NY Times article about old lenses on digital cameras

[vdonovan]

New York Times article about an interesting new fad: using old glass on digital SLRs. Yet another way in which digital cameras become an entry point into analog photography. The problem: this will increase demand (and therefore price) of the good used lenses.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/technology/personaltech/11basics.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=lens&st=cse&oref=slogin

 

[chikne]

"He also wanted his digital Canon 40D to take photos with a buttery smooth background" =)

 

[Livesteamer]

Long Live Good Old Glass!!! Joe

 

[VinceC]

One of the reasons I bought a Nikon D40 is its ability (not as flexible in more upscale models) to mount unmetered 1960s F-mount lenses. The classic 50/1.4 becomes a stellar 75mm portrait lens with wonderful backgrounds when shot wide open.

 

[Petroleum V. Nasby]

It's not a new fad. People have been doing this for years, and there are countless forums and websites devoted to adapting old lenses for use on modern cameras.

You can find adapters to mount anything to anything on eBay.

Using VERY old glass on DSLRs seems to be especially popular and well documented in Asia.

 

[willie_901]

I love that NYT article. About a year ago I posted on Nikonians about how well AI/AIS lenses worked with my D200. Some moderator responded by saying all those lenses were crap for digital because they didn't have state-of-the-art coatings and there would be reflections on the sensor, and the optics were dated, and that manual focus was pointless, etc., etc.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Of course, if you buy a proper camera, you don't need an adapter. I am especially fond of the 90/2.2 Thambar (TOODY, introduced 1935) on the M8.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Petroleum V. Nasby]

Older 1960's Nikkors that have been AI'ed are stunningly good with the D700.

There are a few lenses that cause sensor anomalies, but for the most part all this talk about problems of older lenses with a digital sensor is total nonsense.

 

[Nikon Bob]

I love that NYT article. About a year ago I posted on Nikonians about how well AI/AIS lenses worked with my D200. Some moderator responded by saying all those lenses were crap for digital because they didn't have state-of-the-art coatings and there would be reflections on the sensor, and the optics were dated, and that manual focus was pointless, etc., etc.

Don't take it to heart. I was told on that same site, years ago, that FF was impossible and that I should just get used to the idea of a cropped sensor or words more or less to that effect. Well, I waited, shot film in the meantime, and got what I wanted in the end. From some experience I would say that the old ai/ais MF lenses that I have tried work well enough for me. The newer stuff may be better but by how much?

Bob

 

[Nikon Bob]

Older 1960's Nikkors that have been AI'ed are stunningly good with the D700.

There are a few lenses that cause sensor anomalies, but for the most part all this talk about problems of older lenses with a digital sensor is total nonsense.

You are a little harsher on the experts than I have been but I agree that for the most part it is total nonsense. Not enough in to keep you from getting a decent photo.

Bob

 

[Roger Hicks]

You were very lucky to find a Thambar in M mount.

Dear Richard,

Oh, bugger. You have me there. I've been using screw-to-bayonet adapters for so long that I tend to forget they're adapters...

Cheers,

R.

 

[Ronald_H]

Hmm, that 1960's vintage 135mm f2.8 Nikkor I bought for a measily 30 euros is looking better and better... sadly it won't mount on my D200 (no Ai) but my FM and FE are shivering in anticpation...

And it DOES work on a D60 without any problem, albeit in full manual mode.

 

[KoNickon]

In reading the article, I did a bit of a double take when the writer mentioned Chinon among the other more renowned lenses. Or was the writer just throwing out some names?

Frankly I haven't paid much attention to manual --> EOS mount converters. But is it really true that I would have more Canon DSLR options with an EOS adaptor and manual Nikkors than I would using those lenses with Nikon DSLRs? That's a hell of a note, if true.

 

[NickTrop]

“It’s more like the photography process that I was used to back in the day,” said Mr. McCully. “It slows me down and makes me think about what I’m shooting. And it’s more fun.”
____________________________________________

To which I say, why not take the next step and just shoot with a "full frame" manual camera? Then you'll get the full resolution but more importantly, no $#&%* crop factor. And if you really want to have fun, and think shooting with just old lenses is a hoot... wait to you experience the absolute pleasure of shooting with an old camera body and an old lens!

