A nine hundred millimeter lens so small you can keep it in your pocket. Fitted to the Nikon Coolpix 990 and 950 it provides eight times the 114mm full tele zoom for a telephoto effect as long as a 911mm lens on a 35mm camera.

It started life as a Kenko 8 x 32 monocular and not an inexpensive optic as monoculars go.

Kenko had decided to create a premium pocket telescope and never dreamed it would become one of the most coveted long lenses for a select few digital cameras.

Then Tom Malzacher got a hold of one and machined a special mount that securely grabbed the barrel of the monocular and allowed it to screw into the accessory lens thread of the Nikon compact digital cameras.

Suddenly sharp super long lens photography joined the list of features digital photographers could access. 

With the Nikon 990 or 950 one may zoom from 76mm to 114mm while using the lens. Hand holding the camera isn't recommended except for very experienced hands and full daylight conditions. The shutter speed needs to be in the 1/500th to 1/1000th second range. A tripod or braced camera is pretty much mandatory.

A small bean bag makes a good form-fitting long lens stabilizing cradle when used on a solid surface. It allows you to use hand pressure to control the camera and it tends to soak up small hand movements that could blur a long lens shot. Of course, you are likely to hear, "hey dad, gimme back my beanie baby..."

The tiny tripod pictured above is a standard accessory for the Nikon digital cameras. Would you believe it only costs eight dollars?

The Kenko is surprisingly sharp even at full aperture f 4.0. The corners show a small amount of softness and this clears up at the higher aperture settings. The image here was shot at full aperture and the foliage at the top edge of the picture shows the maximum amount of edge softness you are likely to see.

Where do you get this lens, its magic mount and the tripod for less than $166?

Buy the eBook Mastering Nikon Compact Digital Cameras and see.