Thank you so much for this video! I just bought my first vintage lens and I couldn't find any definitive information about adapters and the aperture pin. Keep up the great work!
The mirror damage theory for full-frame cameras is an interesting one. I haven't heard of it myself, but from all the M42 lenses I own only the Helios pops behind the adapter by ~2mm when focused to infinity. In comparison, all my Canon lenses (I only own EF lenses) are flush with the bayonet. So in theory this MIGHT happen with certain lenses, but testing the Helios lens out with a Canon EOS 300 proved it doesn't happen with that lens (EOS 300 is a 'full frame' film camera).
Mine is a 44M-4. There are models like 44M, 44M-2, etc and they're all different in some way. So I am not surprised. But any older M42 lens will probably not have the auto-manual switch, so it's always useful to know that there's a quick fix. I just love the color rendition of my Helios lens and the bokeh is something magical (a mix of normal bokeh and radial blur)!
Hi. Thanks for the information about how to deal with the pin and what the adapter should look like ("step" vs "no step"). The link to your chosen adapters is not present in the video. I found that one of my film camera's M42 lens without obligate pin works great, focuses to infinity (Mamiya-Sekor 60mm f/2.8 macro), but one other M42 lens with obligate pin (Mamiya-Sekor 55mm f/1.4) doesn't reach infinity. Photodiox cheap adapter.
Really helped. Thank god my Takumars have the possibility for auto switch. I adapted a 50mm Pentax Super Takumar to my BMPCC 6K pro and it worked fine. Mindblowing results....
Yeah, the old glass is surprisingly good! I have an old 1959 soviet "Helios 40" 85mm f/1.5 lens that I had to adapt to my Canon 5D Mark IV and holy smokes is it a bokeh monster! But very difficult to focus, even with the focus confirmation from the camera :D
you will need to look for an FD to EF adapter, but those have glass elements in them to enable infinity focus (otherwise the lens would be pretty much useless) and therefore are more expensive, harder to get a hold of and some may degrade image quality if cheap glass is used.
Great tutorial. I'm looking to take an Auto Vivitar Tele Zoom 55-135 f/3.5 with a Pentax Screw Mount and mount to a Canon 7D. Will an M42 do the job? Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
I know this is an old film, but regarding the Kalimar bit. When you set the lens to "auto" you're actually setting it to manual. In auto mode, the camera stops the diaphragm down when you press the shutter button. But when focusing the diaphragm stays wide open. In manual mode however, you see the diaphragm opening and closing when moving the aperture ring, hence the name manual. Now I suspect that with the Kalimar lenses, the little slide covers the manual and auto logos? When you cover the 'm', you set the lens to auto (the "a" becomes visible) and not manual. I suspect this is why you got it the wrong way round.
I have a question. I get the black version in this video with the lip on the inside of the threaded area. I found it to be what I needed with my SMC Takumar lenses with the auto/manual switches. I also found that it worked best with for my silver Jupiter 9 to work with a M39 ring, then the M42 version with the lip. The M42 with the step in the bore seems to allow proper alignment with the engraving on the top of the lens near the camera. I have those here. I also have a M42 adapter without the lip, with the thead traveling all the way through the bore. My question is when doe one use this one, with the bore and thread all the way through without the lip? Like your silver version in the video. I understand that the in your video the silver is steel and the back is aluminum. Assuming there is a time when you need to NOT have the ridge which I do not understand at this point, could I just use the version with the ridge on all M42 lenses? ANYONE?
Hi! I hope I understood your question correctly, but please let me know if not :) I think it would help first if you understand why that ridge/lip is there in the first place (apologies if you already do - you can skip ahead!). It has a purpose, and that purpose is to depress the pin on the mount of these old lenses that allows for the aperture to be changed unlocked and only closed when the picture is being taken, to aid focus and viewfinder brightness. The way this worked on old cameras was that you would set your lens to "auto" (if it had such a switch), which would decouple the aperture ring from the aperture until that pin is pressed; You would then set your desired aperture (say, f5.6), but the aperture would remain wide-open (say, F/2) for you to have a brighter view in the viewfinder and for better DOF separation on the focusing screen, making it easier to nail manual focus; You'd then press the shutter on the camera in order to take the picture, which would then mechanically push on that pin at the back of the lens, closing the aperture to the value set before hand (the 5.6 or whatever) and the picture is taken. In modern electronic cameras this is done essentially the exact same way, except using electronic motors inside the lens to close the aperture when the pic is being taken. I hope all this makes sense so far. Now, lenses made before the advent of this "auto" mechanism would just close the aperture as you rotate the aperture ring and they had no pin at the back. Lenses made afterward came in two varieties: "auto" with a switch to go between the old manual mode and the new auto mode (that would have made the lens compatible with both new and old cameras) and "full auto" - which had the pin and no switch to the old manual mode (which was a bit cheaper to make and would work with only the new cameras that had the "auto" mechanism). Now here's the answer: Modern electronic cameras have no way to depress that "auto" pin at the back of an old lens. So you have to assess the particular lenses you have and determine which adapters you can get away with. If you use the adapters with the lip - you pretty much can't go wrong with those on the vast majority of lenses, because the lip/ridge will press on the pin to enable correct operation on "full-auto" and "switchable auto" lenses, while doing nothing on older manual lenses that don't have the pin anyway. These adapters are, overall, the most universal. If you use an adapter without the lip/ridge - this adapter will only be good for lenses that either have no pin at all (full manual) or those "switchable auto" lenses that you can switch to the manual mode. These adapters are, generally speaking, much less universal, but they are sometimes useful if you have a lens that doesn't quite focus sharply to infinity (either due to the rear element needing to go slightly deeper into the body - that's where the open-ended bore helps, or just because the main mount lip seems to be around 0.5mm thicker than the aluminium adapters, which pushes the lens out a tiny bit). I have a couple of them, but it's not something that is versatile or needed in most cases. And all this is before we even discuss lenses that can't focus to infinity without modifications (I have a silver 1959 Helios-40 85mm f/1.5 lens that I had to stack 2 adapters on - EF>M42 and M42>M39, like with your Jupiter - and then modify the back mount of the lens itself to achieve correct infinity focus on my 5D Mark IV - though that left the lens rotated a bit sideways when mounted - not perfect, but I'd rather have correct focus) I hope this answers the question in detail, even if it's a long read. Let me know if I missed something!
Yeah, that is it. I have the following list of vintage lenses and understand the SMC lenses AUTO/MANUAL with the pin. They need the lip. I just could not understand the full bore/thread one. I am not even sure where I got that adapter. So I should have one in the box, but buy the lip ones in the future. I found the Jupiter 9 1966 with the M39 thread worked out best with the M39-M42 ring, then the M42 with lip adapter because with this arrangement I could screw on the ring first all the way. Then screw the M42 adapter all the way to the end where the result was that the depth of field numbers centered on the top of the camera. The full bore version did not. So you had to stop screwing before it was tight to get the depth or field to line up right. So here is my collection of vintage lenses so far. Asahi Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 55mm f1.8 Radioactive 750 CPM Asahi Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 35mm f2 Radioactive 1850 CPM Asahi Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 28mm f3.5 My Asahi Super Takumar 50mm f1.4 Radioactive 2250 CPM Takumar Super multi coated 135mm f3.5 Takumar Super multi coated 135mm f2.5 - FUJINON EBC SW 28mm f3.5 FUJINON 55mm f1.8 FUJINON 55mm f2.2 - Russian Jupiter 9 85mm f2 (1976 version) M42 Black with Blue Lens Coating Russian Jupiter 9 85mm f2 (1966 version) M39 Silver with Lilac Lens Coating Russian Helios 44-2 58mm f2 M42 Russian HELIOS 81H 81N 2/50 Nikon Kiev Mount
+Alex Stratulat No problem! I'm thinking of maybe revisiting this video now that I have many more lenses adapters with chips (did you know that certain cameras require a newer model of a chip to work?) and a couple of old cameras to show how it all works and why things are the way they are :) Would make for an even better video :D
Hi buddy, quick question- if I use an adapter WITHOUT the focus confirmation chip then also the camera exposure meter will work on half click right?? I plan to use a Takumar 28mm lens with my Canon 5D mk4 for street photography like a manual rangefinder camera. I don't need the focus confirmation but I surely need info From the light meter.
Just wondering why the canon adapter are so slim compared to other adapters, they are quite slim and I like that. Why is that doesn’t affect infinity focus or anything?
Thank you so much .! I've a canon 6D & I've ordered the steel adapter for Helios 44-2 58mm f2 M42 lens. After watching this video I doubt if my adapter would have that step inside. ! Will I be able to still use the lens on my camera ?
