BENOISON Reflex Mirror 240mm f/5.6 APS-C

The BENOISON B-240-C is a 240mm f/5.6 mirror lens for Canon EF DSLRs that costs around $100 USD and weighs just 390g. It's manual focus only with a fixed aperture and produces distinctive donut bokeh. Buy it for creative experiments or lightweight travel reach, not for sharpness or everyday use.

Optically, this lens sits in the 17th percentile in our database. That's rough. The center sharpness can be decent in bright light if you nail focus, but edge performance falls off and contrast is nothing to write home about. The fixed f/5.6 aperture means you're always balancing shutter speed and ISO manually, and on cloudy days or in shade, you'll feel the pain fast.

Stabilization is actually a bright spot here, landing in the 79th percentile. That's genuinely helpful for a manual focus telephoto, since any shake at 240mm turns your viewfinder into a vibrating mess. The macro score of 77th percentile is also surprising for a lens with a 240mm minimum focus distance. You won't get true 1:1 macro, but you can isolate small subjects from a distance, which is handy for skittish bugs or flowers you can't get close to. Bokeh sits around the 57th percentile, which makes sense. The donut rings are distinctive, but they're not for everyone.

Stacked against the Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, the BENOISON loses on almost every practical metric. The Canon has autofocus, a useful zoom range, and better optical quality. But it's also heavier and more expensive. The BENOISON's only real advantages are price and that weird donut bokeh.

Compared to the Tamron Di III VC 28-300mm f/4-7.1, the BENOISON is dramatically lighter and cheaper, but the Tamron is a modern zoom with autofocus and far more versatility. The Nikon NIKKOR 20059 and Sony E PZ 16-50mm aren't direct competitors since they're for different mounts, but they highlight what you give up here. The BENOISON is a specialty tool, not a general purpose lens. If you're on Canon EF and want a cheap telephoto experiment, it's interesting. If you want a lens you'll actually use every week, look elsewhere.

At $100 USD, the BENOISON B-240-C is cheap enough to be an impulse buy for the right person. You're not going to find another stabilized 240mm lens anywhere near this price. But value isn't just about price. The Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM costs more but gives you autofocus, zoom flexibility, and far better optics. If you just want to experiment with mirror lens bokeh or need a lightweight telephoto for a specific project, this is a low-risk way in. If you need a dependable everyday telephoto, save your money.

The BENOISON B-240-C is a 240mm f/5.6 mirror lens for Canon EF mount DSLRs, and it's about as bare-bones as telephoto glass gets. We're talking manual focus only, a fixed aperture, and zero electronic contacts. At around $100 USD, it's one of the cheapest ways to get real telephoto reach on a Canon body. But you'll earn every millimeter of that reach with patience and a tripod.

Mirror lenses like this one use a folded optical design with mirrors instead of heavy glass elements, which is why it weighs just 390g. That's absurdly light for a 240mm prime. The trade-off is that fixed f/5.6 aperture and the signature donut-shaped bokeh that mirror lenses are known for. Some people love that look for creative shots. Others can't stand it.

If you're searching for a budget telephoto lens for Canon DSLRs, especially for daylight shooting, astrophotography, or experimenting with unique bokeh, this thing will catch your eye. Just know what you're signing up for before you hit buy.

Skip this lens if you need autofocus, shoot in low light often, or want sharp images across the frame. Portrait photographers will find the 44.7 portrait score disappointing, and landscape shooters should run far away given the 24.5 landscape score. If you're new to photography and just want a telephoto that works without fuss, get a used Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS STM instead. You'll get autofocus, zoom flexibility, and better image quality for not much more money. This BENOISON is for tinkerers and creative shooters who already know their way around manual exposure.

Should you buy the BENOISON B-240-C? Only if you know exactly what a mirror lens is and you want that specific look. The donut bokeh, the tiny size, the $100 price tag. Those are the reasons to get this. If you're just looking for a cheap telephoto and don't care about mirror lens quirks, you'll probably be frustrated by the manual focus, fixed aperture, and soft optics.

For astrophotography on a budget, this could be a fun experiment. For travel, the light weight is genuinely appealing. But for portraits, landscapes, or anything where sharpness and autofocus matter, this lens will fight you every step of the way. It's a niche product that knows its niche.