The Vintage Lens Thread

M. Gilden said:
The thing with vintage glass is that you will hardly find 2 lenses in the exact same condition.
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Nail on head.

Remember, they actually WERE still camera lenses about 20-30 years ago, and they used them to capture all sizes back then!
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Sure, but the lenses were also designed for a different capture medium then - film. I'm not an expert on the fabrication of digital sensors, but I would guess - from experience using the exact SAME Nikon lenses on an F2 and then later adapted to fit the 7D - that there is a difference in how the lens and capture medium work together to create image sharpness. I used my Nikon 50mm 1.8 (sold it), 50mm 1.4, and 28mm 2.8 on my old F2 back when I was shooting black and white film about a year and a half ago. The sharpness of the 8x10 prints was enough to cut you just by looking at them. Using the same lenses on my 7D for stills (glassless adapter, of course), there is a slight drop in sharpness. Granted, it is SLIGHT. A simple Unsharp Mask in Photoshop can fix it, but there is definitely a difference. If I have time, I will post some photos. I've mainly noticed some issues with resolving fine detail and in edge-to-edge focus, but I think you might be right - this could just be the "character" of the lens, as these are older than me.

Of course, my 85mm AF 1.8D stopped down to F4 is brilliantly sharp. It is a great lens for closeups if used right, and if it weren't for its somewhat awkward focal length when compared to, say, a 35mm, I would be using it far more often.
 
Yeah, I have shot video for a year with a set of vintage Nikkor primes (20mm f2.8 AI, 24mm f2.8mm pre-AI, 35mm f2.8 AI, 50mm f1.4 pre-AI, and a 100mm f2.8 Series E) on a T2i and was a tad bit worried about the sharpness to be honest. I have recently upgraded to a Sony FS100 and I am amazed at how sharp these lenses are on this camera. To my mind getting that set of lenses was one of the smartest things I have ever done. I am still looking to get an 85mm f1.8 pre-AI, but the prices have gone way up since I first started shopping for lenses. I most definitely have the vintage lens bug and am expanding my shopping. I have done some shooting with a Vivitar Series 1 70-200mm zoom (Kiron) with an MD mount, that I got for about $30.00 and it is a wonderful lens. I am amazed at how sharp that lens is. I am looking to get some more of the Vivitar Series 1 lenses. I get such a kick out of using these vintage lenses. They are great.
 
M. Gilden said:
I actually ended up using the E-series lens to do many of my product shots since then, because I love the color it produces. Here's some examples:
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It seems like the E series optics are every bit as good as the Nikkors but I don't like their build quality nearly as much. I jumped on the E series 50mm 1.8 because it was in mint condition and super chearp ($35) so it seemed like a good first lens to buy. Now that I'm really getting into these vintages, it happens to be the only one in my collection that I slightly regret buying. It makes a good image but it feels so flimsy compared to the Nikkors and the focus isn't nearly as forgiving.

David G. Smith said:
Yeah, I have shot video for a year with a set of vintage Nikkor primes (20mm f2.8 AI, 24mm f2.8mm pre-AI, 35mm f2.8 AI, 50mm f1.4 pre-AI, and a 100mm f2.8 Series E) on a T2i and was a tad bit worried about the sharpness to be honest. I have recently upgraded to a Sony FS100 and I am amazed at how sharp these lenses are on this camera. To my mind getting that set of lenses was one of the smartest things I have ever done. I am still looking to get an 85mm f1.8 pre-AI, but the prices have gone way up since I first started shopping for lenses. I most definitely have the vintage lens bug and am expanding my shopping. I have done some shooting with a Vivitar Series 1 70-200mm zoom (Kiron) with an MD mount, that I got for about $30.00 and it is a wonderful lens. I am amazed at how sharp that lens is. I am looking to get some more of the Vivitar Series 1 lenses. I get such a kick out of using these vintage lenses. They are great.
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Where on Earth did you find a 20mm? I was searching for the widest possible and the best I could find was a 24mm.
 
