> I was wondering if anyone here had experience with faster mirror lenses.
I've used a few. My favorites are the VS1 600/8 Solid Cat, the VS1 450/4.5 Aspherical, and the Tamron SP 500/8. You already know about the "hot spots", etc., but some mirror lenses show these artifacts more than others. (The above are quite good in this regard.) The narrow DOF can be a problem, and you can't compensate ordinarily (no normal aperture control). They can often be a nuisance to focus except in bright light. Mirrors are always a compromise, and you end up juggling two or more conflicting factors when trying to use them. On the other hand, they can be quite portable for telephotos, and ~can~ do a good job under the right circumstances. But there are a lot of mirror "duds" out there, too, I guess. Fred
