Opteka 650-1300mm (with 2X- 1300-2600mm) Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon D5, D4, D850, D810, D800, D750, D610, D600, D7500, D7200, D7100, D5600, D5500, D5300, D5200, D3400 and D3300 Digital SLR Cameras

MY LIFE AND THE OPTEKA 650-2600mm ON NIKON DX ( APS-C ).... UPDATED 7/4/2016 Here's a review for crop-sensor folks. All comments below are my tests (and results) with a D7100 and D5500 - Nikon DX (APS-C). First off - this lens is a manual focus lens. If you use AUTO on your DSLR mostly - this is probably not for you. Unless you want to learn how to manually focus a monster like this. I bought this lens for the reach to price ratio. NEW GOTCHA - UV HAZE FILTER -- REMOVE IT After writing the review I decided to go back and re-test the lens. After taking several test shots, I was surprised at the lack of sharpness compared to what I'd previously experienced. The only equipment change was the addition of a UV Haze filter - it significantly reduced the sharpness. I removed it, and re-tested and found the lens to be decently sharp as stated below. I was surprised how negatively it impacted sharpness. OTHER NEW GOTCHA - OPTEKA T MOUNT ADAPTER MECHANICAL SLACK I noticed a slight 'wobble' in the Opteka included t-mount adapter. It turns out the adapter has some mechanical slack in it. I removed it and replaced it with a fotodiox adapter which doesn't have the same slack. CONSTRUCTION: This lens is like an old-time pirate-movie telescope. The shortest range is when the unit itself is shortest. Think of a movie where the protagonist pulls the tube in and out against their eye. The lens feels most solid when it's shortest. That's 650mm. When you pull it out to 1300mm it does slightly bend, and it is *much* tougher to use. You can use it at 1300mm but it requires probably 5x the effort as at 650mm. HAND-HELD (ARE YOU CRAZY?): Unlike some folks say, you *can* hand-hold this lens - at 650mm, but it's heavy, and not much fun. My experience has been that I needed to use ISO 1600 on a clear day to get anything like a decent shot. Most shots will be throw-aways too. If you can find something to brace yourself on, then you can get some decent shots hand-held, but I would *never* recommend this as a hand-held lens. It's obviously going to depend on the ISO and your shutter speed. If you have a body that can do crazy high ISO with low noise, then go-for-it. USE A TRIPOD + REMOTE RELEASE + MIRROR LOCK UP (if you can) On a tripod at 650 it's fine. It's fun (if slightly masochistic) to shoot stuff with this lens. You will want a remote release, or at the very least to use the exposure delay mode. I tend to use an IR remote release - (Nikon ML-L3) wireless. I've also tried it with a remote release (cable) and an intervalometer. Either way it's fine, just be sure your cable isn't swinging about if you are tring to shoot with it extended to 1300mm. FOCUS: Focussing at 650 mm is easy enough. The feel of the focus grip is good too. It's surprisingly good for the cost. Sharpness is decent too- not awesome, but not crap either. Focus is highly dependent on your patience. You need to be steady and slow, and did I mention patient? I use the standard technique of zooming in all the way while in live-view and focussing. I've focussed it when hand-held on the D7100 via the view-finder in bright sunlight too - and it's doable, but it's tough, and I have a magnifying view-finder on my D7100. 1300m - is a bit tough. First off - your arm is stretched ouuuuuutttt to reach. It's reachable for sure for most folks - might be tough if your arms are especially short. The bigger thing is that when you extend it, the vibrations increase, and it's not as sturdy. I'd estimate it's 5x as hard to focus at 1300mm as at 650mm - simply because even while using *all the tricks* like zooming in on live view, keeping your hand on the focus and letting the image settle, and just ever so slightly putting a little pressure - you need to let the image stabilize. With large objects it's not too difficult. I did find it pretty darn tough when I decided to shoot mars and jupiter with this thing. OPTICS - DO THEY REALLY SUCK? There's noticeable chromatic aberration. That's pretty much unavoidable without better optics (and loads more dough). It isn't terrible at 650. I can handle it at 1300mm. It goes with the territory. MY BOX SAID 2600mm! -- REVISED 7/4/2016 My unit came with a 2.0x teleconverter. The only thing I'd think about using the teleconverter for would be shooting at 1300mm while not having the thing extended. The delta in image quality wasn't *too* bad - but was noticeable. At 2600 mm - forget about it. I spent a few hours one day testing it out at 2600mm - it's just a nightmare. The