Opteka - good bad or ugly?

^{Does anyone have one of these lenses? They have a nice low price but I'm wondering if they are worth the savings. I appreciate any opinions you might have. Thanks.}

I used to have a Kodak Z712 and I got an Opteka macro lens for it and I just loved it, but I also got there teleconverter and returned it. The teleconverter left a halo around everything. No mater what I tried I could not get a sharp image if my life depended on it. I will try and find one of my macros and post so you can judge the quality for your self.

This is a photo taken with the Opteka macro lens. This is with out any editing.

Thanks for the reply. I just got a Tamron converter so I'm good on that count. I've got a set of closeup lenses in the mail. What I'm interested in is the 500mm mirrored lens and possibly their .3X or .35X fisheye.

Reviews of Opteka.
forums.photographyreview.com/showthread.php?t=3228
www0.epinions.com/Lens_Converters--optek...c_~product_list#list

AMazon reviews on the fisheye:

3.0 out of 5 stars Get what you pay for, September 17, 2005

This review is from: Opteka .22x Hi-Def Fisheye Lens for Canon EOS 20D 10D Digital Rebel 1D (Electronics)
This lens gave me exactly what I was expecting: "a cheap lens to give me a fish eye effect". Nothing more.
It is incredibly blurry around the edges.
If you are just looking for the effect, then this is fine. And, of course, the price is great. But don't buy this if you think this will give you good quality photos. Notice I didn't even say 'great photos'. Nope, won't even give you 'good photos'.

Pure and simple, a low priced, low quality lens for fish eye effect. The zoom feature is fun, as you can pull back and create a complete circle.
The lens is useful, just like an old banged up pair of skis are good for the rocks.


4.0 out of 5 stars Great toy for any photo lover!, October 8, 2008

This review is from: Opteka .22x Hi-Def Fisheye Lens for Canon EOS 20D 10D Digital Rebel 1D (Electronics)
No, it is not the worlds best fish eye lens. But it creates clean, decent, focused images and is a lot of fun, especially this time of year with all the fall foliage (for you northerners). If you are looking for a professional lens, you may want to spring for a real lens, but if you are looking for fun pictures and to play around, this is a great way to go.

Just for the record, because I haven't read it elsewhere, THIS IS NOT FOR YOUR CANON 35mm SLR. This is for Canon's digital lenses.



2.0 out of 5 stars cheap but dissapointing, August 4, 2008

This review is from: Opteka .22x Hi-Def Fisheye Lens for Canon EOS 20D 10D Digital Rebel 1D (Electronics)
It's not a Hi-Def lens, if you are looking for a good lens, spend some more money and dont waste it in this lens.

Not a pretty sight!

Thanks John. I'm thinking more bad than good. I'm researching reviews no for thei 500mm mirror lens but I think I know what the answer might be on that. Sigh... I'm just going to have to save up a bit more. I've blown my budget and any more I'm afraid I might blow my relationship with the Boss Sherrie.

chasrich wrote: Thanks John. I'm thinking more bad than good. I'm researching reviews no for thei 500mm mirror lens but I think I know what the answer might be on that. Sigh... I'm just going to have to save up a bit more. I've blown my budget and any more I'm afraid I might blow my relationship with the Boss Sherrie.

Back in the film days, I bought a 500/1000 Quantaray (non-mirror). I just bought a t-mount to try it on my EOS just for fun. Did get a few decent shot with it on the Pentax (in good light).



I have a Vivatar .45 attachment I am going to try out - again just for fun but may get lucky with a few.