Quantaray 500mm f8 Mirror
Most Quantaray lenses were made by Sigma and some were made by Tamron and Tokina. This lens performs like a Sigma Mirror lens. It is reasonably sharp if you can hold it steady. It has the typical ringed bokeh we see from mirror lenses. Contrast is surprisingly high. While it is not a Zeiss or even a Tamron in quality, it is still far better than any of the off-brands flooding the market.




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Chinar 28mm f2.8
Filter Size:
Lens mount:
Aperture Range:
Close Focus:
Macro Ratio
Year Introduced:
Tested with...
52mm
Pentax K
f2.8-f22
.4 meters
n/a
n/a
Eos M3 - APS-C

I tested this lens with high expectations even though it's not a name brand lens. Chinar has made some very good lenses. My copy has a Nikon mount.
Handling on my T2i is awkward. It is difficult judge critical focus. The mount doesn't fit snug on it either so I struggled with it on every shot. I can not say whether or not this is typical for Chinar or if it's particular to this lens. Usually my Nikon to Eos adapter is a very tight fit.
It is lightweight. it feels like a Cosina made lens; neither high end nor junk.
At f2.8 it is soft. By f4 it tightens up. F8 is the sweet spot.
Bokeh is okay at f2.8 and f4 but gets busy from f5.6 up. I didn't notice any bokeh fringing.
Corners are soft at all apertures but that could be because my adapter was loose.
Contrast is consistent but low. Color rendition is a bit cool and saturation is a bit low.
Flare is well controlled and I didn't notice any significant chroma or fringing.
For the $ this is a good lens and capable of producing some good shots. Images may need some post processing for color balance, contrast and saturation but you won't need to lean on the sharpening tool.

ISO 800 - f5.6 - handheld

ISO 800 - f5.6 - 100% crop - handheld

ISO 400 - f4 - 100% crop - handheld

ISO 400 - f5.6 - handheld

ISO 800 - f4 - 100% crop - handheld

ISO 400 - f5.6 - handheld