problem being the wobble from the extension (at 1300mm) is now magnified 2x. So my 5x harder to focus at 1300mm becomes about 10x harder to focus at 2600mm. You'd basically have to try to focus it, then wait several seconds for the vibration to die away. Then try and twist the focus a tiny tiny small amount. I decided to re-test the teleconverter and focussing at 1300mm with it. Overall in terms of optical quality it's not too bad. Focussing at 1300mm with it was *very* tough but I did manage it. IS IT WORTH IT? Totally. When I bought my DSLR's the first thing I did (ok ok - the second thing) was put them in manual mode, and figure out how to manually set the raw physical basics of the camera. If you are like that and feel like trying a really long lens for a really low price then go-for-it. If you are a person who uses your DSLR but doesn't ever switch it out of auto it's not for you. THE NEGATIVE You will want to beg/borrow/steal (rent?) a really expensive long lens to compare it with. WHAT HAVE YOU SHOT WITH THAT THING? Jupiter - including moons. Watch it in live view on the D5500 - the flip out LCD is *awesome* and so convenient. Moon - zoomed in with live-view looking at craters. The moon and planets *zoom* along though, so you will need to constantly keep adjusting - unless you have a barndoor tracker etc. Manhattan - from 10+ miles away - at night. Trees and static stuff. WHAT ABOUT VIDEO? Weirdly enough (or normally enough) video isn't that terrible through it. It's definitely fun. I use video to film the moon to get lots of frames for stacking in registax etc). MOUNTING T-MOUNT - REVISED 7/4/2016 It's a t-mount. The lens comes with a converter from t-mount to your native camera mount. At least mine did. Some folks have recommended buying a different T-mount converter. I actually read horror-story reviews where one person said it broke their DSLR and was black the whole time. I experienced nothing at all like that. I read one review that said they couldn't focus it and needed a different t-mount adapter. I experienced nothing like this. There is plenty of of range to 'either side' of correct focus. During re-testing I noticed a small amount of mechanical 'slack' regardless of how tight the opteka adapter was. I removed it and replaced it with a fotodiox unit and it's much more snug. I don't remember this slack at the time of purchase. GOTCHA's Check your D5500 is in MANUAL mode. On a DSLR you could *think* it broke your body if you don't put the DSLR in manual mode. Why? On the D5500 the screen will display 'no lens' ' if you are NOT in manual mode. It's basically just saying - 'Hey I don't see a lens with aperture control and focus control and all this electronic stuff'. Stick the D5500 into manual mode, and it's fine - it's a manual lens. FOCUSSING GOTCHA Like the pirate's telescope the focus changes as you extend the tube. For big targets this is fine, but if you are crazy enough to point this thing at Jupiter (I am), then it's best to focus and extend, and focus and extend. The reason being that if you pull all the way out to 1300mm, two things will happen. First off your f/8 just became f/16. So everything is lots dimmer. Secondly - everything will be horribly out of focus. So out of focus you won't even see an object. The solution is easy. Extend a bit and focus, extend a bit and focus. ZOOM GOTCHA - REVISED At 1300mm on a DX it's pretty much 2000mm. That's a long lens. That means any small movement / wobble can easily throw your target way out of the frame. Couple that with the slight sagging of the lens at 1300mm makes losing sight of your target easy. Just this morning I re-tested for several hours the lens including with the included 2.0x teleconverter. It's difficult to focus for sure, but I'm still impressed with the value for money. SUMMARY -- It's a fully manual lens. Make sure your DSLR is in manual. If you never use your DSLR in manual this isn't the lens for you unless you want to learn. -- Replace the T-mount adapter (or at least check it). Mine had mechanical slack reguardless of the amount I tightened it. -- Don't use the UV Haze filter if you bought one - or at least test it. Mine significantly reduced sharpness. -- Use a zoomed live-view mode to focus -- At 1300mm the lens bends - the extra bend and 'give' in the lens makes focussing at 1300mm much more difficult than at 650mm (but it is doable). -- Optical degradation due to the 2.0x isn't too severe. Focus is the tough thing. Focussing at 1300mm with the 2.0x teleconverter connected is exceedingly-tough. Many minutes will be needed (patience needed). -- Great value for the money -- I've bumped the review score from 4 stars to 5 stars based on a bunch more testing

