final image quality is pretty well when all the former mentioned recommendations are met see sample photo taken at 1300mm, 800ft distance, 1-125sec, ISO1600 at aperture 16 (picture 2+3). (4) A final word to the 2x tele converter and optional filters (UV, CPL etc.): The offered 2x tele converter is like the lenses amateur and NOT professional quality. The focus and sharpness will drop a little, but noticeably (picture 1 taken at 2600mm, 800ft distance, 1-100sec, ISO2500, aperture 32) and trying to shoot at 2x1300mm = 2600mm is only at extreme bright environmental circumstances possible as your aperture is 32 only!!! That means either very long shutter times or extreme high ISO settings, both not very suitable for crystal sharp pictures at long distances and especially not for moving objects! So the tele converter can be used, but reveals immediate quality loss. Filters I can NOT recommend at all, as they all reduce the already spare ambient light and have a significant blurring effect. If you are not looking for Professional quality (at prices $1'000 - $15'000) but for a good Have-Fun or Introduction-To Telephoto lens with a really long focus length and immediately plan on purchasing a very stable tripod (if you not already have one) with it, then this is one for you to go for.

I have no idea why I decided to give this glass (I can't call it a lens) a try. I guess I was bored. You have to understand that you are buying a cheap telescope with very low quality glass inside it which was modified to be attached to your camera. Therefore no matter what you will do you will never get a decent image using this piece. I tried it on my full frame Canon 6D with all kinds of settings - at 1/1500, at 1/2500 shutter speeds. Obviously on the tripod with very bright light and the results were horrible. I decided not to even post them. Returned this glass back. So the bottom line is - do not buy it. I gave it 1 star only because there is no 0 stars and because from the distance it looks like an original Canon lens. My advice - invest in a nice tele zoom. Sigma makes pretty good ones. I personally own 300-600mm. And if you want to go crazy with the focus length get yourself a x2 tele converter which will give you 1200mm with that Sigma. 300-600 Sigma you can find for around $800 and x2 tele converters are under $200.

Updated! Couldn't be happier! I saw only the partial eclipse, but the lens performed beautifully! It was a very still day, which likely helped a lot to minimize camera shake. See for yourself. I bought this lens to photograph the upcoming solar eclipse. I have been practicing for a few days, and LOVE this lens. Let me preface by saying I am not expecting crystal sharp photos, nor the ability to point and shoot within seconds. I'm not expecting to shoot moving objects hundreds of meters away. This lens requires some patience, and is limited in how it can be used, but for what I am planning to use it for it's perfectly fine. Focusing can be a little tedious, and with no image stabilization it's pointless to try to use it without a tripod AND remote shutter release. I had it a couple of days without a shutter release, and even with a 10 second exposure delay, I was still getting some image blurriness. I invested in the remote shutter release, and immediately noticed the difference. I'm using it with a black polymer solar filter rated at ND5 for photos of the sun, and pretty easily seeing sun spots. It's a heavy lens, which makes me feel confident it can survive a bump or two, but which also means it needs a sturdy tripod to support it. I haven't used the 2x converter and probably have no reason to for my interests, so can't comment on the image quality or usefulness with the converter. Overall, a great lens for my interests and budget!

High Quality Lens, Great Pictures, Great Price I was a little skeptical paying so little for this lens, considering the Canon alternative costs more than a used car. But based on other feedback I went for it and am pleasantly surprised with the results. I purchased this for a Canon Rebel T6i. The lens comes with the necessary T-Adapter and the 2x adapter. I gave it a go at our last full moon and was pleased with the pictures. Here are a few things to know to get your money's worth, but believe me its worth it: 1. This is a fully MANUAL lens. No auto-anything. You must set the camera in manual mode to use it, focus, and everything yourself. This is not as scary as it sounds. 2. The included instructions will help you manually set everything. Again, don't be scared. 3. You can get really close to the subject matter. Miles and miles close. 4. Make sure you are using a tri-pod and a shutter remote as any vibration will make the shots blurry (such as using your finger to press the shutter button) All in all, very pleased with the lens and very pleased with the results.

I like this item and you will probably never find a cheaper "lens" that has 2600mm reach anywhere. Effectively this is a cheap telescope playing the roll of a crazy telephoto zoom lens. In an effort to be as accurate as possible for someone else that is considering this item, I've produced a little bit of a list of things to keep in mind with this lens: - It is effectively a 3.7" telescope. It won't capture a lot of light from dim or very far away things so if you want to take pictures of the Moon it'll probably do great, but you'll have trouble with Mars. - It uses the T-Ring style mount (threaded) but comes with the appropriate adapter for a Canon EF mount. (No need to buy one separately!) - It is really a 650 to 1300mm lens, but it includes a 2x teleconverter. (Keep in mind that using it drops the effective F-Stop while increasing the focal length.) - It is FULLY manual. There are no contacts for the lens to talk to the camera at all. That means no auto-focus, no exposure compensation, no F-Stop adjustment, etc. It also means your best results will likely be achieved in full manual mode on your camera. - It is heavy, long and awkward. (About 3 feet long at maximum zoom and it weighs over 4 lbs.) I recommend some sort of additional mount stabilization. It does come with a tripod mount on the lens itself, but I actually bought a telephoto lens support to go with mine. - Even with a good tripod and extra support I found it difficult to get it to stop shaking long enough to get pictures at maximum zoom. Remember that at a 2600mm focal length even tiny shakes or adjustments mean huge amounts of difference in visual. (Consider some sort of remote trigger for your camera, it might help.)