DavidBeier said:
It seems like the E series optics are every bit as good as the Nikkors but I don't like their build quality nearly as much. I jumped on the E series 50mm 1.8 because it was in mint condition and super chearp ($35) so it seemed like a good first lens to buy. Now that I'm really getting into these vintages, it happens to be the only one in my collection that I slightly regret buying. It makes a good image but it feels so flimsy compared to the Nikkors and the focus isn't nearly as forgiving.
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Yeah, I've seen people complain about build quality on the E series primes- for those I stuck with Nikkor. But my 75-150mm E-series zoom is a solid piece.
Its all metal (not even a hint of plastic anywhere), and actually quite heavy. It looks like this:
009oVT-20073784.jpg

Except mine didn't even come with that plastic lens cap, but rather a metal screw-on cap (which I should really just replace with a plastic cap for convenience). Everytime I put it on, I get admiring comments from other photographers and clients ("wow, that looks like a serious piece!"). Makes me grin knowing I paid less than $100 for it.

It takes a beating, too... Been dropped, got the focus ring stuck and I thought it was done for. But about a week later, as I was going to see if I could find a lens repair shop, I decided to just try and force the ring to turn- and lo and behold, the lens is working great again! Its got a nice BIG focus ring (which doubles as a slider zoom control), and apparently can be revived from the dead.
A drop like that to my more modern lenses would likely have destroyed them.

I love the all-metal mechanical build of these old fogies!
 
DavidBeier said:
It seems like the E series optics are every bit as good as the Nikkors but I don't like their build quality nearly as much. I jumped on the E series 50mm 1.8 because it was in mint condition and super chearp ($35) so it seemed like a good first lens to buy. Now that I'm really getting into these vintages, it happens to be the only one in my collection that I slightly regret buying. It makes a good image but it feels so flimsy compared to the Nikkors and the focus isn't nearly as forgiving.



Where on Earth did you find a 20mm? I was searching for the widest possible and the best I could find was a 24mm.
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The Series E 100mm f2.8, while does not have quit the build quality of the earlier Nikkors, still beats the heck out of many modern lenses.

I found my 20mm f2.8 Nikkor on eBay. I paid right around $350.00 for it. It is a very nice lens.

Jordan Scott Price said:
From the master himself: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/20f28ais.htm

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=NI2028&N=0


This will be my next purchase, actually.
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That is the lens I have, just that mine was made about 25 years ago.
 
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Probably will vingette less on a digital sensor. The 35adapters, had a tendancy to multiply the natural vingette of a lens.
 
David G. Smith said:
The Series E 100mm f2.8, while does not have quit the build quality of the earlier Nikkors, still beats the heck out of many modern lenses.
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I'm not trying to bash the E series. I wanted to find a affordable lens to try out the whole vintage thing on and I found a mint E series 50mm for $35 (about half what was being asked on Ebay). I LOVED it when I first got it because the optics were so damn good but I was surprised how small and fragile it felt. I was used to this with modern lenses but thought the older ones were more rugid.

I had considered going with an E Series 100mm but the Nikkor 105mm weren't much more expensive on Ebay and it's a slightly faster lens. Then I happened to find the 105mm for $50 at a pawn shop and was sold.
 
Anyone have some insights on a cheap manual Nikkor zoom?

I've got my FS-100 kit with lomo primes, but I'll be likely doing a few ENG style jobs and will need a zoom. I don't want to have to bother with the cost of a birger mount for Canon EOS, since the ENG jobs are usually less than my normal day rate.

In the past I used a Nikkor 35-135 3.5-4.5 that did a decent job, so I can always go that route. BUT a constant aperture lens would be a bonus.

Anyone have any thoughts?
 
You guys (and this thread) is great!


I have a 60D with a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 and a Tokina 11-16 f/2.8, but i desperately need to cover the telephoto range for close-ups, but don't want to spend $$$ and would love some "character lenses" , so looking at vintages. I'm mostly shooting for the "film-look": lot's of close-ups in low-light and also also lot's of interview shots. ( No wedding/ run-gun stuff, yet ).


