I’m going to make this Easier on you if you’re strapped for time: 0:00: Carl Zeiss Distagon 25mm F2.8 - $675 0:12: Gentleman buys Carl Zeiss Distagon 25mm F2.8 0:37: Number One - Hiding in Plain Sight 2:18: Number Two - Just Point and Click 3:37: Number Three - EMPORIUM (My FAV) 3:49: Fall 2018 Vintage Camera Show 6:25: Photosphere Camera 7:09: A friend from THIS community who I got to meet 7:28: Anyone guess this lens? PRIZE: Canon Lens Coffee Mug to the first who gets it right. 8:16: Wife and Daughter give me a hard time (rightly so). How do you guys find your lenses?
I just got a 50mm 1.8 for my Olympus for $15. at a pawn shop. After paying almost $11 for an adaptor, I still did ok. I recently got a spare 14-42 kit lens for $20, also at a pawn shop.
" get what you get and don't get upset" lol when it comes to vintage lenses that pretty much sums it up. I am going to think estate sales would be a pretty good place to discover vintage lenses and probably at a better prices to. Great vid Mark love your style.
Estate sales are the ultimate in "finds", both as to rare items and low prices. The down side is that they are hugely labor intensive compared to hitting the shows. Hauling out miles to somewhere at dawn on a rainy Saturday, hoping to find a treasure but mostly getting zapped, takes dedication. One of my best friends is a life-long estate troller. I've never been able to gather the will to press through narrow spaces to paw over dead people's stuff. For old film camera gear, not counting an endless flow of old Polaroids and Instamatics, you hit dozens of sales before you find the "the one"", so you have to like the lifestyle.
Estate sales are pretty good, I picked up my super 8mm canon 814 Az at an estate sale for $75. Thing is mint, cake wothtnall accessories and a beautiful black leather case. The “chase” is all part of the fun I think, at least as you say, the lifestyle. :) Great comment Randall! Thanks!
You can find semi-complete collections of matching glass in online auctions for a steal. Bidders regularly overpay for a single popular piece of glass but overlook gems hidden within combos. Look for packages with lens cases, because the lenses were likely stored inside.
Ever since I've started watching these videos my desk has started to fill up with lenses. As for other methods, I always reccomend people try to research for any local vintage camera shops. I've got one near me in Atlanta named wings camera store and its always stocked with great vintage lenses. I will have to admit they do charge a little more than what you would see on eBay but I feel like its almost worth it because you get to see the lens in person before buying it and you have access to real people that are just as big enthusiasts as yourself.
Matthew, always good to hear from you man. Some mom and pop style camera shops do have some older lenses as well. I know a place Downtown Camera that has a mini vintage market. Prices are as you say a bit more, but convenience comes with a bit of a price sometimes. The community around it is pretty fantastic as well, even what's kind of happening here is super cool. I sure as hell don't know everything and I do get a lot of great insight and additional knowledge through many of the comments. Medium Format is the next game, my camera came the other day....time to step it up a bit ;) Thanks for hanging around Matthew!
Great vid Marky Mark. I love and appreciate my modern lenses when I'm shooting talking head videos or need accurate sharpness corner to corner. But when I'm doing personal work or family photos I tend to reach for the older ones with character.
@@MarkHoltze Feel free to share if its online, your work is legit. One of the highest performing lenses I own is the voigtlander color ultron 50mm that I reviewed on my channel, it's like the Helios but more civilized. I'm shooting and developing medium format film also for those times I need more depth.
You got me inspired to check out my local flea market and I found an Helios 44m and an SMC Takumar 200mm both in mint condition for less than 40€ together (50$). They're both not what I was looking for but I'm very happy that I found them :-) It's difficult to find good deals on Ebay this days but it is still possible on flea markets (at least here in Rome)
0:39 - I remembered that my dad still have this broken Nikon FM2 and finally paired my sony mirrorless with Nikkor AF 35-70 f/3.3-4.5 that came with his FM2. The lens is actually quite moldy though, it definitely needs some thorough cleaning.
Hi, I live in Rotterdam and I'm sure every major city has a local flea market where you can hunt old beauties. Also, I love the relationship and connection with local vendors to chat a bit about them, not to mention try it out in person. In Rotterdam we have a market in the center "Rotterdam Blak" twice a week every Saturday and Tuesday and I love playing treasure hunt 😂😂
Thanks you! I shot that camera sale back in October and needed to figure out an informative and useful way to utilize that event...hey why not talk about all the ways I've found my lenses. Then it's, how do I make this interesting ... hopefully it all translates .
@@MarkHoltze I love your camera sale videos, I live in an area in England that doesn't see any, I'd love to see one. It all translates perfectly, currently looking for a good 35-70mm 2.8 older lens since your other video I watched
Check out Pentax. M mount I think has one that actually has a locked focus. So you can zoom the lens and the focus will stay locked. Great feature for a manual lens. I think it’s 35-70 3.5 might be a variable aperture I can’t rememebr. It as old as the ‘42 Takumars but still a cool lens.
@@MarkHoltze Thanks man I'm definitely going to look into that one! I'm shooting with the canon 70d would it work well do you think? I haven't seen many videos of 70d with older manual lenses
I think it will be fine. Tak’s work wel woth my 6Dm2, I admit to misty using them on mirrorless myself. Some lenses have issue with infinity focus win dslr’s, canon FD for example. When you adapt those the EOS to FD adapter has a little lens in it so that you can get infinity focus. It’s to do with the flange distance something. SMC Takumars, Pentacon, Helios would all be fine on your 7D. Just consider you will have a 1.6x crop factor (focal length of lens x 1.6 = the focal length on APS-C). So to get an 85mm look a 50mm Ian good. They’re cheap so I think it’s a good place to start.
Makes me happy to hear. I tend to think I over think and over produce sometimes....it's really hard to get a good sense of "is this ANY good"...being so close to it. So it makes me happy they're resonating with you. Thanks Roman, sincerely.
Local estate sales are generally a pretty good way to find lenses, typically you will have yo buy in lots but prices tend to be very low. I have scored a k1000 and three lenses for $20 before and, even though two of the lenses were junk, i still got a k1000 and a 50 mm f2 for cheaper than you could find them online.
Estate sales are great, I picked up a Super 8mm film camera there that was barely used. Canon 814AZ. Some of the best prices there as most people just sell as is and don't really know the "value' of these. Dealers know the value, often clean up the lens and want a bit of a profit, so definitely more expensive than estate sales.
I got very excited when you mentioned Toronto, I live in Toronto, where can I find more info about where and when these camera shows are. Pentax shooter who loves vintage lens and uses them a almost exclusively, not sure if it counts but my 77mm 1.8 limited is so hard to take off.
Oh you are in luck lol! You will love these! So there will be a spring fair in April or May 2019 and the Camerama camera sale happens 4 times a year. The next I believe is April. phsc.ca Check those guys out and their associated Facebook page mate!
What I love about the lens is that you can mount it on the Pentax Spotmatic SP body or any camera body that has a screw on mount! This is camera is cool and I love the shutter button mounted in the front of the camera body! It just feels natural there! I have an old Praktica FX3 and just fixed a light leak that shows up in the second curtain! I fixed it by simply brushing on black plasty-dip! I hear it's suppose to not work? But it works for now and I love the results I have been getting from the camera! Great job as per usual Mark! I need to commit to making a video for my channel and showing my process on fixing light leaks and things! Hahahaha!
I love Takumars too! After researching vintage lenses for a while, I spotted a 55mm f/1.8 Super Tak in a thrift store on an old film camera body. Long story short, I walked away with it for $10, couldn't believe my luck!
Love this video. I wish I had an income right now. Watching your videos (among others) has really made me realize just how much of a difference a camera with a swappable lens can be compared to my Canon SX50 HS even with the CHDK firmware. I'd especially love to get full frame camera with a lens somewhere between 1.4-1.8f for the indoor events I tend to shoot at. Hopefully some day, especially now that I've been selling 3D prints here and there.
I was at a sale like that just last weekend. I sold my Biometar 80mm 2.8, 'cause I wasn't really using it, and bought a Praktica MTL 5 with this ausJENA 50mm T2.8 lens that I've nerver heard of before and a Tokina 135mm 2.8. I'm waiting for the adaptor and for some sunny days to try them out!
Thanks Matt. The slider makes the tracking pretty easy, robotic so it's consistent. I just mark one EYEBALL track it...never really feel like loading up AFX for this stuff, although might be worth it. Simplicity for now.
Hey Mark, just came across your video and channel. Love those vintage lenses for that ‘creamy’ look on today’s cameras. Not sure if you mentioned this on another video but I also hunt for these lenses in pawn shops. Most places have these, and the turnover is not so bad, worth venturing into once in a while. Cheers from the Maritimes!
Maritimes! Where abouts? Pawn shops are great actually, I didn’t have any personal experience or Broll of them so I left it out. There’s an antique store downtown that has a few vintage cameras, not sure they work, but it’s pretty cool regardless. Thanks for your comment mate! I have a bunch of Nova Scotia, PEI and New Brunswick 8mm footage from the 60’s my grandfather shot a whole bunch of videos back. Might be where you are :)
Have been playing with vintage lenses on my M43 EM1.1 and having some fun. Wondered if you have discussed budget friendly ways to go full frame digital with vintage lenses. Enjoy your videos
Hi Steve! Thanks for the comment mate. What do you mean budget friendly ways to go full frame digital? Are there special hacks I don’t know about? ;). For me I think having a full frame camera and not wanting to spend thousands on a set of lenses is the budget option. As much as I like and use modern glass for certain things, I’ve been having the most fun shooting both video and stills with vintage glass. The results of a $50 lens vs a $500 lens are remarkable l. Is your em1 m43?
Sony Alpha series, mirrorless I tbink are best bet. A7 series is all full frame and depending what your budget is, they have 3 iterations over the years so check them out.
Got a 50mm zeiss planar t1,7 on my Sony 7III. Unfortunately it started to have some mushroom. I’m looking for a canon 55 1,2 to replace it ... not easy to find at a reasonable price (good conditions) In Italy unfortunately there aren’t many of those events, if not any I shoot weddings and I really think that vintage 50s are the best you can get to tell a story, with that dreamy look...
Ya they’re great for wedding photography. You should check out the SMC takumar 35 f 2.3...:has some great bokeh characteristics when you land the subject and focus distance just right
I was wondering which vintage lens system you would recommend? I know that there are single lenses, which always stand out, but if you wanted to build a vintage lens kit based on the same mount, which would you consider?
Tough one, because there are so many factors. What got me into them were the Super Multi Coated Takumars, they have almost every focal length, they're built well and they're cheap. M42 screw mount so they're also easy to adapt. I'm not sure what camera system you are on or if your focus is more video or photo. Canon FD lenses if you have a mirrorless or shoot cinema cameras are great as well, and the more premium Contax Carl Zeiss are kind of the videographers pinnacle lens. I'm starting my Zeiss collection now personally. I shoot commercial gigs with these so the price (Zeiss are more expensive) isn't much of an issue for me. The Takumar's are a great place to start though.
@@MarkHoltze thanks, appreciate the answer. I'm using Fujifilm, the X-T3, and mostly stills, portraits and events/stage performance, but also considering beginning to do some video. With a camera like the X-T3 I have to do some video :) I switched from Canon, recently, so they have a special place, making me considering getting their FD lenses, though only the primes. I've heard a lot of good things about Nikon's AIS lenses, as well as the Olympus Zuiko lenses. I have looked at some Carl Zeiss lenses, but I'd rather build a set of lenses first, and then focus more premium. I'll definitely take a look at the Takumar lenses. Again, appreciate you taking the time.
@@peterkaltoft8032 Nikon AI lenses (AI-S simply has shorter focus throw for faster focus) are exquisite! I have a 200mm f/4 with coated 5 glass elements and 9 bladed aperture. This lens has high contrast, is very sharp, and has sikly smooth bokeh. I picked mine up for $110 last month. I want to grab a few more of these over the next month or so. They are completely manual and have no electrical contacts but if you're comfortable without autofocus then they are great lenses. You can also control the aperture from the ring even in "live view" mode I'm not finding on my Nikons. If you go the Nikon route feel free to ask questions. I've been getting a lot of my info from the Angry Photographer but as I'm buying these phenomenal inexpensive older "cheap" 80s lenses I'm finding them to be the best bang for your buck if you value optical quality over electronic features.
