BOWER 500mm Preset Telephoto Lens for Canon DSLR XS, XSI, XT, T1i, T2i, T3, T3i, T4i, 60D, 7D, 5D Mark II5D Mark III

I wanted a long fixed focal length lens for shooting the eclipse. I found that just renting a quality 500mm lens is still pretty expensive. So I started looking at cheap manual ones. I want to be clear: I would not recommend this for very many applications. The maximum aperture is F/8.0, so you're not getting a lot of light. There's no electronics so it's completely manual focus. I think getting a decent shot of a sporting event or wildlife would be challenging at best. But it turns out that taking pictures of the sun doesn't require a fast lens. Who knew? So this worked great for my needs, and it was a lot cheaper than renting a Canon or even a Tamron. And hey, maybe I'll use it to take pictures of the moon. Maybe even Jupiter.

This lens is a "manual lens" and many folks today probably don't know what that means. I've been using SLR or DSLR cameras for almost 30 years, and the definition didn't fully register with me until I received this lens.When you look through the viewfinder of an SLR/DSLR camera, you want to focus with the aperture completely open. This condition gives you the most light to see the subject and gives you the narrowest depth of field so that you can focus most precisely. Most lenses made in the last 30 years or so have been "automatic" in the sense that they keep the aperture completely open when you are looking through the viewfinder. When you press the shutter button, the aperture closes to whatever you have set (or whatever the camera's computer sets) just before the camera takes the image. For instance, if your lens has a maximum aperture of f3.5 and you are shooting at f8, then the lens is at f3.5 as you frame the picture. When you take the picture, the mirror that allows you to look through the camera's lens comes up to let light reach the sensor/film, the camera closes the aperture from the wide open f3.5 to the f8 that you've set, and then the camera opens the shutter. By the time the mirror drops again to let you see through the lens, the aperture is completely open again.A manual lens works differently in that the camera can't close the aperture before taking the picture. To take a picture correctly, you generally need to focus with the aperture completely open and then close the aperture yourself by changing something on the lens. In the case of this lens, you'll need to turn a little ring to close the aperture. If your eyes are really good, you might be able to focus by keeping the aperture closed to whatever f-stop you use for shooting, but the ring tends to move as you change f-stop. To use this lens, you'll need to remember to close the aperture before taking every picture. Otherwise, you'll think that you are shooting at f16, but the picture will actually be exposed at f8. You could end up with some overexposed pictures.If all of this adjusting sounds complicated, here's one bit of comfort. You'll probably want to do most of your photography with this lens at f8 which is the widest aperture opening. If you get used to shooting everything at f8, you may end up never really needing to close the aperture.Not only can your camera not close the aperture, but also your camera's computer can't talk to the lens. You won't see anything in the viewfinder telling you where your aperture (f-stop) is set. Even many of us who claim to be "old school" have come to like seeing that information in the viewfinder display. You certainly can't use autofocus, and I couldn't get the little red "in-focus" lights to tell me whether I was in focus. This lens is not for someone who depends on the camera's computer to take pictures.When we consider the cost of a modern camera lens, we need to consider all that we purchase in a modern lens. To begin, we purchase the lenses, and better glass means a higher cost. We purchase the metal tube and the mechanisms that hold the lenses and allow us to focus. Again, better quality mechanisms mean a higher cost. With most lenses, we are purchasing the electronics that allow our camera's computer to "talk to" the lens. With most lenses of the past 30 or so years, we are purchasing the "automatic" function that lets the camera close the aperture at the moment that we take the picture. The most important parts of getting a good picture are the quality of the glass and the mechanism. If the lens can't focus the image on the sensor/film, then we can't get good pictures. All of the automated stuff is just for convenience. With this lens, the manufacturer has spent nothing on convenience, but that means that everything that went into the lens is devoted to glass and mechanism. Neither is going to be as good as you'd get in a Canon L series lens, but if I'm going to use a $114 lens, I want everything that the manufacturer spends to go into glass and mechanism.I've just received this lens and only taken a few pictures. Overall, they look pretty good for an inexpensive 500mm lens. Shooting with a long telephoto isn't easy anyway (particularly as I grow older). I shot in good light, and this lens is likely to be useless in bad light. However, when I have good light and a long distance to cover, I may get some very pleasing shots.Purchasers need to consider a few things. First, this lens is very thin for its length. If you are driven by how your lens looks when attached to your camera, you need to be aware that this one will look a little funny. Secondly, this lens comes without a lens cap, without a filter, and without a back cap. I'd recommend purchasing a 67mm UV filter to protect the front of the lens, a 67mm lens cap, and a back cap that is made to receive Canon mounts. The lens is actually threaded at the back, and a mounting adapter is part of the package. You won't keep this lens on the camera all of the time, so you'll want to be able to keep the lens screwed onto the adapter and protected on the back with a cap. Most of us prefer to use a lens hood for most shooting. This lens doesn't have any kind of mount for modern lens hoods. I'd recommend buying a 67mm screw on lens hood. You'll need bright light to use this lens, and you won't want glare from nearby surfaces to cause reflections on the surface of your lens and filter. In the long run, I think you'll want at least a monopod to steady the lens when shooting. A very flimsy tripod is probably useless, but I doubt that the most expensive tripods are necessary.I'll add to this review as I spend more time with this lens. I just wanted people to know what they are getting with this lens. If I had known these things, I'd have still purchased the lens. I just like having details explained.

the lens was great if only I could use the mount, it was stripped and had to send it back

For the money I paid for it, it works good; the distance I can see with it is worth the price. Sadly, I must deduct a star for the fact that it doesn't work with my (rebel t3) camera's movie mode. Also, the cleaning kit that was supposed to come with the lens was not in the box when it arrived. That second part isn't as big a deal, but it is rather disappointing.EDIT, 07-08-2014:Okay, I've found that the lens can be used with movie mode. My apologies if I lead anyone astray on that. The cleaning kit that was supposed to come with my order has, on the other hand, never shown up.

Good lens for the price. You cant beat it. I took a great photo of a Lear Jet flying over my house. It looked like I was right next to it.I have found a lot of great deals on here. A whole lot cheaper than the local camera store. It looks cool to.

Poor photo quality. I knew it wasn't going to be professional quality but this is just horrible. It makes a better paper weight than it does camera lens.

This is a pretty slick lens. It is lightweight and pretty powerful. With a little practice, you can easily shoot items that are out of normal range and they look like you are are up close. This is great when you can't make out text on signs, etc. I was able to zoom in on unreadable signs from my distance and make them out perfectly. It's manual, but I don't mind that at all and the instructions are pretty clear. My first outing yielded some really nice results!People have said of course that you need a tripod. This is common sense, and the lens has a tripod bracket on it. In a pinch you can use a small portable tripod or a grip.

Great long range lens for those who are trying to learn how to shoot photos long distance. Good lens for the price.I saw a review that someone gave on youtube before I purchased mine and he took the lens in his hand and shook in and pointed it out as a flaw in the lens. I'm glad I did not listen to him.I did the same thing when I received mine and I notice a little rattle, but thank God for my inspection and machining background, I realize the adapter base that comes with the lens wasn't tighten all the way down, which is no fault of the manufacture (Bower), but my own negligence and probably the negligence of the guy who did the youtube video. I hand tightened the adapter slightly, shook it a gain and I didn't hear anything, It was rock solid. Took some good shots of the 2017 solar eclipse. Good product,Good price.