If it has an auto/manual mode switch - yes. I have two Helios 44M lenses and one has an auto/manual switch, the other (featured in this video) does not. That switch lets you choose between a mode where the pin is pressed by the SLR to shut the aperture (needs a step for modern cameras) and a mode where the aperture always reacts to your setting as the pin is locked (no need for the stepped adapter for modern cameras). In other words - fiddle with the aperture ring of your lens and see if the aperture closes (you may need to try other switches that may be present on your lens), if it does - you're good to go :)
Sorry to bother you again. bit.ly/2kVJhC2 .. This is the eBay link I bought from. Looks like there is a protruding switch in grey colour from the sample images , As I absorb closely. Keeping my fingers crossed. Thank you so much :)
Hi Sir , Received my lens today. Yes it has the Auto / Manual switch. It looks decent. :) Yet to receive my adapter by mail. Your input really helped my anxiety. Thank you so much :) & Good Luck :)
Hi, first of all thank you for the video. Just got a Canon 70D and have 3 old glasses from a old Fujica film camera that would like to use on the 70D. These glasses all have a flange that is turned when mounted on the Fujica so it allows to use the manual aperture ring as they are fully manual lenses. Which adaptor would be best to buy that has is built to keep the flanged in the right place when mounted n the lens so to activate the aperture control via the ring? If the flange is not moved (slide), then aperture stays all the way open. Thanks in advance for your help Alfredo
The lens seems to be made for the Ricoh 126C-Flex camera. The short answer is that your lens will only work with a camera that is solely of interest to collectors, though it may be a collector's item itself. I don't think it will work with your 7D at all.
+chalmers johnson As far as I'm concerned it should since the adapters are designed to keep the flange distance intact, therefore behaving like a 'normal' Canon lens would in regards to mounting. Give it a shot - these lenses are cheap and the adapters cost next to nothing :)
i have an issue with my adapter. i have auto revuenon 55mm f1.4 lens and that black cheap m42 to eos adapter when i focus 2 meter and after the back element hit the mirror. what can i do for solve the problem?
This will happen with some lenses on full-frame cameras. Generally there's a list of lenses on various forums that people recommend to avoid with full-frame Canon SLRs, etc. Your options from here would be to modify the lens by moving the back element forward (and losing infinity focus) or using that lens on a crop-sensor or any mirrorless camera.
hello, could you update the links or say the exact name of the product to be able to search for it, I have bought several and I still can't find the model that works in the helios.
I'll need to take a look, but my links wouldn't necessarily be useful outside of the UK, as I can't provide relevant shopping links for everyone in the world +the product is literally just an "M42 to EF adapter". You basically need to inspect the product pics and see if the adapter has that "lip" for the pin or not. No other way around it. Ask the seller(s) for pics if you're in doubt. Another useful feature would be a focus confirmation chip, support for that one also varies by chip version, so check camera compatibility list (usually provided by the seller in the listing).
i have a question :o can you get equal photo quality to modern lenses? im thinking about buying a canon eos m and i dont need automatic focus and stuff i just want good pictures and i can set everything by myself :o i also heard that you should set your white balance because camers have trouble with the coutings of these vintage lenses
Hi! It's gonna be a longer read, but I hope it covers what you need to be aware of: To start with - it all really depends on the lens itself. Keep in mind that modern high-res digitals are far less forgiving to the imperfections of old lenses than film was. Some glass was also designed with B/W film in mind, so their color reproduction and contrast may also seem a bit lackluster (though can be pretty well-corrected in post). Aging coatings and glass mixtures can definitely be a problem especially with some Takumars and other "radioactive" lenses that went yellow over time due to UV exposure or age. Modern lenses generally have complex element shapes, coatings and glass mixtures to mitigate things like fringing, chromatic aberrations, etc - especially the higher up the price range you go. While there is indeed some cheap "modern" stuff out there that is pretty bad - old lenses that were originally cheap as well will have the same problems and then some. Any image stabilization is obviously out of the question with vintage lenses and - believe me - it's super helpful! Some vintage lenses might need tweaking/modifying or at least a different adapter (as they vary in thickness) to achieve infinity focus and sharp images. I've had to dremel-grind the mount of one of my lenses (a 1959 one lol) to achieve proper focus with my 5D Mark IV. Focusing in general is tricky. Old cameras had special focusing screens that made it easy to nail focus by eye - this is certainly the case with my Canon 1H, manual Zenit cameras I have, etc. Some early digitals had interchangeable focusing screens too, so you could buy a screen for manual focusing. Modern cameras don't have that. It shouldn't be much of a problem if you have focus peaking on a mirrorless camera, but keep it in mind. Old lenses, zooms, wides and telephotos in particular, also generally have lower maximum apertures than the modern glass. Unless it's something expensive - you're usually not going beyond f/2.8 or smaller. Primes like 50mm, 58mm or 85mm can be found with wider apertures, of course. Lastly - you'll be using a crop sensor camera. Old lenses are designed to cover a "full-frame" area (35mm film frame), so by using them on a crop sensor camera you will effectively be "zooming into" the center of the lens. Depending on how good or bad the lens is - the resolving power may be sub-par and you may notice a lack of detail/sharpness in your photos. On the plus side - you'll get less vignetting and fringing, since the crop sensor will never see the outer edges of the image circle the lens provides, and the worst imperfections are always away from the center. Now, *in summary* - I'd say get yourself at LEAST one proper lens for the camera you're buying. Things like autofocus, image stabilization, extra sharpness/clarity, etc - they all make your life easier, photography more enjoyable and images better in quality. Fighting your gear isn't always fun, despite what some youtube videos may tell you - I found that out for myself and you will too. Just imagine the things I can do with a modern 35mm F/2 autofocus lens with image stabilizations vs a vintage 35mm f/2.8 with no IS or autofocus. One will give me sharper results while letting me use a slower shutter (thanks to IS) and let in more light (thanks to F/2), while the other will now demand I raise the shutter speed to compensate for extra camera shake, the lens is slower so it gathers less light (likely even having to be stepped-down to F/3.5 or f/4 for a sharper result) making me raise the ISO (which adds more grain and reduces the dynamic range)...AND I can't conveniently autofocus... Does this sound like fun? I have both options available to me, by the way, so I'm talking from experience. Once you have at least one good lens that's fit for your camera - THEN look into vintage lenses. It'll give you a point of reference and you might even reconsider the "savings" you get by buying the old stuff. I certainly don't use my vintage lenses these days, beside a couple special ones for interesting bokeh (Helios lenses in particular). CAN you take great pics with old lenses? YES. Can they be sharp? Yes. But you'll need to do research into what you're buying and hope for a clean lens and a good copy of it to boot (no two lenses come off the production the same). I have tome terrible lenses that I never use and I have a couple of brilliant ones that I occasionally do use. But overall I'd only recommend vintage glass as a "play around" kind of a thing or if you know what you're doing, not as starter glass. I hope this was helpful :D
No problem, mate! Wish I mumbled about irrelevant stuff a tat less, but it's a first :D I'll make a few vids about the lenses I have in very near future too, talk about how to choose a good lens and how to hunt them cheap :)
Thank for the video. That helps. I have one more question. I am going to use Helios 44M with Canon EOS 100D. I have seen that some adapters have electrical contacts. They are probably for focus confirmation. Do you know anything about them? Will it work? Will camera beep once object is in focus? Thank you
That's generally what the contacts are for. You have to keep the focus button (either shutter or back-button, if you've separated your focus from shutter release) while you focus manually on a selected point and it should beep/light up once you've achieved focus. It may not be perfect, however, especially with faster lenses. There's also a difference in chip models. I had to look for a specific newer version of the chip for focus confirm to work with my, at the time, 5D Mark III - otherwise I was getting an error and couldn't shoot pics - so just giving you a heads-up on that, in case you also get camera/lens errors with a chipped adapter.
Hi, Luiza! I have the same helios but mine is a 44M-4 and it requires the little step to have it close down. I've heard there was an auto helios version that does not need it, but regardless you can't miss with buying the stepped one. Hope this helps!
Hey, can you explain to me how to figure out which adapters work for which vintage lenses? My dad just gave me a couple of vintage lenses and I don't know how exactly to figure it out. Are the two adapters that you mentioned in this video the only two kinds that would work to convert these lenses?
Hi! Thanks for the message! The adapters I talk about here are particularly for lenses with an M42 mount, which consists of a LOT of lenses for old Praktica, Pentax and Zenit cameras. If the lenses you have are old Canon lenses, they will most likely have an FD mount. FD to [insert camera brand here] adapters are more expensive because they require a glass element to achieve infinity focus (and thus work as a normal lens). Cheap FD mount adapters may have low quality optical glass and therefore introduce unwanted aberrations and distortions, so you may want to go for a pricier option. There are also M39 mount for old Leica lenses. There are quite a few more mounts available, but these 3 are the most common (M42 and FD being the most popular). The easiest way to find out is to have a look at what's written on the lenses you have and doing a google search. See if you can find and identify your lenses and if you do - the information will definitely contain their mount name. If all fails, there are photography forums where you will be able to post photos of the lenses you have and people will be happy to help you figure out what they are and what you need to adapt them to your SLR. Alternatively, I'd be happy to help you out as well if you feel it's best for you. When you know what mount is needed for those lenses and what mount your camera has it's as easy as doing an ebay/google search for the adapter you need. Hope this helps! :)
Helpful video, thanks. But I have a Helios 44/2 that came with an adaptor that has a step, but there are no little buttons on the back of the lens - when I screw the adaptor on, nothing happens to the aperture - I can adjust the aperture only with a ring on the lens itself. I want to get a different adaptor because this one has AF chip that doesn't work and I want an adaptor without that chip, so can I get one without a step?
well, there are different copies of the lens as far as I know. If you are sure yours doesn't have the pin like mine and if you can adjust the aperture without the adapter on the lens - why not! You might have an different copy is all :)
Hi! A quick search suggests that Canon lenses cannot be used on Sony Alpha cameras due to the Canon and Alpha flanges being incompatible with one another as far as any adaptation using adapters goes. Sorry.