@@zfoxfire thanks for the input. Funny thing is that I actually am buying into the Nikkor lenses. So far I've managed to get my hands on the non-AI 50mm f/2 and f/1.4, Nikkor-S and Nikkor-H. I'm very impressed with the latter, but both are doing really stopped down a little. They both have am interested glow around highlights when opened wide. I also purchased the AI 200mm f/4, but am still waiting for it. Besides them, I got an Olympus Zuiko 135mm f/3.5, which I at first wasn't too impressed by, but now have found what it's great for (flowers!). Good color and has a great 3D pop when shooting things close (only 6 elements I think), but lacking contrast for things further away. So it didn't become the lens I'd hoped to use for telephoto distances I had hoped for, so here's hoping for the Nikkor 200mm 🙂
@@peterkaltoft8032 Be careful with the S and H series Nikkors. Those pre-AI lenses have compatibility issues on certain modern Nikon bodies unless they have been adapted to make them AI compatible. The reason is the AI lenses have an indexed aperture ring wheras the S and H series mostly do not. The AI index carried over to AF series lenses. If you have a Nikon body that is AI compatible and has an AI index feeler around the bayonet ring (around the 3 o clock position if you are facing the camera) then you can damage your camera by mounting those. On cheaper Nikon cameras that lack the AI indexing tab, you're safe. I don't know anything about the Olympus lens you mention. Low element count is great but is it multi-coated? I just picked up an old T-201 teleconverter for around $50 on e-bay. It's a 2x converter and mounted with the AI 200mm, it still produces great images at the sacrifice of an f-stop.
Camerama camera shows for 2019 aren’t quite locked in yet, but there will be a spring one in April. Info isn’t quite out yet. PHSC Spring Auction March 17, 2019 CONSIGNMENT AUCTION, AUCTION VENUE Legion Hall 101 3650 Lake Shore Bl W just west of Brown’s Line (Hwy 27) Toronto (Long Branch Keep your eyes peeled for updates.
"You get what you get and you don't pitch a fit," is what my daughter taught me. I'm thinking regional variation. Another awesome video; I'm subscribing for sure, and I wish I'd found your channel a couple of months ago when I was shopping for my first vintage lenses. Great stuff, and I love the idea that the tools I'm using might have some history to them (even if I have no idea what that history might have been). Thanks.
Hi Michael! Always room for a little regional variation definitely! What lens did you end up getting? Also fully agree with the story/history behind the lens. History in general is something I've grown to appreciate since my high school days (oh man HISTORY is SOO BORING .... ) but I LOVE it now. Thanks again for stopping by.
@@MarkHoltze Ended up with 3 vintage Nikons; a 50mm f 1.8 E Series (dirt cheap, and a lot of people hate on the E Series, but I like the look and haven't had any problems with it), a 55mm f 3.5 AIS (primarily for stop motion animation), and the highly-praised 28mm f 2.8 AIS. The 28mm totally earns its reputation, but I don't think I'd buy it if I had to do it over again. One of the reasons I liked the idea of vintage lenses in the first place was that they were cheap but awesome. Then I started researching and fell down the rabbit hole and paid about $350 for the 28mm. NOT what I had intended. The other two were pretty cheap, though, so there's that. :) Also, these were purchased for an older T4i, so I wasn't looking at the FD lenses at the time (something about focusing issues/lack of infinity focus due to the newer EOS flange distance?), but I'll be picking up a mirrorless in a couple of weeks, so I'm definitely keen on the vintage FD lenses now. Thanks again for the info.
@@scribemike The good thing is, you can always sell them back to the open market for close or a little less than you paid. So get some value out of it in your shots and sell if you're not going to use it too much. Or trade, you have chips now, you're in the game. Not like buying a modern lens and you loose a huge portion of it's value when you take it out of the store ;) FD lenses are fine on DSLR's as long as your adapter has a glass element. Fotodiox Pro is the one I use on my 6DMII. It introduces a 1.2 crop unfortunately and it has a minor impact on the image clarity. Mirrorless you don't have to worry about any of that, all the lenses I've mounted to my Sony have worked perfectly no issues with a simple adapter. Again Fotodiox IMHO is the best, build quality and performance. Not trying to sell them, just stating what I use and will continue to use. What mirrorless are you looking to get? Stop motion! I LOVE stop motion animation!
@@MarkHoltze Currently leaning toward the Panasonic G7. Dirt cheap for what you get, especially used from someplace like KEH, and I love, love, love the video I've seen from the G7. A lot of folks complain about the color science and the compression, but the GHs and A7s and BMPCC4Ks are a little out of my current price range so I think this will be a good start. Also quite fond of the idea of making quality narrative films with inexpensive but high-performing gear. It'll make a good "from humble beginnings" type story later when I'm famous. :)
@@scribemike GH7, good choice. Sounds like you've done your research and that's good. Generally, the broader sense of it all is people will NOT like something for many different reasons, reasons you may never ever relate to. So it's tough sometimes to listen to what other people say. I've never been a spec head, I'm a firm believer in that gear won't make a video great. It really is all about the nuances of the story telling. Technically you want thinks like audio to be clean because that's the primary connection to the story telling for the audience ,but visually...you can be a lot more nuanced and impressionistic working with limitations. The HARDSET part of making films is the story telling, it's all anybody in the film world (I'm a professional editor in that world) cares about. The TECH is a point of discussion for sure, but the conversation is focused mostly around what's the best way to tell this story, does this track, does it all make sense, is this motivated. I'm excited for you mate, you've got a good headspace I think, use what you have and use it to practice to be great. You can always improve your gear as you develop, or not...use 20 year old cameras to shoot a narrative film ;) Good chatting mate! Let me know if you have any questions regarding any of this/filmmaking/editing whatever .
Glad to see new videos from you Mark! Now that we know where to get our lenses... can you recommend a few cameras that would work with vintage lenses? I own a Nikon D3400 and sadly can't seem to use anything but Nikon glass on it, due to the mirror it has and all, but cameras such as the Sony α series seem like a good option. All in all, just looking to be informed, that's all.
H Tony, all cameras should work with these old lenses; some lenses and DSLR’s are in conflict because of that flange distance and mirror. For example, canon FD lenses won’t work on my 6Dii without a “pro” adapter which had a piece of glass on it so I can achieve infinity focus. But my SMC Takumars work perfectly fine as does my Carl Zeiss 50. I’m not as familiar with Nikon though so it’s hard to speak on that brand specifically. But if you go to Fotodiox webpage and look for the Adspter to The lens you are trying to adapt it’s made in a way that should work with your camera. But to answer your question, mirrorless. Ladies of any kind seem to have zero problems with adapting old lenses. Nikon Z mirrored will be a huge system to take advantage once the adapters are made (I’m told soon). Canon R as well, Fugi and Panasonic mirrorless also great, although crop factor. Of course all the cine cameras from all brands, no mirror to worry about so from canon, Sony, red, amiga, Arri...will work perfect with these old lenses. What lenses have you tried? Takumars, Nikor, Pentacon, Helios should all work pretty well with your Camera. Hope that helps mate!
It's the first hat i've had in a long time i've liked this much. I've tried to shoot a video without it a few times and feel like it's just part of the outfit now.
Hi mate, great video. People often forget that they are sometimes still great lenses. I have about 52 vintage lenses. :-) I got all mine from e-bay. The famous Takumar 50mm f1.4 is fairly cheap; if you need distance, the Canon FD 200mm f2.8 is also a good idea. I have them in 24, 28, 35, 37, 50, 85, 100, 135, 185, 200, 300 and 500mm, all old manual prime lenses. In the mounts M42, Canon FD, Contaxt, Pentax, Pentacon Six, Nikon F, Kiev RF, Exca, etc. I use them on my Panasonic GH5 and Sony A7 III. When needed i repair the lenses, clean the glass, remove fungous, clean focal system, re-grease (with correct grease, never use modern 'thin' grease'. The grease needs to be the same thickness at all temperatures).
Nice collection mate. A huge untapped resource are the young photographers just getting started out. Lenses tend to be a huge barrier of entry and it changes the game when you get more options for low light I think. Plus that direct connection to the lens and camera really helps dialing in the settings register. Unfortunately I’m addicted now ;). Do you have a fav in your collection?
@@MarkHoltze That is not easy! :-) As you already have a 85mm, the Meyer-Optic Gurlitz 135mm f2.8, Takumar 105mm f2.8, Canon FD 35mm f2 SSC and Canon FD 200mm f2.8. But i think this one is my fav: Meyer-Optic Gurlitz 135mm f2.8
@@MarkHoltze They are indeed a good and cheap alternative to better understand what lenses are about and how they work. I got my godson a 24mm Super Takumar to use on the Panasonic GX7. He loves it. Got the lens for 10€ with a lot of fungous in it. I cleaned and repaired it.
Oh the 135 2.5 is gold. I’ve got both the 5 and 6 and will be comparing the two to see if there really IS a massive difference. My last event I shot almost exclusive with it. They wanted candid shots at a film festival after party with like very little light. I brought everything but kept the 135 on for most of it. Far enough away so people didn’t pose and the compressed background mixed with fast aperture gave me some nice background compositions.
Those are the best places for sure! BEST deals hands down, quality can suffer, but it's a risk willing given the prices you can find this stuff for. Thanks mate!
I'm sure you've been told this but your delivery is very entertaining, there's a touch of the Jim Carey about you. Just bought my first vintage lens (CZ Flektogon 35mm) which I think may have been cleaned and reassembled incorrectly, but I'm getting it fixed. But I would probably go on watching your stuff even if I wasn't interested in vintage lenses!
Thanks Ken, yes i've gotten Jim Carey a few times lol, even as far back as high school! He did grew up in the town just next to where I grew up so might be something in the water ;)
I wish I was into this stuff back in 2011! I was in London for 5 months with work and I could have gotten some super cool stuff! This place is pretty cool! Thanks!
Video's a lot of fun. For some of us, these camera shows have an emotional pull that is hard to resist. Between Seattle and Portland, we can find at least two shows each year. Sadly, they are a shell of what they were 20+ years ago. Most sellers are small dealers who used to make a lifestyle traveling around the country to attend. Ebay changed all that. Half of the seller volume sticks to ebay. Most others do ebay all year and hit a few shows, but they sell their best stuff on ebay and bring the junk and damaged goods to the shows - the stuff they know they cannot get away with selling on ebay. It's hard to trek to a show these days, knowing that any really good stuff will be snapped up in sales between sellers before the show opens to the public, to enlarge their ebay inventory. We have one major on-line and ebay seller in Oregon which rents a sales table at shows just to get in early and buy up inventory; they commonly sell little or nothing at the show.
Ya it’s hard to compete with online shopping. I mean trade shows require logistics and it might not be worth all the effort vs just letting the online market do the work for you. For me trade shows have been critical to give me a sense of what I like. I never would have bothered with Takumars had I not seen how they felt and tested them out first hand at the fall show back in 2017. I picked up the 50 and the 100mm macro f4 and I’ve been using those on almost every video since. You can take what you learn at the show and go online with it knowing you like something so that’s always good. I’ve been lucky right down to my great grandfather my family has been into photography, so I’ve got a lot of cool vintage stuff passed down that I hold pretty dearly. Thanks for your comment mate, I enjoyed reading that!
Ontario or UK? I’m assuming UK..but there should be loads. London is the royalty of antiques. I just don’t have specifics. Google vintage camera sale/shop/consignment London and maybe you’ll get some bits
@@MarkHoltze yes, London, UK. I am new here so I don't know where to look for, apart from ebay. But I would like to test and to feel the lens....If I find where I can find I will be very happy.
hope to find something similar here in Italy, however im now with some Canon FD lens...50 1.4 SSC, 50 1.8 SSC (personally cleaned...), 85 1.8 SSC....waiting for a 135 2.5 SSC and a 28 2.8 SSC ...what do you think about these ones?!
M42 adaptor for Sony, Canon, Nikon, Pentax etc , should be main choice which you can find best quality of Pentax Super Takuma, Fujinon, Zeiss, Schneider etc...Mamiya adaptor which can used with many Mamiya M645 lenses.... Cautious for infinity , some might not work.
