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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> Anyone use legacy prime lenses?
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 07/05/2015 09:02:43 PM · #1
I've started collecting old manual prime lenses and I'm loving them. Do any of you guys have old primes that you recommend?
 07/05/2015 09:45:31 PM · #2
There is some really nice old glass, out of Russia. So far the Tair 11a 135mm f2.8 is my favorite. With 20, yes a full crazy 20 diaphragm blades, bokeh is great. Color rendition and contrast are excellent as well. Did I mention the lens hood is built in? It slide out when you need it. Pentax made some wonderful 50mm primes as well.

Flickr is a good place to find images done with lenses that interest you, and they have groups dedicated to different types of older lenses. Some of that old glass, you would need to go with a Canon L prime to do better. The only thing they lack is autofocus, and image stabilization.
 07/05/2015 09:54:43 PM · #3
There are lots of fun old manual lenses out there, and as far as SLRs go, the Canon EOS system is the most flexible for retrofitting them (though everything changes when you start talking mirrorless).
One good resource is mflenses.com. Personally, I use the following "classic" lenses:
- Zeiss 75/1.5 Biotar
- Steinheil 35mm Macro-Quinaron
- Steinheil 135mm Macro-Tele-Quinar
- Vivitar Series 1 600mm f/8 "Solid Cat"
 07/05/2015 09:57:38 PM · #4
Originally posted by kirbic:
There are lots of fun old manual lenses out there, and as far as SLRs go, the Canon EOS system is the most flexible for retrofitting them (though everything changes when you start talking mirrorless).
One good resource is mflenses.com. Personally, I use the following "classic" lenses:
- Zeiss 75/1.5 Biotar
- Steinheil 35mm Macro-Quinaron
- Steinheil 135mm Macro-Tele-Quinar
- Vivitar Series 1 600mm f/8 "Solid Cat"


I've been Jonesing a solid cat, but the prices have gone through the roof.
 07/05/2015 10:36:57 PM · #5
Originally posted by ambaker:
I've been Jonesing a solid cat, but the prices have gone through the roof.


Have they really? I was not aware... I bought mine quite a while back, and they weren't cheap then. To me, that one is more of a collector's item than anything. There are better options in long telephotos.

The one that was (still is to a degree) absolutely crazy is the Zeiss 75/1.5 Biotar. I think I paid $375 for mine, and in similar condition they are going for more like $2k now.
 07/05/2015 10:59:29 PM · #6
I enjoy most of my older prime manual Nikkors, but I also have a bent for sticking anything that passes light on the front of my camera.

One of my fav oldies is the earlier Kiron built version of the Vivitar Series 1, 70-210mm f3.5 Macro Focusing Zoom. I used one with my old Canon FTb QL back in the FD mount days, and now have the Nikon version for my Nikon.

Any of the enlarging lenses, and older large format camera lenses of the similar type will work with DSLR's if you mount them on a bellows attachment. Most of them are longer focal length than 75mm due to the size of the negatives that they were built to illuminate. The B&L 1918 patent "C" model is my fav so far.

Even with serious grunge in the glass, some of the older lenses can give you impressive "soft focus" results if you clean up the low end of the levels and sharpen some in post. One of my pals gave me an old Astro Berlin 640mm f5 that is useful for this sort of stuff.


Message edited by author 2015-07-05 23:02:34.
 07/05/2015 11:33:09 PM · #7
Right now my challenge entries for macro and thirds were both taken with legacy lenses. The one for the thirds challenge is with a minolta 50mm 1.9. And my shot for macro is with a focal brand 135md lens and the 50mm handheld backwards In front of it.
The 135mm is not too sharp. The 50 I am very happy with. It is sharp when stopped down a bit, and has very shallow depth of feild at 1.9. I like it better than my canon 50mm 1.8.

I am also just staring to play with another focal brand. This time the 28mm 2.8. If it is soft as the 135mm I might splurge and get the minolta. I find them very easy to use with the focus peaking.
 07/06/2015 02:35:12 AM · #8
thanks for sharing that. those happen to be the same length legacy primes as mine: Pentax SMC Pentax-M 50mm 1/1.4 Asahi and
Pentax Takumar 135mm f2.5. the latter can be soft, but it is lovely to work with. the 50mm is the most beautiful lens in the world. good on both the K01 and the K50; the former has a nice magnified focus area on the screen - moveable and resizable, and the 50 has a beep in focus.

bought second hand, very very reasonable. they have spoiled me in this respect as well.
 07/06/2015 06:22:17 AM · #9
how do you properly focus a manual with current view finder? i can see setting up a tripod and then using live view. i'm not sure I'd have any any use for a manual focus outside of macro.
 07/06/2015 06:28:29 AM · #10
Originally posted by Mike:
how do you properly focus a manual with current view finder? i can see setting up a tripod and then using live view. i'm not sure I'd have any any use for a manual focus outside of macro.


Horses for courses man, I actually do not own any AF lenses at all.
Oh wait, tell a lie I got one with the Hassy but I shoot my old MF lenses on it. I guess it's just what you are used to but even when I had the Nikon D800 I used the very nice 50mm f1.2 AI lens and the focus confirm light actually worked when it hit focus but I tend to pull focus in the viewfinder. I have had no issues using manual focus without a tripod and even on the fly or at sports events.

Cheap classics are the Jupiter line up, they are all interesting & also vintage Leica stuff from the 30's reasonable price these days, Also M42 Zeiss have some classics. With adapters you can pretty much mount anything to anything.
 07/06/2015 09:32:04 AM · #11
Originally posted by MAK:
... With adapters you can pretty much mount anything to anything.


