Vintage Lenses

I sent my Nikon 35mm f2.5 away to be cleaned and lubricated and I sent my adapter with it so this is obviously the time when I feel the urge to use my Nippon Kogaku's. I can't. I haven't got the adapter.
 
Ah, ok. I've seen that once or twice and put it down to maybe a bit of glare/flare. As you say, when certain conditions are met. Maybe it's down to the coatings on older lenses not being as good as those on newer ones?

Was the hood on or not? Maybe worth testing to see if a hood helps.

It could always just be a just about accurate capture of the scene, light, haze and all... I had this haziness in one shot so I looked at the scene again and it did indeed look like that to me :D
 
If you spot it happening maybe hold a hand up to shade the lens a bit more? Or change the angle or framing slightly. It wont be the same picture but it may be technically better.
 
I posted a picture like this a few posts back, taken with a Minolta 135mm f2.8. I took two pictures and this is the other one. I didn't look at these pictures much and indeed nearly deleted them as I didn't like that the birds were eating dead birds but I suppose that's the circle of life and they are cleaning the beach. Anyway. I bit the bullet, looked at these two pictures and cloned out the dead birds and it does IMO stand up to close viewing.

Anyway. I'll probably never even think about printing one of these but one may find its way into a slideshow now.

HY74RAo.jpg
 
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Super Takumar 135mm f3.5
Snapped this on my way from the garden to my computer set up. Manual focus. I knew that she wouldn't stay still for long. Busy on the left of the frame too. Oh so close to a perfect shot for my personal album.
186543127_767492777297799_6429570533514789222_n.jpg
 
mossienet said:
Super Takumar 135mm f3.5
Snapped this on my way from the garden to my computer set up. Manual focus. I knew that she wouldn't stay still for long. Busy on the left of the frame too. Oh so close to a perfect shot for my personal album.
View attachment 318818
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Very nice! You could maybe clone out the plant pot (?) but it's so dark it's not that bothersome.
 
I'd keep it. It is what it is, a scene at home, and I don't think cloning the pot out would make me like it more if it was my picture. You know the pots there so keep it there. I think it's great as it is. Just my HO.
 
Local once more but an interesting challenge to find some images that I'd be happy with. Pleased with some of the ideas I had, even though they might not be well executed. A good practice session in many ways. First 10 were taken with XT10 and Mitsuki 24mm Last 2 - Nikon D700 Super Takumar 135mm
Link to album:
adobe.ly

Out and About by mozziephotography

adobe.ly adobe.ly
 
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Thank you. Sometimes a wide angle can be about getting it all in :D

One thing about yesterday was the light was so clear but I was limited as to where I could go as I was waiting to pick Mrs WW up from school.

I have a Tamron 17mm f3.5 which is better quality but bigger and heavier and I do miss the Sigma 12-24mm I had in my DSLR days. The Vivitar 19mm f3.8 is a nice lens though and just lovely to look at and use even if the results can't really stand up to close across the frame scrutiny.
 
Cagey75 said:
Love them clouds! The horizon however looks curved [dip in the middle and curves upward both sides, is the land like this or is the lens doing something funky here?
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haha!

This just might have something to do with the Vivitar lens :D but to be honest I see this as character more than anything else. Yes, I'd be a little upset if my Sony 20mm f1.8 did this but I see these old lenses more as part of the experience and joy of it all rather than to produce a top notch technically good picture. Not that I could produce a technically good picture but you'll see my point. Maybe some of the distortion could be corrected post capture, but I haven't done anything like that to these.

I did some correction to this one.

P7c5CdV.jpg


I might see if I can take some similar pictures with my Tamron 17mm f3.5 an see how they compare distortion wise.
 
Just out of interest, a question for lovers of vintage lenses on mirrorless cameras. What's it better to do?

- Buy all your lenses in one mount and stick to it?
Or...
- Cherry pick the best lenses for you out there and buy multiple adapters?
Or...
Go for a bit of both. Mostly stick to one mount but maybe buy something in a different mount if it's very special to you?

Just wondered what people do.
 
woof woof said:
Just out of interest, a question for lovers of vintage lenses on mirrorless cameras. What's it better to do?

- Buy all your lenses in one mount and stick to it?
Or...
- Cherry pick the best lenses for you out there and buy multiple adapters?
Or...
Go for a bit of both. Mostly stick to one mount but maybe buy something in a different mount if it's very special to you?