Asahi pentax takumars are good if you like the feel of a top quality lens combined with great optics. They are buttery smooth, all metal , fantastic quality and wil last a lifetime. You can sometimes get good lenses on fleabay if you look for the cameras the lenses are often attached to. Praktica cameras often have Zeiss lens attached to them.The helios 50mm or is it 55mm? is probably the best bang for your buck prime lens you can buy that is actually pretty good and really cheap.They are found on Zenit cameras.
A few months ago i found a Helios 44-2, a Pentacon 50mm f1.8 and a jupiter-11 200mm f4 in a closet, in my house. I didn't know they existed. I got myself a 10$ adaptor for my canon, and i am trying to learn their use. :D
Mark Holtze thanks! I found them! Last question.. does it matter what brand I buy? Some are more expensive than others and I don’t want to buy something that won’t work well
I LOVE classic lenses. What is not to like? Some produce "interesting" results, but some (Takumars in particular) have the ability to match the latest and greatest in performance. Example, my SMC-takumar 35mm F3.5 or 55mm F1.8 on the front of my K-1 36MP monster! Delightful wonderful sharp images.
Fully agree, last few photo gigs I shot with my Takumars and the client loved them. I’ve been shooting a good portion of these videos on them as well and I love them lol. The K1 so many people have wonderful tings to say about that camera! I need to check it out. Thanks for the comment Iain
Oh, nearly forgot. I have that Auto Pentacon 50mm F1.8 too. It was my fathers. Contrast and buttery smooth "bokeh" is the name of the game with it. Fantastic cheap lens.
Another ripper video from the vintage master! You've peaked my curiosity to checkout one of these vintage lens shows. I'll hopefully find one in Sydney. Side question, the slider shots in this video, what is your slider?
Thanks man! You should and you should vlog it. I’d love to see a new perspective. The slider is the Rhino Mov, great slider, robotic so I don’t need to operate it, small and light weight, battery lasts forever. I got it because I was sick of pans on macro, I love it. Going to give a no bs review of it soon, but I kind of love it.
@@MarkHoltze Nice, I haven't had a motorised slider for a couple of years, might be time to go back... watch this space! I will absolutely vlog a lens show / swap meet if I can find one!
Thanks mate, it's been a work in progress over the year. You'll see it go from plain and empty and slowly accumulate things lol. Also shooting at night helps now that it gets dark around 5pm, vs 9:30pm. Darkness and fast lenses make it easier I think to make more of less. That Neon sign though is by far my most used element. Great atmosphere and it's come in super handy as a practical light/background for these videos.
👍Always look forward to and enjoy your informative vids, Mark - refreshing presentation, not heavy handed. Thoughtful of you to create the index, even though the vid runs less than 9 min. Glad to see you are still using your Praktica. Good tips, especially bringing a set of adapters. As other comments mentioned, estate sales, garage/church fundraisers, thrift stores and the like are other hit or miss options. I bought an old Canon mount lens for $4 at an country antique fair. There must be creative ways of finding decent vintage lenses made in eastern Europe - perhaps by touching base with UA-cam photo vid posters located in that area. Got any contacts in India - another place to search?
Thanks Paul! You always leave such great comments, I always look forward to your incite with every video myself. 9 mins is a long time for many, so I figured if anything caught their eye mid roll they can just zoom to it. It takes too much time to do all this and the last thing I want to do is waste someone's time watching it. I have a few people who watch in India, they have told me it's really hard for them to get vintage lenses there which is a bummer. I think their import duties and taxes are really high and the stuff people DO have they tend to hold onto. I'd imagine there are some great Eastern European resources out there, some of the coolest lenses came out of that part of the world and I'm sure there is some sort of organization out there surrounding them.
Hey Mark found your channel yesterday and very impressed with your storytelling 🙂I’m looking at pickup a 28mm lens for my Sony A73 body. Do you have any current recommendations I should look for? I want to zine focus for street with it 😁I’m thinking Olympus or Pentax? Thanks!
Thanks Kyle, I would recommend The Super Takumar 28mm F/3.5, the Canon FD 28mm F2.8, the Pentacon is decent as well. All can be found for under $250 easy. Contax Zeiss 28mm F/2.8 if you want to spend a bit more. That's the lens i'm holding in this shot. It will actually be worth more money in a few years as they seem to be going up in value.
Number one thing for me is the local ebay shop of the Netherlands (marktplaats, marketplace if you will) and 2nd is the flea markets or even thriftshops sometimes.
Local eBay shop would be nice! Everything i've gotten has come over from Japan and $35 shipping cost. I'm looking at one with free shipping now, but the lens is expensive.
@@MarkHoltze We in the netherlands are very thrifty, we recycle a lot of old furniture, we sell it on or give it away. It's perhaps a bit of a greedy or economical way of life but at least it's great for anyone looking to get a good deal. I've been to germany and looked around for thrift shops, they don't exist. Flea markets do however.
Can you please make a video on black and white film photography with vintage cameras and how to convert it into digital, it would be very helpful, thanks !.
That’s a good idea! I myself haven’t shot much but I recently got a medium format film camera that I will experiment with medium format B&W film. The easiest way to get the film digitisllynis development houses will offer digital scans of yours images. They have negative scanners you can buy as well, but I always find leaving it to the shop to do it best.
My god the Takumars are going up and up and up! It truly should have been the very first vintage lens I bought. But as a direct result of the last video spot I watched of yours. I bought those instead. $750 later.... hmmmm YUMMMMAY!
Bravo! You are so watchable Mark, funny, informative, full of idiosyncratic quirk and genuine with it. A little bit Jim Carey if you don’t mind the comparison without being over the top. I feel I’m consistently blowing smoke up your proverbial, but another superb, superb, superbico-fantastika episode even though it’s breaking my heart that still in lockdown the lure of the next vintage camera fairs so damned elusive. Agree with all of your appraisals of these three methods, and short of armed robbery or breaking and entering, I can’t think of another way of acquiring these delightful and historic tools… although I did have a brainwave recently about hiring vintage lenses, and on quick inspection it looks a good way of finding out for sure if that f1.2 version is really worth shelling out for over the 1.4 that you already own. Just like my slightly unhealthy obsession with trawling eBay you remain an excellent and guilty pleasure to come back to time and again. Thank you.
Hi Henry! I’ve gotten Jim C a lot and no offence taken. Must be something in the water where we grew up. Him in Newmarket and me in Aurora 5km south lol. I miss the fairs, hopefully we get a fall one. Stay safe mate!
Hi Marc, photographing with old glass has of course its sharme.I have sony A mount DSLR's and I only use old Minolta AF lenses. I don't need adaptors! They are cheap and they give professional results. Or do you not consider AF lenses as vintage? What is your opinion about this?
I actually don’t know how I would define a vintage lens outside of maybe older than 25 years. Haven’t really thought about it but you make a good point. I think AF can fall under the category, I’ve really just kept it full manual lenses that are 25 years or older but it’s by no means a definition, just a guide line. :)
Oh my gosh, where do I find a camera emporium like that? Those need to be in my life! That 25mm at the start is mint, not surprising it’s $675 asking. Great video Mark, really well produced. The end part, stitches.
Thanks mate! I had to dig pretty hard to find these ones, but they've been around for over 40 years. Ya the $675 and $500 for the 50mm L series, nice lenses but a little more than I wanted to spend (a lot more).
@@MarkHoltze Oooh, I miss those old hard leather lens cases. I still have yet to assemble a means to carry all my equipment. I have a few lenses now and still want to pick up a few more. I considered a baldric with individual lens cases attached but likely i will just get a nice backpack.
@@zfoxfire I have my grandfather's but the leather strap broke. Dividers are gone too so ya the nice backpack is definitely more practical. The leather case is on display however :)
Hi Carlo, well the one macro that I do have is the SMC Takumar 100mm F4. It's 1:2 ratio so not full 1:1 and the F4 isn't as fast as modern F2.8s, but it is a FANTASTIC macro lens. I use it for all my macro photography and video work. Great colour, great contrast. I compared it to the Canon 100MM USM 2.8 in this video if you want to see: ua-cam.com/video/8kaN4Fj16wA/v-deo.html
Just a tip: Steel a car, drive through the storefront of your local high end Photography dealer and don't forget to wear a balaclava ;-) Good video, thanks for sharing
Another great video Mark! I am gonna have to check my local pawn shops now for camera gear, and look for any camera shows coming near me. Quick question, have you had any experience with KEH.com? I just picked up my first two vintage lenses (they haven't arrived yet 😢). Just curious about your experience, if any.
@@MarkHoltze picked up a Canon 100-200mm F/5.6 for $10, wanted a telephoto to get shots of squirrels that live in my yard. And, a Vivitar 28-85mm F/3.5-4.5 macro, for $17. Not too bad, I think.
went to one of those vintage camera meets over here in OZ....turns out you need to book a table so you can get early pickings before the general public get let in...😕
Was anything left by the time you got to it? Takes all the fun out of it if you get to book in advance. Sometimes the lesser known stuff is more interesting anyway ;)
ok so I finally bought one tak 85 f1.9 for $300 aussie dollars, Xmas present to myself. Tbh got fed up losing ebay auctions😂
5 років тому+1
Passion for video- and photography, vintage lenses, a compulsive itch for Phillips Hue, and a nice Lofi Hip-Hop background... :) Really nice video. I can't count the nights I lost myself looking for vintage lenses on the bay. And as for you, it all started with the vintage Fuji my parents gave me. And then the Helios, Super Takumar... It's like vintage mechanical watches. :)This Channel will grow ! Respect for your good work ;) +1
Thanks mate! Nice to share that passion for sure. The office lighting isn’t nearly that philips hip though. I mounted some Litra lights with color gels to make it more video friendly lol. Magnets on the back so just hide them up in the lamps heheh. Thanks for the kind words and watching mate.
Thanks Sebastian. I need a few more hundred hours before I can wear the “master” tag (maybe even thousands of hours) but I’m definitely an enthusiastic protege who can’t keep his mouth shut about them. ;)
What's your personal opinion. I've been collecting taco bars for a few years. I mainly shot with my Canon 7D until recently upgrading to Panasonic gh5 w/metabones. Someone mentioned that these lenses would really shine on a full frame sensor. I heard the opposite that a crop sensor or smaller sensor that utilizes just the center of the glass would actually produce a sharper image. What are your thoughts My taks 35f2, 50f1.8, 50f4, 85f1.9, 105f2.8, 135f2.5 Also have the 55f1.4 auto-Sears. Have you used that before PS love your channel and your mutual affection for Takumars
I'm using pentax cameras so i'm focused on pk, m42, m39 and T-mont. I'm using ebay or shopps with used stuff to search for lenses. At start of my adventure i wanted to buy some cheap 135, i opted for Pentax M 135 3,5. I've found on ebay a lot with P135 and Auto-Alpa 35mm 2.8 (never heard about it then, now i know it's probably made by Chinon for Swiss Alpa and it was a standard with camera Alpa Si2000). I've paid 50 euros for both, and then i discovered not only P135 3,5 is very nice but 35 is pretty excelent. From this experience i started to love vintage lenses and Pentax for some features that work great with these. I dn't never seen again another copy of Auto-Alpa 35 2.8 in pk mount, even if it's just rebranded Chinon (i think Chinon Revuenon lenses are really underrated). I'm looking also for strange lenses from projectors, videocameras or noctovisors (never heared of Cyclop 85mm fixed1.5 (Helios?)?) Another nice experience was buying an microscope with 4 lenses for 25 euros, adapting microscope lenses to dslr was pretty fun and results are incredible. Try it! ;P
Thanks Bruno, hopefully you can apply some of them down there. The vintage camera sales I feel is a bit of the luck of the draw and even those were hiding in plain sight themselves for years until out of the blue I saw my very first one...was only a year ago. Oct 2017. Take it easy mate.
Hello there :) on ebay I got a very good deal for a 28mm f2. I found that if you are lucky, you can get those lenses in great shape. Mine even came with a filter and no fungi. Here in my country, at least in the city I live I find it difficult to know about people who have these cameras. The new generations don't even know them so none of my friends can offer me glass. Literally I would have to make friends with their parents in order to get to know if they have film cameras and even if they have their lenses may not come off or be compact.
@@MarkHoltze I hear ya! I received an old Nikon FTN from my late uncle -- Little did I realize at the time that the NIkkor 50mm f/2 would fit right onto my D5200. And what surprised me even more was the bokeh-licious photos I got from it. From then on, I was hooked on vintage lenses.
