The Tokina SZ Super Tele 500mm F8 Reflex MF is a 500mm super-telephoto lens featuring a catadioptric design with a constant aperture of F8. This lens offers a compact alternative to standard telephoto lenses, as more photographers seek easily transportable equipment. Aimed at active travel photographers capturing landscapes, wildlife, or birds outdoors, the 500mm F8 Reflex MF has been developed as a compact and lightweight mirror lens—a type of lens that is being rediscovered in the new era of compact yet high-tech mirrorless cameras. Mirror lenses are telephoto lenses that incorporate a combination of lenses and mirrors to reflect light back and forth between the ends of the lens. This structure folds the light and halves the length of the tube. As a result, the physical size of the lens is about one-third that of a conventional lens, allowing for a lightweight design since the mirrors are much lighter than optical glass.