Vintage Lenses - 👉 [4 things WHY you SHOULD try them]
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ก.ค. 2024
- Vintage Lenses - [4 things why you SHOULD try them]. How to use focus peaking and magnify on vintage lenses with Olympus cameras: Olympus Vintage Lenses: 👉 • Olympus Vintage Lenses...
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That info about the DOF scale was really interesting.
So this guy (go Finland!) invented something that has been used on most lenses since 1928 -- and all that he got out of it was a single Leica lens??? Not fair! We need a plaque honoring him somewhere in Helsinki! And the kamerastore should put up a poster about him!
@@aengusmacnaughton1375 Well said. I was thinking about the same, that he got very little for his invention.
@@mattisulanto -- I have been using the DoF scale on cameras/lenses since I started taking pictures -- so I have definitely benefited from his invention!
@@aengusmacnaughton1375 Same here!
The DOF scale can also find the hyperfocal spot. If shooting at f/8, move infinity to f/8 on the scale, and the f/8 on the other side of the scale will show you how much is in focus (eg 3ft to infinity. No need for a phone app.
I took your advice. I purchased four lenses for about $120 total. Each from a different manufacturer. Really fun! Each has it's own characteristic. And with a little practice, manual focusing became an enjoyable way to slow down.
I have been a vintage camera collector for many years, so there are very few types of lenses that I have not tried on my mirrorless cameras. It started with an older Sony NEX camera but now I also have approximately 10 adapters for micro 4/3 that I use on my E-M10 Mark II & E-PL8. I would have to say my favorite lens to use is the Minolta RF 250 mirror lens. Very tricky to focus, but much as your Olympus 500mm lens, the results are very rewarding. And for nostalgia reasons, I love my G. Zuiko Auto-S 40mm 1.4 off of my old Pen F film camera. It is proper in every way and makes me smile. Thanks for another outstanding video.
Excellent video - thanks!
Thank you very much.
Just bought myself am Olympus 50mm macro F1.8, absolutely amazing lens.
Thanks Peter for great instructions! I have a vintage Helios 58 mm f 2.0 from USSR era. It's very interesting!
Great video thank you I learned a lot Peter
Glad to help!
I have an old minolta sr mount 50mm f1.7 lens, and I love it. I use it mainly for portraits or for photos that I can take my time with the focusing.
Great video again! I love my collection of medium format and 35mm Carl Zeiss Jena optics. Flektogons, Sonnars. All manual focus, of course, but I don't mind that at all. You hit the nail on the head: the character of the images is very, very nice - beautiful color saturation, great bokeh and plenty sharp when stopped down a bit. Dreamy when wide open. I often use vintage glass, because I like it and the build quality is excellent.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you very much. I also like the different character and feel that old lenses have.
I love to use my adapted Sigmatel 135/f1.8, which I grabbed cheap from eb**. I find myself juggling with 5 different mount adapters in the meantime. Using vintage lenses is fun, you hit the very right nerve!
I use Planar T* 50mm F2.0 on micro4/3 bodies, and I absolutely love it. As you said, it is amazing for portraits!
I have Leica M 50mm ƒ2 Summicron that I use on an old M3. One of the first thing I bought after the purchase of y first OMD EM10 was the adapter from M mount to MFT. I had fun with it even mounted on the OMD EM1 MKII
I enjoy using vintage lenses. I use some OM lenses that I used with my OM-4Ti film camera many years ago and also a few more OM lenses, a mirror lens and a Helios that I purchased over the last couple of years. Focus peaking helps a lot with manual focus as does magnify. As the body does not communicate with the vintage lenses, in order to use image stabilization there is a setting in the body you can use to tell the camera the focal length of the lens you are using. If you forget to make that correct setting and use image stabilization the result can sometimes be wonky.
I bought my first interchangeable lens camera at the start of 2019 (Sony A6300) and as you say vintage lenses where a great way to cheaply play with different focal lengths to learn what they do and discover which styles of photography I enjoy. I've now bought several modern lenses but still have around dozen vintage lenses. I've even bought a couple of lenses with fungus very cheaply which I've dismantled and cleaned.
The music that comes on when you start showing the Sam-le images from the vintage lenses after the mirror lens section made my dog freak out. Lol
Nice video. I've been having a lot of fun with old lenses. I got a Pentax 50mm f2, a Takumar Bayonet 28 mm f2.8 and a Vivitar 80-200 mm. Everyone from my grandpa.
Thanks for sharing.
I really Like B&W with vintage lenses, you can get really creative...
I have a 50 mm Minolta macro lens that I intend to use to scan slides/negatives. I also have a Minolta mount Vivitar 400 mm/f5.6 lens that is not very good. It has chromatic aberrations in the centre wide open, but it is so big and heavy that it is useful as a weapon in case I am mugged. That tidbit about DOF scales was very interesting, thanks.
Oly 50mm f1.8, 135mm f3.5, Vivitar 28mm f2.8, Vivitar 70-210 zoom. I shoot on the em10 iii and em1 ii. Love your channel. Olympus best kept secret in photography !
Thanks and also thanks for sharing your list of vintage lenses. It is always interesting to hear what lenses people have.
I love using vintage lenses on m43 too. My favorite ones are 50mm f1.4 zuiko which is great for portrait and as a compact telephoto and the 105 f2.8 micro Nikkor lens that I use with the lensbaby tilt transformer adapter. Great for macro as you can increase the deep of field without stopping down using the tilt of the adapter.
Thanks for sharing!
I have used an OM 24mm f2.8 lens + Olympus lens on my OM-D E M5 with great success. The magnifier aworks paticlarly well for focussing. However I still bought the excellent 25mm MFT lens.
I have plenty old lenses from my uncle :P all have M43 thread so i bought an adapter from M42 to MFT and it work great for me. It´s a lot of fun to take photos with them however you have to focus manual, but it is a lot of fun :P.