Great article. Makes me feel a little less nuts for turning my nose up to the new digital wonders in favor of a 1967 Fujica Compact Deluxe rangefinder.

Hey, hey my, my...
Film cameras will never die...
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye...


My, my hey hey...
Film cameras are here to stay...
|

 

[Nikon Bob]

“It’s more like the photography process that I was used to back in the day,” said Mr. McCully. “It slows me down and makes me think about what I’m shooting. And it’s more fun.”
____________________________________________

To which I say, why not take the next step and just shoot with a "full frame" manual camera? Then you'll get the full resolution but more importantly, no $#&%* crop factor. And if you really want to have fun, and think shooting with just old lenses is a hoot... wait to you experience the absolute pleasure of shooting with an old camera body and an old lens!

Great article. Makes me feel a little less nuts for turning my nose up to the new digital wonders in favor of a 1967 Fujica Compact Deluxe rangefinder.

Hey, hey my, my...
Film cameras will never die...
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye...


My, my hey hey...
Film cameras are here to stay...
|

For people wanting to shoot digital and if you want to approach how you do it in a manner similar to using an all manual camera using old MF lenses makes it happen. You can get the full rez/no crop experience with the growing crop of FF DSLRs now on the market or about to be introduced. In using MF single focal length lenses on a D700 in aperture priority or manual mode I find my approach to shooting is similar to how I do it with an FE2/FM2n/F3hp. It is not identical to the tactile feel of older cameras but works very well as a substitute and extends the working life of any heritage lenses you may already have. It is a great pity that there is no FF RF taking M mount lenses as yet for those who prefer the RF experience.

Bob

 

[RObert Budding]

No, this is all wrong. You can only use $2,000 super zooms with ED glass on DSLRs. That's why so many people on forums advise others not to buy high-end DSLRs. All the capabilities are wasted if you don't shoot though 'the very best' glass.

So, I think we're safe. There's enough bogus advice out there to keep prices of old glass in check.

FYI - the 105mm f/2.5 Gauss Nikkor is stunning on a D200. But, please, don't let anyone else know!

 

[luketrash]

As exciting as the proposition is, my Nikon D50 absolutely sucks to try to focus old lenses manually. My viewfinder is off, or my vision is. I have both an M42 adapter as well as a Hasselblad C adapter.

My tests with using Hasselblad lenses on a DSLR were less than stellar and it took forever to focus them since DSLRS were never designed for manual focus.

The Pentax cameras have driven the price up of old pentax lenses quite a bit. I think that's cool though.

Tomioka 55mm f1.2 m42 lens mounted to my Nikon DSLR wide open and stopped to f16:

Helios-44M-4 m42 58mm f2 mounted to the same camera, same test

Obviously they 'work' but it's much more pleasant to use these lenses on my Spotmatic or Fujica and get better real world user results.

Using old lenses is a good way to get OK results on the cheap. 5 dollars worth of junk store lenses mounted to my DSLR makes it possible to shoot the moon:

Hasselblad 120mm Makro-Planar on my D50:

Hasselblad 50mm Distagon on my D50:

Results are sharp after painstaking focus efforts. However, the cheap 18-55mm kit lens works just as well, so there is zero need to dink around with old glass in my opinion unless you're looking for something specific like bokeh or you just like to do things the hard way.

 

[ampguy]

Chinons are great

Chinons are great

I have a 50/1.9 that came on my manual CM-5 body, that works great on K-mount DSLRs. Images look like Summilux photos.

samples

In reading the article, I did a bit of a double take when the writer mentioned Chinon among the other more renowned lenses. Or was the writer just throwing out some names?

Frankly I haven't paid much attention to manual --> EOS mount converters. But is it really true that I would have more Canon DSLR options with an EOS adaptor and manual Nikkors than I would using those lenses with Nikon DSLRs? That's a hell of a note, if true.

 

[charjohncarter]

One of the reasons I bought a Nikon D40 is its ability (not as flexible in more upscale models) to mount unmetered 1960s F-mount lenses. The classic 50/1.4 becomes a stellar 75mm portrait lens with wonderful backgrounds when shot wide open.

This is a digital image that I like! Well done.

 

[Nikon Bob]

The old Nikkor 135/3.5 seems to do OK on the D700.

Bob