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Wondertwins
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 Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 3:46 pm Post subject: TUTORIAL: How to put Vintage Lens on DSLR's!!! |
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WARNING! WARNING! -ITS GOING TO BE A LONG READ- WARNING! WARNING!
Hey ISS, I recently found some old school cameras that my dad and uncle used back in the day. Coincidentally, I got this newsletter from an awesome photography site called Photojojo™ that showed you how to put vintage lenses on DSLR's like Canon or Nikon. I have a Canon Rebel XTi so I wanted to try this out. Once I got all my stuff, it was pretty difficult because of the manual focus but overall, it was really fun and gained a lot of experience from it all.
So here's the step by step guide on how to do this:
Why Use Vintage Lenses?
Vintage lenses (even the lesser-known brands) tend to be made better than modern autofocus lenses. You know how driving a Mercedes feels better than driving a Hyundai? Same thing.
Using manual focus on those old lenses will slow you down a little. Not too much, just enough to make you think about your shot. You feel more connected to your camera and to the process of shooting.
And, last but not least, vintage lenses have flooded the market since the digital revolution. You can pick from up for much less than they’re really worth, and a mere fraction of what a comparable autofocus lens would cost. We recently picked up a mint-condition 80-200mm telephoto lens and an adapter for less than $50.
What You’ll Need
what you'll need:
* A digital SLR
* A vintage manual-focus lens
* An adapter ring
Adapter rings can be found on eBay and at most large photo supply shops (like Adorama and B&H).
How It Works
lens with adapter ring Attach the adapter ring to the lens mount the same way you would attach a lens to your camera. Then attach the whole thing to the camera body.
Each lens-to-camera combination calls for a different adapter ring. For example, fitting an Olympus lens on a Canon camera requires a different adapter than a Pentax lens does.
An easy way to find an adapter for the lens you want to use is a keyword search on eBay. In our case, we found an Zeiss M42-mount lens that we wanted to use with a Canon EOS Rebel. So we searched for “Canon M42 adapter” and there it was!
Since adapters are so inexpensive (around $5-$25) you might as well get one for each lens you buy. Just attach it to the lens, and you’ll never have to give it another thought.
What Works & What Doesn’t
Each brand of camera has its own idiosyncrasies about which lenses will work and which won’t. Here are the basics:
* Nikon cameras work with most vintage Nikon lenses, but they don’t work with most third-party lenses (like Olympus or Pentax).
* Canon and Olympus cameras don’t work with most vintage Canon lenses, but do work with most third-party lenses.
* Pentax cameras work with nearly all Pentax lenses, and any third-party lens that uses the Pentax mount.
* Sony cameras work with some Minolta lenses and lenses with “M42″-style mounts.
Where To Find Vintage Lenses
eBay is a great place to start. There’s a large selection, you can search for particular lenses or adapters, and sometimes there are great deals to be had. Of course, it’s also the first and last stop for many shoppers, so it gets picked over pretty quickly. Craigslist is another good online source for camera equipment.
Camera shops that sell used gear are good bets, since many old-school photographers think of them first when they decide to de-stash. Fleamarkets and thrift stores can also yield good results, and don’t underestimate the sheer gold you can find at pawn shops.
What to Look For
vintage lenses for DSLRsThe main thing about buying any used lens is to make sure the optics are in good condition. No nicks, no scratches, no dust inside, and no fungus.
When you buy online, you only have the seller’s word for the condition of the lens, so be careful and be sure to read their return policy.
In general, aim for the widest aperture you can afford (i.e. choose f2.8 over f3.5). Lower f-stop numbers are always more desirable because they let in more light.
Here are a few popular, well-made lenses to keep an eye out for:
Wide-angle:
* Olympus Zuiko 28mm f3.5
* Olympus Zuiko 24mm f2.8
* Zenitar 16mm f2.8
Standard:
* Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.8
* Pentax SMC Takumar 50mm f1.4
Telephoto:
* Zeiss 85mm
* Zeiss 135mm
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
So here was the lens that I found. It was from Pentax and it was a telephoto lens (80-200 f/4.5).
