Recommend me a useful piece of kit (£50)

Hmm I'm not quite understanding this contradictory statement on the mount


Although the lens will fit physically, automatic diaphragm, auto-focusing,
or any other functions will not operate correctly while using this adapter.
In this case "stop-down mode" will need to be used when metering since the lens does not
have the ability to have its aperture controlled by the camera body.

You can shoot with manual mode or aperture priority mode.....

So you can shoot in aperture mode but not be able to control the aperture???
 
gothgirl said:
I have a soloution ....



Ready for it ?



Buy both !


Use the canon for work and the MF for play ! ;)
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Hahaha, great idea. :)

As for the aperture, you shoot in aperture priority mode and you turn the aperture ring on the lens to control the aperture. Just like in the old days. The camera will automatically choose the right shutter speed for you.
 
There is something to keep in mind about Helios (and all Russian) lenses. This goes back to what I said about learning about the history of all this legacy glass. Many Russian lenses, including the Helios, were copies of German Zeiss lenses. At the end or World War II the part of Germany that Russia took control of had a Zeiss factory in it. So they copied all the lens designs (and took a lot of the machiniery to make them) back to Russia with them. Then they started cranking these things out in the MILLIONS.

So there are many cheap Russian (Zeiss copy) lenses available. However, Russian quality control was horrible. After all these years it is somewhat hit or miss as to the exact condition of you old Russian lens. Focus may be stiff, lenses may be decentered, aperture may be oily and sticky. Sometimes you have to go thru several different lenses to get a 'keeper'. Sometimes you get a good one right away. But when you find a keeper, you wont ever part with it. If it works properly is can produce amazing photographs.
 
To be fair, I've never had a problem with any of my old lenses. I have just over thirty now.

Change the aperture on the lens, focus, (or vice versa) the camera does the rest!
 
So what brands are worth buying ? And what do I avoid ?

Having a look at some old MF glass now ... Bearing In mind I'll have to buy a converter most likely too
 
I dont think Miranda will work on your Canon. Not easily anyway. You want to be able to use a cheap adapter that doesnt have any correction glass in it to degrade your photo. You basically want your adapter to be nothing more then a spacer (with no glass in it). So that means you have to use a lens that originally had a flange to focal distance that is greater then your Canon flange to focal distance. This is not as complicated as it sounds.

Go here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flange_focal_distance

Look down toward the bottom of the list and you will see the FtF distance of your Canon EOS EF as 44.4mm. You can basically use any lens that is listed lower on the list with a basic adapter. That means those are the lenses with a flange to focal distance GREATER then your camera. So you are looking at the following...

Pentax (ranges from decent to very, very good)
M42 (from crappy to super excellent...need to know your glass)
Contax/Yashica (Contax glass by Zeiss...Amazing. Yashica ML glass...Amazing)
Olympus OM (from decent to Very, very good...some amazing)
Nikon (Excellent glass, some dogs but mostly very good)
Leica R (VERY nice to Amazing excellent...VERY expensive compared to lenses that can do the same thing for less)

Keep in mind that there are third party lenses made in these mounts (like Tokina, Sigma, and other crappier brands). Generally stay away from these and stick with the named lenses. However, Tamron adaptall lenses in these mounts have some excellent offerings.

The others listed under Canon on that list dont worry about. They are movie or cine lenses and that is a whole other discussion. Take a look at where the Sony E mount is on that list.....way at the top. That is why I shoot NEX. I can use almost every lens on that list with the proper adapter. :)

I told you, MF lenses are a journey of discovery. It may seem overwhelming because the amount of info to absorb is so high. But just try out a lens or two and see if its for you. Soon you may find yourself with a small (or large!) collection of old lenses that you cherish and use to create amazing photography.
 
I'd avoid Miranda, they were cheap back then.
For 50mm I would look at Industar 61, Helios 44-2
Pentax and Carl Zeiss Jena lenses in M42 (Pentax screw mount)
Yashica have some decent lenses, especially ML as opposed to DSB.

I bought a really nice Olympus 50 f1.8 chrome nose for £14
 
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either a reflector or a 2nd hand 50mm 1.8 (night and day difference between it and the kit lens....although IT WILL send you on your G.A.S journey) :)
 
kendo1 said:
I'd avoid Miranda, they were cheap back then.
For 50mm I would look at Industar 61, Helios 44-2
Pentax and Carl Zeiss Jena lenses in M42 (Pentax screw mount)
Yashica have some decent lenses, especially ML as opposed to DSB.
Click to expand...

the Helios is an awesomely cheap lens, quirky preset design and dodgy bokeh, but lovely and sharp.....you just have to realise that by using M42 lenses that the more you close down the aperture, the darker your viewfinder......................
 
Oh, Im not sure where you live but if you have any local thrift stores then check them out. I find a lot of my lenses on old cameras as these type of resale shops. You have to check the glass our and see if it has any scratches or fungus but usually they are in decent shape. You can find some crazy bargains there because people think these old film cameras arent worth anything. They couldnt be more wrong.