Yeah, that's the best option as far as I've found! There's really no point in getting the non-stepped ones unless the price difference is huge and you know you'll only use it with a particular automatic lens that doesn't need the step :)
Hi! Glad it could help you out! It all depends on whether or not your lenses have an auto setting, but regardless of that if you get the adapter which has that little step over the thread you will be sorted - just can't miss with that one. The Takumar is a nice lens, by the way, highly sought-after :)
From watching your video that seems to be correct...but I've read in the case of Takumar 50mm, that non flange is better because of something about mirror hitting and how a flange adapter can prevent focus to infinity...
This MIGHT only be the case if you have a full-frame camera (5D/6D/1D) and a certain selection of lenses. Someone made me aware of this but I could not reproduce the problem on my old film Canon EOS 350. I will try it out when my 5D Mark III arrives tomorrow. And even IF this is true, I'm pretty sure the flange distance on both adapters is the same (at least they screw on to the same distance, from the looks of it all). I'll let you know of my findings tomorrow.
Yes I have a 5d mark II. Please do let me know your findings! Also, I also heard discussion of adaptors with a chip and no chip....if you could please shed some light on that, that would be great too...thanks!
Hi! Regarding the adapters with a chip - the chip is just a simple chip that you can even buy separately and glue onto your adapter yourself. What it basically does is it talks to the camera and lets it confirm focus (kind of when you half-press the shutter when doing manual focus and it confirms the focus for you). Since manual lenses have no electronics, the DSLR assumes there is no lens or the autofocus doesn't work and doesn't confirm focus (which is weird, because focus analysis happens inside the SLR, not the lens or the chip). You can either buy an adapter with the chip if you plan to do walk-around photography with your M42 lenses (it will help catch focus easier because eyes lie a lot), buy the chip and glue it yourself, buy a bare adapter and trust your eyes or use live-view for focusing. If you need it for video - it's going to be useless.
If you can adjust the aperture manually when the lens has no adapter at all (using a lock-switch present on some lenses, for example) - you should be fine with any adapter. The problem only stems from the older lenses which are permanently in the auto mode and need that pin to be pressed to change the aperture (something a little lever in the old camera bodies would do back in the day). Hope this helps!
hello very interesting video , congratulations I have a vivitar lens 28mm f2.8 auto- wide angle which adapter should I use to put this lens on my canon eos 600d? ( google translator ) GRAZIE !!!
Interesting, i just got a Helios myself and ordered an adaptor . Really what's the reason for the Auto-manual switch on the other lenses? It doesn't really make sense to me .. I mean you still have to control the aperture manualy right ?? Thanks :-)
+Billy Tz well, it made sense for the old cameras. I have tested some of these lenses with a Zenit SLR and the auto lenses allow you to focus more critically at an open aperture before automatically stopping down to the aperture you've set upon shutter release (exactly the same as modern electronic lenses work). Before that people had to manually stop down and focus using a darker viewfinder and a pre-determined wider DoF, like what happens now when we use the adapters of our modern DSLRs. I also have to add that film SLRs that had no autofocus were so nice to manually focus on! That Zenit I have has a split-prism viewfinder that makes focusing manually as precise and fast as autofocus is on modern cameras, actually :D Really wish I could have a split-prism on my 5D Mark III!
Yeah you're right ! I have read about it, but didn't remember it though. Yes I've used an old Zenith to , it's a completely different experience! Would love to find an old olympus OM-1 or 2. and start playing around with analog photography
Billy Tz I've not tried film photography myself, tbh. Can't be bothered with trying to nail the settings onto the limited amount of frames in the roll and then go through the process of developing film (even if it's just going to a photography shop and asking to have the negatives scanned for me). I already own an expensive full-frame DSLR and there isn't much point in shooting film for me particularly. And then we have stuff like VSCO film emulations for digital, which are pretty darn good (check them out!). Digital is just much more flexible and you have the files right there, instantly, and as many as you want of :D
Yeah I've tried them and use them sometimes. I also have a 5D and shoot all my portraits and nightclub photography with it. And truth is analog will never be used again in a profesional way. But i would just love to learn analog photography as a whole, settings are not the problem, the darkroom process is more what interests me :-)
hey so for the Helios 58mm lens I'll have to use the black one? is that one made of aluminium or plastic? can you put up a link for where to buy it? thanks
Hey! Yep, you need the black one. You can grab one here: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M42-Lens-to-Canon-EOS-DSLR-Adapter-Ring-for-50D-500D-7D-/270519807500?hash=item3efc3cae0c:g:pKsAAMXQHU1RoDt2 Alternatively I've also bought one of these: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151499113444?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT This one allows the focusing system to activate and let you know when you're in focus (you half-press the shutter or BBF and focus the lens until the camera confirms it) - irreplaceable for longer focal range and generally fast lenses! There are cheaper ones, but this one is programmable (you can set the focal length and aperture of the M42 lens on the chip so that your EXIF info is correct, if you care) and I found that this one also has the new Dandelion chip that works with new cameras (5D Mark III and newer) whereas the cheaper ones I got before didn't work with my 5D3. Take your pick! :)
They should! Even better is that you don't have a mirror in a video camera, meaning you can use some Super Taks that would otherwise be potentially dangerous on a DSLR :)
to begin with, there is no precise way of measuring the lens focal length changes because for example sigma 50mm f/1.4 and canon 50mm f/1.4 lenses have slightly different framings. To top that, photographic lenses slightly change their focal length when you focus (called lens breathing) while cinema lenses do not have this issue. So I would not be worried about that.
Hi! Thanks for your comment! It depends on whether your lens is an 'auto' version or not because I've found that this particular model comes in 3 variations. Regardless of which one it is, the adapter that has a step to it (the one to push the pin in) will work for all lenses and you can't miss buying that one. If you prefer the silver one, make sure that your lens is an 'auto' model (meaning that the pin gets automatically locked in place and you can adjust the aperture as shown in the video). That being said, I think your 'electric' is not an auto lens, so therefore you'd need an adapter with a stepping ring on it (like the black one from my video). Let me know if you have any more questions! Cheers!
magicalmysterygirl Here you go! www.ebay.ca/itm/For-Black-Aluminum-M42-Screw-Lens-to-Canon-EOS-EF-Camera-Mount-Adapter-Ring-/370599775771?pt=US_Lens_Adapters_Mounts_Tubes&hash=item564977ce1b&_uhb=1 Although pay attention to shipping. This is for guidance only. Just search for "M42 to EOS" on canadian ebay and you will find loads of options. From the photos you'll see which one is which.
yooo bro i have some fl lens and they do what your talking about where if the little switch in the back isnt pressed to the side then the aperature doesnt work...how can i know what adapter is right for my canon eos
***** Well, you need to google up the original lens mount. In my case it was M42, but there are various others, like K, M39, FD, etc, all depending on the brand and type of lens. Once you know that - just look on ebay for [mount name] to EOS ( or EF) adapter and something should come up. I can double-check for you if you send me the full specs of the lens (name + the writings near the front element). The pin switch means you need the 'stepped' adapter to hold it pressed for you and it'll most likely be an M42, but you still need to make sure.
The Kaiser You mean the focus confirm chip? You can either buy one separately and glue it onto the adapter or you can buy an adapter with a focus-confirm chip already in place. All it does is allow your camera to confirm focus with a beep/red dot once you've manually focused at that spot. Makes for a bit easier focusing.
The Kaiser I think ML works visually so I'd say no. For things like auto focus-racking and whatnot it would also be useless because the lenses don't do autofocus :) You can always use them without chips. My adapters have no chips. I have one chiiped adapter but it doesn't work on my 5D Mark III (works on the 60D though) - so you also need to watch out for the version of the chip firmware too!
Hi! Unfortunately I don't know which country you're from (no profile info anywhere) so I can't give you a useful direct link, but if you search on ebay "m42 to EF adapter" you'll find plenty that will fit your lens. Hope this helps :)
PIXELFLUX So I went and bought a M42 to canon adapter and it didnt work. I also purchased a FD adapter hopefully that one works. The vivitar 28mm 2.5 has a focus rod that sticks out on it and the adapter does fit over it.
marcuelcajon Hi! Sorry to be so late to the train! The FD mount was for old Canon lenses, I am not sure any other brand had adopted FD (I might be wrong). It SHOULD in theory be an M42 lens. How exactly does it not work?
+Alessandro Schiariti Manual is manual, unfortunately, that's what they used to be :) The auto lenses actually did use to work like modern lenses do now (always open, closes only when shooting) but the cameras also had some mechanics in them to do that. No way to have that functionality on a modern DSLR...
mdlassel I don't see why it would. But I will also say that I've never needed warranty service on any of my Canon cameras, even after photographing in pouring rain and snow blizzards.
