Old manual lens and adaptor on 5D, how good.

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Instead of buying a nifty fifty eos 50mm f1.8 I think I might like to try an older manual focus lens.
I have a Konica AR mount 40mm lens (and several 50mm lenses) which would be lovely but not much chance of getting an adaptor I don't think.
I also have a Pentax PK 50mm which again would be nice but I've heard that part of this lens may foul the mirror and it'd need modification, something I'd like to avoid if possible.
So my other option is to buy a lens and the appropriate adaptor.
Suggestions of a good way to go with this would be appreciated, I'm thinking Olly OM or Nikon F.
Also, anyone that has done this, what will I actually be able to do?
Will I get metering?
If I put the camera in Aperture Priority will the shutter speed change in the camera as I open and close the aperture using the ring on the lens?
And are AF confirm adaptors worth the extra?
 
Nikon F are a good bet, OM stuff will work as well, best though, if you're feeling flush, is the Leica R.

I have a tamron SP 90/2.5 that I use with a cheap manual adapter, in AV mode you use stop down metering, this means the viewfinder image gets darker as you stop down but the shutter speed changes, you get the same effect in manual ( an indication of under and over exposure)...

A few issues with image quality, the contrast seems a little less and I sometimes get an internal reflection.

Unless you spend big bucks I wouldn't get a focus confirm adapter, read some horror stories of fried electronics, you have a big bright viewfinder, trust your eyes! Get used to:

Change to taking aperture - meter as required - set shutter speed - change to wide open - focus - change to taking aperture - attempt to check focus - check meter reading - take shot

Sounds like a faff but takes a few seconds, also google MF Lenses forum, hope this helps,

Des
 
There are some really excellent manual lenses around. Zuiko (Olympus) are very popular, along with Nikon, Contax/Zeiss and others. You need to be careful with Leica and some Contax lenses as the mirror can hit the back of the lens.
Look out for a good quality adaptor, not necessarily expensive, on ebay. Its important that it is the right thickness to ensure you can achieve infinity focus.
It might be worth your while looking at the Alternative lenses forum over on Fred Miranda's site to do some research.
 
I've been trying a Contax Zeiss 50mm f1.4 on my 5d2 and find it very tricky to focus manually though the viewfinder at wide apertures. I have an AF confirm adaptor but it is not accurate - confirms focus a few centimetres in front of the focus point. Focusing with live view is easy and accurate but not very convenient. Exposure in AV is perfect.

Btw, my first experiment with a manual lens was with a Canon FD 50mm F1.4. Nice lens on my M4/3 but a disaster on the Canon because the adaptor needs a lens and even though I bought the best adaptor I could find, the results were rubbish.
 
I've forgotten where, but there is, somewhere, a list of camera formats and their register distance ( I think that's what it's called) this shows which makes are usable on the EOS system, anything with a longer distance than EOS won't need an adapter with a piece of glass in it...
 
This is where I wish I was still a Nikon user and could pick up an old manual focus 50mm from years back, slap it on my camera and have everything working perfectly.
 
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