One of my favorites is an F. Zuiko 38mm/1.8 from my Pen FT. I also enjoy using a Jupiter 8M 5cm/2.
I actually have that lens too, but no adapter for it. I use it with my Pen-F film camera.
I have a bunch of Minolta lenses. I use some of them as a reversed lens for macro.
Thanks, Peter! I own about a dozen vintage lenses, picked up for mere pennies at neighborhood garage sales, or for a few dollars on eBay, etc. For readers in the U.S. I've also found the online Goodwill thrift store auctions to be a source w/ reasonable prices. So far my favorites are the Olympus OM F.Zuiko 50mm f1.8 and Konica Hexanon 135mm f3.5 primes, as well as my Minolta-mount Vivitar Series 1 70-210 telephoto, sometimes in conjunction with a Kiron 2X teleconverter (IBIS ON!). Great results from all, they're great to pop on one of my older bodies (usually Pen EP-5) to take along on hikes or when walking around in dodgy neighborhoods where damaging or losing an expensive, modern lens would be painful.
One caveat that Peter didn't directly mention is lens HAZE!! Over many years some of the older lenses will build up a thin semi-opaque film of condensed organic crud, or sometimes fungus on the internal elements which really degrades the lens. The internals can be cleaned, but disassembly can be tricky, and I've ruined several in the process. Buying from a reputable used photography vendor is the best way to avoid this problem, and if you buy via online auctions you'll occasionally get some dirty duds, so buyers beware!!
That was a good point about things to remember when buying used lenses. Thanks for sharing that.
Hey Peter, great Video! I love using vintage lenses on my Olympus. One of the greatest benefits of using these lenses is the wider aperture when paired with a speed booster. An f1.4 Super-Takumar paired with a Lens Turbo II effectively widens the aperture to f1.0! There is also the added benefit of using more of the lenses image circle, which reduces the focal length a little bit, and sharpens the image. The lens and reducer make for a super-fast 70mm portrait lens for less than $200. I would love to see a part II to this video where you try one out for yourself!
Thanks for sharing.
Peter,
great video as always.
I bought into MFT because I could easily adapt my lenses to it. It was a used E-PL1 which did cost 120 € (body only) back then. I used it more with a Sigma 30mm lens because of auto focus. But I use my OM-D E-M1 more with my vintage glass. Helios, Jupiter, Industar, many in Leica thread mount (or what counted for that in Russia), but also Minolta Rokkors which are some of my favourite lenses. I also use an EOS adapter to mount my Lomography lenses. Compared to those the Helios 44M is light weight.
Thanks again for the video and stay healthy!
Thanks and you too!
I have two vintage Zuiko lenses that I had bought with OM-1 in 1974: the 50mm f1.4 and the 200mm f4. I have not had much use for the 200mm, but the 50mm has become a great portrait and still-life on my OM-D E-M10. The 50mm is very high quality and sharp lens, but also gives “softer” feel to the photo (especially at f1.4). Focus peaking works well, but it takes a few button pushes to get there.
Thanks for sharing!
Great video. I have tried Industar 61, ¿50? mm f/2.8, Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50 mm f/2.8 (80's) and Minolta 45mm f2.0. All these lenses have different contrast and color rendering, but I love in my Olympus Epl-7, OMD 5(mk1) and Lumix G7, and interacts differently in these cameras. 50mms in MFT are perfect for portrait, specially if you (as you said in this video), stop down a little bit of aperture. Cheers from Chile
Thank you. Yes, 50mm is a perfect focal length for portraits in MFT.
Thanks for bringing the idea of vintage lenses back to me.
I'm wondering whether today's lenses as well have a certain character. I don't have the feeling seeing a big difference on my new lenses.
I like the character of most vintage lenses. I have a trio of Contax CZ lenses 50mm f1.4, 28mm f2.8 and the 85mm f2.8. The 85mm is my favorite, gives a great look to images. I also have a trio of of konica Hexar lenses 28mm f2.8, 50mm f1.4 and a 135mm f3.2, looking forward to checking these out (still waiting on an adapter)
Thanks for sharing.
I've got 4 vintage lenses but my favourite by far the H. Zuiko 24mm F2.8 single coated it's light, great image quality and its 3m infinity focus means its stays their for most of the walk without moving the focus ring one bit. I take about 70% of my pics from street, landscape, portrait and even macro with a diopter when paired with the EM-1.
Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Peter! I have quite a few vintage lenses in my collection. I have the OM 50mm f1.8, 24mm f2.8, and 200mm f4, that I bought to use with my old OM-2n back in the late 1970s. I have more recently acquired the Canon FD 300mm f4 L, which I used for birding, until I saved up for the m.Zuiko 300mm f4 a year ago. It is without question a phenomenal lens. It came with the Canon 2X-A teleconverter, but I get better results without it. I also have the Helios 44-2, which I love, but I found that I get better bokeh with that lens when I use it with a Zhonghi Mitakon focal reducer, which cost about 3x as much as the lens! I am regularly looking for other m42 lenses, to use with that focal reducer, particularly a wide angle. I was given an old 70-200 f3.5 that doesn’t give me great results, but it is fun to play with!
I also have a few Zuiko Pro 4/3 lenses - 14-35, 35-100, 50 macro, but I don’t consider them to be vintage at this point!
I really should try the get a Speedbooster/Focal reducer adapter. Tried the Viltrox, but it was not very good.
I have a Taylor & Hobson 1Inch f/1.5 Cooke Kinic lens originally made for a 16mm movie camera. It's a Petzval design that,when shot wide open, produces great bokeh and swirly edges while the center is tack sharp. I like it best in flat light. It also seems to produce more saturated colors.
Thanks for sharing.