I don't often review Amazon products, but I was on the fence about trying a $200 telephoto lens, and if you're reading this you probably are as well. Spending more time at home during the age of COVID I was interested in getting a telescope... but wanted to be able to easily capture images of what I saw. I also recently spent a week in the gulf and had fun zooming in on distant oil platforms and passing ships, but wanted more than what my Nikon 300mm lens could provide, so I started looking and came across this. You can easily spend many thousands of dollars on high quality telephoto lenses, but this is just a casual hobby for me, and with my expectations of what $200 buys set accordingly I pulled the trigger. The lens feels very sturdy, not cheap or plasticky. Knowing that this is fully manual, you will need to adjust the focus ring fairly precisely to capture a good image, but again this has a good quality feel to it that I can make reasonably precise movements. If you are comfortable adjusting your camera's ISO, Shutter, and Aperture settings, and can make fine movements with your hand you'll have no problem capturing good photos in the first minute of use. The mechanism for locking the focal length in place isn't very good... even when tightened down I can still zoom it in and out without much work... and it can definitely slip out of place, though this didn't seem to be a big problem. I would say the lock is more about providing resistance to slippage than actually setting and holding a position. As you move the focus ring left or right when it hits the end of it's range in either direction the whole tube just spins endlessly... it's annoying, but again not a major problem... you can feel when it hits the end, so just stop spinning. Also had an issue with the adapter ring (Nikon) allowing the tube to spin endlessly in relation to the camera... this is a pain while holding the camera by hand, and a show stopper on a tripod as gravity will inevitably let the camera "droop" left or right... however there are three very small straight edge screws around the ring... tightening those resolved the issue and I haven't had a problem since, but would not be shocked if it needed tightened again in the future. Fortunately none of those issues impact the actual image quality, which in my opinion is very good given the focal lengths involved. I'm sure professional photographs can easily pick this apart, but I'm impressed with the quality for the money. While the 2x converter is good if you want to maximize your ability to zoom in on something like the moon, on a day to day basis it's more practical to leave it off... there's just very little I want capture far enough away to leave it on all the time, and having a shorter focal length makes quickly acquiring and focusing on objects much easier. I've attached an image of the moon I took by hand in the first few minutes of trying it out... not perfect of course, but it raises my hope that even better will be possible when using a tripod. I did try capturing the full moon on a tripod last night, but local weather prevented quality shots, so I can't state that definitively yet. In the end, I'm not a professional... I'm not in the market for a multi-thousand dollar lens... I'm very satisfied with the materials used and the ability to make precision focal adjustments. There are some annoying elements to the design, but none that stopped me from what I wanted to accomplish with this. I spent $800 on a 80-200mm Nikon lens years ago, and it doesn't make me feel like an Apollo astronaut like this does... so did I get $200 of use and enjoyment out of this purchase, absolutely!

I bought a very similar telephoto lens sometime back against bad reviews. I loved it. I wanted to upgrade to a super telephoto lens and this one fit the bill. Just as the first lens, it preforms beyond my expectations. It is easy to use and even easier to focus than my other lens. It is heavy and big. But that is what I wanted. If you are not used to putting your camera in full manual and making all your adjusts on your own this is not the lens for you. You need to know how to use every part of your camera to be successful with this lens. I look forward to many great pictures from this lens. I have uploaded two pictures of a building with a flag on top. The first will show you have far away from the building I was, and the will show you how close this lens brings the flag to you. It is not the best picture, as this was my first outing with the lens. But you can see what I am talking about. Take your time and learn to use the lens. Came back after a few days of working with the lens. Posting a few more pictures. Note the water drops on the duck. The Up Bank was taken in very low light. Again this was after working with the lens for only a few days.

