Here's a top tip of you are using a mirrorless camera (a Sony A7S in my case): Get a nice Canon EF to Sony E mount adaptor, and then put EF mount adaptors on your lenses. This works on M42 (making them bayonet mount), Nikon F (and its weird backwards mount), and Olympus OM mount. Probably works for many other mounts as well, except for Canon FD mount and Minolta MD mount. With the small EF mount adaptor on your lenses, you have unified the mounts, and don't have to carry around separate larger adaptors (since there is just the one EF to E mount. And if you want to have some real fun, get a Kipon focal reducer, put on some 645 Mamiya lenses, and push your full frame into medium format territory on the cheap.
To the point, thanks. Great shots in there, all of them, I'd happily watch longer slideshow videos with some free style commentary and thoughts added. If a part II for this one is on the table I'll suggest covering IBIS (or not), metering, focus peaking, magnification and LCD vs. EVF. I want to try a loupé - a LCD live view magnifying glass - for MF sessions as I'm struggling with nailing focus independent of EVF/OVF/LCD usage. Resolution is another thing to consider, certain lens/sensor combos just work where others don't.
Hi David, in my experience of using adaptors it is worth spending a little extra on buying the K&F adapter as their build quality is superior. I have had some cheaper ones that have not fitted the camera body. Also worth mentioning that the IBIS setting needs to be changed to enable it to recognise the focal length of the vintage/ legacy lens that you are using. My favourite old lenses at the moment are the Minolta MD 28mm and 50mm also the Canon 100mm FD 2.8f coupled to an Oly OMD EM1 mk1. I have the additional battery grip fitted to the EM1 which makes the handling just right when using the heavier vintage lenses. Well done another great video thank you for taking the time to keep us all informed.
Great video David. Those are exactly my questions every time I watch one of your vintage lens videos. Very informative, that really cleared up some of the questions that I had. I would like to use some of these vintage lenses for my Americana/abandoned photography. Thanks for the info mate! Hope you are doing well, have a great weekend!
Yeah I expect that gorgeous house from your last video would look amazing shot with a Helios 44 or something similar. Thanks for watching, mate. Have a great weekend 🖖
It's always great fun using adapted lenses on digital cameras. I have the viltrox focal reducer and viltrox adapter allowing me to attach my Canon EF glass with some decent single point auto focus (useless for continuous af). I also have the M42-m43 and Minolta MD-M43 adapters. This pretty much covers all my needs when attaching glass to my micro four thirds cameras. Nice video as always.
As soon as I jumped into mirrorless a few years back I was like a kid in a candy store with all the lens adapting possibilities (I came from Nikon dslrs) I have a few more to buy for m4/3 but with the few I have I have a crazy amount of options🖖😁
That Helios does some nice things in the dark. I haven't got one, so that's annoying. Apparently, there are about 1400 lenses available in M42, so at one lens review video a week, that's only 27 years. At your age it's doable - i appreciate you giving the possibility some serious thought. Vintage glass is fab - i've got 1730mm of Takumar Primes, ranging from 17mm to 500mm, and the total cost was less than a Pentax D FA 150-450. I can take them anywhere that has adequate wheelbarrow access and my partner is now fitter than i've seen her in years. A real win-win. Love you - c ya next week.
It’s a shame you live on the other side of the planet mate, I could have lent you one of mine. I rescued one of them from the bin when a numpty mate of mine couldn’t get his head around it so along with the 44m I have a battle damaged 44-2 aswell. Cheers for watching, mate🖖
@@DavidFlowerOfficial You have a great week, man. I'm off to work for a month - nightshifts hacking away at the internals of a steel-mill. Sounds sick, but it's a long-exposure paradise and i'll be stealing moments here and there to make it count. Looking forward to sitting down with some iced Asahi when i get back and watching that tripod video you're working on! Cheers, mon ami. 👍👍👍
Minolta MD mount tend to be cheap enough and there's some great options there (same for Minolta A mount). The Minolta Auto Rokkor-PF 55 F1.8 has good colours, nice for street photography on APSC and FF. The original Sony A7/A7S series is getting real cheap on the secondhand market now and are great for adapting old lenses to; the only reason I own a Sony A7 II is for vintage glass, the E mount in particular is so adaptable. Mostly I shoot MFT/APSC but I like FF as some lenses really do benefit from being shot on the format they were designed for, like the Pentax M 50mm F1.4 and 135mm F3.5.