@@windy_city_mdx9096 Oh ya, Nikon's been using F mounts FOREVER! I think that's what it is. But yes having that wide aperture really changes the game on how you compose and use your backgrounds.
Awesome Video Mark(as always). As for me, eBay and Amazon are pretty much the only place I can get my hands on vintage glass. I'll however keep an eye out for any local listing in the very far future. lol
Ebay is great, it got better the more I found out what I liked and what to look for. Had I started out on Ebay I probably wouldn't have enjoyed or or known what to look out for as well. It was the touch and feel and end results of handling these lenses that ultimately sold me. Hence why I'm making these videos, in an attempt to show first hand how they perform.
Happy to hear it mate, they're such great lenses and their value is still seriously under appreciated. It's too bad they went out of business like they did, but their craftsmanship and quality going up against Zeiss is appreciated.
pro-tip: buy a k-1000... it's my new winter camera, i could not be happier. everyone should be buying a nice pentax k-1000 with some random lenses on kijiji or craigslist on black friday and cyber monday (in lieu of shopping at a big box retaiier). recycling is good for you.
@@MarkHoltze you won't regret it. best pentax camera amidst the stiff pentax competition... i've tried 5 pentax bodies this year, the k1000 is my favorite. it makes my canon ae-1 feel like a personal computer with windows vista on it.
Hey Mark!! It’s been a while! Great advice and video. I was talking to my colleague and friend, Wes Kriesel and he mentioned that he had communicated with you via the comment section of his UA-cam account. At least I think that’s how it went 🤣🤷♂️ Great to connect again!!!
Been WAY too long mate! I'm so backlogged on your videos! I will remedy that when I get some free time coming up over the holidays. This is always a super busy time of year as we try to wrap everything up before everyone breaks for Christmas holiday! Lots of festive functions eating up evenings and weekends as well. Wes, yes we had a good convo. Love these comment boards for exactly that. I'll be by to visit soon! YOu'll know as comments will start flowing from me! Until then, take it easy mate!
"Check with your friends and family" I thought this was kind of a dumb advice, I asked my father nonetheless ; turns out he has some Zeiss contax lenses sitting in a box somewhere! can't wait to check them out haha. I've rarely been so wrong ;p
The only reason I even said it was because it was how I found my first old lenses. If something is free than you're more likely to try it out, get a $20 adapter and BAM! Worlds changed. People don't tend to throw out old stuff like this, gosh I have a Kodak Jr my great grandfather used from 1920's because of this advice. YOU might have some NICE ZIESS because of it! Zeiss is $$$$ on the market...DO let me know if you find them and what you actually have! I'm stoked for you mate.
@@MarkHoltze You're so right about people not throwing stuff away, especially in my family haha. Well in the end the lenses were Nikkors, one being a 35mm O.C. auto f2 with glass designed by zeiss apparently :( (using the zeiss name as a marketing technic really worked since my father stilll remembers it 30 years later) I was already seeing myself with some zeiss contax f1.4 haha, but hey, got a Nikon slr for free too.
@@theo.jovitch Ones trash is another's treasure ;). the fact of the matter is the glass back in the day was good. SOME things have changed, but mostly auto focus motors etc. When the price of a lens is more than the camera body itself, it makes it tough to build a collection. Experimenting with lenses and focal lengths really BUILDS knowledge in the craft. It sucks if you can't learn because you're stuck behind a paywall. Hence, these old vintage lenses, fast, inexpensive and for most of us totally good enough to hone the craft. My only Zeiss Contax is my 85 1.4, it's BEAUTIFUL! I want to start a collection now with the 35 1.4, 50 1.4 and maybe the 60 macro 2.8. Money well invested I think. Either way, you can't go wrong with these old beauties :)
@@MarkHoltze It really is money well invested. I first stumbled upon your outstanding channel when I was looking at a set of Super Takumars someone was selling in my area. Now I have a 28f 3,5, 35 f2, 55 f1,8, 85 f1,8 and 105 f2,8. They cost me 800€ in total which is a bargain comparing to modern options. That's even less than my Tamron 28-75mm f2,8 (which I love and has incredible personality for a modern lens in my opinion). If you haven't tried the 105mm f2,8 you should try to get your hands on it and give it a try! So far it's the one I most enjoy for photography, the bokeh is so yummy haha.
I just bought my dream lens I wanted and it’s the most expensive I’ve ever bought than my Canon EF lenses. Minolta MD 50mm f1.2 for $297+$24 shipping on eBay.
Thank you that was the cheapest I found. I saw other listings on eBay for the same lens well worth over $350. In 10 years I sell the lens for over $500.
@@btrdangerdan2010 Mirrorless lines are going to make these more valuable as people seek them out vs the $$$$ mirrorless modern lenses. Cameras over time lose their value, lenses seem to retain them. Even if they don't go UP, you can always sell them and retain a good chunk of their value.
Thanks! Hopefully you can find some in your areas. You'd be surprised what people have hiding away though so ask around. If you have any questions on adapting etc, let me know. Happy to help! Good luck!
@@MarkHoltze I actually live right next to the country's only specialized vintage camera shop and the owner is great! Thanks! If anything, would be great if you have any tips on adapting disassembled Kodak Retina rangefinder lenses onto mirrorless 😃
Always, nice thing about being small is this. Working on shows we never get to see the audiences reaction or really get any engagement. Best part about youtube is that community.
Nice video. Just want to make a comment about those emporiums or camera shows. The best parts available are too often shared between the sellers before the opening of the camera show... Unfortunately... According to my experience, my best transactions - ever - are with kijiji members. It happens that there are more lenses or photo accessories when meeting the kijiji sellers and it ends up with some amazing not expected finds. One time I found a complete set of Canon AT-1 with FD lenses, filters and bag for 25$. A real sin.
You can buy them off eBay. It's number two.... ;) EBAY! (Facebook, kijiji....etc) online market places generally. It wasn't really until I bought my first lens back in June off Ebay that i felt like I coulda actually talk about the experience. Bought a few since and they've all been great.
New video 🎉 🎉 mate this was so so slick. And That canon 50mm 😍😍 it’d made me want pizza to 😆😆 and to buy the lens. One of the drawbacks of living out of the cities in the U.K. is the lack of these kind of events. I’d love to get to one, although I’m sure my wallet thanks me for not going!!
FINALLY got it done lol. Bitty moments here and there to finish it. I shot the basement stuff on Tuesday, I shot the typing at the computer on Wednesday, the camera sale I shot back in October and had made my selects...dedicated editing evening to polish it all up Thursday and Friday night was thumbnail shoot lol. I use to cut Salvage Hunters, loved that show. Death Heads still the coolest finds Drew and his team found. If it's one thing I learned about touring England with that show (editing it from Toronto) is that the amount of cool historical stuff in almost every corner (or so it seems) is crazy. You guys have furniture older than the country I live in lol. It's crazy to me there's no historical photographic society in full operation. Unless they're totally "invite only" lets not "drive up the prices or saturate the market". You might need to follow some clues and use passwords to gain access, prohibition style. Might make a good VLOG out there ;)
I’m going to make this Easier on you if you’re strapped for time:
0:00: Carl Zeiss Distagon 25mm F2.8 - $675
0:12: Gentleman buys Carl Zeiss Distagon 25mm F2.8
0:37: Number One - Hiding in Plain Sight
2:18: Number Two - Just Point and Click
3:37: Number Three - EMPORIUM (My FAV)
3:49: Fall 2018 Vintage Camera Show
6:25: Photosphere Camera
7:09: A friend from THIS community who I got to meet
7:28: Anyone guess this lens? PRIZE: Canon Lens Coffee Mug to the first who gets it right.
8:16: Wife and Daughter give me a hard time (rightly so).
How do you guys find your lenses?
7:28 - lens is the 100mm takumar f2.5? 😁😁
No that’s QUITE mate, I would love a 100 2.5 ;)
😬😬
Nervous face is my fav emoji right now 😬
@@MarkHoltze hahaha, good choice
That fair looks like heaven
It’s so much fun! Next one May 27th!
I found an fd 1.2 50mm at a pawn shop today in the middle of the hood and talked the guy into selling it to me for $15
Wow man that’s amaaaaaazing! Hold onto thay forever! 😂
I just got a 50mm 1.8 for my Olympus for $15. at a pawn shop. After paying almost $11 for an adaptor, I still did ok. I recently got a spare 14-42 kit lens for $20, also at a pawn shop.
" get what you get and don't get upset" lol when it comes to vintage lenses that pretty much sums it up. I am going to think estate sales would be a pretty good place to discover vintage lenses and probably at a better prices to. Great vid Mark love your style.
It’s an good saying..that and “having a growth mindset”...little parrot she Ian but it sticks.
Thanks as always Joe!
Estate sales are the ultimate in "finds", both as to rare items and low prices. The down side is that they are hugely labor intensive compared to hitting the shows. Hauling out miles to somewhere at dawn on a rainy Saturday, hoping to find a treasure but mostly getting zapped, takes dedication. One of my best friends is a life-long estate troller. I've never been able to gather the will to press through narrow spaces to paw over dead people's stuff. For old film camera gear, not counting an endless flow of old Polaroids and Instamatics, you hit dozens of sales before you find the "the one"", so you have to like the lifestyle.
Estate sales are pretty good, I picked up my super 8mm canon 814 Az at an estate sale for $75. Thing is mint, cake wothtnall accessories and a beautiful black leather case.
The “chase” is all part of the fun I think, at least as you say, the lifestyle. :)
Great comment Randall! Thanks!
You can find semi-complete collections of matching glass in online auctions for a steal. Bidders regularly overpay for a single popular piece of glass but overlook gems hidden within combos. Look for packages with lens cases, because the lenses were likely stored inside.
Definitely the best way to find hidden gems! Thanks Marc!
Ever since I've started watching these videos my desk has started to fill up with lenses. As for other methods, I always reccomend people try to research for any local vintage camera shops. I've got one near me in Atlanta named wings camera store and its always stocked with great vintage lenses. I will have to admit they do charge a little more than what you would see on eBay but I feel like its almost worth it because you get to see the lens in person before buying it and you have access to real people that are just as big enthusiasts as yourself.
Matthew, always good to hear from you man. Some mom and pop style camera shops do have some older lenses as well. I know a place Downtown Camera that has a mini vintage market. Prices are as you say a bit more, but convenience comes with a bit of a price sometimes.
The community around it is pretty fantastic as well, even what's kind of happening here is super cool. I sure as hell don't know everything and I do get a lot of great insight and additional knowledge through many of the comments.
Medium Format is the next game, my camera came the other day....time to step it up a bit ;)
Thanks for hanging around Matthew!
Informative and entertaining as usual Mark! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks mate. I think it's getting a bit easier the camera part, starting get accustomed to talking into a lens.
Great vid Marky Mark. I love and appreciate my modern lenses when I'm shooting talking head videos or need accurate sharpness corner to corner. But when I'm doing personal work or family photos I tend to reach for the older ones with character.
They’re good for dramatic purposes as well. We actually used some old lenses for a doc series (Leica M’s) and their 4k raw performance was epic.
@@MarkHoltze Feel free to share if its online, your work is legit. One of the highest performing lenses I own is the voigtlander color ultron 50mm that I reviewed on my channel, it's like the Helios but more civilized. I'm shooting and developing medium format film also for those times I need more depth.
@@Raychristofer Last Seen Alive, Discovery ID. It's been a few years, but it's out there somewhere.
You got me inspired to check out my local flea market and I found an Helios 44m and an SMC Takumar 200mm both in mint condition for less than 40€ together (50$). They're both not what I was looking for but I'm very happy that I found them :-)
It's difficult to find good deals on Ebay this days but it is still possible on flea markets (at least here in Rome)
0:39 - I remembered that my dad still have this broken Nikon FM2 and finally paired my sony mirrorless with Nikkor AF 35-70 f/3.3-4.5 that came with his FM2.
The lens is actually quite moldy though, it definitely needs some thorough cleaning.
Damn mold, hopefully you can clean it up. Sounds like a nice stash there.