Thank you for a very valuable video, I was searching because I got a cheap chip (hehe, sounds musical), I mean an adapter with confirmation chip for m42 to EF for my Canon EOS 7 film camera and a Jupiter lens I just got, I have asked the seller if it will work fine in my camera but with no answer yet. My doubt comes from the page of Fotodiox, they don't recommend their adapter with chip confirmation in film EOS cameras because it can harm the connections, maybe you know about it?. Peruvian greetings : D
Hi! All EOS DSLR cameras have the same electro-focus (or, as you know it - "EF") mount, be it an old film camera or the newest DSLRs - so I wouldn't worry about "damage" to contacts, because there shouldn't be any. As long as the adapter is made correctly - it shouldn't be any different to using a native EF lens from Canon or a 3rd party maker. One thing that I did not know back when I made this video, which I found out years later, is that some chips were a bit older and did not work correctly with my 5D Mark IV, while they worked fine with the Mark III and the 60D. I guess something must have changed with the Mark IV a bit, but a newer version adapters popped out quickly. I'm mentioning this just in case, but it shouldn't be a problem for you, I'd imagine, since you'll use an old camera. I have a film EOS 1N and it seems to work exactly the same as any modern DSLR, same mount and all :)
@@TheUltimateBlooper that is a relief, happy to know you have a 5D Mark IV so hopefully means you are in a better economical position than when you made the video so long ago 🙏🏽 and very grateful for your kindness to answer my question. I will find soon if the adapter I just got, being new for newer Canons from 5D IV, makes a difference and will come back so it can helps to others. Indeed my film Canon feels more modern and faster in its controls and autofocus than my digital Fujifilm X100s xP
@@ReinoldFZ Hey, thank you for your comment and for being so nice - it's always appreciated online these days, when everyone can be very rude and ungrateful :) Indeed I am in a much better financial position - I was a student still when I made the video, so over the years I ended up shaping my life and hobbies in a positive way. The end result is that I have too many cameras by now, including old polaroids, film, etc xD Photography is an incredible hobby to get into, especially for pleasure and relaxation, as it can be quite methodical and rewarding, especially when you hang a huge print you made on the wall - so I encourage people to experiment! And you're right - old Canon cameras are some the finest pieces of engineering I've had the pleasure to use, so I am not surprised that you like yours! At first I got an EOS 100 (ELAN) which felt a bit cheap, but was functional, so that's why I ended up buying a near-mint EOS 1N - which is a proper tank of a camera that's about as modern as it gets, beside the EOS 1V (which is crazy expensive, IMO, for the extra bit you get over 1N). Anyway, I hope the adapter you got works out for you - let me know your thoughts once you've played with it, I'm sure it would be useful to share your findings :)
Hi, i d like to ask you, adding the adaptor the distance between the back glass of the lens and the sensor changes, what this has an effect? does a 50mm lens becomes lets say 52mm??, and the other i have to ask is that i had readen that on a canon 5d markii when you focus to infinity the mirror can be damadged, do you know anything about this ?
That the FFD (Focal Flange Distance) and it doesn't change the focal length in any way. Every mount has a different FFD and the correct FFD should be maintained to achieve infinity focus. If the FFD is wrong, you can't focus to infinity, but most (if not all) adapters take this into account and have a set depth to allow infinity focus. Full Frame mirror won't get damaged when you focus to infinity, because doing that doesn't move any thing on the back of the lens. The damage happens when the adapter isn't built well or doesn't have the correct FFD, and the back of the lens ends up touching the mirror. That is why you can't adapt every lens to a Canon or Nikon camera, while Micro4/3 will accept any lens imaginable. So just be careful and inspect closely the adapter and lens when mounting it into the camera (or search online if mirror damage occurs with such a combination).
He said it reversed when you set the appaturre auto it doesn't move and when you set it to manual you can adjust it. When you see an M beside the swich it's on manual and when you see an A it's on auto.
Yes, you can use any EF lenses/adapters with your EF-S mount camera. But be aware of the crop factor, as these old lenses are designed for 35mm film ("full-frame") cameras and not modern crop sensors - you won't be making the most out of the glass.
Yeah, that would be very good :) I'm a student and I'm always on a budget so it would be really useful for me! You did good overall! Wasn't that irrelevant :D
Hi there! The links to the adapters I used are, in fact, in the video description - have a look! Also, I forgot to cover that some of them come with an focus confirm chip. What the chip does is if you're shooting photo - it will allow the camera to confirm focus on the selected focus point (non-chipped adapters do not, so you have to rely on your eyes).
In case i got an adapter that doesnt have the chip, will it mess with the camera's auto focus? I want to make an informed purchase and im not sure if i should go for a chip or chipless adapter
@@victordejesusmartin the chip is only to "confirm" you're in focus when you're using the optical viewfinder (you press the focusing button and it'll beep/flash when you're in focus on a given focusing point) l. Otherwise if your focusing skills are fly or you use an EVF/LiveView (say, with focus peaking) - you don't necessarily need it.
I have a Vivitar 28-49mm Wide Lens, Vivitar 75-205mm, and a Minolta 49mm lens. Would either of these adapters work on all 3? I've been looking around. I really want these lenses to work to the best of their ability. Any help is appreciated, especially for where to look!
Sorry I've missed the comment! (I blame google+ for that, I try to respond to all comments!) The Vivitar lenses you have seem to need a PK mount and you can search on ebay "PK to EF adapter" and you'll find plenty to choose from. As for the Minolta - I can't find the exact lens you may have in mind (not enough info provided), but I bet it has a different mount to Vivitars and therefore you're most likely gonna need a different adapter for that one. Hope this is not too late and is helpful!
Yeah, some lenses will not have the pin, which means they are manual lenses. Back then you would have had to open up the aperture, focus, close the aperture manually again, meter, adjust shutter speed and then shoot. The pin, with the addition of a push mechanism in the mount of the camera body, allowed the existence of "auto" lenses, where the aperture would always be open and ready for focusing, then you half-press the shutter, meter, adjust if necessary, and shoot. A bit of a speedup. A long-winded way of saying you have 3 older (or cheaper) lenses :) That is not to say they are bad! Old glass is damn awesome, I love it!
I'm not the best review person in the world :D For this coming thursday I'm preparing a review of one of the M42 lenses I have. Photo comparisons, specs, pros and cons. Stay tuned :)
Thank you so much for this video! I just bought my first vintage lens and I couldn't find any definitive information about adapters and the aperture pin. Keep up the great work!
Glad it helped you out! Enjoy the new (old) glass :)
The mirror damage theory for full-frame cameras is an interesting one. I haven't heard of it myself, but from all the M42 lenses I own only the Helios pops behind the adapter by ~2mm when focused to infinity. In comparison, all my Canon lenses (I only own EF lenses) are flush with the bayonet. So in theory this MIGHT happen with certain lenses, but testing the Helios lens out with a Canon EOS 300 proved it doesn't happen with that lens (EOS 300 is a 'full frame' film camera).
Mine is a 44M-4. There are models like 44M, 44M-2, etc and they're all different in some way. So I am not surprised. But any older M42 lens will probably not have the auto-manual switch, so it's always useful to know that there's a quick fix.
I just love the color rendition of my Helios lens and the bokeh is something magical (a mix of normal bokeh and radial blur)!
Excellent! Answered a lot of questions for me - well done!
This would sure help improve my understandings on using vintage lens..well done sir
+ed reneddy No problem!
Thanks for your video man !
It helped me to sort out why I couldn't use my aperture, I got one of the adapters without the extra step to block the pin
That's great - I'm glad such an old video is still helpful 👍
Hi. Thanks for the information about how to deal with the pin and what the adapter should look like ("step" vs "no step"). The link to your chosen adapters is not present in the video. I found that one of my film camera's M42 lens without obligate pin works great, focuses to infinity (Mamiya-Sekor 60mm f/2.8 macro), but one other M42 lens with obligate pin (Mamiya-Sekor 55mm f/1.4) doesn't reach infinity. Photodiox cheap adapter.
I'm always on a budget too, buddy!
Which is why I picked up 3 MINT lenses for 60 pounds! (10 for Helios, 20 for Kalimar and 30 for Chinon)
Thank you very much for the tips. It was a very useful video.
Best regards from Brazil.
Greetings from the UK! I'm glad you found this old video of mine useful :)
The adapter with the extra metal ring is a flanged adapter for aperture pins on m42 lenses without manual aperture switch
Aha, that is correct. I wonder how you came to that conclusion :)
Thank you. I've had m42 cameras, this pin has always been a puzzle, till Chinese brand adapters were made with the solution.
Really helped. Thank god my Takumars have the possibility for auto switch. I adapted a 50mm Pentax Super Takumar to my BMPCC 6K pro and it worked fine. Mindblowing results....
Yeah, the old glass is surprisingly good!
I have an old 1959 soviet "Helios 40" 85mm f/1.5 lens that I had to adapt to my Canon 5D Mark IV and holy smokes is it a bokeh monster! But very difficult to focus, even with the focus confirmation from the camera :D
Thanks for taking the time to make this !
All cool, thanks for watching :)
you will need to look for an FD to EF adapter, but those have glass elements in them to enable infinity focus (otherwise the lens would be pretty much useless) and therefore are more expensive, harder to get a hold of and some may degrade image quality if cheap glass is used.
Great tutorial. I'm looking to take an Auto Vivitar Tele Zoom 55-135 f/3.5 with a Pentax Screw Mount and mount to a Canon 7D. Will an M42 do the job? Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
I know this is an old film, but regarding the Kalimar bit. When you set the lens to "auto" you're actually setting it to manual. In auto mode, the camera stops the diaphragm down when you press the shutter button. But when focusing the diaphragm stays wide open. In manual mode however, you see the diaphragm opening and closing when moving the aperture ring, hence the name manual. Now I suspect that with the Kalimar lenses, the little slide covers the manual and auto logos? When you cover the 'm', you set the lens to auto (the "a" becomes visible) and not manual. I suspect this is why you got it the wrong way round.