If I might be so bold (and pretentious) to summarize this 30-page thread, here's what i have gleaned would work for *someone like me* :


50mm:
Pentax SMC Takumar 1:1.4/50mm lens, M42 Mount ($50)
Helios 44-2 (M42) ( 44M has an auto/manual switch but 44M-4, 44M-5, 44M-6, etc. do not and are auto only) ($55)
 Nikon 50mm 1.4 Nikor
 -- Compare with Canon 50mm f/1.4 ($380) and Zeiss ZF 50mm f1.4 ($400+)

80mm:
CARL ZEISS JENA BIOMETAR 80/2.8 MC*PENTACON SIX ($120)
-- Compare with Canon 85mm f/1.8 ($400)

120mm:
120mm/2.8 Biometar PENTACON SIX

180mm:
180mm/2.8 Biometar PENTACON SIX

Zoom:
Vivitar Series 1 70-210 f/3.5

Also liked by folks:
Mir 24
Yashica 28 2.8 and other vintage Yashicas as well.



 
Hi, I'm going to buy a Canon 600D in near future and since I'm completely new to DSLR's I will have to acquire some lenses to build a set. Unfortunately I'm on a REALLY tight budget but from what I've read vintage lenses seem to be great and cheap alternative to newer ones. I have a few questions though:
Do all vintage lenses make the image darker?
I read somewhere that using vintage lenses produces additional crop. Is the lens itself that does that or the adapter you have to use, is the crop factor the same with all lenses/adapters and how do I find out how large the factor is?
Do all vintage lenses make the image softer? How much do you have to stop down to get an acceptable sharpness and would you lose a lot of depth of field doing so?

Finally, since I don't own any lenses yet, I hoped you could help me assemble a kit of vintage lenses to start out. Could you just name a few good lenses to cover a large focal length range and cost max. 60$ each (ideally cheaper ones)? I would be willing to spend 100$ on a good wide lens, but if there's nothing in that price range I'll just buy the 600D with the 18-55mm kit lens and use it for wide shots.
Of course I'd be glad if you could recommend affordable adapters too.
(I know that you can't name the exact prices of vintage lenses since they're used, just try to estimate, I'll have to check the price anyway)

Thank you very, very much in advance

edit: oh by the way, I will use them almost enirely for video just thought I might mention that
 
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It is accomplished!

Lenses Crop.jpg

Got my hands on an 85mm which means that I've finally finished my collection of Nikon Primes (for now...)! It's great because now, for smaller projects, I'll be fine using these instead of spending extra cash renting a set of primes from somewhere else. To recap the collection:


Nikkor 24mm f/2.8: ($100 - Bargain Camera Show)
Nikkor 35mm f/2: ($85 - Pawn Shop)
Nikon E Series 50mm f/1.8: ($35 - Pawn Shop)
Nikkor 85mm f/1.8: ($165 Ebay)
Nikkor 105mm f/2.5 ($50 Pawn Shop)

It's a great set that I put together for about $440 total. Not too bad considering I looked up what it would cost to get similar focal lengths/apertures in modern Canon lenses and the total cost for a similar set would have been over $1600. I probably could have saved some money also if I hadn't wanted to only do vintage Nikkors but I really liked getting a bunch of lenses in the same family with similar characteristics.

The only thing irking me right now is I kind of wish I had something in between the 50 and 85mm range. If only Nikon made a vintage 65 or 70mm lens (any tips?). I also wish I had something wider than a 24mm for the crop sensor but that's not gonna happen.
 
ThisIsANewID said:
Do all vintage lenses make the image darker?
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Not at all. Glass is glass. The great thing about vintage lenses is that you'll be able to afford ones with a higher aperture than you would be otherwise and thus have the ability to produce brighter images with more DoF control.

I read somewhere that using vintage lenses produces additional crop. Is the lens itself that does that or the adapter you have to use, is the crop factor the same with all lenses/adapters and how do I find out how large the factor is?
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Don't know where you would have heard this. Vintages were designed to work with full frame 35mm cameras so there's no reason there should be any extra crop (even if you're using a 5D). That's actually another cool thing about them. If you were trying to save money with lenses just designed for the 600D (EF-S), you'd have the downside that such lenses would produce an ugly crop when used with a full frame camera. The vintage lenses however will work on everything they can be adapted to.