Gotta say I want really expecting to much of this lens given the price point. I got it with hopes of moon, landscape, and wildlife photography. It is great for the moon, can see amazing surface detail & the editor moon doesn't fit the frame it the lens is stretched out too 2600mm. I haven't had much chance to use it for landscape, but in the few test photos I took that the focus is crazy sensitive. No surprise here, just be warned. Twist the focus ring about a millimeter and you've gone from out if focus on one extreme to the other. Lady note: don't expect to use the 2x adaptor with any other lens, unless that lens is threaded for a T-Ring. ***update 5/5/15*** Took this out for the third time today, T ring broke when trying to remove from camera body. Camera is full of metal shavings now. If it isn't ruined, my camera will need a very thorough cleaning now. But hey, I still have a 2x adapter... that didn't fit anything else. I WOULDN'T RECOMMEND WASTING YOUR MONEY ON THIS GARBAGE.

I bought this item Opteka 650-2600mm High Definition Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon D3, D3S, D3X, D40, D40x, D50, D60, D70, D80, D90, D100, D200, D300, D300S, D700, D3000, D3100, D5000, & D7000 Digital SLR Cameras from 47th street photo through Amazon.com for my Nikon D40X so far I have not taken one decent photo with it. the T adapter did not work properly and I called 47th street they said there was was supposed to be a small screwdriver and there was none the adapter did not fit right and at first I thought they sent the wrong one but it was determined that it was the right one they told me they would send me a new one, two weeks have gone by and I have received it or the screwdriver yet. Also the lens came with no instructions what so ever and I am still trying to figure this one out I thought I knew my camera well but maybe not well enough. James666

The lens is used with a Nikon D7000 primarily for photos of rock formations up to 2.5 miles away, it has not been used for motion shots. The lens zooms via a sliding tube and it could be smoother, it sticks a bit. Wind, haze and heat shimmer can all be problems with this lens. This is not because of the lens itself but the because of the distance of the subject. The farther away from the subject the worse these problems become. The lens needs lots of light, more so with the teleconverter. Focusing and exposure is difficult in the bright sun. Sometimes it takes test pics to get the proper exposure. The lens needs a good heavy head on the tripod due to the weight, 6.4 lbs for the D7000 camera and lens. When the lens is at maximum zoom it causes the camera/lens to be rear heavy, this is even more noticeable when the teleconverter is attached. When zoomed to the max the lens body bends slightly, this too is even more noticeable with the teleconverter attached, but has not affected any photos that I have noticed. Used with just the camera (3 stars): Used with Camera Control Pro software and a laptop computer (5 to 6 stars): With Camera Control Pro software (about $150) and a laptop computer pinpoint focusing and proper exposure becomes easy. To alleviate wind problems and to create a shaded area for easier focusing and exposure adjustments I started shooting from inside my little SUV and this lens really shines, the pics are sharp and amazing. I have never tried this lens for something that is moving and doubt it would work well. Used in this way the sharp clear pictures are simply amazing and the lens becomes an unbelievable buy. I do recommend getting a better teleconverter than comes with this lens, it is flimsy. Excluding the cost of the laptop and camera the cost for this setup is under $600: CC Pro - $150 Lens - $265 Vivitar 2x Teleconverter (4 Elements) - $169 Four years have been spent trying different lens and equipment on a budget to get quality long range photos, this lens was a huge upgrade when used with a laptop as above. This lens with the laptop is great fun and gets sharp photos. 01/16/2013 - Was having problems with aligning and pointing the lens due to the weight and balance problem of the lens, a gear driven head ($220) eliminated these problems, the camera and lens are held securely and can be aligned smoothly and precisely. While my prime concern is detail, this lens produces decent color and the image problems problems noted by other reviewers here have not been as bad as expected. After thousands of photos this lens has become my favorite lens by far. The image on my computer screen is sharper and clearer than the pics from the D7000 indicating it is possible for this lens to produce a better image than my camera. In fact I am getting ready to buy another one of these lens, though without the Opteka doubler and buckle it up to a D3200 body to see what 24 megapixels looks like through it. This is a specialty lens, has a steep learning curve, needs other equipment, patience and practice to get the best out of it, but the payoff is far better than I expected. This is an inexpensive lens that in my circumstances gives incredible value for the money.

