Review on Opteka 650-1300mm (2X- 1300-2600mm) Telephoto Zoom Lens for Sony E-Mount Cameras - a9, a7R, a7S, a7, a6600, a6500, a6400, a6300, a6000, a5100, a5000, a3500, a3000, NEX-7, 6, 5T, 5N, 5R Mirrorless by Maryland Hess

My review is not showing as a confirmed purchase as for some reason Revain would not accept it even after 3 or more emails NOT wanting a refund so they sent it back anyway and I did it didn't rip people off so I had to go straight to the 47th photo to get their money for them. Simultaneously 47. This is a fantastic place to buy gear. Now we come to the assessment. This is a fantastic lens if you know how to use a manual lens. This is not a lens for on-the-go shooting. This requires a strong tripod and I highly recommend using a remote shutter release to avoid camera shake. The lens is very well made and with proper care will last a lifetime. Keep in mind that this is an F8 fixed aperture lens. 2X reduces this to F16. You have to put the camera in full manual mode and control everything from there. I've found that in manual mode I can set the ISO to Auto, determine the shutter speed I want, and let the camera choose the ISO setting. If you are very picky and want to make sure you get the lowest possible ISO for your crop, use the bracketing method. If you order a filter, which I definitely recommend, you may have some confusion about how to install the filter. The front of the lens barrel is unscrewed from the front. Grasp the lens firmly at the front of the tube and with the other hand just behind the first stage down and twist counterclockwise, put the filter on and reattach the front of the tube. This is not an auto focus lens. At the risk of repeating myself, this is a fully manual lens. These lenses separate the real photographer from the ordinary photographer. Manual lenses are a great way to really unleash your artistic abilities. Focusing a lens at that magnification also takes some practice and patience, especially if you have a 1300mm focal length or are using a 2X converter. The focus ring is very sensitive even at 600mm, even more so at full power. When you concentrate, you unintentionally bring in vibrations. This would happen even with a $12,000 lens. It's not because of the lens, it's because of the extremes of the telephoto lens. Adjust what looks good, wait for the vibration to subside, adjust again if necessary. I've experienced times where I had to focus multiple times to get exactly what I wanted. I've been an amateur photographer for 39 years now and it's safe to say that you would have to spend many big bucks to surpass the quality and capabilities of this lens and even then it would be dubious. Attached is my first moon photo taken with this lens, untouched and untouched. Once again I have to apologize to Revane for all the trouble. I have no idea why my package showed as declined and I have no idea why the staff couldn't figure out I had the package and wanted to keep it. You want to play around with a great lens from a great company. Buy this.