Glossary of over 1000 photography terms

Mirror lens

Mirror lens

A telephoto where the light is bounced back and forth using mirrors to compress a long focal length into a physically short lens.

Mirror lenses usually have a fixed aperture and can be identified by a blank area in the centre of the front element, behind which is one of the mirrors. They produce characteristic 'doughnut'-shaped out of focus highlights.

Also known as a catadioptric lens.


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