Hi, I live in Rotterdam and I'm sure every major city has a local flea market where you can hunt old beauties. Also, I love the relationship and connection with local vendors to chat a bit about them, not to mention try it out in person. In Rotterdam we have a market in the center "Rotterdam Blak" twice a week every Saturday and Tuesday and I love playing treasure hunt 😂😂
Another great video Mark! Good work
Thanks you! I shot that camera sale back in October and needed to figure out an informative and useful way to utilize that event...hey why not talk about all the ways I've found my lenses. Then it's, how do I make this interesting ... hopefully it all translates .
@@MarkHoltze I love your camera sale videos, I live in an area in England that doesn't see any, I'd love to see one. It all translates perfectly, currently looking for a good 35-70mm 2.8 older lens since your other video I watched
Check out Pentax. M mount I think has one that actually has a locked focus. So you can zoom the lens and the focus will stay locked. Great feature for a manual lens. I think it’s 35-70 3.5 might be a variable aperture I can’t rememebr. It as old as the ‘42 Takumars but still a cool lens.
@@MarkHoltze Thanks man I'm definitely going to look into that one! I'm shooting with the canon 70d would it work well do you think? I haven't seen many videos of 70d with older manual lenses
I think it will be fine. Tak’s work wel woth my 6Dm2, I admit to misty using them on mirrorless myself. Some lenses have issue with infinity focus win dslr’s, canon FD for example. When you adapt those the EOS to FD adapter has a little lens in it so that you can get infinity focus. It’s to do with the flange distance something.
SMC Takumars, Pentacon, Helios would all be fine on your 7D. Just consider you will have a 1.6x crop factor (focal length of lens x 1.6 = the focal length on APS-C). So to get an 85mm look a 50mm Ian good. They’re cheap so I think it’s a good place to start.
Your videos are a joy to watch.
Makes me happy to hear. I tend to think I over think and over produce sometimes....it's really hard to get a good sense of "is this ANY good"...being so close to it. So it makes me happy they're resonating with you.
Thanks Roman, sincerely.
Local estate sales are generally a pretty good way to find lenses, typically you will have yo buy in lots but prices tend to be very low. I have scored a k1000 and three lenses for $20 before and, even though two of the lenses were junk, i still got a k1000 and a 50 mm f2 for cheaper than you could find them online.
Estate sales are great, I picked up a Super 8mm film camera there that was barely used. Canon 814AZ. Some of the best prices there as most people just sell as is and don't really know the "value' of these. Dealers know the value, often clean up the lens and want a bit of a profit, so definitely more expensive than estate sales.
I got very excited when you mentioned Toronto, I live in Toronto, where can I find more info about where and when these camera shows are. Pentax shooter who loves vintage lens and uses them a almost exclusively, not sure if it counts but my 77mm 1.8 limited is so hard to take off.
Oh you are in luck lol! You will love these! So there will be a spring fair in April or May 2019 and the Camerama camera sale happens 4 times a year. The next I believe is April.
phsc.ca
Check those guys out and their associated Facebook page mate!
No problem mate!
What I love about the lens is that you can mount it on the Pentax Spotmatic SP body or any camera body that has a screw on mount! This is camera is cool and I love the shutter button mounted in the front of the camera body! It just feels natural there! I have an old Praktica FX3 and just fixed a light leak that shows up in the second curtain! I fixed it by simply brushing on black plasty-dip! I hear it's suppose to not work? But it works for now and I love the results I have been getting from the camera! Great job as per usual Mark! I need to commit to making a video for my channel and showing my process on fixing light leaks and things! Hahahaha!
The Pentacon is also my first vintage lens ever, also a gift, sweet!
Great place to start!
I love Takumars too! After researching vintage lenses for a while, I spotted a 55mm f/1.8 Super Tak in a thrift store on an old film camera body. Long story short, I walked away with it for $10, couldn't believe my luck!
It’s one of the best lenses they have too. People LOVE them!!
Love this video.
I wish I had an income right now. Watching your videos (among others) has really made me realize just how much of a difference a camera with a swappable lens can be compared to my Canon SX50 HS even with the CHDK firmware. I'd especially love to get full frame camera with a lens somewhere between 1.4-1.8f for the indoor events I tend to shoot at. Hopefully some day, especially now that I've been selling 3D prints here and there.
Thanks Greg! Well the good news is the lenses will always be there so when you are ready jump in. Swappable lenses definitely make a difference.
Informative and entertaining video Mark. Keep up the great work.
Thank you Clive. Trying hard to achieve both so glad it resonated for you. Appreciate your time.
I was at a sale like that just last weekend. I sold my Biometar 80mm 2.8, 'cause I wasn't really using it, and bought a Praktica MTL 5 with this ausJENA 50mm T2.8 lens that I've nerver heard of before and a Tokina 135mm 2.8. I'm waiting for the adaptor and for some sunny days to try them out!
Nice! What adapter does the Tokina use?
Konica AR
Beauty, thanks!
Great video as always man. I'm sure you'll see huge growth in 2019. You deserve it!
Thanks M. 2018 has been a lot of fun, focusing on what I like to talk about and figuring out what's working. 2019 should be a good go :)
I agree
Your videos are so well put together and that Vintage camera is so awesome man! Great tips, and awesome job at motion tracking too!
Thanks Matt. The slider makes the tracking pretty easy, robotic so it's consistent. I just mark one EYEBALL track it...never really feel like loading up AFX for this stuff, although might be worth it.
Simplicity for now.
Mark Holtze yeah definitely!
Hey Mark, just came across your video and channel. Love those vintage lenses for that ‘creamy’ look on today’s cameras. Not sure if you mentioned this on another video but I also hunt for these lenses in pawn shops. Most places have these, and the turnover is not so bad, worth venturing into once in a while. Cheers from the Maritimes!
Maritimes! Where abouts? Pawn shops are great actually, I didn’t have any personal experience or Broll of them so I left it out.
There’s an antique store downtown that has a few vintage cameras, not sure they work, but it’s pretty cool regardless.
Thanks for your comment mate! I have a bunch of Nova Scotia, PEI and New Brunswick 8mm footage from the 60’s my grandfather shot a whole bunch of videos back. Might be where you are :)
Have been playing with vintage lenses on my M43 EM1.1 and having some fun. Wondered if you have discussed budget friendly ways to go full frame digital with vintage lenses. Enjoy your videos
Hi Steve! Thanks for the comment mate. What do you mean budget friendly ways to go full frame digital? Are there special hacks I don’t know about? ;). For me I think having a full frame camera and not wanting to spend thousands on a set of lenses is the budget option. As much as I like and use modern glass for certain things, I’ve been having the most fun shooting both video and stills with vintage glass. The results of a $50 lens vs a $500 lens are remarkable l.
Is your em1 m43?
Yes EM1 is M43, what I was asking is what are some budget friendly full frame bodies that accept vintage lenses well?
Sony Alpha series, mirrorless I tbink are best bet. A7 series is all full frame and depending what your budget is, they have 3 iterations over the years so check them out.
Got a 50mm zeiss planar t1,7 on my Sony 7III. Unfortunately it started to have some mushroom. I’m looking for a canon 55 1,2 to replace it ... not easy to find at a reasonable price (good conditions)
In Italy unfortunately there aren’t many of those events, if not any
I shoot weddings and I really think that vintage 50s are the best you can get to tell a story, with that dreamy look...
Ya they’re great for wedding photography. You should check out the SMC takumar 35 f 2.3...:has some great bokeh characteristics when you land the subject and focus distance just right
I was wondering which vintage lens system you would recommend? I know that there are single lenses, which always stand out, but if you wanted to build a vintage lens kit based on the same mount, which would you consider?
Tough one, because there are so many factors. What got me into them were the Super Multi Coated Takumars, they have almost every focal length, they're built well and they're cheap. M42 screw mount so they're also easy to adapt.
I'm not sure what camera system you are on or if your focus is more video or photo. Canon FD lenses if you have a mirrorless or shoot cinema cameras are great as well, and the more premium Contax Carl Zeiss are kind of the videographers pinnacle lens. I'm starting my Zeiss collection now personally. I shoot commercial gigs with these so the price (Zeiss are more expensive) isn't much of an issue for me.
The Takumar's are a great place to start though.
@@MarkHoltze thanks, appreciate the answer.
I'm using Fujifilm, the X-T3, and mostly stills, portraits and events/stage performance, but also considering beginning to do some video. With a camera like the X-T3 I have to do some video :)
I switched from Canon, recently, so they have a special place, making me considering getting their FD lenses, though only the primes. I've heard a lot of good things about Nikon's AIS lenses, as well as the Olympus Zuiko lenses. I have looked at some Carl Zeiss lenses, but I'd rather build a set of lenses first, and then focus more premium.
I'll definitely take a look at the Takumar lenses.
Again, appreciate you taking the time.
@@peterkaltoft8032 Nikon AI lenses (AI-S simply has shorter focus throw for faster focus) are exquisite! I have a 200mm f/4 with coated 5 glass elements and 9 bladed aperture. This lens has high contrast, is very sharp, and has sikly smooth bokeh. I picked mine up for $110 last month. I want to grab a few more of these over the next month or so. They are completely manual and have no electrical contacts but if you're comfortable without autofocus then they are great lenses. You can also control the aperture from the ring even in "live view" mode I'm not finding on my Nikons. If you go the Nikon route feel free to ask questions. I've been getting a lot of my info from the Angry Photographer but as I'm buying these phenomenal inexpensive older "cheap" 80s lenses I'm finding them to be the best bang for your buck if you value optical quality over electronic features.
@@zfoxfire thanks for the input. Funny thing is that I actually am buying into the Nikkor lenses. So far I've managed to get my hands on the non-AI 50mm f/2 and f/1.4, Nikkor-S and Nikkor-H. I'm very impressed with the latter, but both are doing really stopped down a little. They both have am interested glow around highlights when opened wide.
I also purchased the AI 200mm f/4, but am still waiting for it.
Besides them, I got an Olympus Zuiko 135mm f/3.5, which I at first wasn't too impressed by, but now have found what it's great for (flowers!). Good color and has a great 3D pop when shooting things close (only 6 elements I think), but lacking contrast for things further away. So it didn't become the lens I'd hoped to use for telephoto distances I had hoped for, so here's hoping for the Nikkor 200mm 🙂
@@peterkaltoft8032 Be careful with the S and H series Nikkors. Those pre-AI lenses have compatibility issues on certain modern Nikon bodies unless they have been adapted to make them AI compatible. The reason is the AI lenses have an indexed aperture ring wheras the S and H series mostly do not. The AI index carried over to AF series lenses. If you have a Nikon body that is AI compatible and has an AI index feeler around the bayonet ring (around the 3 o clock position if you are facing the camera) then you can damage your camera by mounting those. On cheaper Nikon cameras that lack the AI indexing tab, you're safe.
I don't know anything about the Olympus lens you mention. Low element count is great but is it multi-coated?
I just picked up an old T-201 teleconverter for around $50 on e-bay. It's a 2x converter and mounted with the AI 200mm, it still produces great images at the sacrifice of an f-stop.
Can you supply a link to Toronto show?
Hey any suggestions for camera shows in Toronto.
Camerama camera shows for 2019 aren’t quite locked in yet, but there will be a spring one in April. Info isn’t quite out yet.
PHSC Spring Auction
March 17, 2019
CONSIGNMENT AUCTION,
AUCTION VENUE
Legion Hall 101
3650 Lake Shore Bl W
just west of Brown’s Line (Hwy 27)
Toronto (Long Branch
Keep your eyes peeled for updates.
"You get what you get and you don't pitch a fit," is what my daughter taught me. I'm thinking regional variation.
Another awesome video; I'm subscribing for sure, and I wish I'd found your channel a couple of months ago when I was shopping for my first vintage lenses. Great stuff, and I love the idea that the tools I'm using might have some history to them (even if I have no idea what that history might have been). Thanks.
Hi Michael! Always room for a little regional variation definitely! What lens did you end up getting?
Also fully agree with the story/history behind the lens. History in general is something I've grown to appreciate since my high school days (oh man HISTORY is SOO BORING .... ) but I LOVE it now.
Thanks again for stopping by.
@@MarkHoltze Ended up with 3 vintage Nikons; a 50mm f 1.8 E Series (dirt cheap, and a lot of people hate on the E Series, but I like the look and haven't had any problems with it), a 55mm f 3.5 AIS (primarily for stop motion animation), and the highly-praised 28mm f 2.8 AIS.
