MTO-11CA f/10, 1000mm Rubinar Telephoto Mirror Lens
| June 20, 2013 | Posted by Photo GearHead under Cool Gear Auctions |
So, you want to photograph something from far away? Like, I mean, seriously far away? Perhaps you wish to prepare yourself to capture images of the upcoming comet ISON that’s scheduled to be streaking across the sky later this year? Or, maybe you’re feeling that your current portfolio is lacking in some uber-cool, close-up shots of the moon’s surface? Or, maybe, there’s something located way on top of some mountain somewhere and you’d like to snap a shot or two of it and you just can’t be bothered to go climbing that mountain in order to obtain your images? Well, if any of those things are true, then have I got the lens for you!
The MTO-11CA f/10, 1000mm telephoto mirror lens was good enough for the KGB, and it should be good enough for you and your M42 threaded camera! This Rubinar designed mirror lens, produced by JSC Lytkarino, using German Carl Zeiss technology is of an exceedingly long (1,000mm) focal length, yet, due to its mirror design, quite compact for its range. And, I have it on good authority, also quite heavy– but not, all things considered, quite as heavy as you might think. So, it’s got that going for it too.
It was originally designed by the famed Russian optical specialist Dmitri Maksutov in 1941 to fit on to Russian Zenit SLR camera bodies, but will mount on any camera utilizing an M42 mount thread (otherwise known as the M42 X 1mm standard, the M42X1, or the Pentax Thread Mount) And, M42 adapters are readily available for most modern camera brands.
But, what if 1,000mm just wont cut it? I mean, I hear tell that this lens will produce pictures of objects that are around 800-ish feet away that appear roughly the same as the same object taken with a 50mm lens that is only around 30 feet away. Impressive, no? But, even that may not be enough, you say? What if you’re desperate to capture a really good, detailed image of a single, specific pore on the face of your subject from a fair distance? Well, don’t worry about that! There is an optical doubler available for the MTO-11CA that will transform this baby into a 2,000mm lens! TWO-THOUSAND-MILLIMETERS!
Yes, the MTO-11CA is packed full of a whole boat-load of telephoto-eee goodness! Just don’t expect a lot of bells and whistles with this lens. It’s f/10 — that’s it. F/10. That’s all. No f/8, no f/11– nothing but f/10. So, if you’re in the market for a 1,000mm lens and you’ve got your eye on the MTO-11CA, I hope you’re a fan of f/10, ’cause that’s what you’re going to get. Also, of course, you’re going to need a tripod. There wont be a lot of hand-holding shots with the MTO-11CA.
You know that old rule about not hand holding a shot unless your shutter speed is greater than the focal length of lens you’re using, right? Well, think about it: 1,000mm at f/10. Take the “Sunny 16” rule, for example. You know that rule, right? When shooting in unobstructed day-time sunlight, at f/16, your shutter-speed should equal your ISO for a good exposure. Well, this lens is, basically, a full stop (and then a little) below f/16. So, for a good exposure in daytime sunlight and using a shutter-speed of 1/1,000 — the absolute minimum that will allow you to pull off a decent hand-held shot, you’ll need to shoot at greater than 2,000 ISO. Translation: You’re going to need to tripod for most shots you take with the MTO-11CA
The MTO-11CA that has come up for auction today has a serial number of 852669, which puts its build date in 1985. This is one of the newer models of MTO-11CA and is significantly lighter in weight than older MTO-11CAs (more than 2 pounds lighter) that you might have had the opportunity to hold– due to the fact that LZOS switched from a brass to an aluminum base block prior to that date.
The auction is set to expire on June 27th. The opening bid is set at $199.00, or you can purchase the MTO-11ca outright for a “Buy it now” price of $339.00 (we’ve seen these lenses regularly selling for well over $100.00 more than the buy it now price for this MTO-11CA) There are currently no bids on this lens as of this writing.
The auction for this MTO-11CA can be viewed here.
MTO-11CA Related Videos:
(Note none of these videos were taken by, nor feature, the particular MTO-11CA currently up for auction)