Do all vintage lenses make the image softer? How much do you have to stop down to get an acceptable sharpness and would you lose a lot of depth of field doing so?
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I havn't done a huge amount of tests but I don't find them particularly soft. They have a lovely organic look that still preserves a lot of detail. For video they're perfect and, in the limited tests I've done, they've managed to be as sharp/detailed as the Canon Zoom lenses that I purchased with the camera. I don't know how well they compare to Canon or other modern primes but they're sharp enough for me. I mean, I don't really have situations where I need a full 18 megapixel image anyway. Even the small posters I've printed have come out great with less resolution than that.

Finally, since I don't own any lenses yet, I hoped you could help me assemble a kit of vintage lenses to start out. Could you just name a few good lenses to cover a large focal length range and cost max. 60$ each (ideally cheaper ones)? I would be willing to spend 100$ on a good wide lens, but if there's nothing in that price range I'll just buy the 600D with the 18-55mm kit lens and use it for wide shots.
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Only $60 a pop is a bit cheap for good stuff. Widest I've seen for cheap was the Nikkor 24mm f2.8 which I got for $100 at a lens show. I saw a few more there like that. I've also seen a number of 28 2.8 wides for pretty cheap at pawn shops (as low as $40 if you haggle). I've heard good things about the Yashica 28mm 2.8 (about $100 in ebay auctions but probably cheaper if you can find it elsewhere). Personally, 28mm isn't wide enough for me on a crop sensor. I'd definately suggest the 18-55mm kit just so you can have a wider option (and so you can have a flexible zoom).

After that, you should look into a 35mm or a 50mm for your mid-sized stuff. Nikkon E Series 50mm f1.8 lenses can be found for cheap at various pawn shops as can their Nikkor brothers. I found mine for $35. On ebay, they range from $40-$80. You can also go with the Helios 44m which is a 58mm f2 lens (don't ask me why their naming convention is so confusing). They are Russian lenses and Ebay is full of them in the $40-$50 range so a lot of people argue they are a good lens to get your feet wet on (though I'd suggest a Nikon if you can find it for the same price).

For telaphoto, most suggest the Jupiter 9 85mm f2. You an find it for about $100-$135 on Ebay. Most who I've talked to seem to like it but, for me, it was worth it to track down a Nikkor 85mm f1.8. I paid $165 and I've seen them sell on Ebay (along with the F2 version) for anywhere between $140-$250. You could also go with the Nikkon E Series 100mm f2.8 which goes for about as much as the Jupiter 9 does on Ebay (though, it might be too telaphoto for a crop sensor and it is a stop slower).

That should get you started if you're on a budget and it's probably better that you spent a bit more on these three then trying to get too many focal lengths. When I started, I promised I wouldn't spend more than $100 on a lens but I ended up breaking that with my most recent one (was worth it though).



Of course I'd be glad if you could recommend affordable adapters too.
(I know that you can't name the exact prices of vintage lenses since they're used, just try to estimate, I'll have to check the price anyway)
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RainbowImaging makes a variety of adaptors that sell on Amazon and are part of there PRIME shipping which means I don't have to pay shipping costs. They've all worked for me and been fairly cheap. Ebay has even cheaper ones but they tend to come from Japan and take forever to arrive.
 
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Thank you very much David, you've been a great help

I got a little confused with the additional crop, but apparently that is only an issue with a few certain lenses/adapters (http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/eosfaq/manual_focus_EOS.html), so I'm just gonna stay clear of those.
Yeah, I'll probably invest a cupple more bucks and try to get some of the lenses you suggested. Just a few quick questions (it never ends, I know): I can't figure out the difference between Nikon/Nikkor. Which one should i prefer? Can you use the same adapter on them? And when I look for an adaptor for the Nikon E series I would have to buy a AIS to EOS adaptor, right?

Thanks again

edit:
ah, I think I'll need an F-mount to EOS adaptor. Would this one be alright? http://www.fotodiox.com/product_info.php?products_id=601 . There's also a more expensive one with focus confirmation, but I think you wouldn't need that for filming.
 
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