7/6/2020 Peter glad to see this video as I am Not one of those that has to have the latest and greatest Olympic Pro Lens for status, my photos speak for themselves. Like you, I having been shooting from the 70's I have a huge collection cameras with Vintage Lenses that still serve me well, along with Olympus digital AF 4/3 to micro 4/3 with an Olympus AF adapter ( you forgot to cover in this review). Like you stated if you started shooting with film manual focus is just another option you have to use in digital photography. Like you I have picked up great film cameras with lenses off E-bay that are user friendly, along with fast f stop that would break the bank if buying new. I see my photography who think of it as an advanced user / hobby and not using photography as a livelihood, but can compete with the Pros on any given day.
Thank you for sharing.
I have an old Yashica 50mm 1.9 lens that made beautiful portraits in the 70s with my old Yashica FX-2, but now it makes nice images at FF equiv. of 105mm with an adapter for my Nikon DX camera. My wife likes the way she looks with the vintage lens better than the modern day lenses. She's a lot more comfortable having her picture made when I struggle to make it happen... ;-)
Using 500 mm mirror lens one can create picture of the whole town if you have access to distant elevated point of view. For instance, one can climb up on ski jumping tramline in Lahti and shoot the whole town. May be not by one shot, may be using panorama merge of few images.
Hi Peter, I own two film OM2’s one working. Shutter on other gone.
Lenses: purchased used. All OM 21 mm f3.5, 28mm f3.5, 75-150 f4, 85-250 f5, 35mm SHIFT f2.8 and TTL flash bracket system. Using some for fun. Cheers from Canada. Subscribed for a while. Thanks a lot!!
Thanks! You are welcome! What are the things you like to photograph?
Peter Forsgård thanks for asking, Lots of variety Peter. Bit of everything. Macro. Landscape. Live composite fan! Waiting for lightning! :-) astro, needs dark sky. Senior camera club have new weekly focus areas on going. May Zoom to get going as a group again. 2114 EM1 plus digital lenses too. Cheers
Not only on ebay, but also in professional shops of authorized Olympus dealers, some interesting FT Zuiko lenses appear now.
Examples: 300mm f/2.8, 90-250 mm f/2.8. These are extremely good lenses and where extremely expensive before, and are now available between 1500€ and 2000€.
Yes, FT lenses are interesting. I have never tested those. I have not found tones that are inexpensive enough. They go for quite high prices.
Hi Peter, great video. Very timely as well. I was just playing around with some of my OM lenses the other day. OM 50mm 1.8, 50mm 1.4, 135mm 2.8, 300mm 4.5 and some Miranda Macro lenses. You are right about stopping down. The 300mm and 50mm 1.4 are quite soft wide open and they also have green CA. But I was surprised that the 50mm 1.8 was sharp wide open and with no CA. Might have been lucky to get a good copy.
Planar schema lenses do not have such CAs as Sonnar derived lenses (most of 135 f/2.8)
Could be that you have a better copy than I do. That is great. It is still a fun lens.
@@ForsgardPeter It is a great Lens Peter. Talking about good copies, I've had my fare share of bad copies. My 12-40 Pro was very soft wide open. Also first copy of 45mm 1.8 was only good wide open . Also had 2 copies of the Pana Leica 12-60 2.8-4 which were very bad. I have now sold my 12-40, 12-60 and my second copy of the 45mm 1.8 is now ultra sharp wide open! It's a shame that buying a lens is such a gamble.
Hi Peter, first of all thank you for interesting videos! As for the vintage lenses - I buy some interesting models from ebay from time to time.
The list of vintage lenses I have so far: Minolta Rokkor Macro 50mm 3.5 (pretty sharp macro lens), Minolta Rokkor 50mm 1.4 (fast, sharp and has nice bokeh), Zenith Helios 44m 58mm 2.0 (nice bokeh, just bought it), Pentax Takumar Macro 50mm 4.0 (super sharp, my favourite for macro), Mir-24H 38mm 2.0 (still getting used to it).
List to be continued :)
Thanks for sharing. You have a good amount of vintage lenses. Do you use them a lot?
Hi there I use quite a few lenses I use nikon 50mm f1.4 great for broken .
Yes , I have a few. The vintage Nikon 50mm f1.4 is one. Yashinon 50mm f1.8 m42, Takimar 135mm m42, Nikon 105 f2.5, zuiko 50mm f1.8, and a few others. I use them on my vintage Nikon F, as they don’t fit my digital camera that I use. One day I will get the adapters that I needed. Some day soon.
Thanks for sharing.
I enjoyed this video.
The ability to use vintage lenses was a selling point to get me into m43, as I still had my Minolta lenses from the 1980s. I figured it would be a good way to expand my lens choices cheaply.
However, I would not use this ability as a selling point for m43, based on my experience, unless a person had severe GAS and was more interested in buying stuff than in making pictures, or already owned vintage lenses.
There are some good inexpensive native lenses available these days, which I would recommend over using a vintage lens.
To me, it reminds me of people who prefer vinyl over cds, or rotary phones.
Thanks. You are right that there are some inexpensive alternatives also in newer lenses.
Peter...excellent vid. I'm really enjoying experimenting with vintage Olympus OM primes. I'm using a 50mm 1.8 (which is a bit long) and a 28mm 2.8 (currently my favorite). Both work well with focus peaking. Can you perhaps shoot a video on Zone Focusing with vintage lenses. I'm mounting mine on an EM10 mk ii. I'd like to use the 28mm and the EM10 for street photography. Thx...Jamie
Hey Pete I still shoot with my collection of OM-1 & 2 film bodies. My collection of Zuiko glass includes 28mm f2.0, 50mm f1.4, 50mm f1.8, 50mm f3.5 macro, 135mm f2.8 and 200mm f2.8. The macro lens renders beautiful colors and bokah. Slip on a Zuiko ring or 2 increases the beauty.
