I have just obtained my first interchangeable lens digital camera, a Fuji XE-1 body, previously having used a Canon compact and a Fuji bridge camera FS 100.
To keep down costs to my pension income I am considering buying older film cameras lenses, e.g. Pentax M42 or K series, using them with the relevant Fuji X-mount adapter. And I also have a Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens available
What do I need to know/consider with using these lenses - probably one of 35mm and one low range zoom like 28-80 ?
( I have 55 years of photo experience/knowledge - but little on the question above)
With a lot of adapters Autofocus is either non existent or spotty at best. You can also have to set aperture manually. You would need to read up on the specific adapter you have in mind for the specifics.
Hi Dan,
Have to agree with EnglishBob... and to me there seems little point in having a very up to date camera body and using yesteryear glass on it - but that is a choice to be made. I would have a look in local camera shops for used Fuji lenses before I started trying to put Model T wheels on a Ferrari.. That said, many have gone down this route and there are blogs where the results are said to be ok...Many have said that they successfully use Leica M/R mount lenses and Pentax 42mm screw lenses on their Fuji cameras via adapters and claim good results but slow and manual...
Older lenses would normally stop down via a mechanical system in conjunction with the shutter release mechanism... you would need to stop the lens down manually and at f22 you may struggle to see well enough to get focus...open to max, focus, stop down and press shutter... every time...
I would think that focussing would be an issue... you have an EVF so you may need to set it to magnify at x3 or x10 to properly set focus as the older lenses will not have autofocus systems and unlikely that if they had, that will talk to your body. With the aperture too having to be manually set... it points to landscape rather than opportunistic action photography where time is a deciding factor. I had a look for you and found these websites... have a read and see what you think... they may not be definitive but they are worth consideration. Note the points on flange focal distance and see how that would apply to your body as that may impact infinity focussing which is addressed in the second link.
Sorry I can't be more helpful or enthusiastic but I hope it gives you food for thought? There are many other opinions/experiences on the web and you might do worse than research the subject in more depth before making a decision?
Kind regards
Rolf
In photography, the smallest thing can be a great subject. The little human detail can become a leitmotiv.
—Henri Cartier-Bresson
(This post was last modified: Mar 25, 2015, 09:58 by Rolf.)
(Mar 25, 2015, 09:56)Rolf Wrote: Hi Dan,
Have to agree with EnglishBob... and to me there seems little point in having a very up to date camera body and using yesteryear glass on it - but that is a choice to be made. ---- I would think that focussing would be an issue...
Sorry I can't be more helpful or enthusiastic but I hope it gives you food for thought?
That's just the sort of comment I needed - but to some extent it is a matter of cost as the OEM lenses cost an awful lot more than the older ones being considered.
I'll try to get one lens Fuji - probably the 35mm one, and try a cheaper zoom for the zoom.
(Mar 25, 2015, 12:29)danmdan Wrote: ....to some extent it is a matter of cost as the OEM lenses cost an awful lot more than the older ones being considered....
I'll try to get one lens Fuji - probably the 35mm one, and try a cheaper zoom for the zoom.
dan
Dan, I am very enthusiastic with regard to using old lenses on modern digital bodies, as are many amateur photographers.
Admittedly, the picture taking process cannot usually be as fast as when using a modern auto-everything lens. But in many scenarios, it is not a bad thing to take the considered time setting the manual controls of an old lens, and the photo quality can be very pleasing.
I use old Pentax K-mount lenses on both a Sony Nex CSC body, as well as on a Pentax DSLR body. I started a thread for the results from some of those old lenses here:-
My suggestion would be to get yourself an adapter and an old lens (preferably a prime), and give it a try - there are many good deals to be found on eBay. This photo of Old Hemel was taken with a 30+ year-old 28mm f/2.8 Pentax manual lens, plus an adapter, on a Sony Nex 3 body (APS-C sensor), all three were eBay bargains:
Cheers.
Philip
(This post was last modified: Mar 25, 2015, 14:19 by MrB.)
Dan, I am very enthusiastic with regard to using old lenses on modern digital bodies, as are many amateur photographers.
I use old Pentax K-mount lenses on both a Sony Nex CSC body, as well as on a Pentax DSLR body. I started a thread for the results from some of those old lenses here:- http://www.shuttertalk.com/forums/Thread...Old-Lenses (there are 2 pages)
Cheers - Philip
:END QUOTE
Indeed one can sometimes get camera/lens sets very cheaply - I just got for all of £11 a Pentax P30T 35mm SLR Camera w/Pentax-A 28-80mm Lens.
