Best camera to use old MF lenses?

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Bruce Gill
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hi there

Any help appreciated, and if I've posted in the wrong place, please let me know.

Long story short, I've found I'm enjoying old/vintage manual focus lens's on my xt1 more than modern AF lenss, though the Fuji fly by wire (think that's the correct term?) is possible a big reason for this.

That said, trying to find lenses so I can get a equivalent of a 35mm lens is tricky (found one or two 24mm that would do it). So, that's got me thinking full frame may be the best way to go?

I'll possibly sell the xt1 and pick up a cheap xpro1..... Or sell the lot, keep my x100t and buy something ff that I can use old vintage stuff on.

I do love the x100t but realistically, full from rangefinder with interchangeable lenses puts me in Leica territory and I don't think that'll ever happen, unless anyone wantsto offer me a good price on a mildly pickled liver? Or a kidney?

Thanks
Bruce
 
Yeah, that's what I've been vaguely looking at... Never looked at sony before so it's that head ache of working out what models are what and if the newer versions are worth it....

I should ad, the xt1 images are lovely and I'm happy with that size etc... It really is just a case of wanting to make it easy to get nice lenses. A 35mm being a 35mm is very appealing, as is the DOF of full fram etc
 
I agree with Simon. The A7 is a great choice for vintage lenses. 2nd hand they are floating around for about 500quid or maybe less! There are so many adapters out there for them also on Ebay. A rangefinder won't do you much good as the lenses won't be coupled so you couldnt judge the focus (unless you bought a M240 or newer!)
 
The new v2 version has the sensor stabilised which may help depending on your uses. Besides a bit of ergonomic change and faster autofocus with native lenses there probably isn't a reason to spend double if you are prepared to buy second hand! Its also noticeably bigger/heavier
 
Maybe an Sony A7 FF :)
Yup, it's the only (non Leica) full frame mirrorless interchangeable lens camera.

I've used Minolta Rokkor, Olympus Zuiko and Canon FD on my A7 via Novoflex adapters. Note that the Nex adapters may be APS-C and although they'll fit an A7 they'll get in the way of wider lenses. My Nex adapter works at 28mm but is visible at 24mm so if using wider than 28mm lenses it's wise to check that the adapter is suitable. Other than that little issue the focus peaking and magnified view make accurate manual focus possible and it's a different world from trying to use manual lenses on a DSLR.

Note that prices of manual lenses seem to have risen in recent years but there are still bargains to be found for anyone just starting with manual lenses or adding to their collections.
 
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Thanks guys! I'd just about worked out I only really needed the A7 and not the new version, so good to hear it from someone else.

Anyone know what the EVF is like compaired to the xt1? Or x100t?

Thanks for the info on the converters Alan, that's a great help and something I'd not considered at all.

I been sort of left cold by my xt1 of late. Yet absolutely love the x100t. I can't work it out... Bought a manual lens and adapter for the xt1 and I'm much closer to what I want now...
 
What about a speed booster adapter? With the Fuji you would be very close to FF field of view. Generic ones go for about £60 these days.
 
That's an idea. I hadn't realised they were so cheep. But then I've seen some make it really really soft in any area other than the Center. I can cope with a bit at the edges... I'll have to look into them. Many thanks.
 
What about a speed booster adapter? With the Fuji you would be very close to FF field of view. Generic ones go for about £60 these days.

Some of the cheaper speed boosters I've looked at seem to degrade image quality as you're introducing more glass in between the lens and camera. The Meta Bones jobbies seem the best but are top dollar. You can't beat using old MF lenses in the manner they were intended ie on a FF camera.
 
What about a speed booster adapter? With the Fuji you would be very close to FF field of view. Generic ones go for about £60 these days.
I've bought a cheap MD-FX FLR adapter and it's ok for portraits but the edges seem to suffer.

But, a couple of top-end FLR adapters would probably be cheaper than the cost of switching from the -T1 to the A7.
 
Why is the xt-1 not good with old lenses? With all is manual focus possibility it looks like a good option? A friend just bought a cheap fuji ex1 and is delighted using an old f/1.0 lens on it. But that is just a tcheap xt1...
Edit: sorry just read your second comment, you're looking at FF!
 
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I found the original lens Turbo (speedbooster clone) poor at the image edges, but the second version looks much better. I've ordered one for my X-T1 via Amazon (£100) and it should make its way here from China in the next week or so. Will post some samples when it arrives, I'm particularly keen to compare the results against that if my ff Canon EOS 6D.

