Ultimaxx 420-800mm f/8.3-16

The Ultimaxx UM-ZL420B gives you 420-800mm for under $80, but the optical quality is near the bottom of our database. It's manual focus only with no stabilization and a slow f/8.3-16 aperture. Only worth it if you want cheap reach for stationary subjects in bright light and don't mind a steep learning curve.

The specs tell the story here. Four elements with Super HD Multi-Coated Optics sounds fancy, but the results don't back it up. The optical score is one of the worst we've seen, and the aperture range of f/8.3 to f/16 means you need a ton of light. Manual focus only, no stabilization, and a minimum focus distance of 62mm sounds impressive until you realize that's just how close the front element can get, not how sharp it'll be. The macro score is surprisingly strong at 94th percentile, which is the one bright spot. If you want to shoot tiny things from far away in good light, this might actually work. For wildlife or sports, the 19/100 score says it all. You'll miss shots constantly without autofocus and stabilization.

Stacked against the Nikon NIKKOR 20059, this thing looks like a toy. The Nikon has real autofocus, better optics, and actual build quality. The Sony E PZ 16-50mm and Canon EF-M 15-45mm are completely different beasts, standard zooms that won't give you the reach but will give you sharp, usable images. The Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE is a prime with autofocus and a fast aperture. Even the GoPro HB-Series lens, which isn't even a traditional camera lens, has better optical performance. The Ultimaxx only wins on price and focal length. That's it.

At $60 to $79, this is one of the cheapest ways to get 800mm of reach. The best deal in our data is on Amazon, where listings start at $60. But cheap doesn't mean good value. You're buying a lens that fights you at every step. No autofocus, no stabilization, and optical quality that ranks in the bottom 4% of everything we've tested. If you just want to experiment with super telephoto shots and don't mind throwing away most of your frames, sure. Otherwise, save your money for something that won't make you hate photography.

The Ultimaxx UM-ZL420B is a 420-800mm manual telephoto zoom that costs between $60 and $79. That's dirt cheap for this much reach, but you're getting exactly what you pay for. It's a fully manual lens with no autofocus, no stabilization, and an aperture that starts at f/8.3 and stops down to f/16. On a full-frame Nikon F body, that's a recipe for frustration unless you're shooting in bright daylight on a tripod.

It's light at 520g and comes with a rotating tripod mount, which helps. The push/pull zoom with a lock is actually a nice touch for a budget lens. But the optical score sits in the 4th percentile of our database. That's not a typo. This lens is near the bottom of the barrel for image quality.

Skip this if you need autofocus, shoot in low light, or want sharp images. Wildlife and sports photographers should look elsewhere immediately, the 19/100 score in that category is a dealbreaker. If you're used to modern lenses with stabilization and fast apertures, this will feel like a step back to the 1970s. Anyone who values their time and doesn't want to manually focus at 800mm should save up for a used Nikon or Canon telephoto instead.

This lens is for one specific person: someone who wants to try extreme telephoto photography on a tiny budget and is willing to work around massive limitations. You'll need a tripod, bright sunlight, and a lot of patience. Manual focus at 800mm is genuinely hard, especially without stabilization. If you're shooting stationary subjects like the moon or distant landscapes, you might get some keepers. For anything that moves, forget it.