Just wondered what people do.
Click to expand...
I can't say about what's best, I just pick up any lens that interests me irrespective of mount.
This does mean I've got a few that aren't practical to adapt (My Dads old Werra lenses & some Minolta Vectris models - adapters are available for each of these but are far more expensive than the lenses warrant) & some that will take considerable DIY to mount.

I currently have over 20 mounts in use. :eek:
 
For my Sony A7 I have adapters for Nikon, Minolta, Olympus, Canon FD, PK, M42 and Leica M (but no lens for that one now.)

For MTF I just have Minolta and Olympus.

I just wondered what others have and do.
 
woof woof said:
For my Sony A7 I have adapters for Nikon, Minolta, Olympus, Canon FD, PK, M42 and Leica M (but no lens for that one now.)

For MTF I just have Minolta and Olympus.

I just wondered what others have and do.
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Probably not completely up to date but my main selection is:

For Sony E (A7ii & nex6) I have: c-mount, MFT, Pentax Auto 110, Leica M, LTM, Sigma SA, Sony A, OM, PK, M42, T2, (plus short versions for astro telescopes & M42)
For MFT I have: c-mount, Pentax Auto 110, Leica M, LTM, Zenit m39, Sigma SA, Sony A, OM, PK, M42, Nikon F, EOS, FD, SR/MD/MC, T2, (plus short versions for astro telescopes & M42)
For Leica M I have: LTM, EOS, Sony A, PK, M42
For EOS I have: c-mount*, FD*, OM, PK, M42, Nikon F, adaptall2
For PK I have: Zenit m39, SR/MD/MC, M42, T2, adaptall2 & a DIY body cap based mount
For M42 (& short M42) I have: RMS*, MFT*, Zenit M39, Nikon F, T2, adaptall2, & several DIY body cap or helicoid based mounts

* indicates no infinity focus
There are a few others including quite a few for Toyo view (5x4 film) & BPM bellows...
I don't have cameras or lenses for Leica M or EOS - those adapters are exclusively used stacked with others, While I have numerous PK & M42 cameras/lenses the adapters for those are often used stacked as well.
 
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woof woof said:
haha!

This just might have something to do with the Vivitar lens :D but to be honest I see this as character more than anything else. Yes, I'd be a little upset if my Sony 20mm f1.8 did this but I see these old lenses more as part of the experience and joy of it all rather than to produce a top notch technically good picture. Not that I could produce a technically good picture but you'll see my point. Maybe some of the distortion could be corrected post capture, but I haven't done anything like that to these.

I did some correction to this one.

P7c5CdV.jpg


I might see if I can take some similar pictures with my Tamron 17mm f3.5 an see how they compare distortion wise.
Click to expand...


Indeed, I know some lenses have odd quirks I just noticed the offset horizon more so in the beach shot. I've had a few that had 'interesting' bokeh or flaring and you would make use of it artistically.

On various adapters, I did have a bunch for various mounts but atm I only have a Nikon to Fuji K&F so I'm restricted to Nikon searching atm until I pick up some other mount adapters. Finding the price on them has shot up
 
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woof woof said:
Just out of interest, a question for lovers of vintage lenses on mirrorless cameras. What's it better to do?

- Buy all your lenses in one mount and stick to it?
Or...
- Cherry pick the best lenses for you out there and buy multiple adapters?
Or...
Go for a bit of both. Mostly stick to one mount but maybe buy something in a different mount if it's very special to you?

Just wondered what people do.
Click to expand...

Adapters aren't too expensive and can also be picked up secondhand so i have several which means I'm not limited to one mount. That said, many vintage lenses were made in a variety of mounts and most were made in M42 so I always buy M42 if that lens was available in that mount. No vintage lenses were made in Nikon Z mount, of course and I now use a Z6 but when I was using a Nikon DSLR with F mount I'd always look for F mount lenses. It's always easier without the need for an adapter but no big deal if you do, either. I wouldn't want to miss out using a stunning lens just because I only had one adapter or refused to use multiple adapters.
 
Modern manual lens wise I have the Voigtlander Sony mount 35mm f1.4, 40mm f1.2 and 50mm f2 apo. They are very nice lenses, very well made and handle beautifully and of course they mount to the camera so I don't need a lens but I still do like using and comparing film era lenses. I just wish they would all somehow magically mount on my camera without needing an adapter.
 
I think I'm past a lot of it now.

