School me on 50mm manual lenses...

vgrab wrote in post #13759409
i wouldnt recommend the EF 50 1.4...

Don't keep us all holding our breaths. Please explain why?

Zeiss 50 1.7 is razor sharp wide open and can easily be had for $200

[QUOTE=vgrab;13759409]i wouldnt recommend the EF 50 1.4...[/quote]

nevertheless, the 50 1.4 is an excellent bargain and still the best choice for canon DSLRs.

http://www.the-digital-picture.com …-1.4-USM-Lens-Review.aspx

ed rader

algold wrote in post #13758694
G.ZUIKO AUTO-S 50mm f/1.4 - $80-120 on ebay, OM to EOS adapter with AF confirmation is $17-25

Good suggestion - Excellent glass at extremely reasonable prices -

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I admit, this will be more of a toy than a tool for me, so I don't necessarily need tip-top quality, just a fun little old school lens to mess around with. Scanning the forums and fleabay for a good deal...:p

algold wrote in post #13758694
G.ZUIKO AUTO-S 50mm f/1.4 - $80-120 on ebay, OM to EOS adapter with AF confirmation is $17-25

Do you know if I would lose infinity focus with the mount adapter?

I had a Super Takumar 50mm f/1.4 and I liked it. Now I'm looking for the SMC version to try.

axl_kollar wrote in post #13759948
On EOS you would have to mod it by taking aperture leaver out, otherwise it'll colide with mirror I believe.

If you want manual 50mm and don't want to splash on Leica, then it's very hard to get better lens than K(or A)50/1.2 from Pentax. I owned one, and it was seriously the best lens I have ever shot!

If you don't want to mod, then M42 S-M-C Takumars or SMC Takumars are great. If you don't mind modding, K series 50/1.2, 50/1.4, 55/1.8 or 55/2 are great (I had all but the last one), or M series 50/1.4 or 1.7.

How difficult is removing the aperture lever from a Pentax K lens? Would this have to be done on an A lens too?

Echo Johnson wrote in post #13761488
How difficult is removing the aperture lever from a Pentax K lens? Would this have to be done on an A lens too?

it would have to be done on any K mount lens. The reason is that unlike with Canon the aperture is controlled mechanically by the lever. Therefore all K mount glass will have lever protruding from the rear. There are 2 ways of removing the lever:
a) the civilized (applauded by Pentax users), you take the your screwdriver (JIS not Philiips), take off the mount and take the lever out in the way that you can put it back if you want to resell the lens. I haven't done it myself but I have taken K50/1.2 apart from the rear up to that stage where the lever removal would be possible. And it shouldn't be too hard.
b) the barbaric way (frowned upon by Pentax users) you simply take saw, file, pliers whatever and cut/snap the lever off. This lowers the resale value and prevents the lens being used in it's native mount as intented.

Which ever way you'll choose you will end up with preset lens, i.e you'll have to stop the lens down using aperture ring, right before you take the shot. This means counting click so you know what aperture you are selecting. And of course you VF will be getting progressively darker. Can do this on any Pentax series lens with exception of DA/DA* which don't have aperture rings! This would mean the lens would remain closed to it's minimum f stop and you'd have no way of opening the aperture. A/F/FA series don't make difference to you unless there is K>EOS adapter that uses the contacts to tell camera the data. But it still wouldn't be of much of use as without the lever the camera can't compare the aperture. Therefore you are paying for something you don't need.
The lenses you would want to be looking at are K series (SMC PENTAX mm/f stop) or M series (SMCPenax-M 1: f stop xxmm). K series lenses are rarer and better regarded so they are more expensive. M series 50/1.4 will set you back around 80$ while K50/1.4 around 100$. K50/1.2 should go for 250-350$ Optically Ks seem touch better too. Build quality is high with both but Ks are bigger and heavier (52mm fitlers vs 49mm) and I'd say they feel better. There are no M series f1.2 or 55mm lenses.

Good luck hunting

StephenAndrew wrote in post #13760797
Do you know if I would lose infinity focus with the mount adapter?

In a word, "No."
The OM system register distance is 46.0mm, the EOS register distance is 44.0mm. There is plenty of space to insert an adapter and retain focus at infinity.

I think there may still be a Rokkor 58 1.2 in the for sale section if 58mm isn't an issue.The price was down to about the same as a 50 1.4.

Zeiss 50/1.7 was a great bargain at $150 but its sitting at $250+ now. I think its still a great price but its sitting kind of close to its bigger brother. The C/Y 50/1.7 is nice and small though. A shot with it, this is stopped down to f/11 or f/16...

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axl_kollar wrote in post #13761791
<snip>

Wow, thanks, that was a lot of useful info! I'll keep an eye on my local photography stores and see if any of these pop up.

Dooms_day wrote in post #13759393
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …octilux_M_Asphe​rical.html

Enough said.

Oh please, I throw that much away on rent on a studio apartment in Williamsburg a month...

I am a solid fan of the Zeiss 50 mp. Super sharp,great colors,relatively fast,macro.can,t beat it unless you need the faster speed.