Ever so slightly useless as miniscule corrections go (regarding the switch lettering), but thanks for taking the time :)
@@TheUltimateBlooper Hahaha, true. Anyway, I did get the information I needed to adapt my SMC Takumar lenses.
I have a question. I get the black version in this video with the lip on the inside of the threaded area. I found it to be what I needed with my SMC Takumar lenses with the auto/manual switches. I also found that it worked best with for my silver Jupiter 9 to work with a M39 ring, then the M42 version with the lip. The M42 with the step in the bore seems to allow proper alignment with the engraving on the top of the lens near the camera. I have those here. I also have a M42 adapter without the lip, with the thead traveling all the way through the bore. My question is when doe one use this one, with the bore and thread all the way through without the lip? Like your silver version in the video. I understand that the in your video the silver is steel and the back is aluminum. Assuming there is a time when you need to NOT have the ridge which I do not understand at this point, could I just use the version with the ridge on all M42 lenses?
ANYONE?
Hi! I hope I understood your question correctly, but please let me know if not :)
I think it would help first if you understand why that ridge/lip is there in the first place (apologies if you already do - you can skip ahead!). It has a purpose, and that purpose is to depress the pin on the mount of these old lenses that allows for the aperture to be changed unlocked and only closed when the picture is being taken, to aid focus and viewfinder brightness.
The way this worked on old cameras was that you would set your lens to "auto" (if it had such a switch), which would decouple the aperture ring from the aperture until that pin is pressed; You would then set your desired aperture (say, f5.6), but the aperture would remain wide-open (say, F/2) for you to have a brighter view in the viewfinder and for better DOF separation on the focusing screen, making it easier to nail manual focus; You'd then press the shutter on the camera in order to take the picture, which would then mechanically push on that pin at the back of the lens, closing the aperture to the value set before hand (the 5.6 or whatever) and the picture is taken. In modern electronic cameras this is done essentially the exact same way, except using electronic motors inside the lens to close the aperture when the pic is being taken.
I hope all this makes sense so far.
Now, lenses made before the advent of this "auto" mechanism would just close the aperture as you rotate the aperture ring and they had no pin at the back. Lenses made afterward came in two varieties: "auto" with a switch to go between the old manual mode and the new auto mode (that would have made the lens compatible with both new and old cameras) and "full auto" - which had the pin and no switch to the old manual mode (which was a bit cheaper to make and would work with only the new cameras that had the "auto" mechanism).
Now here's the answer:
Modern electronic cameras have no way to depress that "auto" pin at the back of an old lens. So you have to assess the particular lenses you have and determine which adapters you can get away with.
If you use the adapters with the lip - you pretty much can't go wrong with those on the vast majority of lenses, because the lip/ridge will press on the pin to enable correct operation on "full-auto" and "switchable auto" lenses, while doing nothing on older manual lenses that don't have the pin anyway. These adapters are, overall, the most universal.
If you use an adapter without the lip/ridge - this adapter will only be good for lenses that either have no pin at all (full manual) or those "switchable auto" lenses that you can switch to the manual mode. These adapters are, generally speaking, much less universal, but they are sometimes useful if you have a lens that doesn't quite focus sharply to infinity (either due to the rear element needing to go slightly deeper into the body - that's where the open-ended bore helps, or just because the main mount lip seems to be around 0.5mm thicker than the aluminium adapters, which pushes the lens out a tiny bit). I have a couple of them, but it's not something that is versatile or needed in most cases.
And all this is before we even discuss lenses that can't focus to infinity without modifications (I have a silver 1959 Helios-40 85mm f/1.5 lens that I had to stack 2 adapters on - EF>M42 and M42>M39, like with your Jupiter - and then modify the back mount of the lens itself to achieve correct infinity focus on my 5D Mark IV - though that left the lens rotated a bit sideways when mounted - not perfect, but I'd rather have correct focus)
I hope this answers the question in detail, even if it's a long read. Let me know if I missed something!
Yeah, that is it. I have the following list of vintage lenses and understand the SMC lenses AUTO/MANUAL with the pin. They need the lip. I just could not understand the full bore/thread one. I am not even sure where I got that adapter. So I should have one in the box, but buy the lip ones in the future. I found the Jupiter 9 1966 with the M39 thread worked out best with the M39-M42 ring, then the M42 with lip adapter because with this arrangement I could screw on the ring first all the way. Then screw the M42 adapter all the way to the end where the result was that the depth of field numbers centered on the top of the camera. The full bore version did not. So you had to stop screwing before it was tight to get the depth or field to line up right.
So here is my collection of vintage lenses so far.
Asahi Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 55mm f1.8 Radioactive 750 CPM
Asahi Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 35mm f2 Radioactive 1850 CPM
Asahi Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 28mm f3.5
My Asahi Super Takumar 50mm f1.4 Radioactive 2250 CPM
Takumar Super multi coated 135mm f3.5
Takumar Super multi coated 135mm f2.5
-
FUJINON EBC SW 28mm f3.5
FUJINON 55mm f1.8
FUJINON 55mm f2.2
-
Russian Jupiter 9 85mm f2 (1976 version) M42 Black with Blue Lens Coating
Russian Jupiter 9 85mm f2 (1966 version) M39 Silver with Lilac Lens Coating
Russian Helios 44-2 58mm f2 M42
Russian HELIOS 81H 81N 2/50 Nikon Kiev Mount
thank you very MUCH DUDE! you are the only who said about that pin blocker and how it works!
+Alex Stratulat No problem! I'm thinking of maybe revisiting this video now that I have many more lenses adapters with chips (did you know that certain cameras require a newer model of a chip to work?) and a couple of old cameras to show how it all works and why things are the way they are :)
Would make for an even better video :D
Hi buddy,
quick question- if I use an adapter WITHOUT the focus confirmation chip then also the camera exposure meter will work on half click right??
I plan to use a Takumar 28mm lens with my Canon 5D mk4 for street photography like a manual rangefinder camera. I don't need the focus confirmation but I surely need info From the light meter.
Thank you! :)
I think I'll make a few more vids reviewing various lenses I have
I have a auto revuenon 200mm f3,5 lens and a lumix gf6... What can I do?
Just wondering why the canon adapter are so slim compared to other adapters, they are quite slim and I like that. Why is that doesn’t affect infinity focus or anything?
Thank you so much .!
I've a canon 6D & I've ordered the steel adapter for Helios 44-2 58mm f2 M42 lens. After watching this video I doubt if my adapter would have that step inside. ! Will I be able to still use the lens on my camera ?
If it has an auto/manual mode switch - yes. I have two Helios 44M lenses and one has an auto/manual switch, the other (featured in this video) does not. That switch lets you choose between a mode where the pin is pressed by the SLR to shut the aperture (needs a step for modern cameras) and a mode where the aperture always reacts to your setting as the pin is locked (no need for the stepped adapter for modern cameras).
In other words - fiddle with the aperture ring of your lens and see if the aperture closes (you may need to try other switches that may be present on your lens), if it does - you're good to go :)
Sorry to bother you again. bit.ly/2kVJhC2 .. This is the eBay link I bought from. Looks like there is a protruding switch in grey colour from the sample images , As I absorb closely. Keeping my fingers crossed. Thank you so much :)
Looks similar to mine - that silver thing in the third photo should be the manual/auto switch :)
Thank you so much & Good Luck :)
Hi Sir ,
Received my lens today. Yes it has the Auto / Manual switch. It looks decent. :) Yet to receive my adapter by mail. Your input really helped my anxiety. Thank you so much :) & Good Luck :)
Hi, first of all thank you for the video.
Just got a Canon 70D and have 3 old glasses from a old Fujica film camera that would like to use on the 70D.
These glasses all have a flange that is turned when mounted on the Fujica so it allows to use the manual aperture ring as they are fully manual lenses.
Which adaptor would be best to buy that has is built to keep the flanged in the right place when mounted n the lens so to activate the aperture control via the ring? If the flange is not moved (slide), then aperture stays all the way open.
Thanks in advance for your help
Alfredo
Hi there,
which adapter do I need for Rikenon 35mm 1:2.8 lens to Canon 7D?
Please&thank you.
The lens seems to be made for the Ricoh 126C-Flex camera. The short answer is that your lens will only work with a camera that is solely of interest to collectors, though it may be a collector's item itself. I don't think it will work with your 7D at all.
Thank you for this video! It's helped me a lot because I'm pretty new to M42 lenses!
Very nice! Any idea if this would work in conjunction with a Canon to MFT speedbooster or no good?
+chalmers johnson As far as I'm concerned it should since the adapters are designed to keep the flange distance intact, therefore behaving like a 'normal' Canon lens would in regards to mounting. Give it a shot - these lenses are cheap and the adapters cost next to nothing :)
hi, i've seen some adaptors that are 2 in 1, like using a m42 & Cctv to Fuji x-e1, and also i am planing to use m42 on my canons
i have an issue with my adapter. i have auto revuenon 55mm f1.4 lens and that black cheap m42 to eos adapter when i focus 2 meter and after the back element hit the mirror. what can i do for solve the problem?