I carry my M1Mii and OM-2n with a couple primes in my bag. Gets heavy when I add my 14-35 f2.0, 35-100mm😁.
Thanks for your videos👍🏼
You are welcome and thanks for sharing your thoughts.
@Chris Beavers . Hello Chris. My advice: used your OM Zuiko lenses on a Sony A7 (s) mark 1. You will love it. I myself have an Zuiko “museum” of about 20 lenses, from 21 to 400 mm including some zooms.
There's a shop selling vintage cameras en lenses in my hometown. I intend to purchase some vintage lenses to play with. And maybe purchasing a vintage camera too :)
I got one in January for my niece. I paid 160 Euros for a Minolta 404si and 2 lenses.
I use a Zuiko OM 3.5/135 Tele Lens. It is a dream! Outstanding good. The build quality of the Lens is also outstanding. So I have a 270 mm equivalent Super Tele for really, really little money. Try it folks!!
Thanks for sharing!
I have only one so far, it is a Nikon 50mm F1.2 from the early 80's that my father passed down to me. Lovely lens.
How much do you use it?
@@ForsgardPeter I would go out on photowalks with it at least once a month but it is also in my bag most of the time and it does get used. I use it with a Speedbooster. It's an amazing lens
It is good that it is in use!
Thanks for an interesting video.
I started to collect old glass about 3 years ago whilst it was relatively cheap ( my 100mm f2.8 Zuiko cost me £60 and now they are around £100) but there are still some bargains (Praktica MTL50 + 50mm f1.8 for about £15) to be had.
My Helios 44M is, as expected, soft at f2 and has some noticeable highlight bloom but this gives the image a lovely dreamy quality. At f5.6 it is pretty sharp. The Praktica lens has a bit of a colour cast but still gives some interesting results wide open. At f5.6 it is pretty sharp but still has a bit of misting.
With the price of old glass going up, some of the newer Chinese MF lenses can make an interesting alternative. My Meike 35mm f1.4 has lower contrast and bloom at f1.4 but there is good detail and, in general, the lens performs astonishingly well and is a bit of a bargain.
Thanks for sharing.
I am using all my vintage lenses with adapters on full frame......
Reason 1). Prices for vintage lenses easily doubled in recent years due to increased demand. You got the best deals for vintage lenses before they were hyped in social networks and before MLCs became more common.
That is true. The prices has gone up.
I have an old Olympus OM E-Zuiko 200mm f4
My vintage lenses: Petri 50 mm f 1.8 - Pentax SMC 28 - 50 -135 mm - Vivitar 200mm f 3.5 - Minolta 35-105 & 100- 300 mm.
Yes I use vintage lenses but they weren't vintage when i bought them; alas I have got old. I use Nikkor 24mm f2.8D, 35mm f2D, 50mm f1.8D and 85mm f1.8; I also have a Voightlander 28mm f2 Ultron-M. I still use these with my old cameras now and then; my old film Nikon FM2n and my digital Nikon D700. I never use these with my MFT Panasonic GX9 because the small sensor makes them rather long. Instead I mostly use them with an APS Leica T (I also have a Leica M adapter for my full frame Sony A7ii). All vintage lenses I adapt to Leica M and buy a Leica M adapter for each camera body so that I only have to buy the one adapter. As for the vintage lenses themselves, photographers forget that the greatest photographs of all time were taken using vintage lenses and the results were superb. Myself I am not a fan of modern sharp high glass lenses; I find them sterile and dead. Instead I buy simple low glass primes like the wonderful Olympus Premium f1.8 primes which give a lovely organic rendering. I am not a fan of narrow depth of field photos so ignore modern fast primes which mostly don't render so well at my usual hyperfocal distances; they are mostly optimised for use wide open. I expect primes to separate subject from background using tone quality alone; if they require shallow DoF then I consider them poor quality. Best are my Leica primes which produce images so alive that I feel I could walk around in the scene. My Olympus 17mm f1.8 isn't far behind this and is a fantastic street combination with my Panasonic GX9 and handgrip ;-). P.S. with reference to the DoF scale, people forget that this is determined when the lens is made and doesnt depend on the size of the sensor, it is a property of the optical construction; there is no such thing as an equivalent lens, a lens is what it says on the barrel; if you want shallow DoF put on a longer lens - winks
I like your post. Wonderful lenses. I think the narrow depth it's overrated in terms of portrait, for example. "Vintage" lenses give you a character I don´t find in modern glasses. About the focused subject... sometimes, (a certain conception of) perfect is enemy of good.
Thanks Vici for sharing. Good points.
Leica were really generous with Mr Setala! (He should have licensed his novel scale to Leica for a substantial fee.)
I have an old Nikon 50mm F 1.8 that was from my film camera. This has inspired me to pick up the $13 adapter to take some images.
Great to hear. Have you had time to test it already?
Peter Forsgård took a few pictures this morning with the Nikon and a Canon. I like the Nikon images. I can still control the aperture. They have a cool yellow retro look. The Canon is a fixed aperture with the adapter. Those need some post work.
Peter Forsgård I also sent one of the front buttons to peaking. That made all the difference and is EXTREMELY easy to use.
Preaching to the choir, Peter!!! My vintage lens collection is, uh, over 200 and growing (maybe I have a problem????)! I have the Panasonic G85 and love it for stills and "home movies" -- as well as just great B-roll. And you are right -- the modern lenses are awesome and produce great, crisp, clean images -- but sometimes I don't have the specific focal length that I need, or I need some "character" -- or I want to feel nostalgic and do the focus and exposure manually (grew up shooting a Nikon F). It is easy and (relatively) inexpensive to adapt vintage lenses to micro-four-thirds (and the larger sensor mirrorless cameras also). It's a great "best of both worlds" approach to photography -- lots of lens choices (if you have as many as I do!), manual control, slowing down to use more brain power on the settings and composition -- but the advantages of digital like I don't have to change film after 36 shots, I can fire off rapid-fire shots if I need to without a cranky old motor drive (that would not do more than 5-6 fps anyway!), and I don't have to send out my film to get developed and wait for the results! Now, I still shoot film also -- but for me it is also a joy to use these vintage lenses with my G85. Thanks for posting this video!