Yeah the last A7 I bought I got for under £400 which is a bargain in my opinion. Totally agree about the FF and vintage glass, that’s the only reason I still have FF at all. Thanks for watching 🖖
I've been very fristrated trying to get any info on adapting fourthirds lenses to other mounts. I know you can take fourthirds to M43, but I was hoping to go from fourthirds to EF, cause I use canon cameras but my dad has a few really nice old lenses with his Olympus E3
I’m not sure if it’s possible to use 4/3 lenses on EF mount. Even if you’re using Canon apsc, the image circle of the 4/3 lenses will be smaller than the sensor resulting in a hard vignette. There may be also an issue with flange distance too. Sorry I can’t be more help🖖
Yes, but you need focus peaking in many cases. Only better models have them. There is focal length problem too and sometimes expensive speedbooster is needed. I have good luck with Pentax PK mount because they have the most availability of lens and many of them high quality.
I regularly use these on dslrs without focus peaking, but then I was 10 years into my photography career before I owned a camera with peaking so maybe I’m just used to eye balling it the old fashioned way. As I said in the video, the perceived focal length changes so getting wide on a m4/3 camera with these is something to consider. According to one of the sources I read there are about the same amount of lenses (all photo lenses . com iirc) for both m42 and Pentax k mount which is why I focused on those and only Canon EF and Nikon F have a larger selection. Thanks for watching 🖖
Hello Mr Flower, what adapter do I need to attach a Petri bayonet to Micro 4/3, and do you know what adapter I need so I can attach a Topcon lens to Micro 4/3??? - I could come up with impossible questions all day long, but you might want to hit me!!! You know I'm already well sold on this adapting vintage lenses for digital lark - great video, should get a few more people interested in what can be a really exciting (and addictive) field. I wanted to test a slightly tired Voigtlander lens before using it with film - there were some adapters available but I could only find them coming from China, and I needed it now, not sometime in the future, so I designed and 3D printed one - that particular Voigtlander camera has the aperture ring on the camera, so I had to design an aperture ring in the 3D mount - it all worked, I'm quite pleased with that one.
Since you almost certainly know more about this stuff than I do, I’m just gonna say gaffer tape and wait for you to correct me 😂 I looked at something coming from China recently and the earliest delivery was sometime around the end of October. I recently spoke with someone about rehousing my Helios 44-2, but it turns out his 3d printer couldn’t do it. I’d be interested to see the adapter you made, I’m quite curious about the whole 3D printing thing. Thanks for watching, mate🖖
@@DavidFlowerOfficial Yeah, gaffa tape and a loo roll tube!!! The 3D printed mount adapters aren't perfect - if you gave them a knock it would be easy to break the filament apart and maybe have the lens fall off, although in reality they'd be more likely to just wobble a bit. There are a few more mount adapters I want to make, but it's getting round to designing them that's the problem - it's a bit of a battle with the software most of the time!
Lenses like the Takumar 50mm f1.4 or any lenses with thoriated coatings often have a warmer look to them. You do get some of the effect from lenses like the Helios, it’s just not as prominent. I have a Ria 35mm f2.8 which also swirls. Effects like soap bubble bokeh work exactly as they do on full frame, you’re just seeing a cropped field of view. I’d suggest finding an effect you like and look for examples shot on m4/3 and go from there🖖
You can get some cheap manual lenses from TTArttisans but I already have a couple k mount lenses sitting around. Are there any other advantages to using vintage vs modern manual?
For me it’s the overall rendering of the image. Modern lenses like those from TTartisan etc. are designed with modern mirrorless cameras in mind using modern coatings. Older lenses with quirks like the Helios swirl and colour shifts caused by thoriated glass coatings, which are no longer used, offer an often quite unique look. Add to that the fact that from a cost standpoint, even taking into account the respective adapter, you can still get a nice fast prime for less than the cost of the modern manual counterparts. If you want a very fast lens however, like the 50mm 1.2 from ttartisan, or the large number of 0.95 lenses available from these companies, you probably won’t find a vintage alternative anywhere near that price point. Thanks for watching 🖖
Does anyone know about adapting vintage Voightlander lens adapters? I have 3 DKL that work fine for Kodak/Retina but the Voightlander lenses won't seat and engage with the bayonet being about 1/8 inch shy of the flange. It isn't that issue with the locking mechansim to prevent lenses from on manufacturer from working on the other. Any help is appreciated.
Hello david
I like vintage lenses ,so many good surprises and what a pleasure to use them ,a real joy .
Bonne journée David.
Here's a top tip of you are using a mirrorless camera (a Sony A7S in my case): Get a nice Canon EF to Sony E mount adaptor, and then put EF mount adaptors on your lenses. This works on M42 (making them bayonet mount), Nikon F (and its weird backwards mount), and Olympus OM mount. Probably works for many other mounts as well, except for Canon FD mount and Minolta MD mount.
