Beginner Total beginner with a mountain of equipment, no idea what to do

[wobblycogs]

My father-in-law is in a nursing home and is about to pass away. He was a hoarder his entire life and so I've volunteer clean up the house for my my mother-in-law as she's now too frail to do it herself. She's said she doesn't care what happens to the stuff so I offered to sell what I can and give her the money. She said I could keep anything I wanted. Amongst the hoard I found a load of camera equipment.

For a few years now I've been considering getting a modest camera and trying to learn a little photography. This equipment I've found feels like it might be a great start. I have next to no knowledge at the moment, just a little bit from helping my grandfather nearly 40 years ago, so I apologise if I ask stupid questions. The attached picture shows just the lenses and bodies that I've found so far. There's a ton of accessories, many of which are still in their original box. Everything looks to be in excellent condition.

I don't think the bodies will be any use to me as I'd like to go digital but would the lenses fit modern cameras? If anyone can give me an idea of what I'm looking at as well that would be great, I'm interested to learn even if I can't use any of this. Many thanks.

EDIT: Image a few posts down, I messed it up

 

[Box Brownie]

Hi and welcome to TP

Unfortunately for whatever reason your picture is not showing....just a placeholder.

It might be a good idea to list/catalogue the gear as there are many TP members who still use film cameras.....not me, although it still have some (including a vintage collection) that I have not used in decades. They hopefully would be able to offer you more in depth insights.

 

[woof woof]

As above can't see the picture and a list would be nice

Just to encourage you... I went digital years ago but as well as modern auto focus lenses I have quite a few manual focus film era lenses which can be used on modern digital cameras via an adapter. The adapters start at around £10 or so and if you want you can get more expensive ones, for example I have some which cost something between £80-£100.

 

[wobblycogs]

Thanks, I suspect that the link is being removed because my account is too new.

I would love to list what the gear is but I honestly not sure what details to include. Best I could do is just copy out the test around the lens I think.

 

[Bebop]

Welcome to the forum. I'm afraid I can't see your picture. It needs to be less than 500KB in size and 1000 pixels across or less for it to show on here. (You can try emailing it to yourself to downsize it if you're not sure how to do that yet. )

You may be able to use the lenses with digital cameras with an adapter, but it's not always possible. Film cameras are still quite popular.

Photography is a fantastic hobby. There are a lot of knowledgeable people here and YouTube videos to help you on your journey.

 

[woof woof]

Thanks, I suspect that the link is being removed because my account is too new.

I would love to list what the gear is but I honestly not sure what details to include. Best I could do is just copy out the test around the lens I think.

Hmmm. Maybe not.

It's possible that the picture is too big.

Try reducing it to no more than 1,000 pixels on the longest side and no more than 500kb.

Sorry to repeat you Bebop. You posted as I was typing

 

[Box Brownie]

The sort of info for both bodies and lenses....

Make & model and as you say the details of the lenses will be marked on each lens.

 

[Bebop]

Thanks, I suspect that the link is being removed because my account is too new.

I would love to list what the gear is but I honestly not sure what details to include. Best I could do is just copy out the test around the lens I think.

There may be some writing on the camera. Nikon? Canon? Pentax?

 

[wobblycogs]

Thanks Bebop, I think the image is too large so lets try again...

Full sized here (remove extra spaces) ---> https:// i.imgur.com / KsmViZ1.jpg

 

[woof woof]

A few things to note...

Make, focal length and aperture.
For eg. Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.8.

I have one of those and it works well on my digital cameras

Have a picture taken with it... ...

(Taken with a Sony A7.)

PS.
I personally wouldn't recommend using manual lenses on a DSLR as focusing can be difficult. I think they work much better on mirrorless cameras.

 

[SamHH]

The lenses are OM-mount lenses, designed to work with the Olympus OM cameras you have. You can buy adapters to make them fit on to some modern digital cameras. An adapter would allow you to take pictures with the lenses. But you won't have the features that purpose-designed lenses will have, like autofocussing and automatic control of the aperture (which controls how much light gets to the image sensor or film). It would probably be a frustrating experience trying to use those lenses on a modern camera, I'm afraid.

 

[ancient_mariner]

The olympus kit is good, though obviously very old. However if you are a novice starting off with digital then I could not recmmend using the lenses because they will all require manual operation, adapters etc. You would be much better off buying a system designed tv work together, then perhaps using the inherited kit when you had learned how to use the digital kit.

 

[wobblycogs]

Wow, I'd be over the moon if I took a photo that good!

I understood some what what you said in the PS. Would I be right in thinking manual lenses are difficult with DSLR because you focus using a screen?

