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

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.

First, be aware this is a 100% manual lens. You must put your camera into "Manual" mode, as it doesn't have the correct contacts for it to work with Auto Focus or other automated settings. This also means you must focus by hand, and manually set your aperture and shutter speed. Also, this is a cheap lens so it's not going to have the solid feel of a better lens. The lack of weight also means you can easily bump or shake the lens, even when on a tripod. Using a remote shutter trigger is highly recommended. That said, if you have some basic skills with a camera and a bit of patience, you can get remarkably good photos with this. I personally wanted to pick up something to capture photos of the recent eclipse without spending a million dollars on a comparable size AF lens. While the photos I ended up with are not world-class quality, I'm more than happy with them for the minimal amount of expense and prep I put into it.

Received the lens yesterday. Put it on my Nikon D7000 and I have to say I am so far very impressed. Took a few test shots and they are clear as can be. This lens is a manual lens so you have to adjust the F-stop on the lens - it does not show on the camera display. It is different because you have to adjust everything on the lens, but that said, it is no big deal if you are somewhat experienced with DSLR cameras. The manual focus was no problem, but I am used to it because I mostly shoot in manual focus with my other lenses. Might take a little practice for someone not so experienced. I held it in my hands at 1,000 mm and got clear shots. I know on my tripod it will produce some awesome shots. Look, it is not a $10,000 lens, so don't expect that, but for most amateur photographers looking to do celestial photography, wildlife or anything from a huge distance, this lens is well worth the money. I have been so impressed with the color and imaging, and the ease of using the lens once you get used to it. It secured tightly to my Nikon D7000, and should be fully compatible with most all the Nikon DX cameras, utilizing a T-mount that is included. It felt sturdy on the camera. That was a surprise considering how long the lens is with the 2x adapter. I would recommend this lens - I think it is well worth the money.

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.

I bought this lens quite a while ago for the specific purpose of lunar photography, which didn't work out. I'll get to that in a sec. Today, I broke it out for another purpose; I was trying to get a freeze-frame of a hummingbird feeding. Using the included 2x converter, I attempted to at least focus on my feeder (which I had propped up in an advantageous location), then waited until a hummingbird arrived, at which point I would use my remote to trigger several photos. Fair warning, unless your tripod is built like a rock, you won't be able to focus properly...and the glass quality isn't that great to begin with. Even the sharpest images just aren't -that- sharp with this lens. However, since I was attempting to freeze the wings of the hummingbird, and thus cranking my ISO way up to compensate for the high shutter-speed, I decided to give it another go with something more mundane, and without the 2x converter (attached squirrel pics) This time I focused while bracing the lens against a railing, which allowed me much greater stability and I was actually able to see when the subject was in focus. I did my best, but you can see that the images still aren't that sharp. (ISO 600, 1/160 shutter speed, f.8) As for moon shots, it's impossible, at least with -my- lens. It refuses to focus to "infinity" for some reason, which I put down to shoddy workmanship. It does -alright-...for the price. I just ordered a new 500/1000mm mirror lens for the same price, so we'll see how it compares to this. Overall, I'm not that impressed though. Lack of focus at infinity, and thus, no lunar photography, was the most disappointing thing about it.

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.

The recent Super Blood Wolf Lunar eclipse was the reason I purchased this lens. I have a Nikon D7500 and wanted to capture this astronomical event. The lens arrived exactly as shown with the T adapter and a few pages of instructions. It is a monster lens and needs to be firmly mounted on a VERY sturdy tripod or even the slightest movement from wind etc will cause camera shake. As I have read in some of the questions, you MUST put your camera in Manual mode and the switch on the body of the camera must also be placed to M and not AF. I had to take several test images to achieve good focus on the moon as it is very sensitive at such a long focal length. Once focus is achieved it stays in that position easily so refocusing is not necessary for astronomical uses. The instructions do say that the only way to get a proper exposure is by adjusting shutter speed and ISO settings. If your not familiar with the manual workings of your camera, there may be some difficulty in getting the results you want. With some trial and error the is an AMAZING lens for the price. I would purchase again and now I dont need to, it's part of my camera bag going forward. I attached a montage of the Lunar eclipse with said results. As mentioned earlier about camera shake, when using this lens I recommend using the Mirror Up function to reduce shake and a VERY sturdy tripod is a must! The use of a remote trigger is also highly recommended for shutter speed less than 1/1000th sec.

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.