# Samyang 650-1300mm



## nda (Apr 13, 2014)

Hi All, has anyone used a Samyang 650-1300mm lens,

http://www.samyang.co.uk/index.php/t-mount-lenses/samyang-650-1300mm

I'm just after an opinion if it's good/bad? :-\


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## ajfotofilmagem (Apr 13, 2014)

You can not call this "lens camera" with the current meaning. It's a kind of telescope that can be docked (with adapter) in a camera. Comparing with any Canon big white lens, the differences are evident: 

It is much cheaper and lighter but; 
There has autofocus and manual focus is very critical in supertele; 
Does not have aperture control diaphragm, and are available only F8 (650mm) and F16 (1300mm); 
Does not have image stabilization, and it is not feasible to hold in the hand, making the required tripod; 

Bottom line: You can be a fun toy to make photos only static objects (like the moon), supported by very solid tripod and without strong wind, using shutter speeds faster than 1/1000. The images are not very sharp and has considerable chromatic aberration, but you can have some fun. Do not forget to buy the adapter for mounting the camera (T mount for Canon EOS).


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## photonius (Apr 13, 2014)

nda said:


> Hi All, has anyone used a Samyang 650-1300mm lens,
> 
> http://www.samyang.co.uk/index.php/t-mount-lenses/samyang-650-1300mm
> 
> I'm just after an opinion if it's good/bad? :-\



one thing to remember about this lens and the catadioptric ones from samyang: they are from the area before they started to release the well received new primes for dSLRs (85mm, 35mm, 14mm, 8mm fish eye and more). so they are not in the same category


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## 9VIII (Apr 13, 2014)

I haven't heard anything particularly good about the Samyang Telescope lenses. Lots of people like some of the other telescopes (often Russian), but you're probably better off putting the money toward an SX50HS, which has some proven performance compared to modern supertelephoto lenses.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Apr 14, 2014)

9VIII said:


> I haven't heard anything particularly good about the Samyang Telescope lenses. Lots of people like some of the other telescopes (often Russian), but you're probably better off putting the money toward an SX50HS, which has some proven performance compared to modern supertelephoto lenses.


 
+1

The SX50 HS blows away the Samyang, its head and shoulders better.


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## justaCanonuser (Apr 14, 2014)

Here is a user's review:

http://thenoblewanderer.wordpress.com/2012/11/19/samyang-650-1300mm-f8-f16-lens-test/

He concludes:

"The conclusion here is pretty obvious, if you want telephoto, you’re better off with the Tamron 70-300mm VC and just crop what you need. ...

So what’s the saving grace of the Samyang lens? None."

I think this lens is only an option for those seeking for a sort of supertele lomography.


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## Hillsilly (Apr 14, 2014)

Good to hear some others like the SX50. I mentioned that I was pleasantly surprised by the IQ in another post and was laughed out of town. I'm not saying the SX50 is the be-all and end-all, but for those who are severely focal length challenged, or don't want to carry a 400 to 600mm lens around, or don't want to spend a lot of money I think it is a great option for getting to 1200mm (in 35mm equiv.).


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## PookMook (Apr 14, 2014)

I have one sitting under my bed, I'll send you pictures sample shortly. I only used it once on a photojournalism mission, where I knew things could go absolutely wrong and I might lose my camera. It's a great tool if you want pictures of something, but well, honestly, if you want good looking pictures that's not the guy!


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## Hardwire (Apr 14, 2014)

Lots of hate towards this lens (rightly so perhaps) but not many suggestions other then buying another camera or just using a 300m and cropping.

Are there no other decent long lens/scope alternatives to consider?


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## photonius (Apr 14, 2014)

Hardwire said:


> Lots of hate towards this lens (rightly so perhaps) but not many suggestions other then buying another camera or just using a 300m and cropping.
> 
> Are there no other decent long lens/scope alternatives to consider?



The new Tamron 150-600 is your best bet


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## ajfotofilmagem (Apr 14, 2014)

Hardwire said:


> Lots of hate towards this lens (rightly so perhaps) but not many suggestions other then buying another camera or just using a 300m and cropping.
> Are there no other decent long lens/scope alternatives to consider?


Without spending thousands of dollars? ??? Until now only Tamron 150-600mm offers value for money that gets me excited to carry a giant lens, and despise Canon SX50. :


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## Hardwire (Apr 14, 2014)

Any thoughts on stacking the Tammy with a 2x TC? This would give the same kind of reach but possibly slightly better performance?


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## Jon Gilchrist (Apr 14, 2014)

I've got the 650-1300 and the 2x converter that goes with it. All in all, it's mostly a novelty. I picked it up used for somewhere under US$175 and for that price it can be fun to play with and the size certainly attracts attention. But if you want quality photos, this isn't going to give them to you. It needs an extremely stable tripod. Like, made of 12 tons of granite. It is highly susceptible to temperature based focus shifts. Everything makes the image jiggle. If you use it to shoot the moon, you will have to focus constantly because it will focus past the moon and apparently the DOF at moon distance is less than the diameter of the moon. But it is pretty amazing to be able to take recognizable pictures of things that you can barely see with the naked eye.

Here's the Golden Dome at Notre Dame University from 4 miles away (along with a bunch of sensor dirt) at 2600mm on a 60D:






Same shot, but with a 70mm:





And here's the moon at 2600mm:





I think if it were possible to stop it down a couple stops it might have acceptable sharpness. But you can't, and it doesn't.


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## ajfotofilmagem (Apr 14, 2014)

Hardwire said:


> Any thoughts on stacking the Tammy with a 2x TC? This would give the same kind of reach but possibly slightly better performance?


Our friend Don Haines did a test comparing SX50 and Tamron + teleconverter. The result seemed very impressive. You can see the post below:

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=20234.45


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## Lee Jay (Apr 15, 2014)

Hardwire said:


> Lots of hate towards this lens (rightly so perhaps) but not many suggestions other then buying another camera or just using a 300m and cropping.
> 
> Are there no other decent long lens/scope alternatives to consider?



Celestron C6.

http://www.optcorp.com/celestron-6-schmidt-cassegrain-ota-cg-5-mount-plate-91010-xlt.html


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## noble_elm (Apr 15, 2014)

My first time to post here.

I have the Samyang 650-1300mm and tested it in my blog here.

http://thenoblewanderer.wordpress.com/2012/11/19/samyang-650-1300mm-f8-f16-lens-test/

Since then, I have not used it. Too difficult to focus, too hard to shoot because of vibration, not good enough quality. My suggestion is when you go to my blog and see the pictures, please click on them to see the higher res versions.


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## justawriter (Apr 15, 2014)

Mostly OT, but I've been wanting to share this photo of a 14,000+ mm setup from Outdoor Photographer ...




The photographer called this setup ridiculous.  http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/how-to/shooting/eagle-eyes.html?start=1#.U019u1VdWNJ


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## Drizzt321 (Apr 15, 2014)

Lee Jay said:


> Hardwire said:
> 
> 
> > Lots of hate towards this lens (rightly so perhaps) but not many suggestions other then buying another camera or just using a 300m and cropping.
> ...



Actually, that's a fairly modest price. Although add in a appropriate tripod, and for astrophotography a tracking system, it still seems like a fairly low investment of a $1-2K for a nice image quality.


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