EDIT: thanks SamHH and ancient_mariner, that's make sense. I suspected I was out of my depth.

 

[woof woof]

Wow, I'd be over the moon if I took a photo that good!

I understood some what what you said in the PS. Would I be right in thinking manual lenses are difficult with DSLR because you focus using a screen?

EDIT: thanks SamHH and ancient_mariner, that's make sense. I suspected I was out of my depth.

Film era cameras usually had some sort of focusing aid but DSLR's sometimes don't so you're left with looking through a viewfinder (which may not be the best) and trying to judge focus just with that. Later DSLR's allowed you to view the image live on the back screen but mirrorless cameras go further and allow you to see a greatly magnified image which makes focusing at even wide apertures easy (as long as you have the time to do it) and focus peaking can also be used. Focus peaking is a focusing aid which causes "in focus" parts of the image to shimmer in a colour of your selection.

Mirrorless cameras are in my opinion the best cameras to use manual lenses on.

 

[wobblycogs]

Ok, that makes sense. I can see how it would be hard to focus on something looking through a tiny unmagnified view finder. I quite like the idea of shooting some short segments of video as well, I guess manual focusing would make that very hard if there was any movement in the subject.

I'm just reading an article about the difference between DSLR and mirrorless, this is fascinating. I really shouldn't pick up a new hobby though

 

[woof woof]

Ok, that makes sense. I can see how it would be hard to focus on something looking through a tiny unmagnified view finder. I quite like the idea of shooting some short segments of video as well, I guess manual focusing would make that very hard if there was any movement in the subject.

I'm just reading an article about the difference between DSLR and mirrorless, this is fascinating. I really shouldn't pick up a new hobby though

As far as I know video is usually manual focus.

You can take pictures without deliberately focusing on a subject. There are several techniques including Hyperfocal and Zone shooting. With hyperfocal you set a distance and an aperture to enable most of the picture to be acceptably sharp. Once the lens is set up this is a very quick way of shooting as you don't need to focus. Another technique is to focus at a specific distance or prefocus and wait for something to happen.

For eg.
This picture of Mrs WW lobbing a snowball at me was taken with an old film era lens. I didn't focus on her, I set the lens to the approximate distance, selected a smallish aperture and took the picture.

 

[wobblycogs]

I'm not planning on rushing out and buying anything just yet but if you could check I've understood this correctly I'd be very grateful.

If I was to buy, for example, a Canon EOS 5D Mark II body (seems I could pick one up for about £250) and also got an adaptor like this the camera would work with the lenses, correct?

I've just realised some of this equipment is older than me. I can't believe it's in such good quality, wish I could say the same about me!

 

[woof woof]

I'm not planning on rushing out and buying anything just yet but if you could check I've understood this correctly I'd be very grateful.

If I was to buy, for example, a Canon EOS 5D Mark II body (seems I could pick one up for about £250) and also got an adaptor like this the camera would work with the lenses, correct?

I've just realised some of this equipment is older than me. I can't believe it's in such good quality, wish I could say the same about me!

Yes.

I had a 5D (the original 5D not the MK2) and I did indeed use my Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (amongst others) on it but to be honest I didn't really enjoy the experience. As above and just in my opinion mirrorless cameras are much better for using manual focus lenses on.

You can also get adapters to use on DSLR's that'll give you focus confirmation but I don't know how well they work.

 

[wobblycogs]

Thanks, I realised just after I posted that the 5D MkII was a DSLR, I should read more carefully. Looks like something like a Sony A7 would be a better option, although slightly more expensive. Are there any other bodies in that sort of range you would recommend?

 

[LeeRatters]

I'm not planning on rushing out and buying anything just yet but if you could check I've understood this correctly I'd be very grateful.

If I was to buy, for example, a Canon EOS 5D Mark II body (seems I could pick one up for about £250) and also got an adaptor like this the camera would work with the lenses, correct?

I've just realised some of this equipment is older than me. I can't believe it's in such good quality, wish I could say the same about me!

Thanks, I realised just after I posted that the 5D MkII was a DSLR, I should read more carefully. Looks like something like a Sony A7 would be a better option, although slightly more expensive. Are there any other bodies in that sort of range you would recommend?

I used to shoot with a 5D2. Then I started to use my old film lenses a lot. I did swap the focus screen out for a matte type one which did make focusing a little bit easier. The eventual outcome was that I bought a Sony A7 for the focus peaking, magnify, EVF & ease of using manual focus lenses. Don't regret it one bit.

