Mirror lens, Reflex lens, Catadioptric Lens or just Cat.
Much hated among professional photographers, due to the donut shaped bokeh, the fixed aperture (except one lens) and the missing AF, these lenses are all history - except for some Korean and Russian models and Sony/Minolta's which is still produced (2007) and comes with AF as the only one.
When Mirrors were introduced to SLR's i.e. analog photography for more than 30 years ago, there was one limitation not often discussed and that was film speed. With todays digital age you can easily, from image to image, change the iso settings to get the wanted shutterspeed. So i believe that Mirror lenses today, with the introduction of DSLR's, has become easier to use.
This is the single source you ever gonna need to find information about Mirror lenses (Well, sometimes you must have goal to reach for - im trying). Filled with links to other website - and a list to compare many of the best Mirror lenses. The technical data of each lens will be shown if these can be found.
You can use this blog as an anchor for your own research. Your research, so far, has already driven you to this place - hope you will find peace in your mind.