I have a CY/E for my Contax CZ 80-200mm and if I ever want to use one of my film ML lenses.

I have a Leica M/E for my Voigtlander 40/1.4 Classic but I'm selling that I think.
 
Just thought I'd share a couple of my more unusual adaptions that required some DIY in adapting.

A long working distance macro (~3x magnification at 9cm clearance) that can focus to infinity as well (probably not actually a vintage lens, they're still sold as new for c-mount microscopes):
ultra macro lens set up by Mike Kanssen, on Flickr

A budget 50mm f/1.2 adapted via a helicoid
Mounted 50mm/1.2 projector lens by Mike Kanssen, on Flickr

& one of my older lenses a 1930's Kodak 120mm f/4.5 adapted via a body cap & bellows
bellows IMGP2838 by Mike Kanssen, on Flickr
 
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In part because I buy, repair where needed and sell lenses I like to be able to take pictures with the lens to put with the advert. I also keep a lot of lenses for myself to play around with and sometimes sell on. With that in mind I have:

For Tamron I now use a Tamron to M4/3 adapter from Fotodiox I think (saves carrying a number of different adapters)

For Canon I have an FD to M4/2 arriving from K&F and a Minolta MD to M4/3. I already have their M42 to M4/3 and Olympus OM to M4/3.

I also have a Pentax K to M4/3 from Urth.
 
THIRTYFIVEMILL said:
Adapters aren't too expensive and can also be picked up secondhand so i have several which means I'm not limited to one mount. That said, many vintage lenses were made in a variety of mounts and most were made in M42 so I always buy M42 if that lens was available in that mount. No vintage lenses were made in Nikon Z mount, of course and I now use a Z6 but when I was using a Nikon DSLR with F mount I'd always look for F mount lenses. It's always easier without the need for an adapter but no big deal if you do, either. I wouldn't want to miss out using a stunning lens just because I only had one adapter or refused to use multiple adapters.
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They've shot up from around £5-10 to about £20 [non adjustable] and £20-25 [adjustable higher quality ones like K&F] to £35+, doesn't seem much but when you want a bunch of them the lenses aint much a bargain anymore - I don't mind spending a few quid on an adapter but I really detest the greed from these sellers, same ones who were delighted when you bought a bunch of them over time when they were cheap now milking the trend as adapting lenses got much more popular.

I'm kind of locked in on the 80-200 AIS F4, the size and weight are only off putters [when you figure in the adapter on top] looks a nice lens for reasonably cheap, does 1:4.4 'macro' on the long end - Also eying the Vivitar series 1 70-210 f/3.5 first version with 1:2 macro
 
Cagey75 said:
They've shot up from around £5-10 to about £20 [non adjustable] and £20-25 [adjustable higher quality ones like K&F] to £35+, doesn't seem much but when you want a bunch of them the lenses aint much a bargain anymore - I don't mind spending a few quid on an adapter but I really detest the greed from these sellers, same ones who were delighted when you bought a bunch of them over time when they were cheap now milking the trend as adapting lenses got much more popular.

I'm kind of locked in on the 80-200 AIS F4, the size and weight are only off putters [when you figure in the adapter on top] looks a nice lens for reasonably cheap, does 1:4.4 'macro' on the long end - Also eying the Vivitar series 1 70-210 f/3.5 first version with 1:2 macro
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I think you'll find the increase is to do with the added costs of suppling the UK now we've left the EU. Suppliers now have to charge VAT on behalf of HMRC & have to be registered for this....
At work I've found may items are simply no longer available as the manufacturer is not willing to jump through all the loops the UK insists on. Other items like calibration standards that we can still get are now taking a month or more to arrive when they used to be next day.
 
Just got back from work and had a quick shoot with the Jupiter 3 50mm f/1.5. Love this lens!! This is my lovely wife trying her hardest to work. Nikon Z6, f/1.5, ISO 100, handheld at 1/80 in a dimly lit kitchen with light streaming from the conservatory to the left.

ROZZYBW.jpg
ROZZY.jpg
 
Petrochemist said:
I think you'll find the increase is to do with the added costs of suppling the UK now we've left the EU. Suppliers now have to charge VAT on behalf of HMRC & have to be registered for this....
At work I've found may items are simply no longer available as the manufacturer is not willing to jump through all the loops the UK insists on. Other items like calibration standards that we can still get are now taking a month or more to arrive when they used to be next day.
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I'm Ireland, looking to buy from within the EU, still the hike in price.
 
