M31: Nikon 500mm f/8 reflex lens

[Todd H]

Back in 2012 I went on vacation and traveled to Big Bend national park. This is a really dark location even in 2023. I had a Nikon D800 and the AstroTrac star tracker. I was comfortable using it and decided to see what I could get with and older mint condition Nikon 500mm f/8 reflex mirror lens. I still have the lens and I acquired another along the way and I really like the lens despite the f/8 focal ratio. This is my best image of M31 so far (probably because I haven’t been able to get another lately). I was very happy to see that the AstroTrac was polar aligned precisely and that the image did not trail during the entire 8 minute single exposure at ISO 2000. I did get some amp glow at the very bottom of the image that I cropped out. But overall, it’s a favorite. Those of you that may be interested in a lens like this, they are available on eBay. The Nikon and Tamron brands are the best and are very sharp and clear. Even on my Sony A7RV (61mp) camera, the optics of the Nikon and Tamron work well on a high resolution camera. A mint or near mint condition 500mm can be purchased for $150 to $250 on eBay. I paid around $220 for the Nikon & about $150 for the Tamron. Just look for mint or near mint clean optics, no haze or fungus etc. and you’ll be pleased with your purchase.

I know the core of M31 is blown out, but I was just starting my astrophotography journey. This post is to show how well the retro 500mm f/8 lens performs for astrophotography. Enjoy.

The Nikon lens I have has the orange ring which is the second generation which is more compact and focuses closer.

 

[Mike Lewis]

Nice work - as you have stated elsewhere, lots of variation in quality between the high end versions of these lenses like Nikon and Tamron, and many of the lower cost versions. This one seemingly a very good copy and doing a great job. Of course, really dark skies help a lot too

ML

 

[Todd H]

Nice work - as you have stated elsewhere, lots of variation in quality between the high end versions of these lenses like Nikon and Tamron, and many of the lower cost versions. This one seemingly a very good copy and doing a great job. Of course, really dark skies help a lot too

ML

Mike I have owned three of the nikon copies and two Tamron models and the sharpness and image quality from them has been consistent. The Tamron has a slightly smaller secondary mirror compared to the Nikon, but both produce great results. I would imagine either of these two brands will work great with the new imaging cameras that most of you use, the ZWO Etc and others. You should get one and
xperiment


As for the Optica, Bower cheap and advertised as f/6.3, don’t buy!! I actually have one that is good but not fantastic like the Nikon / Tamron and I had to buy three of them before finding a decent copy, the others were sent back.


thanks for the feedback.

 

[JimFox]

I would say M31 looks pretty good. It's not uncommon for the core of the galaxy to be brighter or a bit blown out since it is a lot brighter then the arms.

And that 500mm lens is sure a keeper.