General My article in EventDV regarding Vintage Lenses

I'm a Nikon still shooter and I can't say enough good things about old glass. I just sent a 55/1.2 off for AI conversion. With the conversion it'll be about $250. Compare that against a 50/1.2L. I've shot weddings with old MF glass.

If you're looking for reviews on old Nikon glass I've found Bjorn Rorslett's opinions to be extremely valuable. The Nikkors run a bit more expensive since they can still be used on Nikon's cameras.

BTW I'm creeping here because I am thinking about one of Canon's HDSLRs, 5D, 7D or 2Ti. Completely undecided about which one.
 
Arman said:
Thanks for the article!

Now let's sit back and watch those ebay prices crawl up ... :)
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Which is why I made sure I was set on lenses before that article hit :). All kidding aside, I don't think the article is going to make a huge impact on the used lens market. I think independent filmmakers made a much bigger impact on that market starting with the 35mm adapters and later the 5D Mark II. I hate to even think of how much those vintage lenses were worth before video equipped DSLRs. They were probably at garage sale prices back then.

Anyway, the REALLY good deals are local anyway so bargains are always going to be out there.

Chris W
 
Your article did inspire me to hit up a bunch of local used shops in town. Too bad I can't get any adapters locally. Look like I've got to pick up a few of the M42 and Nikon ones before I can really scour the shops.
 
Arman said:
Your article did inspire me to hit up a bunch of local used shops in town. Too bad I can't get any adapters locally. Look like I've got to pick up a few of the M42 and Nikon ones before I can really scour the shops.
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Did you find any good deals?

Chris W
 
so i got my Pentax Super takumar 1.4 today. And i must say i'm luving it. the focus throw is LONG and the lens doesnt breathe from what i'm seeing. really sharp...i havent gotten to test so much with it but from what i see i'm luving. However coming from my tamron 17-50mm and my friend's nify fifty and getting used to the short focus throw, this long throw on the Pentax does take getting used to. I'm used to focusing like a ninja in micro moves lol...and fast rack focuses and such...now it does take longer and i have to take my hand off the lens and put it back on more which ends up disturbing the shot. these lenses need a follow focus i'm sure (have never used one) but i'm sure i'll get the hang of it. the long throw is nice for following a subject though.
 
I didn't find anything in town that I felt comfortable picking up without an adapter ring to test with. I have a Kawa Nikon to EOS adapter on the way and I a Tonkina 28mm f/2.8 that I picked up on ebay for $25. That will will be my first crack at this vintage lens thing ...
 
Get a Helios 44 and you'll be hopelessly addicted. It's quite possibly the most beautiful 50 something (it's a 58mm f/2) ever made and dirt cheap.
 
jambredz said:
so i got my Pentax Super takumar 1.4 today. And i must say i'm luving it. the focus throw is LONG and the lens doesnt breathe from what i'm seeing. really sharp...i havent gotten to test so much with it but from what i see i'm luving. However coming from my tamron 17-50mm and my friend's nify fifty and getting used to the short focus throw, this long throw on the Pentax does take getting used to. I'm used to focusing like a ninja in micro moves lol...and fast rack focuses and such...now it does take longer and i have to take my hand off the lens and put it back on more which ends up disturbing the shot. these lenses need a follow focus i'm sure (have never used one) but i'm sure i'll get the hang of it. the long throw is nice for following a subject though.
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Yeah the long focus throws take a little getting used to but the upside is that you're more likely to nail your focus much easier and with much more confidence. Sucks for rack focus shots though. The Super Takumar and the Super-Multi-Coated Takumars (the one I have) are superb lenses so I'm sure you'll get alot out of it. Just don't start down the path of Russian Primes. There's no coming back after that. They are crazy good.
 
I just wanted to chime in and say that Chris knows his stuff on vitage lenses. He has saved me thousands of dollars by going the vintage lens route. As long as you stick with the brands that are adaptable for EOS cameras you are set.

Here's an example of just a few retro lenses I have bought.
Nikon 24mm 2.8 $71
Nikon 50mm 1.4 $51
Takumar 50mm 1.4 $66
Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm 3.5 $41
Mir 24 35mm 2.0 $87
and the list goes on...Thanks Chris!
 
Hey Mark,

Thanks for the kind words! It's my pleasure to help out. Are those Nikons new additions? What do you think of them?

For those who don't know Mark Von Lanken, he is one of the premier wedding videographers in America and he's doing a seminar called "Moving Camera Techniques with DSLRs" next month at WEVA Expo. If you can't make his seminar, then definitely check out his training videos. Great stuff there.
 
Hey Chris, you mentioned the older lenses are uncoated, does this affect the camera with UV rays at all or anything, or is the camera itself UV coated inside?

Oh, and do you use a follow focus for them? I kind of like focusing with my hand lol and how do you like the spider brace? I need a shoulder mount, the spider brace looks pretty good for how cheap it is
 
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I think all the old lenses have coating of some sort on them. Some like the Super Takumars are single coated while others like the Mir 24 are multicoated. What's changed (and it might have to do more with other factors) is flare control. With modern AF lenses, you can shoot in backlit situations with no artifacts like lens flare or veiling happening. With most of my manual focus lenses, with the exception of my Mir 24 have some sort of lens flare and veiling going on when shooting into the sun or a backlit situation. Personally, I find the effect rather cool as it gives my footage a more organic film like look that's not so "sterile". It all comes down to personal preference though.

As for follow focus, you might not need them. Every manual focus lens I own has amazing focus rings on them that are nicely dampened and have super long focus throws (like 270 degrees in some cases). This is not so good I guess for rack focus shots but it's great for nailing that critical focus with confidence.

I've been using the Spiderbrace for years and love it with the t2i. You should be pretty happy with it.

Chris W
 
Sweeeeeet Chris, thanks a lot for the inspiration! I would love to have a set of nice lenses, but definitely can't afford the thousands of dollars it will cost, i will definitely be going this route!
 
afcurry said:
Sweeeeeet Chris, thanks a lot for the inspiration! I would love to have a set of nice lenses, but definitely can't afford the thousands of dollars it will cost, i will definitely be going this route!
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Thanks for the kind words. Have fun collecting vintage lenses. What kind of lenses are you in search of?

Chris W
 
Chris Watson said:
Hey Mark,

Thanks for the kind words! It's my pleasure to help out. Are those Nikons new additions? What do you think of them?

For those who don't know Mark Von Lanken, he is one of the premier wedding videographers in America and he's doing a seminar called "Moving Camera Techniques with DSLRs" next month at WEVA Expo. If you can't make his seminar, then definitely check out his training videos. Great stuff there.
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Hi Chris,

The Nikon 24mm 2.8 was one of the first vintage lenses I bought. It's pretty sweet. I just wish it was faster for those dark receptions. I just won the Nikon 50mm 1.4 last week on ebay and it has not arrived yet. It's a Nikon Nikkor SC non ai. I believe the SC is Super Coated. I'm anxiously awaiting it's arrival.

Thanks for the kind words. Here's a link to the session at WEVA.
http://www.wevaexpo.com/tuesdayAMseminars.shtml
 
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