Vivitar · T-mount (T2) mount · Prime lens
Vivitar 500mm f/8 Mirror (T-mount) — adapter compatibility and body matches
The Vivitar 500mm f/8 Mirror (T-mount) sits on the T-mount flange geometry (55 mm) — below is every body mount it adapts onto, the autofocus / IS / aperture-control level you should expect, and the specific adapter SKUs that ship the path.
Lens specifications
- Manufacturer
- Vivitar
- Lens mount
- T-mount (T2)
- Focal length
- 500mm
- Aperture
- f/8 – f/8
- Lens type
- Prime
- Image stabilization
- No
- Weight
- 600 g
- Filter thread
- — (rear drop-in or no thread)
- Released
- 1975
Background & adapter context
The archetypal budget catadioptric (mirror) super-tele — a compact 500 mm reflex design that renders out-of-focus highlights as the signature 'donut' rings mirror lenses are known for. Fixed f/8 aperture (no diaphragm; exposure is set by shutter / ISO), manual focus, rear drop-in filter holder. Sold under the Vivitar badge in interchangeable T-mount form, so a single lens fits any body via the matching T-X ring; on mirrorless its 55 mm flange leaves ample room and infinity focus is preserved.
Adapting the Vivitar 500 f/8 Mirror onto other bodies
Every feasible body-mount destination for a T-mount (T2) lens, sorted by adapter feasibility. Curated adapter SKUs (linked below) cover the specific lens-side → body-side pairing — pick the row matching the body you own, then click the SKU for the full teardown.
| Body mount | Result | Adapter examples | Caveats |
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Body mount Canon EF | Mechanical |
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Body mount Canon EF-S | Mechanical |
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Body mount Canon RF | Mechanical |
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Body mount Canon FD | Mechanical |
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Body mount Canon EF-M | Mechanical |
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Body mount Nikon F | Mechanical |
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Body mount Nikon Z | Mechanical |
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Body mount Sony A / Minolta A | Mechanical |
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Body mount Sony E (incl. FE) | Mechanical |
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Body mount Fujifilm X | Mechanical |
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Body mount Fujifilm GFX (G-mount) | Mechanical |
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Body mount Micro Four Thirds | Mechanical |
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Body mount L-Mount | Mechanical |
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Body mount M42 (Pentax / Praktica screw mount) | Mechanical |
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Body mount Leica M | Mechanical |
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Body mount Pentax K | Mechanical |
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Body mount PL (Positive Lock) | Mechanical |
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Body mount Canon EF (cine) | Mechanical |
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Body mount Canon RF (cine) | Mechanical |
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Body mount Exakta | Mechanical |
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Body mount C-mount | Mechanical |
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Body mount Praktica B | Mechanical |
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Body mount Konica AR | Mechanical |
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Body mount Minolta SR / MC / MD | Mechanical |
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Body mount Olympus OM | Mechanical |
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Body mount Contax/Yashica (C/Y) | Mechanical |
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About the T-mount (T2) mount
M42 × 0.75 thread originated by Tamron in 1957 (and later standardised as T-2 in 1962). Not a camera-mount in the conventional sense — T-mount lenses (Tamron Adaptall predecessors, Vivitar Series 1 zooms, Soligor primes, modern telescope eyepieces, Samyang manual primes) screw into a T-X adapter ring sized for the target body (T-Nikon F, T-Canon FD, T-EF, T-Sony E, T-RF, etc.). The lens's own flange-to-thread surface is 55 mm; the T-X adapter accounts for the body's actual flange. Still actively produced for astronomy and machine-vision optics.
Common questions
- What's the best body to adapt the Vivitar 500mm f/8 Mirror (T-mount) onto?
- Two strong destinations. First choice: a Canon EF body via a generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors) preserves the most of the Vivitar 500 f/8 Mirror's native behaviour (autofocus, in-lens IS where present, electronic aperture). Second choice: a Canon EF-S body via a generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors) — solid fallback when the first body family is unavailable. The /matrix and /picker pages let you compare every feasible adaptation side-by-side.
- Will autofocus work when the Vivitar 500 f/8 Mirror is adapted onto another body?
- Not through an adapter — the Vivitar 500 f/8 Mirror's T-mount mount predates electronic AF, or no body in our dataset preserves AF for adapted T-mount lenses. Focus relies on the body's manual aids (focus peaking, magnify-to-focus).
- Does the Vivitar 500 f/8 Mirror's in-lens image stabilization still work through an adapter?
- The Vivitar 500 f/8 Mirror has no in-lens IS / VR / OS unit — there's no in-lens stabilisation to pass through. Bodies with IBIS (most modern mirrorless) still stabilise the captured frame, but stabilisation is body-side only.