Will mainly be using my Contax Zeiss lenses, but I've kept a few M42 classics too such as the Pentacon 135/2.8 preset :)

I had the a7 before but couldn't get on with it.
 
I've bought a cheap MD-FX FLR adapter and it's ok for portraits but the edges seem to suffer.

But, a couple of top-end FLR adapters would probably be cheaper than the cost of switching from the -T1 to the A7.

Hello Alastair! Hope all is well (we did the deal on a 23mm and a 18+60mm from memory, at Duxford). I kinda hoped you would chime in as I remember you were enjoying using old MF lenses! Thanks for the info.

Why is the xt-1 not good with old lenses? With all is manual focus possibility it looks like a good option? A friend just bought a cheap fuji ex1 and is delighted using an old f/1.0 lens on it. But that is just a tcheap xt1...
Edit: sorry just read your second comment, you're looking at FF!

yup, only because of the crop factor. I want to find a good (in FF equivalent) 35mm and 50mm, plus maybe a 90mm. It's the 35mm thats a problem on the crop sensor. a good 24mm is hard to come by in comparison to a good 35mm (hope that makes sense lol)

I found the original lens Turbo (speedbooster clone) poor at the image edges, but the second version looks much better. I've ordered one for my X-T1 via Amazon (£100) and it should make its way here from China in the next week or so. Will post some samples when it arrives, I'm particularly keen to compare the results against that if my ff Canon EOS 6D.

Will mainly be using my Contax Zeiss lenses, but I've kept a few M42 classics too such as the Pentacon 135/2.8 preset :)

I had the a7 before but couldn't get on with it.

Thanks mate. will look forward to seeing some images. The big thing with this is working out what old lens mount you want to stick with, otherwise it gets out of control... I'm very new to it and currently only have a M42 and a MD adapter (normal, not a speedbooster).....

Thanks again for all your help guys, very much appreciated.
 
I really enjoyed using manual focus lenses on my XT1 the manual focus aids made it a doddle but i never had concerns for the crop factor. Why is it important to you to have 35mm. If you were prepared to go a little longer there are some cracking 28mm legasy glass out there.
 
I really enjoyed using manual focus lenses on my XT1 the manual focus aids made it a doddle but i never had concerns for the crop factor. Why is it important to you to have 35mm. If you were prepared to go a little longer there are some cracking 28mm legasy glass out there.

I just like the 35mm perspective/look/framing... I'll look at some 28mm. Have you any suggestions?

I can get nice 35mm (so 50mm ish), and nice 50mm (so 80 ish?) but to get the 35mm I'll need 23mm or there about. I guess 24mm are slightly more common and the 28mm must be even more so? I've not looked.
 
I really enjoyed using manual focus lenses on my XT1 the manual focus aids made it a doddle but i never had concerns for the crop factor. Why is it important to you to have 35mm. If you were prepared to go a little longer there are some cracking 28mm legasy glass out there.

It's nice to be able to shoot at 28mm / 24mm with these legacy lenses. The crop factor is a restriction which spoils the experience. On the other hand , my Carl Zeiss 135mm M42 lens becomes a 270mm prime on my OMD-EM5 and I've had some lovely airshow shots with that combo. It's horses for courses I guess but for me it's nice to be able to put on a 28mm f2.8 or 50mm f1.8 and shoot at those exact focal lengths.
 
Hello Alastair! Hope all is well (we did the deal on a 23mm and a 18+60mm from memory, at Duxford). I kinda hoped you would chime in as I remember you were enjoying using old MF lenses! Thanks for the info.
Hi Bruce! A good 24mm isn't easy to find. Maybe a CZ Distagon 25/2.8 if you can find one - you've a choice of C/Y or QBM fitting.

Or how about a good quality FLR adapter and a CZJ Flektogon 35/2.4?
 
Hi Bruce! A good 24mm isn't easy to find.

I'm quite happy with the Zuiko 24mm and the Rokkor is even better. I've read that it's regarded as being one of the best 24mm's ever designed. AFAIK Leica took it and branded it. 28mm's are cheaper if the budget is tight.
 
Full time convert to an A7 shooting with mostly FD lenses and a smattering of Zeiss-Contax C/Y and Oly OM Zuikos. I bought the body precisely to get back to MF FF as I already had the lenses and I'm still thoroughly enjoying it 18 months later.

I'm quite happy with the Zuiko 24mm and the Rokkor is even better. I've read that it's regarded as being one of the best 24mm's ever designed. AFAIK Leica took it and branded it. 28mm's are cheaper if the budget is tight.