The 28mm totally earns its reputation, but I don't think I'd buy it if I had to do it over again. One of the reasons I liked the idea of vintage lenses in the first place was that they were cheap but awesome. Then I started researching and fell down the rabbit hole and paid about $350 for the 28mm. NOT what I had intended. The other two were pretty cheap, though, so there's that. :)
Also, these were purchased for an older T4i, so I wasn't looking at the FD lenses at the time (something about focusing issues/lack of infinity focus due to the newer EOS flange distance?), but I'll be picking up a mirrorless in a couple of weeks, so I'm definitely keen on the vintage FD lenses now.
Thanks again for the info.
@@scribemike The good thing is, you can always sell them back to the open market for close or a little less than you paid. So get some value out of it in your shots and sell if you're not going to use it too much. Or trade, you have chips now, you're in the game. Not like buying a modern lens and you loose a huge portion of it's value when you take it out of the store ;)
FD lenses are fine on DSLR's as long as your adapter has a glass element. Fotodiox Pro is the one I use on my 6DMII. It introduces a 1.2 crop unfortunately and it has a minor impact on the image clarity.
Mirrorless you don't have to worry about any of that, all the lenses I've mounted to my Sony have worked perfectly no issues with a simple adapter. Again Fotodiox IMHO is the best, build quality and performance. Not trying to sell them, just stating what I use and will continue to use.
What mirrorless are you looking to get? Stop motion! I LOVE stop motion animation!
@@MarkHoltze Currently leaning toward the Panasonic G7. Dirt cheap for what you get, especially used from someplace like KEH, and I love, love, love the video I've seen from the G7. A lot of folks complain about the color science and the compression, but the GHs and A7s and BMPCC4Ks are a little out of my current price range so I think this will be a good start. Also quite fond of the idea of making quality narrative films with inexpensive but high-performing gear. It'll make a good "from humble beginnings" type story later when I'm famous. :)
@@scribemike GH7, good choice. Sounds like you've done your research and that's good. Generally, the broader sense of it all is people will NOT like something for many different reasons, reasons you may never ever relate to. So it's tough sometimes to listen to what other people say.
I've never been a spec head, I'm a firm believer in that gear won't make a video great. It really is all about the nuances of the story telling. Technically you want thinks like audio to be clean because that's the primary connection to the story telling for the audience ,but visually...you can be a lot more nuanced and impressionistic working with limitations.
The HARDSET part of making films is the story telling, it's all anybody in the film world (I'm a professional editor in that world) cares about. The TECH is a point of discussion for sure, but the conversation is focused mostly around what's the best way to tell this story, does this track, does it all make sense, is this motivated.
I'm excited for you mate, you've got a good headspace I think, use what you have and use it to practice to be great. You can always improve your gear as you develop, or not...use 20 year old cameras to shoot a narrative film ;)
Good chatting mate! Let me know if you have any questions regarding any of this/filmmaking/editing whatever .
Glad to see new videos from you Mark!
Now that we know where to get our lenses... can you recommend a few cameras that would work with vintage lenses?
I own a Nikon D3400 and sadly can't seem to use anything but Nikon glass on it, due to the mirror it has and all, but cameras such as the Sony α series seem like a good option. All in all, just looking to be informed, that's all.
H Tony, all cameras should work with these old lenses; some lenses and DSLR’s are in conflict because of that flange distance and mirror. For example, canon FD lenses won’t work on my 6Dii without a “pro” adapter which had a piece of glass on it so I can achieve infinity focus. But my SMC Takumars work perfectly fine as does my Carl Zeiss 50.
I’m not as familiar with Nikon though so it’s hard to speak on that brand specifically. But if you go to Fotodiox webpage and look for the Adspter to
The lens you are trying to adapt it’s made in a way that should work with your camera.
But to answer your question, mirrorless. Ladies of any kind seem to have zero problems with adapting old lenses. Nikon Z mirrored will be a huge system to take advantage once the adapters are made (I’m told soon). Canon R as well, Fugi and Panasonic mirrorless also great, although crop factor.
Of course all the cine cameras from all brands, no mirror to worry about so from canon, Sony, red, amiga, Arri...will work perfect with these old lenses.
What lenses have you tried?
Takumars, Nikor, Pentacon, Helios should all work pretty well with your Camera.
Hope that helps mate!
I really love your ball cap. I must get myself one.
It's the first hat i've had in a long time i've liked this much. I've tried to shoot a video without it a few times and feel like it's just part of the outfit now.
Hi mate, great video. People often forget that they are sometimes still great lenses. I have about 52 vintage lenses. :-) I got all mine from e-bay.
The famous Takumar 50mm f1.4 is fairly cheap; if you need distance, the Canon FD 200mm f2.8 is also a good idea. I have them in 24, 28, 35, 37, 50, 85, 100, 135, 185, 200, 300 and 500mm, all old manual prime lenses. In the mounts M42, Canon FD, Contaxt, Pentax, Pentacon Six, Nikon F, Kiev RF, Exca, etc. I use them on my Panasonic GH5 and Sony A7 III. When needed i repair the lenses, clean the glass, remove fungous, clean focal system, re-grease (with correct grease, never use modern 'thin' grease'. The grease needs to be the same thickness at all temperatures).
Nice collection mate. A huge untapped resource are the young photographers just getting started out. Lenses tend to be a huge barrier of entry and it changes the game when you get more options for low light I think.
Plus that direct connection to the lens and camera really helps dialing in the settings register.
Unfortunately I’m addicted now ;).
Do you have a fav in your collection?
@@MarkHoltze That is not easy! :-) As you already have a 85mm, the Meyer-Optic Gurlitz 135mm f2.8, Takumar 105mm f2.8, Canon FD 35mm f2 SSC and Canon FD 200mm f2.8. But i think this one is my fav: Meyer-Optic Gurlitz 135mm f2.8
@@MarkHoltze They are indeed a good and cheap alternative to better understand what lenses are about and how they work. I got my godson a 24mm Super Takumar to use on the Panasonic GX7. He loves it. Got the lens for 10€ with a lot of fungous in it. I cleaned and repaired it.
Aweome thanks! (Writes down lenses) ;).
The 3.5 24mm?
I got started with my canon 7d and a Pentax-M 50mm f2 and I now have more than 4 vintage lenses
Titanium Waffle what’s your favourite?
Yes, what IS your favorite?
It's hard to pick but probably my Pentax-m smc 80~200mm f4.5 but I did just get the 6 element super takumar 135mm f2.5
Oh the 135 2.5 is gold. I’ve got both the 5 and 6 and will
be comparing the two to see if there really IS a massive difference.
My last event I shot almost exclusive with it. They wanted candid shots at a film festival after party with like very little light. I brought everything but kept the 135 on for most of it. Far enough away so people didn’t pose and the compressed background mixed with fast aperture gave me some nice background compositions.
Pawn shops, thrift stores and flea markets are my tip three. Hope I can find a camera show in my area someday. Awesome video man.
Those are the best places for sure! BEST deals hands down, quality can suffer, but it's a risk willing given the prices you can find this stuff for.
Thanks mate!
I'm sure you've been told this but your delivery is very entertaining, there's a touch of the Jim Carey about you. Just bought my first vintage lens (CZ Flektogon 35mm) which I think may have been cleaned and reassembled incorrectly, but I'm getting it fixed. But I would probably go on watching your stuff even if I wasn't interested in vintage lenses!
Thanks Ken, yes i've gotten Jim Carey a few times lol, even as far back as high school! He did grew up in the town just next to where I grew up so might be something in the water ;)
Mark, you need to go to the aperture store in London..... amazing place...
I wish I was into this stuff back in 2011! I was in London for 5 months with work and I could have gotten some super cool stuff! This place is pretty cool! Thanks!
Video's a lot of fun. For some of us, these camera shows have an emotional pull that is hard to resist. Between Seattle and Portland, we can find at least two shows each year. Sadly, they are a shell of what they were 20+ years ago. Most sellers are small dealers who used to make a lifestyle traveling around the country to attend. Ebay changed all that. Half of the seller volume sticks to ebay. Most others do ebay all year and hit a few shows, but they sell their best stuff on ebay and bring the junk and damaged goods to the shows - the stuff they know they cannot get away with selling on ebay. It's hard to trek to a show these days, knowing that any really good stuff will be snapped up in sales between sellers before the show opens to the public, to enlarge their ebay inventory. We have one major on-line and ebay seller in Oregon which rents a sales table at shows just to get in early and buy up inventory; they commonly sell little or nothing at the show.
Ya it’s hard to compete with online shopping. I mean trade shows require logistics and it might not be worth all the effort vs just letting the online market do the work for you.
For me trade shows have been critical to give me a sense of what I like. I never would have bothered with Takumars had I not seen how they felt and tested them out first hand at the fall show back in 2017. I picked up the 50 and the 100mm macro f4 and I’ve been using those on almost every video since.
You can take what you learn at the show and go online with it knowing you like something so that’s always good.
I’ve been lucky right down to my great grandfather my family has been into photography, so I’ve got a lot of cool vintage stuff passed down that I hold pretty dearly.
Thanks for your comment mate, I enjoyed reading that!
what about metabones adapter? what do you think?
Thanks Mark! Does anybody know if there are sales like this in London?
Ontario or UK? I’m assuming UK..but there should be loads. London is the royalty of antiques. I just don’t have specifics. Google vintage camera sale/shop/consignment London and maybe you’ll get some bits
@@MarkHoltze yes, London, UK. I am new here so I don't know where to look for, apart from ebay. But I would like to test and to feel the lens....If I find where I can find I will be very happy.
Thanks Mark. Loving your videos. Binge watching them like Netflix
Ha thanks mate! Glad you’re enjoying them!! ✊
Loved that thanks Mark, on my 4th vintage lens now (attached to sony A6000), and getting some super results
hope to find something similar here in Italy, however im now with some Canon FD lens...50 1.4 SSC, 50 1.8 SSC (personally cleaned...), 85 1.8 SSC....waiting for a 135 2.5 SSC and a 28 2.8 SSC ...what do you think about these ones?!
SSC’s are beautiful! If I were to go FD I would collect those!
@@MarkHoltze the guy that sold me the 85 1.8 give me the 50 1.8 for free because the blades of the iris was stucked...i've fixed it xD hahha
That’s amazing. My fav park is that you fixed it!
M42 adaptor for Sony, Canon, Nikon, Pentax etc , should be main choice which you can find best quality of Pentax Super Takuma, Fujinon, Zeiss, Schneider etc...Mamiya adaptor which can used with many Mamiya M645 lenses.... Cautious for infinity , some might not work.
Asahi pentax takumars are good if you like the feel of a top quality lens combined with great optics. They are buttery smooth, all metal , fantastic quality and wil last a lifetime.
You can sometimes get good lenses on fleabay if you look for the cameras the lenses are often attached to.
Praktica cameras often have Zeiss lens attached to them.The helios 50mm or is it 55mm? is probably the best bang for your buck prime lens you can buy that is actually
pretty good and really cheap.They are found on Zenit cameras.
A few months ago i found a Helios 44-2, a Pentacon 50mm f1.8 and a jupiter-11 200mm f4 in a closet, in my house. I didn't know they existed. I got myself a 10$ adaptor for my canon, and i am trying to learn their use. :D
How do you know what adapters to get?
Bro chill I just posted this a second ago lol
Google the lens you are looking at and you’ll see in the results what mount it uses.
If you have specifics, leave them here and I’ll help you out :)
Mark Holtze thanks! I have an old canon 50mm f1.8 that I want to try on my a7rii
If it’s an FD lens (no auto focus) it would be FD to NEX (nex being Sony E)
Mark Holtze thanks! I found them! Last question.. does it matter what brand I buy? Some are more expensive than others and I don’t want to buy something that won’t work well
I LOVE classic lenses. What is not to like? Some produce "interesting" results, but some (Takumars in particular) have the ability to match the latest and greatest in performance. Example, my SMC-takumar 35mm F3.5 or 55mm F1.8 on the front of my K-1 36MP monster! Delightful wonderful sharp images.
Fully agree, last few photo gigs I shot with my Takumars and the client loved them. I’ve been shooting a good portion of these videos on them as well and I love them lol.
The K1 so many people have wonderful tings to say about that camera! I need to check it out.