To find the correct adapter ring, you must find the mount of the vintage camera. I had to search it up for a while but I eventually found out that my Pentax Camera mount was a a K Mount (or thats what I recalled.) Then I searched on ebay "pentax canon adapter ring" and I found the K mount adapter ring for Canon DSLR's. Remember that each DSLR has a different adapter from other DSLR's.
Here is the Adapter ring for the vintage lens. Note that I have a Canon Rebel XTi
To put on the adapter ring, put the adapter ring FIRST on the vintage lens and screw the lens in like any other normal lens. There will be a red dot or an indicator to tell you where to put it in. You match the red dot and it should go in.
And voila, you can now take pictures! Here's how it looks like for my camera and the lens
Here are some couple of pics that I took. Note that when you have to vintage lens on, you CANNOT auto focus. It is only manual focus and you have to set the aperture yourself BUT you can change the shutter speed from your DSLR. Also, putting the white balance into fluorescent or tungsten disables the vintage look on your picture as seen with the last one
Here's the link to the Photojojo website. Its really an awesome website for photographers as it gives you weekly DYI tutorials and overall a good site for people who are into photography.
http://photojojo.com/
and also link to the tutorial.
http://photojojo.com/content/photojojo-original/vintage-lenses-for-digital-cameras/
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Last edited by Wondertwins on Wed Aug 19, 2009 6:28 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Filipinoise
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| Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 4:11 pm Post subject: |
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To add onto this post....
Nikon has kept the F mount that they used in their old, manual focus, 35mm film SLR's onto even the newest Digital SLR's they have.
This means that if you acquire one of the old Nikon MF lenses, you'll be able to use them on your DSLR WITHOUT the need of an adapter, but with a few exceptions. (these exceptions apply to the Canon/Pentax/etc. as well).
- You lose the ability to AF.*
- You lose the ability to meter, meaning you will be forced to shoot in manual exposure mode, guessing the exposure with the hit or miss method. You change the aperture via lens' aperture ring, and shutter speed on the screen.**
* - For the long and fast MF Nikkors (i.e. 300mm f/2.8 AI-s, etc.) you can purchase the Nikon TC-16B AF Teleconverter to allow manual focusing, then hold the shutter half way down to fine-tune autofocus. This only works woth D2-series bodies and other bodies if you do the teleconverter hack. Likewise, it IS a teleconverter so you will get a focal length increase by 1.6x and an aperture change by 1 and 1/3 stop slower (i.e. 300mm f/2.8 AI-s turns into a 480mm f/4.5 Fine-tune AF lens).
** - Some of the higher end Nikon bodies have a "No-CPU Data" feature that allows you to enter in the distance information to ahieve the ability to matrix and spot meter.
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BBOY BASH
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| Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 6:56 pm Post subject: |
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I was thinking of going to my local antique store and look for some lenses there. I gotta go there soon haha.
Good stuff. 
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kevdizzle1594
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| Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 9:56 pm Post subject: |
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Nice add. Good thing theres no need for an adapter on Nikon DSLR's. I might try out acouple of old lenses floating around my house.
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Big Poppa
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| Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 10:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Filipinoise wrote: | To add onto this post....
Nikon has kept the F mount that they used in their old, manual focus, 35mm film SLR's onto even the newest Digital SLR's they have.
This means that if you acquire one of the old Nikon MF lenses, you'll be able to use them on your DSLR WITHOUT the need of an adapter, but with a few exceptions. (these exceptions apply to the Canon/Pentax/etc. as well).
