MTO 500mm f.8 Catadioptric Mirror Telephoto Lens

Made by GOI in 1953, this lens was a prototype, made in an amount of two or three, only.

Designed by Dmitri Dimitriev Maksutov (1896-1964) the catadioptric mirror lens is an original design that uses inexpensive spherical mirrors instead of the costly and time consuming to produce parabolic mirrors used in the Cassegrain system of mirror lens. Makstutov was awarded the Stalin Prize for this original development and the popular MTO and Rubinar lenses use the catadioptric design to this day, as do other telephoto lenses and telescopes from many manufacturers.

This lens has a small bayonet mount, possibly for an Exacta test camera. Many lenses, such as this, made at the V.I Vasilov State Optical Institute, were made as an edition of two or three for testing purposes. If the tests proved positive, the design was sent to a manufacturer to produce in series. In this case, to KMZ who produced the 500mm MTO lens starting in 1955.

collection of Bill Parkinson