4
\$\begingroup\$

New to this site and glad it is here! I just bought an Albinar 500mm F/8 lens with 2x lens. It came with the T-adapter and I put it on my Nikon D3100 camera. I tried to shoot in Manual mode and was able to focus and set shutter speed but the Aperture just stays blank: "f--". I press the correct button at the top of the camera to change the aperture but it won't do anything. Has anyone had this problem with the Albinar lens?

Improve this question
\$\endgroup\$
1
  • 5
    \$\begingroup\$ There are two versions of this lens. It is possible that they may not have the Mirror lens version. \$\endgroup\$
    – Mike Sowsun
    Sep 25, 2016 at 10:53

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
9
\$\begingroup\$

Has anyone had this problem with the Albinar lens?

There are two versions of the Albinar 500mm f8. One is a fixed aperture mirror lens and one is a variable aperture "Preset" lens.

Which version do you have?

enter image description here enter image description here

They are both actually made by Samyang and also sold under many other names. (Opteka, Bower, Kalimar, Phoenix, Rokinon, Quantaray, Vivitar, Bell & Howell, Falcon, Walimex, etc)

These lenses are both fully manual lensese that have no communication at all with the camera.

The camera will act as if there is no lens attached to the camera. With Nikon cameras the aperture will always read F-- and with Canon cameras the aperture will always read F00.

If you have the mirror lens version the aperture is fixed at f/8.

If you have the "Preset" version you can set the aperture is on the lens itself.

enter image description here

The viewfinder will be slightly darker to what you are used to due to the f/8 aperture and will only get darker as you stop it down.

There are two aperture rings. The one marked "32 22 16 11 8" sets the aperture, and the one marked "O <--> C" opens and closes the aperture to allow better viewing and focusing before you stop it down to the desired aperture.

As with most lenses, this lens will give better results if you stop it down 1 or 2 stops. (f11 or f/16) This means it is best used on a sturdy tripod and/or bright conditions or high ISO.

Improve this answer
\$\endgroup\$
3
  • 1
    \$\begingroup\$ Have you even looked at the lens? It has no aperture ring because there is no iris, the aperture is always F/8. \$\endgroup\$
    – Itai
    Sep 25, 2016 at 3:44
  • 1
    \$\begingroup\$ Sorry, I wrongly assumed he had the variable aperture "Preset" version of this lens. I have edited my answer to include both versions. \$\endgroup\$
    – Mike Sowsun
    Sep 25, 2016 at 10:44
  • 1
    \$\begingroup\$ Much better! Even if had never seen the Preset lens. So I learned something too :) \$\endgroup\$
    – Itai
    Sep 25, 2016 at 15:00
4
\$\begingroup\$

Because the 500mm F/8 mirror lens from Samyang/ Rokinon/ Bower/ Walimex/ Falcon/ Albinar/ Opteka/ Quantaray/ Bell & Howell/ whatever else they're calling it this week is a fixed aperture lens, as are most mirror lenses with a secondary mirror in the middle of the objective. In other words your lens has no adjustable aperture. Just as a prime lens can't zoom the way a zoom lens can, a fixed aperture lens doesn't have an adjustable aperture diaphragm.

Note: It has just come to our attention that there is also a 500mm f/8 "preset" lens from Samyang (and whatever other brand they are selling it as) that is not the mirror lens addressed in the answer above. For that lens the information below applies.

If you have the other, non-mirror version 500mm f/8 lens made by the same manufacturer then f/8 is the maximum aperture and other, narrower apertures may be selected by manually stopping down the lens using the aperture ring on the lens. Since the lens has no electrical or mechanical connections to the camera's control system the camera can not be used to control the aperture of the lens.

Improve this answer
\$\endgroup\$
2
  • 4
    \$\begingroup\$ And it is amazing someone is spending money to buy a lens without reading up the most basic part of their description. \$\endgroup\$
    – TomTom
    Sep 25, 2016 at 9:12
  • \$\begingroup\$ Thank you to those who answered my question, this lens was a gift and the person who got it thought they were doing a nice thing for me. Alas, the lens did not come with any instructions and I am very new at adding lenses to my camera. I appreciate all the kind answers. Thanks again, \$\endgroup\$
    – Gaby E
    Sep 26, 2016 at 19:15

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.