That is a lot of lenses! You have a museum?
@@ForsgardPeter -- I should!!! And charge admission to help pay for all of this! At last count (I have some recent shipments that I have not inventoried yet) -- about 250 lenses and 250 vintage cameras -- plus a hundred or so vintage camera straps, cases, camera bags, bulb and electronic flashes and other accessories (including unused flash bulbs, cable releases, lens cases/bags, light meters, tripods, filters (hundreds), manuals, and used/unused expired film). When ordering from shopgoodwill often I get a bundle of camera, bag, few lenses and accessories -- just as someone donated them to Good Will. I could make a curtain out of all of the vintage "tapestry" camera straps that I have!!! I really need to stop though because it is costing me a lot of money (when you add it all up) and I have way too many now to ever truly test, use and enjoy....
@@ForsgardPeter -- as an example of the types of "bundles" that I can get -- go to this URL -- www.shopgoodwill.com/Item/97081207
current vintage lenses: Helios 44-2 58mm F2, Vivitar 28mm F2.8, Vivitar 24mm F2.8, F.Zuiko 50mm F1.8, Tokina 28-70mm F2.8-4.3, Sun Zoom 80-200mm F4.5 Macro
Thanks for sharing.
Another reason to use vintage lenses is that they are less likely to quit working. I have OM system lenses I bought in the 1970's that still work fine. I have 3 Olympus m4/3 digital lenses that have quit working and one of them (12-50macro kit lens) Olympus will not repair. Manual lenses don't have the modern convenience of auto focus and automatic aperture adjustment, but they do seem to function longer.
I’m using time to time Helios 44M 58/2 with lens turbo II adapter (speed booster 0.72x). Results are more pleasing than 45/1.2 pro for portraits. Softer skin with amazing out of focus.
Sounds interesting. What brand Speedbooster do you have?
Where do you buy this adapter from?
@peter - its ZY-Optics - zyoptics (dot) net/product/mitakon-lens-turbo-adapters-mark-ii-for-m43-mount-camera/
Very good explanation why you should try the vintage lenses, Peter. ALL Olympus cameras doesn´t have the focus-peak. For instance there is none in Pen E-P2 (maybe in PEN E-P5) Instead I try to stop down one or two step to increase the depth of field-
Here is a short guide to what lens to buy:
Helios 58mm f=2 "Swirly bokeh gives a "dreamy look" Decent sharpness in the middle, soft edges on large apertures price $70 Very artistic lens
Meyer Görtlitz 50 mm f=2.0 My favorite, sharp, better contrast than Helios very nice at f=2.0 and 2.8 $120
Leitz Summicron 50mm f=2.0 Small, sharp and expensive, close range =1 m Very nice bokeh and beautiful rendition Perfect for portrait
Leitz Elmar 90mm f=4.0 Soft in the corners sharp in the center Good för Landscape and portraits when stepped down one f-stop
Leitz Elmar 28mm f2.0 Not tested but sharp images and high contrast
Not sure about the EP5 or earlier but later ones definitely do, but you have to manually activate it via a Fn button when you need it as the camera doesn't know when you are using the focusing ring.
That is true that not all Olympus cameras have peaking. I was referring to the newer bodies. Thanks for sharing your info about different lenses.
I don't have any vintage lenses from the days of film photography, Peter. They all got traded in along with my Nikon FE (circa late '70s) when I bought my first Olympus Digital, the E-300, in 2004 and never looked back.
What I do have, and will probably never part with, is a couple of Zuiko 4/3 lenses. The 12-60mm F2.8-4.0 which is the best lens I've ever owned and still my go-to lens when the shot really matters. And the 70-300mm F4.0-5.6 for when I'm shooting wildlife or just staring at the moon on a clear night. The first thing I bought when I traded my E-5 and committed to the m4/3 system was a m4/3 to 4/3 converter!
I'm imagining that you also have had some 4/3 equipment in your past, Peter and I wonder what, if anything, you have found hard to part with.
I never had any 4/3 lenses. Those are hard to get and are quite expensive.
Got the Helios 44-2, Industar, a couple others. Wonderful color rendition on these. If you want to really lose your mind with this you should check out the Zenography channel, very informative.
Thanks for the tip! The channel looks interesting.
Our Olympus gears will be also a vintage soon...
I own an Olympus Zuiko 75-150mm f4 that I use with my Fuji X-H1
It works well?
@@ForsgardPeter yes
I only have Helios 44m 58mm. I use it on my Canon cameras with adapter and I use it on my Pentax S1A (film) camera. In nearest future I will have Zuiko OM lenses as I have ordered Olympus OM10 (film) camera with 50mm f1.8 and I have ordered another Zuiku lens 28mm f2.8 and I think to get a compact 35-70mm Zuiku zoom lens for better street shoot.
EDIT: Since this comment I have became a vintage lens collector. I have soviet M39 and M42 lenses that I'm using on digital and film cameras, Nikon F pre AI, AI, AIS lenses (using them on Nikon FM and FM2), Olympus OM lenses that I'm using on Olympus OM1 and will use on my first MFT camera - hopefully it will be Olympus OM-D E-M1 III, if not than mark II. Pentax K lenses what I'm using on good old Pentax KM. Now I'm shooting film exclusively and hoping to get an OM-D E-M1 camera. :) Thank you Peter for your great videos ;)
I have the Zeiss Planar 50mm f/1.7 and Tessar 200mm f/4, as well as the Yashica 28mm f/2.8 and 100mm macro f/3.5, all Contax/Yashica with adapters. The 50mm works well for star trails and the 20mm is light and fast enough for unpretentious wildlife photography. I didn't try the macro as I wonder how to focus and stop down enough for depth of field.