The Zuiko 24mm f/2.8 renders nicely and is quite sharp, but it suffers rather from moustache distortion IME. I prefer my FD 24/2.8 most of the time although it is slightly larger, but much easier to correct. I do a fair bit of architecture where the distortion is more of a problem. YMMV.
 
The Minolta 24 makes me laugh. Minolta fans talk it up as a Leica quality lens, whilst Leica fans talk it down as a Minolta quality lens! Not so with the 35-70/3.5 though :)
Even if the badges cause debate there's no denying it's a nice lens. I'm not too sure how it stacks up against more modern offerings but maybe they don't have the charm of the old lens.

I've used mine on both MFT and Sony A7.
 
I've been looking at zuiko 24mm f/2.8 for ages because i my widest is 35mm at the moment. From what i can see it's not really a cheapish option. Usually around the 100+£ mark i think? I've been putting bid around 50-60 for the last 6 months / 1 year but always unsuccessful so i was wondering if any of the other brand with om mount would do sigma, vivitar,....
 
The Sigma mini wide is supposed to be pretty good. Keep an eye out for non-ai Nikon 24/2.8 lenses as most Nikon users can't adapt them...so they go cheaper. Will need an adapter though.

I'm quite impressed with this Miranda 24/2.8 as well. Will get some shots up soon.
 
Sony A7R - that'll get the beasties working. I used mine exclusively with old manual focus gear as none of the Sony lenses were in my price range (and at the time there weren't many to choose from since my A7R was a preordered one). I've found lenses that were awesome on my A7 just don't cut it on my XT1. Likewise my favourite lens in my m4/3 days didn't cut it on the A7R, all very weird but part of the fun of using quirky old glass.

24mm lenses that are good and cheap are rare as. I have a Zuiko 2.8 that is a pried possession! The Sigma isn't all that good despite people continually claiming it is. The plastic fantastic Vivitar/Cosina 24mm is better, in fact it's very good as long as you keep the sun out of frame.

Lets see some samples....

Canon FL 58mm f1.2 on A7R:

Yr Eifl 1/14 by Alan Jones, on Flickr

Konica Hexanon AR 40mm f1.8 pancake lens on A7R:

Electrifying by Alan Jones, on Flickr

Nikon AIS 85mm f1.4 on A7R (at f2 IIRC)

Pedestal by Alan Jones, on Flickr

As it came up... Zuiko 24mm f2.8 wide open on A7R

Shutter by Alan Jones, on Flickr

I didn't much enjoy my time with Sony, I much prefer the Fuji System as a whole but if you want FF fun with legacy glass there aren't a lot of options!
 
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I use a lot of old Nikon lenses on my Fuji X Pro 1 with a metabones adapter. with great results.
 
Sony A7R - that'll get the beasties working. I used mine exclusively with old manual focus gear as none of the Sony lenses were in my price range (and at the time there weren't many to choose from since my A7R was a preordered one). I've found lenses that were awesome on my A7 just don't cut it on my XT1. Likewise my favourite lens in my m4/3 days didn't cut it on the A7R, all very weird but part of the fun of using quirky old glass.

24mm lenses that are good and cheap are rare as. I have a Zuiko 2.8 that is a pried possession! The Sigma isn't all that good despite people continually claiming it is. The plastic fantastic Vivitar/Cosina 24mm is better, in fact it's very good as long as you keep the sun out of frame.

Lets see some samples....

Canon FL 58mm f1.2 on A7R:

Yr Eifl 1/14 by Alan Jones, on Flickr

Konica Hexanon AR 40mm f1.8 pancake lens on A7R:

Electrifying by Alan Jones, on Flickr

Nikon AIS 85mm f1.4 on A7R (at f2 IIRC)

Pedestal by Alan Jones, on Flickr

As it came up... Zuiko 24mm f2.8 wide open on A7R

Shutter by Alan Jones, on Flickr

I didn't much enjoy my time with Sony, I much prefer the Fuji System as a whole but if you want FF fun with legacy glass there aren't a lot of options!

One of my favourite posts this year!
 
I came from a 5D2 to an A7 about 15 months ago now and have never looked back.

I have the FE35 2.8 lens but everything else is old and manual - CV40 1.4, Leitz Tele-Elmarit 90/2.8, FD 85 and 50, Sigma 24/2.8, Yashica ML 28 and 50's.......

Should have some lens specific albums on my Flickr and everything should be tagged with the lens used too ;)
 
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