So my recommendation is a Sony A7 & an adapter to take a few of the Olympus prime lenses - I'd probably be keeping just the 28mm, 50mm & 135mm. Maybe a film body IF you think you may want to try that one day.

 

[woof woof]

Thanks, I realised just after I posted that the 5D MkII was a DSLR, I should read more carefully. Looks like something like a Sony A7 would be a better option, although slightly more expensive. Are there any other bodies in that sort of range you would recommend?

The old lenses you have were made to use on a 35mm film camera and the 5D and other cameras like the Sony A7 are the modern equivalents and often referred to as Full Frame cameras. Other cameras have a smaller sensor such as APS-C and Micro Four Thirds cameras. These smaller sensor cameras have the effect of making your lenses appear as if they're longer zooms... For example a 50mm lens on an APS-C camera is roughly equivalent to a 75mm lens on a Full Frame camera and a 50mm lens on a Micro Four Thirds camera is roughly like a 100mm lens on a Full Frame camera.

What this means is the lens is more "zoomed in" on these smaller sensor, smaller format, cameras and this can be either a good thing or a not so good thing. It's a good thing if you want to take a picture of something which is further away but not such a good thing if you want to take a picture of a sweeping vista. Having said that I've taken a lot of pictures with old 35mm film lenses on Micro Four Thirds cameras. For example these pictures were taken years ago with a Micro Four Thirds camera and a 50mm film era lens. They were in my mind as I recently reprocessed them.

Used MFT cameras can start around £100 or so. One I'm quite fond of is the Panasonic GX80 which can often be found between £150-£200 if you keep your eyes open. Here's a picture of mine with a modern lens fitted.

I think Full Frame cameras are best for me, but they do cost more.

 

[the black fox]

What you have is a collection of old lenses that will work on mirrorless cameras , seeing that there olympus I would suggest sticking to the brand for compatibility , a used omd-1mkii can be purchased for a few hundred pounds or less 3-4 hundred and is a top performer with all the functions needed a adaptor would around £20 OM-MFT ..

The film bodies I would place on e.bay starting at £10 and see what the market decides , the main problem is you would be starting a new hobby with equipment that has a large learning curve i.e manual focus and may cause frustration ..

The other problem which I’m surprised no one else has mentioned is condition of lenses ..these older models sometimes suffer from fungal growth which makes them basically paperweights, the best way to check is to clean the optics at either end with a soft micro fibre cloth using no fluids etc .. then shine a torch through them fungus will show as fine filaments inside the lenses .

You would be better off getting someone with more than a basic knowledge to look at the gear you have in person and advise you before spending anything on something which will lead to a dead end .. if you let us know roughly what area your in there should be a forum member near to help in this .

 

[woof woof]

A clean with a soft cloth or even some lens cleaning solution to remove any surface dust and grime could be the first step but I disagree that fungus makes a lens a paper weight. It may make a lens unsellable but it will almost certainly still be perfectly useable as it's entirely possible that image quality will be ok. Leaving any fungus affected lenses in sunlight could kill it but not remove it, after a good sunbathing cleaning may remove external surface fungus but not any which is on the inside glass but to repeat, fungus would surely need to be running rampant like Japanese knotweed to even begin to affect image quality.

 

[the black fox]

A clean with a soft cloth or even some lens cleaning solution to remove any surface dust and grime could be the first step but I disagree that fungus makes a lens a paper weight. It may make a lens unsellable but it will almost certainly still be perfectly useable as it's entirely possible that image quality will be ok. Leaving any fungus affected lenses in sunlight could kill it but not remove it, after a good sunbathing cleaning may remove external surface fungus but not any which is on the inside glass but to repeat, fungus would surely need to be running rampant like Japanese knotweed to even begin to affect image quality.

ah but the caveat is Alan .. it can cause flaring ... and I'm trying to give advice to someone totally new to the game and fungus would cause him problems if there, plus also give a false view of any inferred value of the lenses .
as well as that would you in all honesty place a infected lens in a drawer/cupboard/bag with clean stuff ???

 

[Stephen L]

The trouble with keeping fungussed lenses is that, if kept in the near vicinity of clean lenses - eg a camera bag - the fungus can spread.

 

[woof woof]

ah but the caveat is Alan .. it can cause flaring ... and I'm trying to give advice to someone totally new to the game and fungus would cause him problems if there, plus also give a false view of any inferred value of the lenses .
as well as that would you in all honesty place a infected lens in a drawer/cupboard/bag with clean stuff ???

Er... No. I'd leave the lenses in sunlight and then clean them and probably keep them in their own tin. I can see this running and running so this is the last time I'll comment on this as a back and forth debate over fungus that might not even be present doesn't seem too helpful at this time. If the OP detects fungus advice can be given.