Thanks for sharing.
@@ForsgardPeter thanks to you. UPDATE: the 100mm macro lens is a joy to use. Simply set the aperture to what you would normally use, say F/5.6 to F/11. The EVF is bright enough to let you see the subject. Manual focus assist helps too, of course.
Nice video as always.
I was wondering what is the equivalent focal length of an Helios or OM lens to m43?
The crop factor is 2. You multiply the focal length with 2 and get equivalent focal length.
I have these 3 lenses plus the filters for the 50 mm. Trying decide if it is worth it to buy an adapter for these to use on my M10 mk iii. Currently have 14-42 kit and 40-150R
135 mm/F2.8
28 mm/F2.8
50 mm/F1.9
Skylight filter
Polarizing filter
Hanimex close up
Forgot to mention these are Yashica lenses from about 1980.
Thanks for sharing.
Focus peaking is more important in many cases than auto focus.
Peter, that is what I call perfect timing, so thank you very much for your video. I bought an OM-D E-M5II with the 14-150 4-5.6 as a kit lens (weather seal was the big pro argument for me). I do a lot of manual focussing (on "P") and I like that very much. But I found out that I became lazy because I can zoom like mad.
So today I decided to go out with my old Oly 28mm/3.5 to limit myself. Such a great experience because I had to **look & walk** instead of **stand & zoom** :)
And your video answered two questions: Why are some photos not sharp (I will try stepping down) and is my lens weather sealed (nope). One more question: When using the old 28mm Zuiko do I have to choose 28 or 55 mm in the IBIS settings?
Next I will try to find an adapter for my Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar 50mm and the Tele-Xenar 90mm.
Thanks for sharing. You choose the focal length that is on the lens.
Peter Forsgård Thank you Peter. I just tried stepping down from f3.5 to f8 and it is remarkable shaper (and in summer f8 is no problem :) )
Another two to try. The C mount lenses originally made for indoor surveillance CCD TV cameras. Their Circle of Coverage is about right for MFT but too small for APS-C or Full Frame so MFT wins. And they are cheap, second hand or new. I think 500mm f/8 on MFT a bit difficult to use - it is too magnified and f/8 is quite dark. I have the 250mm f/5.6 Rokkor CAT and there is a modern, but manual focus Tokina 300mm f/5.6 CAT which is not expensive, small and light. I would love to try the Pentax Q or Pentax 110 little lenses on our bodies
I have never tried CCD TV or Pentax Q/110 lenses.
@@ForsgardPeter Gotta #catchthemall hehe. The CCTV lenses are cheap and fun.
Hi Peter - i have the Helios 44 58mm - its built like a tank. Have you tried the Olympus om 28mm f2.8, very sharp and a great street lens - i got a copy for £35 (uk pounds). My final recommendation is the Pentax 100mm f4 - harder to find but great for close ups, not a true macro but very good results.
No I have not tried the 28mm f2.8. I am looking for a 20mm f something OM-system lens. Have not found one yet.
I am from india and I want to have some vintage lens. They are really great.
Is it easy to find vintage lenses in India? I would assume there is a good amout of lenses available.
@@ForsgardPeter here is some second hand camera and lens market. But due to covid situation it is bit difficult to go there. But I don't know whether I get any vintage lens there or not. I will definitely go there and search .
Thanks for the encouragement Peter. I’m a big believer in dumb questions so here’s another one: is the crop factor the same when using vintage lenses with an adapter? Does my 50mm Yashica prime become a 100mm on my EM-10 Mk iii? Does my 28mm wide angle become a 56mm? Ok, that’s my quota of dq’s for a day. Thanks in advance.
Yes it is. A 50mm lens attached with an adapter has the same angle of view as a 100mm on a FF body. The aperture for exposure is the same.
Thanks Peter. I always enjoy your videos. And I have a few old Zuiko lenses that I (occasionally) use. Three 50mms (not the F2 unfortunately), 85mm F2.8, 100mm F2.8, 135 F2.8, 180mm F2.8, 200mm F2.8. Some I've had for decades. Others I bought more recently. It seems some worked better with my E-3 than my EM - 1 mkII. Also, I have not been able to get the focus peaking/magnifying to work with the vintage lenses on my MKII. Am I missing something in the menu (it's turned on as far as I can tell)? Or is my adapter to blame? Thanks!
It does not work automatically. You need assign a button for it. Pressing the Function button it will show the peaking or magnify. While the shutter button is pressed the peaking won't show.
@@ForsgardPeter thanks much. I had assigned a button but who knows, I might have "unassigned" it.
Hello Peter,
as an old Olympus OM film shooter I still use the OM Zuiko lenses (24mm.-300mm.primes) adapted to my Sony A7 Full frame digital camera but also on my NEX-5R APS-C.
I find them working fine on digital, I find the A7 a modern OM 1. What is Your experiences with the old OM Zuiko's?
I only have two 50mm OM-system Zuiko lenses. So I do not have a very big experience other than those two lenses.
Zeiss Jena Flektagon 35mm, SMC Takumar 1.8 55 mm, Super Takumar 50 mm 1.8 8 element, M Zuiko 50 1.5, 50 1.8, 23 mm 2.8, 200mm
Thanks for sharing.
Could you make a video about " slow shutter speed" video say 1/8sec to get motion blur of people eg in an Art Gallery for Oly is it possible Thx
Of course it is possible. I will see what I can do about that.
The mirror lenses have always intrigued me, I have seen them with M43 mount on ebay for not a lot. Are they any good? Why are they so cheap? Are they really soft?