I bought this lens for fun and it performs pretty much as I expected. You are not going to get tack sharp photos, and it's a bear to lug around. But you get tons of reach. I tried it on both a D5600 and a D810 Nikon. I would not recommend it for the D5600 or other camera where your only iso and shutter controls are via menus. On the D5600 "Auto ISO" would not work. Way too much bother. On the D810 it was fairly easy to manage shutter speed and ISO via the front and back wheels. There is no aperture control. The aperture changes as you zoom in: F8 fulling zoomed out, F16 fully zoomed in. The barrel is marked for the inbetweeners, Zooming in and out is not something you are going to want to do while composing a shot, it's not at all easy or smooth. The zoom lock leaves much to be desired. But for under $200 I can't really complain. Info will show F0 and 0mm for all shots. Trying to use in any mode other than manual will result in a "no lens attached" error. But, if you are set up on a sturdy tripod and pre-zoomed to a target area it's manageable. Uncropped photo attached. Looks like amazon downsized the photo anyway. I've added a crop of just the head from the original photo. One other thing to note - the kit doesn't come with a locking cap for the Nikon T mount. You'll either have to purchase one separately, or rotate one from another lens. The lens doesn't fit in it's case with the t mount and end cap attached. picky, picky, picky!

I ordered this item because I was desperate for a longer focal length lens, but could not afford some of the nicer Nikon lenses for my D90. However, before I ordered I made sure to read the reviews. I was somewhat concerned by some of the negative reviews. However, considering that the nearest focal length for other lenses is upwards of $9000USD, I went ahead with the order. My first caution is - if you are not patient with this lens, you will not get good pictures with it. It is fully manual focus and zoom, and the focus is very testy. However, it is very possible to get great photos with it. You NEED to use a tripod or monopod to help hold it up. You also needs LOTS of light, as the best F-stop is 8 @ 650mm, and each focal length is tied to an aperature. At greater focal lengths, it is very easy to get fuzzy pictures, so light becomes even more important so that you can increase shutter speed. Also, using this lens requires manual camera settings, and you can only adjust shutter speed and ISO on the camera itself. I will also say to be very cautious with the 2x teleconverter, because I only used it once, and the screw got caught on the end of the lens. All that said, I took the lens to the zoo (my regular lens practice ground) and got a bit of a hang for focusing the lens. Out of the shots I took, I actually got a few very nice ones. This is not the best lens, but if you're patient and willing to work with it, it is certainly worth the money. I am incredibly happy with my purchase as a serious amateur photographer. Not recommended for people with little patience or camera know-how and definitely not the lens for professionals. Overall, this lens is an amazing deal for the price.

No esperaba que por el precio que tiene fuese el mejor objetivo del mundo, pero si al menos un mínimo de nitidez. Lo he devuelto

Ovviamente per il prezzo pagato non si può pretendere un gran che. Ma il suo lavoro lo fa discretamente bene anche se la nitidezza nn è il massimo soprattutto con il moltiplicatore di focale. Le foto alla luna sono borderline, soprattutto se la luna è bassa. Si riempie quasi totalmente lo schermo anche già a 650

First, I paid less then $200 for this lens. Not for an awesome review, but because, well, this is a cheap lens. That being said. For what I have had this for (D3400 and D7200) lens for, is awesome. No, it will not compete with a $4,000 lens pull your head out of your ass. However for a novice, someone looking to cover the gap. This thing is awesome, and when I figure out how, I might even post some pictures. I would buy this lens again in a heart beat. *Edit- You need a beast of a tripod for this. I have an awesome one, and it can't hold it.

Had this lens less than a hour and so glad I decided to buy ! Not recommended for the beginner although with patience it would suit anybody willing to take the time to learn its pros and cons Extremely happy with my purchase

Hatte mir das Opteka High Definition Teleobjektiv bestellt und hoffte das es so wie in der Beschreibung angegeben ist verwendbar wäre leider nicht.. Ich hatte es an meiner NIKON D5300 mit dem T2 Adaper aufgesetzt leider hat die Kamerea dieses Objektiv nicht erkannt, aussage im Kamera_Display es ist kein Objektiv angeschloßen. Also wieder zurückgesendet.