Thanks for the comment Iain
Oh, nearly forgot. I have that Auto Pentacon 50mm F1.8 too. It was my fathers. Contrast and buttery smooth "bokeh" is the name of the game with it. Fantastic cheap lens.
@@MarkHoltze You must check it out. works beautifully with old M42 lenses and any K-mount ones too.
Thx, great video. Craig's list in California has also been another good source.
Ya, Kijiji here has been pretty good as well for a friend of mine. I could only really speak to how I've sourced these beauties.
Another ripper video from the vintage master! You've peaked my curiosity to checkout one of these vintage lens shows. I'll hopefully find one in Sydney. Side question, the slider shots in this video, what is your slider?
Thanks man! You should and you should vlog it. I’d love to see a new perspective.
The slider is the Rhino Mov, great slider, robotic so I don’t need to operate it, small and light weight, battery lasts forever.
I got it because I was sick of pans on macro, I love it. Going to give a no bs review of it soon, but I kind of love it.
@@MarkHoltze Nice, I haven't had a motorised slider for a couple of years, might be time to go back... watch this space! I will absolutely vlog a lens show / swap meet if I can find one!
Awesome.The slider is perfect with the Sony, haven’t mounted fully loaded canon 6Dii to it yet, but I just haven’t needed to ;).
Lens show GO!
I really love your room background ... It's amazing
Thanks mate, it's been a work in progress over the year. You'll see it go from plain and empty and slowly accumulate things lol. Also shooting at night helps now that it gets dark around 5pm, vs 9:30pm. Darkness and fast lenses make it easier I think to make more of less. That Neon sign though is by far my most used element. Great atmosphere and it's come in super handy as a practical light/background for these videos.
@@MarkHoltze and one request can you make a room tour video
Something I will do. I wanted to talk about how to maximize spaces I think so that could be a good addition to that beat.
Thanks for sharing. I really love vintage lenses👍🏻
My pleasure mate, thanks for watching :). Do you have a fav lens?
@@MarkHoltze yeah, my fav lens minolta 55mm f1.7 :)
@@wenjunnchoy4573 Haven't tried any Minolta's, but a lot of people LOVE them! I'm going to keep my eyes open! Thanks mate
@@MarkHoltze im going to try Takumar smc lenses, also thanks for your review
You will love them, they’re magic mate.
👍Always look forward to and enjoy your informative vids, Mark - refreshing presentation, not heavy handed. Thoughtful of you to create the index, even though the vid runs less than 9 min. Glad to see you are still using your Praktica. Good tips, especially bringing a set of adapters. As other comments mentioned, estate sales, garage/church fundraisers, thrift stores and the like are other hit or miss options. I bought an old Canon mount lens for $4 at an country antique fair. There must be creative ways of finding decent vintage lenses made in eastern Europe - perhaps by touching base with UA-cam photo vid posters located in that area. Got any contacts in India - another place to search?
Thanks Paul! You always leave such great comments, I always look forward to your incite with every video myself. 9 mins is a long time for many, so I figured if anything caught their eye mid roll they can just zoom to it. It takes too much time to do all this and the last thing I want to do is waste someone's time watching it.
I have a few people who watch in India, they have told me it's really hard for them to get vintage lenses there which is a bummer. I think their import duties and taxes are really high and the stuff people DO have they tend to hold onto.
I'd imagine there are some great Eastern European resources out there, some of the coolest lenses came out of that part of the world and I'm sure there is some sort of organization out there surrounding them.
Hey Mark found your channel yesterday and very impressed with your storytelling 🙂I’m looking at pickup a 28mm lens for my Sony A73 body. Do you have any current recommendations I should look for? I want to zine focus for street with it 😁I’m thinking Olympus or Pentax? Thanks!
Thanks Kyle, I would recommend The Super Takumar 28mm F/3.5, the Canon FD 28mm F2.8, the Pentacon is decent as well. All can be found for under $250 easy. Contax Zeiss 28mm F/2.8 if you want to spend a bit more. That's the lens i'm holding in this shot. It will actually be worth more money in a few years as they seem to be going up in value.
@@MarkHoltze Thanks so much Mark this is very helpful :)
My pleasure mate! Best of luck!
Number one thing for me is the local ebay shop of the Netherlands (marktplaats, marketplace if you will) and 2nd is the flea markets or even thriftshops sometimes.
Local eBay shop would be nice! Everything i've gotten has come over from Japan and $35 shipping cost. I'm looking at one with free shipping now, but the lens is expensive.
@@MarkHoltze We in the netherlands are very thrifty, we recycle a lot of old furniture, we sell it on or give it away. It's perhaps a bit of a greedy or economical way of life but at least it's great for anyone looking to get a good deal.
I've been to germany and looked around for thrift shops, they don't exist. Flea markets do however.
You guys have got a good thing going on up there! Don’t stop!
Can you please make a video on black and white film photography with vintage cameras and how to convert it into digital, it would be very helpful, thanks !.
That’s a good idea! I myself haven’t shot much but I recently got a medium format film camera that I will experiment with medium format B&W film.
The easiest way to get the film digitisllynis development houses will offer digital scans of yours images. They have negative scanners you can buy as well, but I always find leaving it to the shop to do it best.
@@MarkHoltze Thanks a lot , i would love to have some b & w film photography content .
I like to document the experience, I just can’t approach it with any real level of proficiency...I will happily share what I learn though!
@@MarkHoltze That's exactly what i am waiting for, i am happy i accidentally found your channel.
My god the Takumars are going up and up and up! It truly should have been the very first vintage lens I bought. But as a direct result of the last video spot I watched of yours. I bought those instead. $750 later.... hmmmm YUMMMMAY!
Long term investment ;)
I have the first one in my office with the Practika (typo).
The other is a 35mm 1.8 (I think).
Getting a A7II on Wednesday 📸
Bravo!
You are so watchable Mark, funny, informative, full of idiosyncratic quirk and genuine with it. A little bit Jim Carey if you don’t mind the comparison without being over the top.
I feel I’m consistently blowing smoke up your proverbial, but another superb, superb, superbico-fantastika episode even though it’s breaking my heart that still in lockdown the lure of the next vintage camera fairs so damned elusive.
Agree with all of your appraisals of these three methods, and short of armed robbery or breaking and entering, I can’t think of another way of acquiring these delightful and historic tools… although I did have a brainwave recently about hiring vintage lenses, and on quick inspection it looks a good way of finding out for sure if that f1.2 version is really worth shelling out for over the 1.4 that you already own.
Just like my slightly unhealthy obsession with trawling eBay you remain an excellent and guilty pleasure to come back to time and again.
Thank you.
Hi Henry! I’ve gotten Jim C a lot and no offence taken. Must be something in the water where we grew up. Him in Newmarket and me in Aurora 5km south lol.
I miss the fairs, hopefully we get a fall one. Stay safe mate!
“Mmm ..how bout that..ya didn’t know” 😂. Just found your channel. Love it!
Hi Marc, photographing with old glass has of course its sharme.I have sony A mount DSLR's and I only use old Minolta AF lenses. I don't need adaptors! They are cheap and they give professional results. Or do you not consider AF lenses as vintage? What is your opinion about this?
I actually don’t know how I would define a vintage lens outside of maybe older than 25 years. Haven’t really thought about it but you make a good point. I think AF can fall under the category, I’ve really just kept it full manual lenses that are 25 years or older but it’s by no means a definition, just a guide line.
:)
Oh my gosh, where do I find a camera emporium like that? Those need to be in my life! That 25mm at the start is mint, not surprising it’s $675 asking.
Great video Mark, really well produced.
The end part, stitches.
Thanks mate! I had to dig pretty hard to find these ones, but they've been around for over 40 years. Ya the $675 and $500 for the 50mm L series, nice lenses but a little more than I wanted to spend (a lot more).
So I can use old Camara lens on my a6000 with an adaptor??
You can. Keep in mind these lenses are full frame to multiply the focal length of lens by 1.6 to get the camera focal length.
I explain the process in this video: ua-cam.com/video/V3qfPlyGmc8/v-deo.html
Sony is a NEX mount.
@1:03 I hope when I discover a 40 year old lens without the cap facing up in an attic that it will be as dust-free as that. :)
MIS EN SCENE ;) most likely find them in a leather camera bag with caps and covers still in tact ;)
@@MarkHoltze Oooh, I miss those old hard leather lens cases. I still have yet to assemble a means to carry all my equipment. I have a few lenses now and still want to pick up a few more. I considered a baldric with individual lens cases attached but likely i will just get a nice backpack.
@@zfoxfire I have my grandfather's but the leather strap broke. Dividers are gone too so ya the nice backpack is definitely more practical. The leather case is on display however :)
Rad video! Definitely going to have to take your advice and pick up some old SLR lenses for the C200!
See if family has any laying around first if you can. See how it feels. Changed my world.
Howzit Mark. Do have any advice on some nice options for macro photography?
Hi Carlo, well the one macro that I do have is the SMC Takumar 100mm F4. It's 1:2 ratio so not full 1:1 and the F4 isn't as fast as modern F2.8s, but it is a FANTASTIC macro lens. I use it for all my macro photography and video work. Great colour, great contrast.
I compared it to the Canon 100MM USM 2.8 in this video if you want to see:
ua-cam.com/video/8kaN4Fj16wA/v-deo.html
Just a tip: Steel a car, drive through the storefront of your local high end Photography dealer and don't forget to wear a balaclava ;-)
Good video, thanks for sharing
😂 sounds like you’ve done it before ;). Thanks RS :)
Splendid video!
Thank you Luis! 🙏
Wow amazing content thank you so much for sharing this video god bless
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for visiting
Another great video Mark! I am gonna have to check my local pawn shops now for camera gear, and look for any camera shows coming near me. Quick question, have you had any experience with KEH.com? I just picked up my first two vintage lenses (they haven't arrived yet 😢). Just curious about your experience, if any.
Hope you find some! I actually haven’t ever used KEH.com...but I’m sure it’s similar to eBay, just another alternative.
What lenses did you get?
@@MarkHoltze picked up a Canon 100-200mm F/5.6 for $10, wanted a telephoto to get shots of squirrels that live in my yard. And, a Vivitar 28-85mm F/3.5-4.5 macro, for $17. Not too bad, I think.
went to one of those vintage camera meets over here in OZ....turns out you need to book a table so you can get early pickings before the general public get let in...😕
Was anything left by the time you got to it? Takes all the fun out of it if you get to book in advance. Sometimes the lesser known stuff is more interesting anyway ;)
not a lot some was a bit overpriced too...
really looking for an 85mm canon or pentax...hard to find.
Ya and $$$. I saw an 85mm 1.8 FD for $400 Canadian at the show. I got my Takumar for $360 Canadian. Pricy but worth every penny. Fav lens
ok so I finally bought one tak 85 f1.9 for $300 aussie dollars, Xmas present to myself. Tbh got fed up losing ebay auctions😂
Passion for video- and photography, vintage lenses, a compulsive itch for Phillips Hue, and a nice Lofi Hip-Hop background... :) Really nice video. I can't count the nights I lost myself looking for vintage lenses on the bay. And as for you, it all started with the vintage Fuji my parents gave me. And then the Helios, Super Takumar... It's like vintage mechanical watches. :)This Channel will grow ! Respect for your good work ;) +1
Thanks mate! Nice to share that passion for sure. The office lighting isn’t nearly that philips hip though. I mounted some Litra lights with color gels to make it more video friendly lol. Magnets on the back so just hide them up in the lamps heheh.
Thanks for the kind words and watching mate.
Vintage Lens Master ! :D
Great video as always ! :D
Thanks Sebastian. I need a few more hundred hours before I can wear the “master” tag (maybe even thousands of hours) but I’m definitely an enthusiastic protege who can’t keep his mouth shut about them. ;)
The camera show option looks dangerous! I was in overload just watching the video
I miss them, they’re pretty great!