My Olympus 500mm f8 is a bit soft, but it has a very nice character.
Goodness...where do I start? Nikon 85 f2, 200 f5 (super cheap and very sharp); Vivitar Series 1 200 f3, 135 f2.3, Solid Cat 600 f8; Olympus 50 f1.4, 300 f4, 180 f2.8; Sigma 500 f8 mirror; Leica 100 f4 macro lens with bellows; 65mm f2.8, 180 APO f4.3, 400 f6.3 (Trombone)...yep, that's pretty much it. As you can see, lots of tele for that super long reach. In regular use: 85 f2, 180 f4.3, every once in a while the 600 f8. The others were super cheap and were fun to play with...
That is a lot of lenses! Glad that you also use them!
May I ask how much post processing did you do to the (splendid) images ?
I have found that there can be a colour cast between lenses when using them on a digital camera (Panasonic G9) although never really noticed it too much in my film days as the different film stock could also introduce different 'character'.
Not very much. Added some contrast and some saturation. There were a few that had no retouching.
I love shooting mirrorless Olympus and Canon cameras with vintage lens......you are right about character......I prefer manual focus, but my health and eyesight are in the toilet right now, so I mostly shoot my M10mkII with auto focus.....I still get great results, but if and when my health gets better, I get great results out of vintage Vivitar and Minolta lenses....please check out my wildflower video where all the shots are with Canon M6 with vintage lens and Olympus M10mkII and M5 with autofocus. Thanks for your videos, I’ve learned a lot from you, Rob and Robin......keep up the awesome work!
Thanks and I will check that video.
What lens was used for the photograph of the seagull. Was it the helios?
It was the Olympus 500mm f8 Reflex lens (mirror lens)
Peter, you never have any wind noise in your on location clips. Do you use a special filter in your NLE to remove it?
I use Audition and its noise filters are pretty good. I also have a wind jammer on the microphones. I also try to have the wind behind my back.
I’m shooting film with an OM-4ti with 135mm f2.8, 35mm f2 (my favourite) and 50mm f1.8. Thinking of picking up a 100mm f2.8 (f2 version too expensive) - that should give me a good range of primes. All Olympus. Ordered an adapter for my EM1 mkii a few weeks ago.
Thanks for sharing.
Looking forward to travelling with it when we eventually can!
@Alistair Merrifield . I think you will be disappointed. My advice: use your OM Zuiko lenses on a full-frame camera. Like a Sony A7 mark 1. It is almost like using a digital OM-2.
@@nicokremers7150 My primary use for those lenses is on my film camera. The adapter was cheap... if it works, great... otherwise only $20 lost.
Great Tip. Have now bought my first vintage lens: the Helios 44M 58mm F 2.0 - with an adapter for MFT. Is there any advice of you to produce the "swirly bokeh" - I think Helios is originally manufactured for Fullframe...Christoph
Not really. It should come naturally when using f2 and focusing close.
@@ForsgardPeter I researched a little bit: There are 8 versions of the lens over the years. 1-6 should have almost same good quality, 7-8 do have cheaper build quality: outwardly and technically (danger of oil). I pick up version 8. But - "always look on the bright side of life" (Monty Pythons). First steps with this lens are interesting.
Note, that many film camera lenses are almost as sharp as modern PRO grade MFT lenses. I did tests: photos.app.goo.gl/nVmCeA1sAaGjSHS76 photos.app.goo.gl/3H58BLJKjRs62hq4A So that they practically don't have vintage effect.
OM 50mm f1.8 and 28mm f3.5, both wonderful lenses, pin-sharp, with wonderful blur and bokeh. I would like the 50mm f1.4 but I am not sure that I will notice the difference that much, does anyone else use it? These two lenses, given their age (mid-70s and early 80s), are in regular use and feel like new with great focus ring action. I use them mainly for BnW and love the straight out of the camera Jpg images, although, with a little processing in C1, they meet my BnW needs entirely.
Not sure either if the f1.4 is much different from the f1.8 version.
With old lenses you can change camera format.
What adapter do I buy for the Helios lens for my Olympus em1 mark 2???
My Helios had a 42mm skrew mount so you need an adapter that makes the 42mm mount to MFT.
@@ForsgardPeter thank you Peter! Have a nice day!
Vintage lenses were mostly designed for 35mm film cameras (and larger formats). M4/3 is not ideal due to 2.0 crop factor. Vintage wides are usually expensive, not that wide, not that fast and not that good optically, and anything above 30mm becomes telephoto on M4/3. I prefer to use APS-C (or possibly full frame) mirrorless cameras with vintage glass. M4/3 has advantage on vintage glass if you want medium to long telephoto (50/1.4 becomes 100/2.8 - neat), otherwise it's more of a liability. Beware that some vintage lenses are mildly radioactive.
However, there's also some current production manual glass for M4/3, like the Voigtlander 42.5mm f/0.95, giving the FoV and DoF equivalent of 85mm f/1.8. Cool.
No, at it's cost voightlander 42.4 f0.95 is neither neat nor cool. For almost same money you can buy ff camera + fome vintage 85 f1.8 so... I'd say f..ck it. Such craziness led to where mft is today. A stupid pressure to prove mft can be an ff equivalent. No way to address it by ridiculously fast lens. Fast lenses can not be cheap nor small. And if there is no way... Why the hell Olympus tried? And it ended as it ended...
Oh God ! Vintage lenses ? I went mad for a couple of years and bought loads of affordable vintage lenses on eBay and camera bodies.. Early on I managed to grab a Tair 3 300mm for £30.. I also found the Sigma DL 70-300 very good.. The Canon version won't work on Canon DSLRs but with a ring the Nikon will, manual only.. I will say due to the 'Registry Distance' you will be able to use many on an Eos over Nikon.. One little tip I will share is that the excellent Super Takumar 55 mm f1.8 will focus to infinity, unlke other M42 lenses, on a Nikon with little ring if you wind out the rear elementt a couple of turns.. Looking at Vivitars examine the serial numbers to identify he better ones.. One Vivitar that really surprised me is one that goes from 100 to 200 mm which is srprisingly excellent.. Another series of lenses to consider are Tamron Adaptall 2 Lenses.. Buy a cheap adapter for your camerasand then you may find many on eBay some without their adaapter..