(This post was last modified: Mar 25, 2015, 18:26 by danmdan.)
Further to the above thread I have just tried out a cheap Fujian Chinese C-mount £20 lens + Fuji X-mount adapter.
Definite possibilities, and I'm amazed at being able to get good DoF effects, first time with a digital camera, where most times previously all was more or less in focus.
(This post was last modified: Mar 31, 2015, 05:14 by danmdan.)
For the Fuji X-E1 I settled on using Pentax K series lenses, as I already had two; and got two more quite cheaply. So now I have a 28mm, 40mm, 50 mm, and a 28 to 80mm zoom.
Some examples of the 28mm above.
(This post was last modified: Apr 9, 2015, 09:15 by danmdan.)
Interesting shots! Good clarity and nice colours... for me, the first shot seems a little soft though... Love the leaning font... is it leaning or are the columns subject to lens distortion a little and curving very slightly outwards making it appear so?
Kind regards
Rolf
In photography, the smallest thing can be a great subject. The little human detail can become a leitmotiv.
—Henri Cartier-Bresson
(This post was last modified: Apr 9, 2015, 09:50 by Rolf.)
(Apr 9, 2015, 09:48)Rolf Wrote: Interesting shots! Good clarity and nice colours... for me, the first shot seems a little soft though... Love the leaning font... is it leaning or are the columns subject to lens distortion a little and curving very slightly outwards making it appear so?
Rolf
All shots - hand held/age takes its toll !
Church interior - completed around 1240; settlement has made some parts less than absolutely vertical - version shown best compromise.
A testament to the days when the builders had no ideas about built in obsolescence... The Knave(?) window seems to lean right while the font to the left .. very odd to look at... almost like being at sea! Maybe the council of years is calling... Where is the Church?
Kind regards
Rolf
In photography, the smallest thing can be a great subject. The little human detail can become a leitmotiv.
(Apr 9, 2015, 10:56)Rolf Wrote: The Nave window seems to lean right while the font to the left .. very odd to look at... almost like being at sea! Where is the Church?
Rolf
(Apr 9, 2015, 12:56)EdMak Wrote: Back on Dry Land. Nice pic. Ed.
Looks good, the way - it should be; but it is not the way the building really is - the whole structure has signs of movement over the last 800 years; e.g. the front entrance leans forward at an alarming angle, and would long ago have collapsed were it not for two huge stone buttresses propping it up.
Its a difficult decision to make; how much to alter reality to what it should be, but is not. Has anyone got a comment on this ?
Hi Dan, I'm not a huge fan of manipulation to make things "better" so if this building is like this... so be it... great pic... thanks for the link too!
Kind regards
Rolf
In photography, the smallest thing can be a great subject. The little human detail can become a leitmotiv.
(Apr 9, 2015, 15:57)danmdan Wrote: Anyway my pictures show the possibilities of relatively cheap older lenses in these digital days, plus a reasonably priced used mirrorless body.
The Fuji X-E1 body only was £150, the Pentax 28mm lens £40, the zoom £11 - and I already had the 40mm and 50mm Pentax lenses.
Thanks for all your comments. The adventure begins !
dan
I agree Dan - good pictures from good bargain lenses.
Regarding the shot inside the church - the focus seems to be on the background, but the font is slightly closer to the camera than the near-side of the depth of field, so it is not sharp.
I find that the "focus-peaking" feature of my Sony NEX camera body is very helpful, in seeing what lies within the depth of field, when manually focusing these old lenses. I think your X-E1 should also have that feature, unless it is running an old version of the camera's firmware.
I have a lot to re-learn coming from a wholly auto Bridge SL - now I have manual focus to consider, as well as things like ISO/ASA, aperture, bracketing, and other adjusts I never had before, or even knew I needed !.
Firmware is the software in the camera that its in-built computer uses to control all its functions. Apparently the focus-peaking feature, which is a great help with manual focusing, is included in the firmware from version 2.00 onwards.
If this is something that you would like to learn about, as well as other features of your X-E1 camera, it might be a good idea to join the Fuji X-Forum. There you will get all the help you need from fellow X-camera users - e.g. you could ask, or search there, about how to find out which Firmware version you have in your X-E1 and, if necessary, how to upgrade it (which will be a cost-free procedure).
(Apr 9, 2015, 14:52)Rolf Wrote: Hi Dan, I'm not a huge fan of manipulation to make things "better" so if this building is like this... so be it... great pic... thanks for the link too!
Rolf
These next 2 shots show how the LH end of the building has sunk, supported now by two massive buttresses ---
?