You can also check KEH.com. They have a very nice selection of old lenses nicely categorized under their 35mm section by brand. They also have a great return policy if you dont like the lens. I have bought from them many times.
 
Antihero is right. Once you start buying this stuff and using it you just want more and more old lenses.....

And true what he says about the viewfinder as well. As you stop the lens down the aperture gets smaller so less light comes in and your VF gets darker. Another reason I like NEX cameras. They have an electronic VF that is basically a little TV screen. When you stop the lens down the screen just gets brighter to compensate so no problem there. Also the NEX has focus peaking...its a godsend. It highlights in the VF what is actually in focus. Using MF lenses on a NEX couldnt be any easier.
 
antihero said:
the Helios is an awesomely cheap lens, quirky preset design and dodgy bokeh, but lovely and sharp.....you just have to realise that by using M42 lenses that the more you close down the aperture, the darker your viewfinder......................
Click to expand...

Sorry my technical jargon is terrible

Do you mean when I'm down at the lower f stops , 1.8, 2.0 etc

How can I combat this or what do I do ?
 
F/otographer I understand ... I think

So what you're saying is the viewfinder won't be giving a true view of what the imAge will be?

(I.e don't overcompensate on exposure as what you're seeing in the viewfinder isn't an entirely accurate portrail of the image that will be produced, so don't add a stop of exposure compensation as you'll end up over exposing the images
 
gothgirl said:
F/otographer I understand ... I think

So what you're saying is the viewfinder won't be giving a true view of what the imAge will be?

(I.e don't overcompensate on exposure as what you're seeing in the viewfinder isn't an entirely accurate portrail of the image that will be produced, so don't add a stop of exposure compensation as you'll end up over exposing the images
Click to expand...

Essentially thats correct. A camera with an electronic view finder (like the NEX) will compensate for the lack of light and always show you what your image will look like. A camera with an optical view finder (Canon, Nikon) simply has no way to do this. So you have to get good at either shooting wide open or shooting with a darker VF.

By wide open I mean with the aperture full open to its lowest number, 1.8 or 1.4 or whatever is lowest for the lens. In the case of your kit lens I think the lowest it will go is 3.5, which isnt very fast at all. The lower the number on the lens the faster it is. By stopping the lens down you turn the aperture ring to the progressively higher numbers which actually makes the aperture in the lens start to close down and make the hole in the lens smaller. This lets in less light. This will become more clear when you have a lens with an aperture ring in your hand and you can turn it back and forth to see what the aperture looks like depending on which f/stop you have it on.

Something to keep in mind is that every time you change the lens aperture one full stop (i.e., from f/2 to f2.8) you are either doubling or halving the light reaching the sensor depending on which way you go. Thats what a full stop means. F/1.4 lets in twice as much light as f/2, f/2 lets in twice as much light as f/2.8, f/2.8 lets in twice as much light as f/4 and so on. Thats why its easier to shoot in dark environments with a fast lens. Here, this will probably explain it better then I can. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-number

Oh, one other thing. I remember from my Canon days using MF lenses that the exposure isnt always right. Sometimes you simply have to compensate either way depending on which lens you have. I had an old Canon FD macro lens that I always had to use -2 exposure comp on to get the right exposure. Its something to do with the way a Canon DSLR meters. The metering algorithm is set up to use info from the lens so when you take the lens out of the equation and just give it X amount of light the camera can get a little strange at times. You learn to compensate for this.
 
The beauty of these lenses is that you can focus wide open and then stop down for the shot.
If you check the exposure value at the same time as you are focusing wide open it's easy to figure out the correct exposure as you stop down to your chosen aperture.
Of course, you can shoot wide open and just take the shot- especially with portraits if you're wanting a narrow depth of field.

If you are unsuccessful with your bid, let me know. I can lend you a lens for a few months to try out.
You would need an M42 to Canon adaptor...
 
Bad news I was outbid on the Helios :(

Good news. Oh just bought me a plastic fantastic :D

Can't wait for Xmas !
 
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Lovely offer kendo , very sweet of you , but I will gratefully decline, I am paranoid about damaging my own kit so would be petrified of loaning someone else's but it was a really lovely gesture thank you :) xx
 
kendo1 said:
The beauty of these lenses is that you can focus wide open and then stop down for the shot.
If you check the exposure value at the same time as you are focusing wide open it's easy to figure out the correct exposure as you stop down to your chosen aperture.
Of course, you can shoot wide open and just take the shot- especially with portraits if you're wanting a narrow depth of field.

If you are unsuccessful with your bid, let me know. I can lend you a lens for a few months to try out.
You would need an M42 to Canon adaptor...
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^^^^ this is what makes TP ace(y)
 
:)
If you change your mind, let me know. I doubt you could damage it, it's Russian after all.
 
For a christmas present, how about giving something 'different' to what you usually use?

Extension tubes (not extenders/multipliers).

You might enjoy having a different tool available. They are non-optical, you can get really cheap (which means manual focus), or 'decent' ones (with electrical contacts).
 
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