As the prices of the cheap ones creep up it then becomes a question of if you'll still buy the "cheap" one or is it better to buy one of the more expensive ones.

Having said that I've had a couple of Pixco branded cheap ones that've been perfect.
 
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A review of the Takumar 35mm f2.3, but here seems to be on a Panasonic MFT camera, actually it could be a FF camera. I just saw "Panasonic" and assumed MFT but they make FF as well now.

fstoppers.com

A Review of the 60-Year-Old Auto Takumar 35mm f/2.3

If you enjoy adapting vintage lenses to modern cameras, this review of a lens from the 1950s and 1960s, might be for you. If you go into my studio you'll likely notice a couple of things, and one of those will be the presence of vintage cameras and lenses on a few shelves. If you walk to the...
fstoppers.com fstoppers.com

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sny7Gtdviwo
 
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Cagey75 said:
Love them clouds! The horizon however looks curved [dip in the middle and curves upward both sides, is the land like this or is the lens doing something funky here?
Click to expand...

I've just had another look at this in my Adobe CS5. The distortion looks rather complex, a sort of wave rather than a uniform barrel or pincushion which makes it a faff on to correct manually. There's no lens profile for this lens but under Olympus there's a Bower 14mm profile that does a rather nice job and to it I've also applied some manual correction. There may be other profiles that'll do a better job. This profile seems to leave the perspective distortion untouched but there is a slider for that.

x41EuC7.jpg


There's still perspective distortion but I'm still happy with it.
 
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I've just bought the Tamron to Fuji X adaptor. The only draw back I can see is that you have to put the adaptall back on in order to cap the rear element. Unless I'm missing something, which is entirely possible. :D
 
woof woof said:
I've just had another look at this in my Adobe CS5. The distortion looks rather complex, a sort of wave rather than a uniform barrel or pincushion which makes it a faff on to correct manually. There's no lens profile for this lens but under Olympus there's a Bower 14mm profile that does a rather nice job and to it I've also applied some manual correction. There may be other profiles that'll do a better job. This profile seems to leave the perspective distortion untouched but there is a slider for that.

x41EuC7.jpg


There's still perspective distortion but I'm still happy with it.
Click to expand...

I used to have a similar issue on an old Cosina 19-35mm lens I had on my Nikons. I once saw somebody refer to it as a moustache horizon :LOL: I don’t think I ever managed to fix it, but it may be that there’s a lens profile for the Cosina lens, it was also branded as some other makes too one of which was Tokina if that helps!
 
Plain Nev said:
I've just bought the Tamron to Fuji X adaptor. The only draw back I can see is that you have to put the adaptall back on in order to cap the rear element. Unless I'm missing something, which is entirely possible. :D
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Just get a Fuji X rear cap, & cap it via the adapter.
 
andy1868 said:
I used to have a similar issue on an old Cosina 19-35mm lens I had on my Nikons. I once saw somebody refer to it as a moustache horizon :LOL: I don’t think I ever managed to fix it, but it may be that there’s a lens profile for the Cosina lens, it was also branded as some other makes too one of which was Tokina if that helps!
Click to expand...

I know that lens but sadly I can't see a profile for it anywhere in CS5.
 
Current state of my lens box (a couple live in another case):

Vintage
Minolta Leica-M 28mm f/2.8
Minolta Leica-M 40mm f/2
Minolta Leica-M 90mm f/4
Jupiter 3 50mm f/1.5
Jupiter 12 35mm f/2.8
Nikon Nippon Kogaku Nikkor-S Auto50mm f/1.4
Carl Zeiss Flektogon 50mm f/2.8
Carl Zeiss Jena DDR 135mm f/3.5 MC Electric
Asahi Pentax Takumar 28mm f/3.5
Asahi Pentax Takumar 50mm f/1.4 (8 Element)
Asahi Pentax Takumar 55mm f/1.8
Asahi Pentax Takumar 55mm f/2
Asahi Pentax Takumar 85mm f/1.9
Asahi Pentax Takumar 150mm f/4
Asahi Pentax Macro-Takumar 1:1 50mm f/4
Industar-61 L/D 55mm f/2.8 FED Lantan

Modern
Nikon Z 24-70mm S
Nikon Z 14-30mm S
TTartisan Nikon Z 11mm f/2.8 FishEye

My preference for MF vintage lenses is apparent. :D

lens-box.jpg
 
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