Well, not really. If you want to retain infinity focus, then the distance from the lens mount flange to the sensor plane (the register distance) needs to be maintained. So it is not possible to mount a lens for which the register distance for the original mount is smaller than the target camera. Also, if the diameter of the original mount is larger than the opening in the target camera, it still may be impossible, even if the register distance in the target camera is smaller.
That is why the Canon EOS mount is so flexible... it has a relatively short register distance (for an SLR) and also a large mount diameter.
One final caution; if a lens can be mounted, there is still the potential for mirror interference. I have had this issue with a couple of my manual lenses, and have had to make minor modifications to get things to work. It's worth doing the research before spending money on a specific lens.
 07/06/2015 09:48:50 AM · #12
Originally posted by Mike:
how do you properly focus a manual with current view finder? i can see setting up a tripod and then using live view. i'm not sure I'd have any any use for a manual focus outside of macro.


Nikon's have a green dot in the viewfinder that lights up when the image is focused. It works better than it sounds like it would.

I sold all my MF lenses because I can't see well enough to focus them, but I had a Nikon 105mm f/2.5 that was the best portrait lens I've ever owned, and it cost all of $175. They're probably more now since MF lenses are hip again, though.
 07/06/2015 09:54:27 AM · #13
i wonder if canon does the same.
 07/06/2015 10:25:22 AM · #14
Originally posted by Mike:
i wonder if canon does the same.


Canon does not provide any "focus confirmation" unless the adapter used has an electronic chip that enables it. The adapters with the chip are readily available. Frankly, I don't rely on focus confirmation that much. I installed the Canon Eg-S Super Precision focus screen, which makes it easier to see what's in focus (needs relatively fast lenses to work properly).
07/06/2015 10:53:03 AM · #15
that thing looks interesting even without MF lenses... i may have to try it out considering i like to shoot more open than not.
 07/06/2015 11:01:28 AM · #16
Originally posted by kirbic:
There are lots of fun old manual lenses out there, and as far as SLRs go, the Canon EOS system is the most flexible for retrofitting them (though everything changes when you start talking mirrorless).


I would have to say that Canon may be the most flexible of SLR cameras (no idea really because I never used them when I shot Canon), but they are way behind the flexibility of any mirrorless systems out there.
 07/06/2015 11:06:18 AM · #17
Where do people find these lenses? I check craigslist occasionally, but never really see much worth buying.
 07/06/2015 11:08:06 AM · #18
Originally posted by Mike:
how do you properly focus a manual with current view finder? i can see setting up a tripod and then using live view. i'm not sure I'd have any any use for a manual focus outside of macro.


Depends on the camera system you are using. With most mirrorless cameras (only have experience with Fuji and Olympus) you have focus peaking and/or the viewfinder can zoom in to get precise focus. Given the current technology in mirrorless cameras, it is pretty much just as easy as it was using the old manual focus cameras.
 07/06/2015 11:10:59 AM · #19
Originally posted by giantmike:
Where do people find these lenses? I check craigslist occasionally, but never really see much worth buying.


B&H and Adorama both sell used equipment, which includes old manual focus stuff. There is also KEH where I have bought several of my manual focus and even my newer lenses. I have picked up a few from eBay also. Lots of places.........I stop at every yard sale I come across looking for a deal on something.
 07/06/2015 11:31:57 AM · #20
I love using older manual focus lenses on my cameras. For a long time, they were all I had for my Fuji XE1 and then my Olympus EM5. I have several ribbon winners shot with manual focus lenses.

My first ribbon winner with manual focus was shot with my Fuji X-E1 and a 30ish year old Lester A. Dine 105mm ƒ2.8 Macro



Another of my favorite photos taken with the Lester Dine, but using my Olympus OM-D E-M5



My second ribbon winner with manual focus was for the Masters Free Study III using my Olympus OM-D E-M5 and a 35 year old Canon FD 400mm ƒ4.5



This is still my favorite Green Heron photo that I have taken and here I used the 400mm and my old Fuji XE1



One of my favorite gator shots (I love to photograph gators) using the Fuji and 400mm



This one was using my Fuji and a Canon FD 50mm ƒ1.8 and one of my favorite photos of two of my cats.



My manual focus gallery on Flickr

Guess you should could say that I enjoy using manual focus but have not used them much lately. But, when the situation calls for it I am not afraid to break out the old glass with complete confidence in their ability to create beautiful photographs.
 07/06/2015 12:27:38 PM · #21
Originally posted by Kobba:
Originally posted by kirbic:
There are lots of fun old manual lenses out there, and as far as SLRs go, the Canon EOS system is the most flexible for retrofitting them (though everything changes when you start talking mirrorless).


I would have to say that Canon may be the most flexible of SLR cameras (no idea really because I never used them when I shot Canon), but they are way behind the flexibility of any mirrorless systems out there.


Yep, and thus my statement that "everything changes when you start talking mirrorless."

I agree that the retailers are occasionally very good sources, and KEH is in particular a good source. I have found KEH's used lenses to exceed expectations as to condition, however their prices do tend to be on the high end also.
Flea-bay is another source, but of course you *really* need to know what you are getting into there. I have bought lenses on ebay; it is not my preferred venue, but sometimes is the best available one. For instance, I bought my Zeiss 75/1.5 out of Eastern Europe, and ebay made that transaction relatively painless. Another resource is the buy/sell forum at Fredmiranda.com.
 07/06/2015 01:40:56 PM · #22
photography on the net is another place to buy used. its mainly canon gear though.
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