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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Nikkor AF 35-70mm f3.3-4.5
Filter Size:
Lens mount:
Aperture Range:
Close Focus:
Macro Ratio
Year Introduced:
Tested with...
52mm
Nikon AF
f3.3-f22
.35 meters
n/a
1986
Eos 6D - Full Frame

Back in the 90's this was the standard kit lens for N5005 and N6006. It is an Ais AF design which uses a screw drive AF. I used one on my N6006 and got good results on slide film. This lens has been forgotten until recently because it's range doesn't make much sense on a sub frame D-Slr, but now that full frame bodies are becoming more popular and affordable, it has found new life on the used market.
Is it a good lens? Yes. I tested my copy on my Eos 6D with a Nikon to Eos adapter. Focusing was easier than I expected despite the tiny focus ring.
You can see from the pics below that it can produce sharp images. All of my test shots were sharp at all focal lengths and apertures. The weakest performance was at 35mm wide open, but it was still very good.
Contrast is good, but slightly lower than a Nikon prime lens.
Color rendition is spot on. Saturation is also very accurate.
Distortion can be seen at 35mm but is not noticeable at 50mm and 70mm.
Bokeh is a bit busy and that is typical of zoom lenses. A swirl effect can be seen when shooting close range at 35mm.
Fringing can be seen in harshly lit shots if you are pixel peeping, but it can be easily corrected.
Bokeh fringing is quite noticeable. See test pics below.
This was a very good walk around lens in the 90's and it remains so today. While it doesn't have the versatility of the AF Nikkor 28-85mm, it does offer excellent image quality in a reasonably low price range.

f4.5 - 70mm

f3.3 - 35mm - swirl bokeh

f4.5 - 50mm - fringing

f5.6 - 70mm

f5.6 - 70mm

f4.5 - 70mm

f5.6 - 70mm - neutral b/w

f5.6 - 70mm

f5.6 - 70mm

f4.5 - 70mm
Bokeh Fringing Test
Eos 6D

35mm f3.3

35mm f5.6

50mm f4

50mm f5.6

70mm f4.5

70mm f5.6