The fungus issue is hypothetical at this point and wont matter if the OP's lenses don't have fungus at all. If they do it might not be the end of the world as sunlight followed by a clean might be all that's required and even if there is fungus or dead fungus present as residue image quality still might not be an issue.

 

[Phil V]

Hi and welcome to TP.
if I can help, in order of importance, that’s a great stash of gear for someone (probably not you).

So if you really want to dip your toe; I’d see this haul as a means to an end.

The good news is that the market for quality film cameras and lenses bottomed out years ago, so it maybe worth a decent amount. Im no expert on Olympus, but there looks to be some quality kit.

So the first thing is to clean and catalogue the kit and then sell it.

Meanwhile you can start researching the kind of gear you might be interested in purchasing to start your photography journey.

 

[wobblycogs]

Many thanks for all your help, especially Alan.

I think it's time I did some reading up as I don't feel I understand enough yet to properly make a decision on how to proceed. I'm currently leaning towards getting a cheap mirrorless body and seeing what I can get out of it. Worst case I can just sell it again and recover most of the cost, then buy something more suitable for a beginner. I realise it's going to be a steep learning curve if I stay with manual lenses but I've got plenty of time to play at the moment.

On to the potential fungus issue... I can see absolutely no sign of anything that looks like fungus mycelia. I tried to take a photo through the one of the lenses to check, that didn't work, so I thought about it for a bit and realized I could shine a light though the lens and project a blown up image. There's obviously some dust on the lens and I think this particular lens might have some dust inside too, all the others looked spotless internally.

Now time to give you all a laugh. I noticed that I needed to hold the torch at different distances from the lens to get a clear projected image. After a couple of lenses it dawned on me that when someone says "100mm lens" it means it's 100mm from the back of the lens to the focal plane. I even got a ruler out to check. I can't believe I didn't realize that before.

 

[ABTog]

That's a nice collection of Olympus gear.
Some bits more common that others.
There's at least two if not three macro lenses. Nearly all of the lenses are Olympus models which means they are more likely to fetch a better price if you sold them on ebay.
You haven't got anything super rare that I can see but you'd still be able to get some money for them if you wanted.

I have an Olympus OM20 film SLR, I really like it. The size/weight and user experience is great.
The image below was taken (in 2018) using this camera and the Olympus 50mm f1.8 (you have one of these). It was taken on film, developed and scanned by a lab. That processing will cost anything from £8-20 if you were interested in using the film cameras.




If you wanted to go along the route of buying a mirrorless camera and using some of these lenses, I would look at finding a secondhand Sony A7.
I would keep the 28mm, 50mm f1.8 and the 135mm f3.5 and sell the rest.
Personally I would also keep the OM2 camera body as it's one of the more advanced models, but if it's working it could be worth around £100 on ebay.

 

[woof woof]

If you wanted to go along the route of buying a mirrorless camera and using some of these lenses, I would look at finding a secondhand Sony A7.
I would keep the 28mm, 50mm f1.8 and the 135mm f3.5 and sell the rest.
Personally I would also keep the OM2 camera body as it's one of the more advanced models, but if it's working it could be worth around £100 on ebay.

Yup.

I just did a quick google and saw several used A7's at dealers starting from £330.

I mostly use Novoflex adapters but to be honest a cheap one will probably do the job just as well. I have had to return one or two cheap adapters (actually I didn't need to return them, the supplier just sent another and let me dispose of the duff one) but I also had to return a Novoflex too and that one did go back. Just goes to show that all that extra money doesn't necessarily guarantee a 100% success rate.

 

[Nod]

I see from your introduction post that you're South West based. I might be worth toting the kit you have down to Mifsuds in Brixham if that's close enough to you if you want to sell the kit or part exchange it for more modern kit.

 

[the black fox]

If and it looks like you have checked for fungus and your happy there sellable ,next step is to look up sold ( not for sale ) prices on e.bay ,lots of peeps over estimate lens values ..
But at a rough guess/ estimate just on the Olympus branded lenses you have around £250 to £500 pounds worth there . The other stuff will have a £20 to £30 per item value ..
If you decide to give it a go keep the lenses and get something like an olympus omd-1mkii they go for around £200 used you would also need a OM to MFT adaptor ..about £20 …. matching brands tends imho to give the best results rather than putting it them on a Sony/canon/ Nikon body .
It’s even better if you can buy a used body with an auto focus lens as you can then see the difference in the way things work . Whatever you decide good luck