MR Telyt R 500. Worth it?

[jaapv]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I decided to try out my venerable lightweight Tele today it had not been out of its case for many years. 
 

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[jaapv]

For and against...

+Light and small; can be used to carry for occasional use
+Balances well 
+Decent image quality, especially at shorter and medium distances
+Few aberrations, virtually apochromatic (like all mirror and catadioptric lenses)
+Lower contrast plays well with modern sensors
 

-Fixed aperture, nominally f 8, t-stop f 11, due to mirror construction; low- ISO noise camera required (in this case SL2S)
-Like all mirror lenses razor-thin DOF
-Lower resolution shows up on modern sensors
-Despite long focus throw hard and slow to focus; manual focus expertise required
-No OIS means jumpy EVF and short shutter time (from 1/1000)
-Bokeh not to everybody's taste
-Vignettes a bit - especially with underexposure.
-corners show smearing with 3D. subjects - less so on brick-wall type images.

Don't expect a high success rate with moving subjects, but it can be done

Will I be using it often? Not really, but still nice to have...

Images have been minimally processed.

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

 

[Ivar B]

Bokeh is a bit problematic like all mirror lenses. This lens was made by Minolta i believe?

[davidmknoble]

This lens is great for astrophotography.  Fully moon shots are fantastic!  I don’t use it for any other purpose, though.  You have mentioned the primary drawbacks.

[jankap]

I use it and am happy with it. The focal length limits its use. The bokeh can show up somewhat rough.

There exists a review, where the reviewer did his very best to show the donut bokeh only. A worthless review for me.

On an APS camera and a focal length reducer, one can get one fstop more. 

[jaapv]

Yes it was. Minolta made an 800 as well but the 500 was the better lens. Minolta did make the Leica lenses to tighter tolerances than their own by selecting the parts so there is less sample variation. 
 

I am not surprised that these lenses are used for astrophotography; virtually no chromatic aberrations and a flat focal plane. In fact they are basically the same catadioptric ( mirrors and lens group ) construction as an astronomical telescope. 

On 12/19/2024 at 2:30 PM, Ivar B said:

Bokeh is a bit problematic like all mirror lenses. This lens was made by Minolta i believe?

 

[Tpau17]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Am 19.12.2024 um 14:30 schrieb Ivar B:

Bokeh is a bit problematic like all mirror lenses.

I would describe the characteristic bokeh of the MR Telyt R500 as unique and quite appealing in some situations 🫣

Unfortunately, I don't use the lens often enough (this thread reminds me to keep it handy again), but the image quality never fails to impress me, given its age and optical construction.
My previous experience with the Minolta AF Reflex 500mm on the Dynax 9 was also very positive. Minolta was able to draw on extensive know-how from the MD and AF series. This expertise also flowed into the development and production of the Leica version, which had to meet the high quality standards from Wetzlar.

As an example, I would like to share a photo from my garden from last year, which was taken freehand with the SL601. I find the unusual background design particularly interesting.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[jankap]

A very nice shot.

Ist diese Aussage zu belegen: the high quality standards from Wetzlar?

[Tpau17]

No, I don't have any hard facts. But I can't imagine with the best will in the world that Leica doesn't set correspondingly high quality requirements for labeled products from third-party manufacturers - it's the same everywhere. 
-Thomas