- You lose the ability to AF.*
- You lose the ability to meter, meaning you will be forced to shoot in manual exposure mode, guessing the exposure with the hit or miss method. You change the aperture via lens' aperture ring, and shutter speed on the screen.**
* - For the long and fast MF Nikkors (i.e. 300mm f/2.8 AI-s, etc.) you can purchase the Nikon TC-16B AF Teleconverter to allow manual focusing, then hold the shutter half way down to fine-tune autofocus. This only works woth D2-series bodies and other bodies if you do the teleconverter hack. Likewise, it IS a teleconverter so you will get a focal length increase by 1.6x and an aperture change by 1 and 1/3 stop slower (i.e. 300mm f/2.8 AI-s turns into a 480mm f/4.5 Fine-tune AF lens).
** - Some of the higher end Nikon bodies have a "No-CPU Data" feature that allows you to enter in the distance information to ahieve the ability to matrix and spot meter. |
or you can use a handheld light meter 
edit: that wasn't meant to sound condescending  
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Filipinoise
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| Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 12:52 am Post subject: |
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| BigPoppa wrote: | | Filipinoise wrote: | To add onto this post....
Nikon has kept the F mount that they used in their old, manual focus, 35mm film SLR's onto even the newest Digital SLR's they have.
This means that if you acquire one of the old Nikon MF lenses, you'll be able to use them on your DSLR WITHOUT the need of an adapter, but with a few exceptions. (these exceptions apply to the Canon/Pentax/etc. as well).
- You lose the ability to AF.*
- You lose the ability to meter, meaning you will be forced to shoot in manual exposure mode, guessing the exposure with the hit or miss method. You change the aperture via lens' aperture ring, and shutter speed on the screen.**
* - For the long and fast MF Nikkors (i.e. 300mm f/2.8 AI-s, etc.) you can purchase the Nikon TC-16B AF Teleconverter to allow manual focusing, then hold the shutter half way down to fine-tune autofocus. This only works woth D2-series bodies and other bodies if you do the teleconverter hack. Likewise, it IS a teleconverter so you will get a focal length increase by 1.6x and an aperture change by 1 and 1/3 stop slower (i.e. 300mm f/2.8 AI-s turns into a 480mm f/4.5 Fine-tune AF lens).
** - Some of the higher end Nikon bodies have a "No-CPU Data" feature that allows you to enter in the distance information to ahieve the ability to matrix and spot meter. |
or you can use a handheld light meter
edit: that wasn't meant to sound condescending |
Yes, but I was giving a way where you don't have to spend ~$200 for a light meter.. We're in the digital age now where you can take as many pictures as you like and look at them instantly.. Handheld loght meters were aimed pimarily at perfectionists and those who shoot film without the ability to meter, or just to get a perfect exposure in general.
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airjordanjack
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| Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 12:56 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the info. So if I am at a store/flea market and see some old lenses for cheap, can I be sure this will work for them? Does the adapter ring only work for certain vintage lenses or all of them?
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Filipinoise
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| Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 1:15 am Post subject: |
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^You have to buy the adapter ring that uses the specific mount. They have different adapter rings for brands like Nikon to Canon, Pentax to Canon, etc.
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wutang
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orannge
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| Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 5:19 pm Post subject: |
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| wutang wrote: | At first I thought the name was just "How to put lenses on your DSLR'S"
I was thinking, wow...are you serious?
then i looked again, and read VINTAGE
Thanks a lot bro. Really helpful. Might try this some day |
Agreed. This is very useful ! |
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Wondertwins
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| Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 6:07 pm Post subject: |
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Aw shit guys...... Let me re-upload the pics. It might take a while finding the pictures again
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Sneakerkid510
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| Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 2:39 am Post subject: |
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| That's for the tutorial |
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1 in a Billion
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| Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 3:47 am Post subject: |
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And to promote this thread (somewhat)..
Almost all manual focus lenses will demolish their similar recent AF competitor. And usually will save you money.
Remember everybody, don't buy adapters with glass built in it.
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GhostOne
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| Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 9:49 am Post subject: |
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thanks bro.
good info
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Dakidwonda28
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| Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 2:15 am Post subject: |
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This some good info Twins....
I havent moved to digital yet, funds are kinda low for the time being
Film Photography FTW, well maybe not  lol
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