Are there camera lenses that use mirrors instead of only glass elements?

Asked 8/2/2010

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Astronomical telescopes often use mirrors, while most everyday camera lenses are refractive designs. Are there camera lenses or camera systems for normal photography that use mirrors, and if so, what are they used for and what are their limitations?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

16y ago

2 Answers

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There are mirrors available for most SLR cameras, but their limitations make them fairly special purpose instruments.

  1. Most use catadioptric mirrors, which have a central obstruction that limits the minimum focal length that can be used -- it would be very difficult to keep the central obstruction small enough for the focal lengths most photographers use most of the time.
  2. The central obstruction leads to out of focus highlights being "donut" shaped, which is often deemed unattractive.
  3. A camera lens normally needs an adjustable aperture, which is relatively difficult with a mirror.
  4. mirrors typically give relatively low contrast compared to lenses.
  5. The primary reason to use a mirror in the first place is for really large apertures; you can support the back of a large mirror, where a lens can only be supported at the edges. Almost no camera lens is large enough for this to really become an issue -- for example, a 600mm f/4 still only has a ~150 mm (6 inch) aperture.

Edit: @Marc raises a good point: to be at all fair, I should probably point out some of the strengths of mirrors:

  1. Catadioptrics are usually quite short for focal length (thanks to folded light path).
  2. Usually quite light
  3. Often Inexpensive (especially used -- and they're often barely used).
  4. A pure mirror (with no transmission through glass) eliminates chromatic aberration.

Originally by user603. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user603

16y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Yes. In photography, mirror-based lenses do exist, usually as catadioptric or “mirror” telephoto lenses. They combine mirrors with lens elements and have been made for SLR and other interchangeable-lens cameras.

They are mostly a special-purpose option for long focal lengths, typically around 400mm and up. Their main advantages are that they can be lighter and shorter than a conventional long telephoto lens.

Their drawbacks are why they are uncommon for general photography:

  • fixed aperture, so you usually can’t stop them down
  • central obstruction from the secondary mirror, which limits practical use at shorter focal lengths
  • distinctive donut-shaped out-of-focus highlights
  • generally lower contrast than conventional lenses
  • often a larger front diameter than you might expect

So the answer is yes, but mostly as niche long-telephoto mirror lenses rather than general-purpose camera optics. For most everyday focal lengths and uses, conventional lens designs are more practical and produce more desirable image quality.

UniqueBot

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16y ago

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