With the small EF mount adaptor on your lenses, you have unified the mounts, and don't have to carry around separate larger adaptors (since there is just the one EF to E mount.
And if you want to have some real fun, get a Kipon focal reducer, put on some 645 Mamiya lenses, and push your full frame into medium format territory on the cheap.
Ooh, that’s a great tip. Thanks for watching 🖖
To the point, thanks. Great shots in there, all of them, I'd happily watch longer slideshow videos with some free style commentary and thoughts added.
If a part II for this one is on the table I'll suggest covering IBIS (or not), metering, focus peaking, magnification and LCD vs. EVF. I want to try a loupé - a LCD live view magnifying glass - for MF sessions as I'm struggling with nailing focus independent of EVF/OVF/LCD usage.
Resolution is another thing to consider, certain lens/sensor combos just work where others don't.
Hi David, in my experience of using adaptors it is worth spending a little extra on buying the K&F adapter as their build quality is superior. I have had some cheaper ones that have not fitted the camera body.
Also worth mentioning that the IBIS setting needs to be changed to enable it to recognise the focal length of the vintage/ legacy lens that you are using.
My favourite old lenses at the moment are the Minolta MD 28mm and 50mm also the Canon 100mm FD 2.8f coupled to an Oly OMD EM1 mk1. I have the additional battery grip fitted to the EM1 which makes the handling just right when using the heavier vintage lenses.
Well done another great video thank you for taking the time to keep us all informed.
Yeah the k&f ones are solid and I think they cover all of the most popular mount/lens combos. Thanks for watching 🖖
Great photos! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for watching. Have a great weekend 🖖
Great video David. Those are exactly my questions every time I watch one of your vintage lens videos. Very informative, that really cleared up some of the questions that I had. I would like to use some of these vintage lenses for my Americana/abandoned photography. Thanks for the info mate! Hope you are doing well, have a great weekend!
Yeah I expect that gorgeous house from your last video would look amazing shot with a Helios 44 or something similar. Thanks for watching, mate. Have a great weekend 🖖
It's always great fun using adapted lenses on digital cameras. I have the viltrox focal reducer and viltrox adapter allowing me to attach my Canon EF glass with some decent single point auto focus (useless for continuous af). I also have the M42-m43 and Minolta MD-M43 adapters. This pretty much covers all my needs when attaching glass to my micro four thirds cameras. Nice video as always.
As soon as I jumped into mirrorless a few years back I was like a kid in a candy store with all the lens adapting possibilities (I came from Nikon dslrs)
I have a few more to buy for m4/3 but with the few I have I have a crazy amount of options🖖😁
That Helios does some nice things in the dark. I haven't got one, so that's annoying. Apparently, there are about 1400 lenses available in M42, so at one lens review video a week, that's only 27 years. At your age it's doable - i appreciate you giving the possibility some serious thought. Vintage glass is fab - i've got 1730mm of Takumar Primes, ranging from 17mm to 500mm, and the total cost was less than a Pentax D FA 150-450. I can take them anywhere that has adequate wheelbarrow access and my partner is now fitter than i've seen her in years. A real win-win. Love you - c ya next week.
It’s a shame you live on the other side of the planet mate, I could have lent you one of mine. I rescued one of them from the bin when a numpty mate of mine couldn’t get his head around it so along with the 44m I have a battle damaged 44-2 aswell. Cheers for watching, mate🖖
@@DavidFlowerOfficial You have a great week, man. I'm off to work for a month - nightshifts hacking away at the internals of a steel-mill. Sounds sick, but it's a long-exposure paradise and i'll be stealing moments here and there to make it count. Looking forward to sitting down with some iced Asahi when i get back and watching that tripod video you're working on! Cheers, mon ami. 👍👍👍
Minolta MD mount tend to be cheap enough and there's some great options there (same for Minolta A mount). The Minolta Auto Rokkor-PF 55 F1.8 has good colours, nice for street photography on APSC and FF. The original Sony A7/A7S series is getting real cheap on the secondhand market now and are great for adapting old lenses to; the only reason I own a Sony A7 II is for vintage glass, the E mount in particular is so adaptable. Mostly I shoot MFT/APSC but I like FF as some lenses really do benefit from being shot on the format they were designed for, like the Pentax M 50mm F1.4 and 135mm F3.5.