This will happen with some lenses on full-frame cameras. Generally there's a list of lenses on various forums that people recommend to avoid with full-frame Canon SLRs, etc. Your options from here would be to modify the lens by moving the back element forward (and losing infinity focus) or using that lens on a crop-sensor or any mirrorless camera.
This was actually really helpful i did not know this thank you!
Super, glad to know! 👍
hello, could you update the links or say the exact name of the product to be able to search for it, I have bought several and I still can't find the model that works in the helios.
I'll need to take a look, but my links wouldn't necessarily be useful outside of the UK, as I can't provide relevant shopping links for everyone in the world +the product is literally just an "M42 to EF adapter".
You basically need to inspect the product pics and see if the adapter has that "lip" for the pin or not. No other way around it. Ask the seller(s) for pics if you're in doubt. Another useful feature would be a focus confirmation chip, support for that one also varies by chip version, so check camera compatibility list (usually provided by the seller in the listing).
Do you know where to download the firmware EOS keeps on asking for when using an AF confirm lens adapter?
i have a question :o can you get equal photo quality to modern lenses? im thinking about buying a canon eos m and i dont need automatic focus and stuff i just want good pictures and i can set everything by myself :o i also heard that you should set your white balance because camers have trouble with the coutings of these vintage lenses
Hi!
It's gonna be a longer read, but I hope it covers what you need to be aware of:
To start with - it all really depends on the lens itself. Keep in mind that modern high-res digitals are far less forgiving to the imperfections of old lenses than film was. Some glass was also designed with B/W film in mind, so their color reproduction and contrast may also seem a bit lackluster (though can be pretty well-corrected in post). Aging coatings and glass mixtures can definitely be a problem especially with some Takumars and other "radioactive" lenses that went yellow over time due to UV exposure or age.
Modern lenses generally have complex element shapes, coatings and glass mixtures to mitigate things like fringing, chromatic aberrations, etc - especially the higher up the price range you go. While there is indeed some cheap "modern" stuff out there that is pretty bad - old lenses that were originally cheap as well will have the same problems and then some.
Any image stabilization is obviously out of the question with vintage lenses and - believe me - it's super helpful!
Some vintage lenses might need tweaking/modifying or at least a different adapter (as they vary in thickness) to achieve infinity focus and sharp images. I've had to dremel-grind the mount of one of my lenses (a 1959 one lol) to achieve proper focus with my 5D Mark IV.
Focusing in general is tricky. Old cameras had special focusing screens that made it easy to nail focus by eye - this is certainly the case with my Canon 1H, manual Zenit cameras I have, etc. Some early digitals had interchangeable focusing screens too, so you could buy a screen for manual focusing. Modern cameras don't have that. It shouldn't be much of a problem if you have focus peaking on a mirrorless camera, but keep it in mind.
Old lenses, zooms, wides and telephotos in particular, also generally have lower maximum apertures than the modern glass. Unless it's something expensive - you're usually not going beyond f/2.8 or smaller. Primes like 50mm, 58mm or 85mm can be found with wider apertures, of course.
Lastly - you'll be using a crop sensor camera. Old lenses are designed to cover a "full-frame" area (35mm film frame), so by using them on a crop sensor camera you will effectively be "zooming into" the center of the lens. Depending on how good or bad the lens is - the resolving power may be sub-par and you may notice a lack of detail/sharpness in your photos. On the plus side - you'll get less vignetting and fringing, since the crop sensor will never see the outer edges of the image circle the lens provides, and the worst imperfections are always away from the center.
Now, *in summary* - I'd say get yourself at LEAST one proper lens for the camera you're buying. Things like autofocus, image stabilization, extra sharpness/clarity, etc - they all make your life easier, photography more enjoyable and images better in quality. Fighting your gear isn't always fun, despite what some youtube videos may tell you - I found that out for myself and you will too.
Just imagine the things I can do with a modern 35mm F/2 autofocus lens with image stabilizations vs a vintage 35mm f/2.8 with no IS or autofocus. One will give me sharper results while letting me use a slower shutter (thanks to IS) and let in more light (thanks to F/2), while the other will now demand I raise the shutter speed to compensate for extra camera shake, the lens is slower so it gathers less light (likely even having to be stepped-down to F/3.5 or f/4 for a sharper result) making me raise the ISO (which adds more grain and reduces the dynamic range)...AND I can't conveniently autofocus... Does this sound like fun? I have both options available to me, by the way, so I'm talking from experience.
Once you have at least one good lens that's fit for your camera - THEN look into vintage lenses. It'll give you a point of reference and you might even reconsider the "savings" you get by buying the old stuff. I certainly don't use my vintage lenses these days, beside a couple special ones for interesting bokeh (Helios lenses in particular).
CAN you take great pics with old lenses? YES. Can they be sharp? Yes. But you'll need to do research into what you're buying and hope for a clean lens and a good copy of it to boot (no two lenses come off the production the same). I have tome terrible lenses that I never use and I have a couple of brilliant ones that I occasionally do use. But overall I'd only recommend vintage glass as a "play around" kind of a thing or if you know what you're doing, not as starter glass.
I hope this was helpful :D
No problem, mate! Wish I mumbled about irrelevant stuff a tat less, but it's a first :D
I'll make a few vids about the lenses I have in very near future too, talk about how to choose a good lens and how to hunt them cheap :)
Thank for the video. That helps. I have one more question. I am going to use Helios 44M with Canon EOS 100D. I have seen that some adapters have electrical contacts. They are probably for focus confirmation. Do you know anything about them? Will it work? Will camera beep once object is in focus? Thank you
That's generally what the contacts are for. You have to keep the focus button (either shutter or back-button, if you've separated your focus from shutter release) while you focus manually on a selected point and it should beep/light up once you've achieved focus. It may not be perfect, however, especially with faster lenses.
There's also a difference in chip models. I had to look for a specific newer version of the chip for focus confirm to work with my, at the time, 5D Mark III - otherwise I was getting an error and couldn't shoot pics - so just giving you a heads-up on that, in case you also get camera/lens errors with a chipped adapter.
Hi!
I have a Helios 44M 58mm f2 and I want to use with my Nikon FM10, should I buy the one without the step?
Thank you
Hi, Luiza!
I have the same helios but mine is a 44M-4 and it requires the little step to have it close down. I've heard there was an auto helios version that does not need it, but regardless you can't miss with buying the stepped one.
Hope this helps!
So my Helios has a butom M/A, would it be the version you said? Anyway I think I will buy the stepped one, thank you for the help!
It might be. In this video I also show a lens like that, check it out, see if yours does the same.
Cheers! :)
Hey, can you explain to me how to figure out which adapters work for which vintage lenses? My dad just gave me a couple of vintage lenses and I don't know how exactly to figure it out. Are the two adapters that you mentioned in this video the only two kinds that would work to convert these lenses?
Hi! Thanks for the message!
The adapters I talk about here are particularly for lenses with an M42 mount, which consists of a LOT of lenses for old Praktica, Pentax and Zenit cameras. If the lenses you have are old Canon lenses, they will most likely have an FD mount. FD to [insert camera brand here] adapters are more expensive because they require a glass element to achieve infinity focus (and thus work as a normal lens). Cheap FD mount adapters may have low quality optical glass and therefore introduce unwanted aberrations and distortions, so you may want to go for a pricier option.
There are also M39 mount for old Leica lenses.
There are quite a few more mounts available, but these 3 are the most common (M42 and FD being the most popular). The easiest way to find out is to have a look at what's written on the lenses you have and doing a google search. See if you can find and identify your lenses and if you do - the information will definitely contain their mount name. If all fails, there are photography forums where you will be able to post photos of the lenses you have and people will be happy to help you figure out what they are and what you need to adapt them to your SLR.
Alternatively, I'd be happy to help you out as well if you feel it's best for you.
When you know what mount is needed for those lenses and what mount your camera has it's as easy as doing an ebay/google search for the adapter you need.
Hope this helps! :)
Helpful video, thanks. But I have a Helios 44/2 that came with an adaptor that has a step, but there are no little buttons on the back of the lens - when I screw the adaptor on, nothing happens to the aperture - I can adjust the aperture only with a ring on the lens itself. I want to get a different adaptor because this one has AF chip that doesn't work and I want an adaptor without that chip, so can I get one without a step?
well, there are different copies of the lens as far as I know. If you are sure yours doesn't have the pin like mine and if you can adjust the aperture without the adapter on the lens - why not! You might have an different copy is all :)
Hi I got a Carl Zeiss flektogon 2.8 / 20 i ges its a m42, but i have a canon M6 camera, does this wokrs?
hi, i am using Minolta lens of 35-70mm in sony alpha a100, I want to use canon lenses in my dslr. Can u please tell me which adapters i should use.
Hi!
A quick search suggests that Canon lenses cannot be used on Sony Alpha cameras due to the Canon and Alpha flanges being incompatible with one another as far as any adaptation using adapters goes.
Sorry.
hello! i have a helios 44-m that looks exactly like yours but it has an auto/manual switch on the side! so not all 44-m's have this problem!! :)
so should I always use the one that have the step? cause from what you said, it will work with any kind of lens
Yeah, that's the best option as far as I've found! There's really no point in getting the non-stepped ones unless the price difference is huge and you know you'll only use it with a particular automatic lens that doesn't need the step :)
Hello. I have a Canon 700D and the vintage helios 44m lens(the same as you). Is the M42 adapter the right one?