Thanks for sharing.
Hellios 44 m 58mm f2, NIKON 100mm f2 , pentax takumar F2.8 28mm , Pentacon 135mm m42 f2.8 , adapted for fuji x and mft ......
Forgot F1.8 Pentacon 50mm M42
I have a Question Sir Peter ......do you still shoot medium format film at all ?? And do you scan your negatives at home or in a Lab??
I do not use medium format anymore. I have misplaced my Mamiya 6X7. I scan the film myself. I have a video about that: th-cam.com/video/uMNMaXhk2Ts/w-d-xo.html
The problem with adapted lenses on m4/3 is you really can’t get a fast aperture below a 35mm equivalent. The widest Nikkor ais you can adapt with the 0.71x speedbooster is the 24mm. The 20mm isn’t supported.
If I want manual focus and vintage look/feel and build, I use my Voigtlander f/0.95 native lenses. Not cheap, but you can’t beat them with any adapted lens.
Voigtlander f0,95 must be a wonderful lens. I have a SLR Magic 25mm t0,85 lens. I use it for video mostly.
Peter Forsgård, for someone committed to m4/3 they’re really worth the investment. Beautiful optics and build quality. I have the 17.5mm and 25mm. Someday I hope to get the 10.5mm.
Those focal lengths are just about what you need?
I do street photography, so 95% of my photos are at 35 and 50mm equivalent. The rest are 28/24/20mm.
Instagram: @joeltunnah
Olympus G-Zuiko 55mm f/1. 2 (radioactive!)
So more than the pictures get some character from that lens! :-) I have a few Pentax SMC radioactive lenses myself! Did you know that if you put the lens in sunlight for a few days it reduces the "gold" cast of the glass from the radioactive elements? Eventually it does come back. I have done some tests and there actually is a teeny bit of difference in the overall color of the images when doing this.
@@aengusmacnaughton1375 yes, apparently so. I need to play more with this lens. Wonderfully unsharp at full aperture 📷
The 55mm f1.2 lens sounds interesting. There are quite a few in eBay. Most of them are shipped from Japan. That will be expensive to get one to Europe. Taxes ads up to the price quite a bit.
@@ForsgardPeter I got it in a part exchange deal a few years ago to make up the numbers and go with an OM-2. It wasn't cheap. Certainly not a nifty fifty, more a collectors item.
@@stevehallam0850 -- yes, I have a Nikon pre-AI 50mm f1.2 (got it for free with some camera stuff that someone was giving away!) -- and I was all excited to try it out on my Nikon FE and adapted to my G85 -- great lens, but yes, at f.14 it gets a little soft, not horrible -- but yikes, at f1.2 it is almost like there is vaseline smudged on the lens! Even on my Nikon FE -- so I don't know if the lens was originally that way, or for some reason it got worse with age. But it is beautiful to just look at the front of the lens with the huge front element....
I have two vintage lenses. A Helios 44M-4 58mm F.2 ( I think a later version with different lens coatings and less aperture blades, so slightly different character to the bokeh) and a Super-Takumar 55mm F.2. Although I still find it difficult to get sharpness right across the board (stopping down helps though), I was pleasantly surprised by the Super Takumar especially when it comes to image quality.
Just curious, OM-D camera seem to allow one to manually change the vocal length in the IBIS settings. Is this a useful setting in addition to the peaking and magnify functions? If so, what focal length do I select here? Do I factor in the 2x crop factor of M4/3, or do I use the FF equivalent?
On my Panasonic G85 when attaching a manual or adapted lens, the camera prompts me for the focal length -- and I put in the focal length of the lens itself (not the x2 eqiuvalent) and so far everything seems to work OK. I would guess that the Olympus settings would be similar.
Yes, it is a good thing to set the focal length manually. It helps the IBIS to work properly. With M.Zuiko lenses you do not need to do that. The camera can read the focal length from the lens.
You set the focal length that is on the lens.
@@ForsgardPeter -- Ah -- that brings up a question -- if you use a Panasonic MFT lens on your Olympus camera -- the camera will, or will not, detect the focal length? I have the Panasonic G85, but no Olympus MFT lenses to test the reverse.
It will if it is a modern MFT-lens.
@@ForsgardPeter -- OK, then I need to see what Olympus MFT lens fills a gap in my handful of true MFT lenses for my G85 -- and then double-check that my G85 is as smart as Olympus cameras and detects the Olympus lens properly.
teach the new comers to old lens about hypefocus
That could have bee added to this video. I talked about it in my video about sharpness. th-cam.com/video/cm3y5F36iM4/w-d-xo.html
I have a Vivitar 75-300mm with an adapter and a Vivitar Teleconverter 2x...but it's hard to use :)
So that combo has 1200 mm FF equivalent angle of view. That is long and can imagine that it is very hard top focus.
@@ForsgardPeter yes really hard. But with a good configuration of the stabilisation it is a bit easier. and with focuspeaking and the preview zoom in display. I have to practice more. Will an Olympus 300mm with auto focus work better? A small change of the focusring is a really big change in the focus on the object.
300mm f4 has a very good auto focus and it works really nice.
@@ForsgardPeter Thanks for your reply. I will check out a 300mm with autofocus...makes life easier :)
Peter do you think olympus should make an 150mm prime lens like an "150mm F1.8 Pro" Why have olympus not made an 150mm prime???
No idea. It would be a great lens.