What's your personal opinion. I've been collecting taco bars for a few years. I mainly shot with my Canon 7D until recently upgrading to Panasonic gh5 w/metabones. Someone mentioned that these lenses would really shine on a full frame sensor. I heard the opposite that a crop sensor or smaller sensor that utilizes just the center of the glass would actually produce a sharper image. What are your thoughts
My taks
35f2, 50f1.8, 50f4, 85f1.9, 105f2.8, 135f2.5
Also have the 55f1.4 auto-Sears. Have you used that before
PS love your channel and your mutual affection for Takumars
I'm using pentax cameras so i'm focused on pk, m42, m39 and T-mont. I'm using ebay or shopps with used stuff to search for lenses. At start of my adventure i wanted to buy some cheap 135, i opted for Pentax M 135 3,5. I've found on ebay a lot with P135 and Auto-Alpa 35mm 2.8 (never heard about it then, now i know it's probably made by Chinon for Swiss Alpa and it was a standard with camera Alpa Si2000). I've paid 50 euros for both, and then i discovered not only P135 3,5 is very nice but 35 is pretty excelent. From this experience i started to love vintage lenses and Pentax for some features that work great with these. I dn't never seen again another copy of Auto-Alpa 35 2.8 in pk mount, even if it's just rebranded Chinon (i think Chinon Revuenon lenses are really underrated). I'm looking also for strange lenses from projectors, videocameras or noctovisors (never heared of Cyclop 85mm fixed1.5 (Helios?)?)
Another nice experience was buying an microscope with 4 lenses for 25 euros, adapting microscope lenses to dslr was pretty fun and results are incredible. Try it! ;P
loved the video, pretty amazing and the tips were really useful ! cheers from brazil
Thanks Bruno, hopefully you can apply some of them down there. The vintage camera sales I feel is a bit of the luck of the draw and even those were hiding in plain sight themselves for years until out of the blue I saw my very first one...was only a year ago. Oct 2017.
Take it easy mate.
Hello there :) on ebay I got a very good deal for a 28mm f2. I found that if you are lucky, you can get those lenses in great shape. Mine even came with a filter and no fungi. Here in my country, at least in the city I live I find it difficult to know about people who have these cameras. The new generations don't even know them so none of my friends can offer me glass. Literally I would have to make friends with their parents in order to get to know if they have film cameras and even if they have their lenses may not come off or be compact.
Online is probably the easiest way for sure. It's nice to be able to look up exactly what you want.
@@MarkHoltze but when looking for rare stuff it can be a pain in the wallet :u
@@fishwigy I would be lying if I didn't agree with you FULLY lol A HUGE pain.
I've had a decent track record from old 35mm film cameras owned by family members or checking out the local Goodwill
Family is what sold me. Seeing first hand....I'm not sure I would have spent money had I not seen the results myself.
@@MarkHoltze I hear ya! I received an old Nikon FTN from my late uncle -- Little did I realize at the time that the NIkkor 50mm f/2 would fit right onto my D5200. And what surprised me even more was the bokeh-licious photos I got from it. From then on, I was hooked on vintage lenses.
@@windy_city_mdx9096 Oh ya, Nikon's been using F mounts FOREVER! I think that's what it is. But yes having that wide aperture really changes the game on how you compose and use your backgrounds.
When you're buying online get this lens ser# from the pictures if you can to make sure you're getting what you were seeing online.
Very important yes. I've actually had nothing but good dealings with vendors from ebay specifically, but this is a great point!
THanks Jerry!
did anyone guess yet? 6 element 135mm SMC Takumar, my guess would be the F/2.5? Got the Pentax edition, love it and this one is also on my wish list!
Awesome Video Mark(as always). As for me, eBay and Amazon are pretty much the only place I can get my hands on vintage glass. I'll however keep an eye out for any local listing in the very far future. lol
Ebay is great, it got better the more I found out what I liked and what to look for. Had I started out on Ebay I probably wouldn't have enjoyed or or known what to look out for as well. It was the touch and feel and end results of handling these lenses that ultimately sold me. Hence why I'm making these videos, in an attempt to show first hand how they perform.
You inspired me to buy super takumar and now it is my favorite one!)
Happy to hear it mate, they're such great lenses and their value is still seriously under appreciated. It's too bad they went out of business like they did, but their craftsmanship and quality going up against Zeiss is appreciated.
pro-tip: buy a k-1000... it's my new winter camera, i could not be happier.
everyone should be buying a nice pentax k-1000 with some random lenses on kijiji or craigslist on black friday and cyber monday (in lieu of shopping at a big box retaiier). recycling is good for you.
K mount I'm assuming right? The Pentax community is SO alive and well. I'm going to keep an eye out for one of these. Reduce/Reuse/Recycle gO! :)
@@MarkHoltze you won't regret it. best pentax camera amidst the stiff pentax competition... i've tried 5 pentax bodies this year, the k1000 is my favorite. it makes my canon ae-1 feel like a personal computer with windows vista on it.
Dang I wish I knew this at the camera sale lol. Porbably one there, so many Pentax cameras many of them with original boxes.
Ah cool. We working from the same sheet. Lol did you see my west Country vlog. :)
It's on my list, I've been running around all day, but TONIGHT!
Hey Mark!! It’s been a while! Great advice and video. I was talking to my colleague and friend, Wes Kriesel and he mentioned that he had communicated with you via the comment section of his UA-cam account. At least I think that’s how it went 🤣🤷♂️ Great to connect again!!!
Been WAY too long mate! I'm so backlogged on your videos! I will remedy that when I get some free time coming up over the holidays. This is always a super busy time of year as we try to wrap everything up before everyone breaks for Christmas holiday!
Lots of festive functions eating up evenings and weekends as well.
Wes, yes we had a good convo. Love these comment boards for exactly that. I'll be by to visit soon! YOu'll know as comments will start flowing from me!
Until then, take it easy mate!
Mark Holtze Too kind my friend. Looking forward to chatting 👍 Happy Holidays!
"Check with your friends and family" I thought this was kind of a dumb advice, I asked my father nonetheless ; turns out he has some Zeiss contax lenses sitting in a box somewhere! can't wait to check them out haha. I've rarely been so wrong ;p
The only reason I even said it was because it was how I found my first old lenses. If something is free than you're more likely to try it out, get a $20 adapter and BAM! Worlds changed. People don't tend to throw out old stuff like this, gosh I have a Kodak Jr my great grandfather used from 1920's because of this advice. YOU might have some NICE ZIESS because of it! Zeiss is $$$$ on the market...DO let me know if you find them and what you actually have! I'm stoked for you mate.
@@MarkHoltze You're so right about people not throwing stuff away, especially in my family haha. Well in the end the lenses were Nikkors, one being a 35mm O.C. auto f2 with glass designed by zeiss apparently :( (using the zeiss name as a marketing technic really worked since my father stilll remembers it 30 years later) I was already seeing myself with some zeiss contax f1.4 haha, but hey, got a Nikon slr for free too.
@@theo.jovitch Ones trash is another's treasure ;). the fact of the matter is the glass back in the day was good. SOME things have changed, but mostly auto focus motors etc. When the price of a lens is more than the camera body itself, it makes it tough to build a collection. Experimenting with lenses and focal lengths really BUILDS knowledge in the craft. It sucks if you can't learn because you're stuck behind a paywall.
Hence, these old vintage lenses, fast, inexpensive and for most of us totally good enough to hone the craft.
My only Zeiss Contax is my 85 1.4, it's BEAUTIFUL! I want to start a collection now with the 35 1.4, 50 1.4 and maybe the 60 macro 2.8. Money well invested I think.
Either way, you can't go wrong with these old beauties :)
@@MarkHoltze It really is money well invested. I first stumbled upon your outstanding channel when I was looking at a set of Super Takumars someone was selling in my area.
Now I have a 28f 3,5, 35 f2, 55 f1,8, 85 f1,8 and 105 f2,8. They cost me 800€ in total which is a bargain comparing to modern options. That's even less than my Tamron 28-75mm f2,8 (which I love and has incredible personality for a modern lens in my opinion).
If you haven't tried the 105mm f2,8 you should try to get your hands on it and give it a try! So far it's the one I most enjoy for photography, the bokeh is so yummy haha.
I just bought my dream lens I wanted and it’s the most expensive I’ve ever bought than my Canon EF lenses. Minolta MD 50mm f1.2 for $297+$24 shipping on eBay.
1.2!!! It’s a good lens mate. 10 years you can sell it for $350 ;)
Thank you that was the cheapest I found. I saw other listings on eBay for the same lens well worth over $350. In 10 years I sell the lens for over $500.
@@btrdangerdan2010 Mirrorless lines are going to make these more valuable as people seek them out vs the $$$$ mirrorless modern lenses.
Cameras over time lose their value, lenses seem to retain them. Even if they don't go UP, you can always sell them and retain a good chunk of their value.
Mark Holtze yeah but not like a Leica they never depreciate.
They do not. They’re a bit of an anomaly. That’s solid branding.
Exciting!
I miss these
Great video my dude! New sub here. Will def check out if there are any camera shows around, but Sweden doesn't seem to be a hotspot.
Thanks! Hopefully you can find some in your areas. You'd be surprised what people have hiding away though so ask around. If you have any questions on adapting etc, let me know. Happy to help! Good luck!
@@MarkHoltze I actually live right next to the country's only specialized vintage camera shop and the owner is great! Thanks! If anything, would be great if you have any tips on adapting disassembled Kodak Retina rangefinder lenses onto mirrorless 😃
Yet another SLAPPER!!! 🔥🔥🔥
LoL, Thanks Brendan!
sadly this kinda thing of store not exist in my country 4:11
buying online are the only option i had
Yeah, it's tough. I guess nobody you know has any old stuff laying around?
Hey Mark!! me again(photo guy soon a video guy) definitely subscribing!!, I wanna get what i get and I'm sure i won't be upset
Lol such good advice from a 7 year old lol. Thanks man, really great meeting you!
Love that you're still replying to comments on old videos, real care for viewers❤️
Hope you get all the subscribers in the world.
Always, nice thing about being small is this. Working on shows we never get to see the audiences reaction or really get any engagement. Best part about youtube is that community.
Finally new video!!!!!!!!!!!!!
! YES and this one took me a week to make lol....2 hours here, 4 hours there, 1 hour here. Life interrupted. Hope you're well mate!@
Nice video. Just want to make a comment about those emporiums or camera shows. The best parts available are too often shared between the sellers before the opening of the camera show... Unfortunately...
According to my experience, my best transactions - ever - are with kijiji members. It happens that there are more lenses or photo accessories when meeting the kijiji sellers and it ends up with some amazing not expected finds. One time I found a complete set of Canon AT-1 with FD lenses, filters and bag for 25$. A real sin.
Can't you buy them off eBay?
You can buy them off eBay. It's number two.... ;) EBAY! (Facebook, kijiji....etc) online market places generally. It wasn't really until I bought my first lens back in June off Ebay that i felt like I coulda actually talk about the experience. Bought a few since and they've all been great.
If nobody else has said so already thrift stores can be a great place too!
Definitely
Japanese ebay sellers of lenses tend to be very meticulous and honest in their descriptions of condition.
I’ve had nothing but the best experiences with them. Reputation is so critical I think to a successful dealer
Man i have the zenith and the lens in mint condition and i love the lense .
Go do some
Shooting with it! I want to see hehe
@@MarkHoltze ok i will post same photos and a quick review on my channel
Alright! I’ll wait :) notifications on
@@MarkHoltze man sorry for the waiting but i had much to do lately and i ensure ya I'll post the video that i said that I'll post
Totally understand mate! No rush, when you can! RL is more important.
New video 🎉 🎉 mate this was so so slick. And That canon 50mm 😍😍 it’d made me want pizza to 😆😆 and to buy the lens.
One of the drawbacks of living out of the cities in the U.K. is the lack of these kind of events. I’d love to get to one, although I’m sure my wallet thanks me for not going!!
FINALLY got it done lol. Bitty moments here and there to finish it. I shot the basement stuff on Tuesday, I shot the typing at the computer on Wednesday, the camera sale I shot back in October and had made my selects...dedicated editing evening to polish it all up Thursday and Friday night was thumbnail shoot lol.
I use to cut Salvage Hunters, loved that show. Death Heads still the coolest finds Drew and his team found. If it's one thing I learned about touring England with that show (editing it from Toronto) is that the amount of cool historical stuff in almost every corner (or so it seems) is crazy. You guys have furniture older than the country I live in lol. It's crazy to me there's no historical photographic society in full operation. Unless they're totally "invite only" lets not "drive up the prices or saturate the market". You might need to follow some clues and use passwords to gain access, prohibition style.
Might make a good VLOG out there ;)