That's the one! Should work just fine :)
PIXELFLUX thank you! :D
great video!
Do you know what type of adapter i would need for super takumar 50mm 1.4 and Carl Ziess Jena 135mm 3.5?
Hi! Glad it could help you out!
It all depends on whether or not your lenses have an auto setting, but regardless of that if you get the adapter which has that little step over the thread you will be sorted - just can't miss with that one.
The Takumar is a nice lens, by the way, highly sought-after :)
From watching your video that seems to be correct...but I've read in the case of Takumar 50mm, that non flange is better because of something about mirror hitting and how a flange adapter can prevent focus to infinity...
This MIGHT only be the case if you have a full-frame camera (5D/6D/1D) and a certain selection of lenses. Someone made me aware of this but I could not reproduce the problem on my old film Canon EOS 350. I will try it out when my 5D Mark III arrives tomorrow.
And even IF this is true, I'm pretty sure the flange distance on both adapters is the same (at least they screw on to the same distance, from the looks of it all).
I'll let you know of my findings tomorrow.
Yes I have a 5d mark II. Please do let me know your findings!
Also, I also heard discussion of adaptors with a chip and no chip....if you could please shed some light on that, that would be great too...thanks!
Hi! Regarding the adapters with a chip - the chip is just a simple chip that you can even buy separately and glue onto your adapter yourself. What it basically does is it talks to the camera and lets it confirm focus (kind of when you half-press the shutter when doing manual focus and it confirms the focus for you). Since manual lenses have no electronics, the DSLR assumes there is no lens or the autofocus doesn't work and doesn't confirm focus (which is weird, because focus analysis happens inside the SLR, not the lens or the chip). You can either buy an adapter with the chip if you plan to do walk-around photography with your M42 lenses (it will help catch focus easier because eyes lie a lot), buy the chip and glue it yourself, buy a bare adapter and trust your eyes or use live-view for focusing. If you need it for video - it's going to be useless.
hi, for semi auto aperture lens like MIR 1, should I go with the step or it doesn't matter? Thx !
If you can adjust the aperture manually when the lens has no adapter at all (using a lock-switch present on some lenses, for example) - you should be fine with any adapter. The problem only stems from the older lenses which are permanently in the auto mode and need that pin to be pressed to change the aperture (something a little lever in the old camera bodies would do back in the day). Hope this helps!
Very informative, thanks a lot!
hello
very interesting video , congratulations
I have a vivitar lens 28mm f2.8 auto- wide angle
which adapter should I use to put this lens on my canon eos 600d? ( google translator )
GRAZIE !!!
I have the same lens and I cannot find out any information about an adapter for a 5D.
hello, does the black adapter (the one which locks the pin) focus to infinity?
I've not had problems with mine! But it may vary from lens to lens.
Interesting, i just got a Helios myself and ordered an adaptor . Really what's the reason for the Auto-manual switch on the other lenses? It doesn't really make sense to me .. I mean you still have to control the aperture manualy right ??
Thanks :-)
+Billy Tz well, it made sense for the old cameras. I have tested some of these lenses with a Zenit SLR and the auto lenses allow you to focus more critically at an open aperture before automatically stopping down to the aperture you've set upon shutter release (exactly the same as modern electronic lenses work). Before that people had to manually stop down and focus using a darker viewfinder and a pre-determined wider DoF, like what happens now when we use the adapters of our modern DSLRs.
I also have to add that film SLRs that had no autofocus were so nice to manually focus on! That Zenit I have has a split-prism viewfinder that makes focusing manually as precise and fast as autofocus is on modern cameras, actually :D Really wish I could have a split-prism on my 5D Mark III!
Yeah you're right ! I have read about it, but didn't remember it though.
Yes I've used an old Zenith to , it's a completely different experience!
Would love to find an old olympus OM-1 or 2. and start playing around with analog photography
Billy Tz I've not tried film photography myself, tbh. Can't be bothered with trying to nail the settings onto the limited amount of frames in the roll and then go through the process of developing film (even if it's just going to a photography shop and asking to have the negatives scanned for me). I already own an expensive full-frame DSLR and there isn't much point in shooting film for me particularly. And then we have stuff like VSCO film emulations for digital, which are pretty darn good (check them out!).
Digital is just much more flexible and you have the files right there, instantly, and as many as you want of :D
Yeah I've tried them and use them sometimes. I also have a 5D and shoot all my portraits and nightclub photography with it.
And truth is analog will never be used again in a profesional way.
But i would just love to learn analog photography as a whole, settings are not the problem, the darkroom process is more what interests me :-)
Billy Tz People do feel nostalgic about the darkroom more than the film itself :)
hey
so for the Helios 58mm lens I'll have to use the black one?
is that one made of aluminium or plastic?
can you put up a link for where to buy it?
thanks
Hey! Yep, you need the black one.
You can grab one here: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M42-Lens-to-Canon-EOS-DSLR-Adapter-Ring-for-50D-500D-7D-/270519807500?hash=item3efc3cae0c:g:pKsAAMXQHU1RoDt2
Alternatively I've also bought one of these: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151499113444?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
This one allows the focusing system to activate and let you know when you're in focus (you half-press the shutter or BBF and focus the lens until the camera confirms it) - irreplaceable for longer focal range and generally fast lenses! There are cheaper ones, but this one is programmable (you can set the focal length and aperture of the M42 lens on the chip so that your EXIF info is correct, if you care) and I found that this one also has the new Dandelion chip that works with new cameras (5D Mark III and newer) whereas the cheaper ones I got before didn't work with my 5D3.
Take your pick! :)
Hi may I know can Super takumar lenses mount on c300 using m42 to EF adapter?
They should! Even better is that you don't have a mirror in a video camera, meaning you can use some Super Taks that would otherwise be potentially dangerous on a DSLR :)
to begin with, there is no precise way of measuring the lens focal length changes because for example sigma 50mm f/1.4 and canon 50mm f/1.4 lenses have slightly different framings. To top that, photographic lenses slightly change their focal length when you focus (called lens breathing) while cinema lenses do not have this issue. So I would not be worried about that.
Hello,
Which adapter would the Pentacon Electric 1.8 50mm Lens M42 lens need?
Hi! Thanks for your comment!
It depends on whether your lens is an 'auto' version or not because I've found that this particular model comes in 3 variations. Regardless of which one it is, the adapter that has a step to it (the one to push the pin in) will work for all lenses and you can't miss buying that one. If you prefer the silver one, make sure that your lens is an 'auto' model (meaning that the pin gets automatically locked in place and you can adjust the aperture as shown in the video).
That being said, I think your 'electric' is not an auto lens, so therefore you'd need an adapter with a stepping ring on it (like the black one from my video).
Let me know if you have any more questions!
Cheers!
PIXELFLUX
Any updated link on where to get one through ebay? That link leads to an ended item. Any relisted ones that ship to Canada?
magicalmysterygirl Here you go!
www.ebay.ca/itm/For-Black-Aluminum-M42-Screw-Lens-to-Canon-EOS-EF-Camera-Mount-Adapter-Ring-/370599775771?pt=US_Lens_Adapters_Mounts_Tubes&hash=item564977ce1b&_uhb=1
Although pay attention to shipping. This is for guidance only. Just search for "M42 to EOS" on canadian ebay and you will find loads of options. From the photos you'll see which one is which.
Yes i am a poor person like you! Hahaha seems like photography's greatest nemesis is poverty
Not necessarily, but having money certainly helps :)
Yeah especially if you are trying to jump from basic lenses to premium ones, but i had seen people with limit budget pull of amazing pictures.
ye
yooo bro i have some fl lens and they do what your talking about where if the little switch in the back isnt pressed to the side then the aperature doesnt work...how can i know what adapter is right for my canon eos
***** Well, you need to google up the original lens mount. In my case it was M42, but there are various others, like K, M39, FD, etc, all depending on the brand and type of lens. Once you know that - just look on ebay for [mount name] to EOS ( or EF) adapter and something should come up.
I can double-check for you if you send me the full specs of the lens (name + the writings near the front element).
The pin switch means you need the 'stepped' adapter to hold it pressed for you and it'll most likely be an M42, but you still need to make sure.
+PIXELFLUX -- What about the chip?
The Kaiser You mean the focus confirm chip? You can either buy one separately and glue it onto the adapter or you can buy an adapter with a focus-confirm chip already in place. All it does is allow your camera to confirm focus with a beep/red dot once you've manually focused at that spot. Makes for a bit easier focusing.
PIXELFLUX - Does magic lantern need the chip for its various focus helpers?
The Kaiser I think ML works visually so I'd say no. For things like auto focus-racking and whatnot it would also be useless because the lenses don't do autofocus :)
You can always use them without chips. My adapters have no chips. I have one chiiped adapter but it doesn't work on my 5D Mark III (works on the 60D though) - so you also need to watch out for the version of the chip firmware too!
You're welcome! I'm glad it was useful to you :)
Really helpful man, thanks for the video
Glad it still helps people!
hi do you know which mount should i get for canon lens FD 50/1.8? thanks heaps! do i have to modify my lens beforehand?
I I have a Vivitar 28mm 2.5, I am trying to connect it to my Canon 5d mark ii. Please can someone post a link to an adapter?
