Tony with the 500mm

Tony making out the invoice for the 500mm Tokina. It gives a sense of scale of the device.

The full story: MORE new glassSince the late 1970's, I have had my eye on a reflex lens. The idea of getting all that magnification into such a small package fascinates me. Over the years, we have owned a classic Celetron 8" catadioptric telescope, and currently have a 4" Meade, which is far more portable. I have tested a couple of 500mm camera cat's, but the image quality was way poorer than a crop from my 18-250 zoom would yield.
A few months ago, Tony mentioned that he had a Tokina RMC 500mm cat. These are rated as at the upper end of the scale, so at last this week, finances and timing coincided to let me swing past his shop. The lens was in pristine condition - even the ND filters were still in the original wrapping! The external cardboard box is not even scuffed! Not bad for something that is maybe 30 years old. WayneBenedet pointed out that the Tokina designers are an offshoot from Nikon, so the quality is certainly in by design.
I took a couple of shots inside and outside his shop, and the moment I felt th