Yeah the last A7 I bought I got for under £400 which is a bargain in my opinion. Totally agree about the FF and vintage glass, that’s the only reason I still have FF at all. Thanks for watching 🖖
I've been very fristrated trying to get any info on adapting fourthirds lenses to other mounts. I know you can take fourthirds to M43, but I was hoping to go from fourthirds to EF, cause I use canon cameras but my dad has a few really nice old lenses with his Olympus E3
I’m not sure if it’s possible to use 4/3 lenses on EF mount. Even if you’re using Canon apsc, the image circle of the 4/3 lenses will be smaller than the sensor resulting in a hard vignette.
There may be also an issue with flange distance too.
Sorry I can’t be more help🖖
Yes, but you need focus peaking in many cases. Only better models have them.
There is focal length problem too and sometimes expensive speedbooster is needed.
I have good luck with Pentax PK mount because they have the most availability of lens and many of them high quality.
I regularly use these on dslrs without focus peaking, but then I was 10 years into my photography career before I owned a camera with peaking so maybe I’m just used to eye balling it the old fashioned way. As I said in the video, the perceived focal length changes so getting wide on a m4/3 camera with these is something to consider.
According to one of the sources I read there are about the same amount of lenses (all photo lenses . com iirc) for both m42 and Pentax k mount which is why I focused on those and only Canon EF and Nikon F have a larger selection.
Thanks for watching 🖖
Hello Mr Flower, what adapter do I need to attach a Petri bayonet to Micro 4/3, and do you know what adapter I need so I can attach a Topcon lens to Micro 4/3??? - I could come up with impossible questions all day long, but you might want to hit me!!! You know I'm already well sold on this adapting vintage lenses for digital lark - great video, should get a few more people interested in what can be a really exciting (and addictive) field. I wanted to test a slightly tired Voigtlander lens before using it with film - there were some adapters available but I could only find them coming from China, and I needed it now, not sometime in the future, so I designed and 3D printed one - that particular Voigtlander camera has the aperture ring on the camera, so I had to design an aperture ring in the 3D mount - it all worked, I'm quite pleased with that one.
Since you almost certainly know more about this stuff than I do, I’m just gonna say gaffer tape and wait for you to correct me 😂
I looked at something coming from China recently and the earliest delivery was sometime around the end of October.
I recently spoke with someone about rehousing my Helios 44-2, but it turns out his 3d printer couldn’t do it. I’d be interested to see the adapter you made, I’m quite curious about the whole 3D printing thing. Thanks for watching, mate🖖
@@DavidFlowerOfficial Yeah, gaffa tape and a loo roll tube!!! The 3D printed mount adapters aren't perfect - if you gave them a knock it would be easy to break the filament apart and maybe have the lens fall off, although in reality they'd be more likely to just wobble a bit. There are a few more mount adapters I want to make, but it's getting round to designing them that's the problem - it's a bit of a battle with the software most of the time!
What do you think of the Urth adapters ??
The ones I have work fine. As I said in the video there’s not a lot of difference between them in terms of quality and they all allow infinity focus🖖
So - what vintage lenses do you reckon are worth adapting to m43 for unique looks? Other than the Helios that is. Thanks.
Lenses like the Takumar 50mm f1.4 or any lenses with thoriated coatings often have a warmer look to them. You do get some of the effect from lenses like the Helios, it’s just not as prominent. I have a Ria 35mm f2.8 which also swirls. Effects like soap bubble bokeh work exactly as they do on full frame, you’re just seeing a cropped field of view. I’d suggest finding an effect you like and look for examples shot on m4/3 and go from there🖖
You can get some cheap manual lenses from TTArttisans but I already have a couple k mount lenses sitting around. Are there any other advantages to using vintage vs modern manual?
For me it’s the overall rendering of the image. Modern lenses like those from TTartisan etc. are designed with modern mirrorless cameras in mind using modern coatings. Older lenses with quirks like the Helios swirl and colour shifts caused by thoriated glass coatings, which are no longer used, offer an often quite unique look. Add to that the fact that from a cost standpoint, even taking into account the respective adapter, you can still get a nice fast prime for less than the cost of the modern manual counterparts.
If you want a very fast lens however, like the 50mm 1.2 from ttartisan, or the large number of 0.95 lenses available from these companies, you probably won’t find a vintage alternative anywhere near that price point.
Thanks for watching 🖖
Does anyone know about adapting vintage Voightlander lens adapters? I have 3 DKL that work fine for Kodak/Retina but the Voightlander lenses won't seat and engage with the bayonet being about 1/8 inch shy of the flange. It isn't that issue with the locking mechansim to prevent lenses from on manufacturer from working on the other. Any help is appreciated.