Hi! Unfortunately I don't know which country you're from (no profile info anywhere) so I can't give you a useful direct link, but if you search on ebay "m42 to EF adapter" you'll find plenty that will fit your lens. Hope this helps :)
PIXELFLUX So I went and bought a M42 to canon adapter and it didnt work. I also purchased a FD adapter hopefully that one works. The vivitar 28mm 2.5 has a focus rod that sticks out on it and the adapter does fit over it.
***** Yeah so neither adapter works. I give up.lol
marcuelcajon Hi! Sorry to be so late to the train!
The FD mount was for old Canon lenses, I am not sure any other brand had adopted FD (I might be wrong).
It SHOULD in theory be an M42 lens. How exactly does it not work?
when i put f11 it's all dark in the optical viewer. there is one way to let the lens work like normal lens just tu see when i shoot?
+Alessandro Schiariti Manual is manual, unfortunately, that's what they used to be :)
The auto lenses actually did use to work like modern lenses do now (always open, closes only when shooting) but the cameras also had some mechanics in them to do that. No way to have that functionality on a modern DSLR...
Thanks for the valuable advice.
No problem!
Thanks for this video ... very good tips!
No problem, thanks for watching :)
Will doing this void the cameras warranty?
mdlassel I don't see why it would. But I will also say that I've never needed warranty service on any of my Canon cameras, even after photographing in pouring rain and snow blizzards.
PIXELFLUX alright! Thanks for helping me out dude.
Thank you for a very valuable video, I was searching because I got a cheap chip (hehe, sounds musical), I mean an adapter with confirmation chip for m42 to EF for my Canon EOS 7 film camera and a Jupiter lens I just got, I have asked the seller if it will work fine in my camera but with no answer yet. My doubt comes from the page of Fotodiox, they don't recommend their adapter with chip confirmation in film EOS cameras because it can harm the connections, maybe you know about it?. Peruvian greetings : D
Hi! All EOS DSLR cameras have the same electro-focus (or, as you know it - "EF") mount, be it an old film camera or the newest DSLRs - so I wouldn't worry about "damage" to contacts, because there shouldn't be any. As long as the adapter is made correctly - it shouldn't be any different to using a native EF lens from Canon or a 3rd party maker.
One thing that I did not know back when I made this video, which I found out years later, is that some chips were a bit older and did not work correctly with my 5D Mark IV, while they worked fine with the Mark III and the 60D. I guess something must have changed with the Mark IV a bit, but a newer version adapters popped out quickly. I'm mentioning this just in case, but it shouldn't be a problem for you, I'd imagine, since you'll use an old camera.
I have a film EOS 1N and it seems to work exactly the same as any modern DSLR, same mount and all :)
@@TheUltimateBlooper that is a relief, happy to know you have a 5D Mark IV so hopefully means you are in a better economical position than when you made the video so long ago 🙏🏽 and very grateful for your kindness to answer my question. I will find soon if the adapter I just got, being new for newer Canons from 5D IV, makes a difference and will come back so it can helps to others. Indeed my film Canon feels more modern and faster in its controls and autofocus than my digital Fujifilm X100s xP
@@ReinoldFZ Hey, thank you for your comment and for being so nice - it's always appreciated online these days, when everyone can be very rude and ungrateful :)
Indeed I am in a much better financial position - I was a student still when I made the video, so over the years I ended up shaping my life and hobbies in a positive way. The end result is that I have too many cameras by now, including old polaroids, film, etc xD
Photography is an incredible hobby to get into, especially for pleasure and relaxation, as it can be quite methodical and rewarding, especially when you hang a huge print you made on the wall - so I encourage people to experiment!
And you're right - old Canon cameras are some the finest pieces of engineering I've had the pleasure to use, so I am not surprised that you like yours! At first I got an EOS 100 (ELAN) which felt a bit cheap, but was functional, so that's why I ended up buying a near-mint EOS 1N - which is a proper tank of a camera that's about as modern as it gets, beside the EOS 1V (which is crazy expensive, IMO, for the extra bit you get over 1N).
Anyway, I hope the adapter you got works out for you - let me know your thoughts once you've played with it, I'm sure it would be useful to share your findings :)
Hi, i d like to ask you, adding the adaptor the distance between the back glass of the lens and the sensor changes, what this has an effect? does a 50mm lens becomes lets say 52mm??, and the other i have to ask is that i had readen that on a canon 5d markii when you focus to infinity the mirror can be damadged, do you know anything about this ?
That the FFD (Focal Flange Distance) and it doesn't change the focal length in any way. Every mount has a different FFD and the correct FFD should be maintained to achieve infinity focus. If the FFD is wrong, you can't focus to infinity, but most (if not all) adapters take this into account and have a set depth to allow infinity focus. Full Frame mirror won't get damaged when you focus to infinity, because doing that doesn't move any thing on the back of the lens. The damage happens when the adapter isn't built well or doesn't have the correct FFD, and the back of the lens ends up touching the mirror. That is why you can't adapt every lens to a Canon or Nikon camera, while Micro4/3 will accept any lens imaginable. So just be careful and inspect closely the adapter and lens when mounting it into the camera (or search online if mirror damage occurs with such a combination).
Nice video man! That was some useful info. :)
You sound like Christopher Walken. Very interesting and informative video. Thanks.
Why do people keep saying I sound like Walken..? xD
Anyway, glad you liked it :D
very useful info to me .thanks alot
He said it reversed when you set the appaturre auto it doesn't move and when you set it to manual you can adjust it. When you see an M beside the swich it's on manual and when you see an A it's on auto.
Segolike Professional M42 42mm Lens Adapter Ring for Canon 60d
When he droped the adapter my reflexes came in and I tryed to catch it. 😂
Anyone know if these will fit onto a canon eos 100d?
Yes, you can use any EF lenses/adapters with your EF-S mount camera. But be aware of the crop factor, as these old lenses are designed for 35mm film ("full-frame") cameras and not modern crop sensors - you won't be making the most out of the glass.
yeah :)
Also picked up a 28-80mm canon lens and an EOS 300 camera for 28 pounds :D
Thank you! Glad you like it =)
very well explained. thank you for the valuable infomation.
anyone knows how to get infinity focus on m39 lens with canon 600d?
No problem! Glad it was helpful!
I'm glad it helped you :)
Yeah, that would be very good :) I'm a student and I'm always on a budget so it would be really useful for me!
You did good overall! Wasn't that irrelevant :D
no problem, anytime!
Thanks you this really help me . 👍
Fantastic work!!!! Thanks!!! ;)
Glad it helped!
Good stuff
Great video. Thank you.
Hi there!
The links to the adapters I used are, in fact, in the video description - have a look!
Also, I forgot to cover that some of them come with an focus confirm chip. What the chip does is if you're shooting photo - it will allow the camera to confirm focus on the selected focus point (non-chipped adapters do not, so you have to rely on your eyes).
In case i got an adapter that doesnt have the chip, will it mess with the camera's auto focus? I want to make an informed purchase and im not sure if i should go for a chip or chipless adapter
@@victordejesusmartin the chip is only to "confirm" you're in focus when you're using the optical viewfinder (you press the focusing button and it'll beep/flash when you're in focus on a given focusing point) l. Otherwise if your focusing skills are fly or you use an EVF/LiveView (say, with focus peaking) - you don't necessarily need it.
@@TheUltimateBlooper okay, thanks for the clarification on the subject. Have a great day
@@victordejesusmartin no problem, cheers!
Thank you for your video!
Thankyou, this helps.
I have a Vivitar 28-49mm Wide Lens, Vivitar 75-205mm, and a Minolta 49mm lens. Would either of these adapters work on all 3? I've been looking around. I really want these lenses to work to the best of their ability. Any help is appreciated, especially for where to look!
Sorry I've missed the comment! (I blame google+ for that, I try to respond to all comments!)
The Vivitar lenses you have seem to need a PK mount and you can search on ebay "PK to EF adapter" and you'll find plenty to choose from.
As for the Minolta - I can't find the exact lens you may have in mind (not enough info provided), but I bet it has a different mount to Vivitars and therefore you're most likely gonna need a different adapter for that one.
Hope this is not too late and is helpful!
Thanks buddy !
You are very welcome!
I luckily only have 1 m42 lens that requires this pin to be pressed and 3 lenses have no pin at all
Yeah, some lenses will not have the pin, which means they are manual lenses. Back then you would have had to open up the aperture, focus, close the aperture manually again, meter, adjust shutter speed and then shoot.
The pin, with the addition of a push mechanism in the mount of the camera body, allowed the existence of "auto" lenses, where the aperture would always be open and ready for focusing, then you half-press the shutter, meter, adjust if necessary, and shoot. A bit of a speedup.
A long-winded way of saying you have 3 older (or cheaper) lenses :) That is not to say they are bad! Old glass is damn awesome, I love it!
I'm not the best review person in the world :D
For this coming thursday I'm preparing a review of one of the M42 lenses I have. Photo comparisons, specs, pros and cons. Stay tuned :)
thank you very much for your replay
Thank you for the information though!
***** No problem!
Thank you!
thank you very much! :D
Christopher Walken!??
+Jordan Hansen Why does everyone keep saying that? xD
thank you very much for your reply
thank you
You're welcome!
Good infos
Helios 44M, doesnt need, with step!, it as manual end auto buton
Helios 44 has quite a few variations, so it really depends on the model you find.
thanks a lot..........