MF Primes (Older/Converted) Questions

A good focusing screen does so much more than an AF confirm chip, but it never hurts to have the chip. They can be quite unreliable at times though, whereas a good focusing screen is always reliable, or Live View.

I'm currently using a Zuiko 28 3.5 as my wide angle, got it for a decent price and it's very compact, and good from corner to corner. Not the fastest, but you pay more for quality fast wide angle glass.

Fast, wide, good, and cheap don't really go together, but there are lots of options - hk300, how much was that Yashica you let me play with?

There are some really excellent and cheap 35mm and 28mm lenses out there in the M42 mount. As with short telephotos, I think it would be hard to find a really bad one, especially if you recognize the brand. With an AF-confirm adapter, you can probably get by for less than $100, making it a cheap experiment.

If you find you just can't focus it consistently, just put it back up on ebay and you'll probably get your money back out of it.

With the small sensor, you are using the center of the lens, and the failing (if there is one) on those old, cheap wide-angle lenses is that the corners are soft. You likely won't even see that failing.

f/2.8 is as fast as you'll get for that price, though. I think that's fast enough for this experiment.

Rick "who can focus such on his 10D accurately" Denney

I am petitioning the title fairy to give you the title "Rick "who now has a title" Denney".

Zeiss 35mm 2.4 is a great little lens, 135mm Zeiss, or Pentax 50mm SMC 1.4 or 1.7. On the AF chips the ones I have used have been grand but I use my eyes too, which is easy on a good viewfinder like the 5D and up. A split screen is good but it goes dark as you stop down and you still need good eyes to 'confirm' all is well. I prefer the focus confirm adaptors as all sorted in one go. Some of these old lenses have a great 'feel' which is why I like them but they sometimes are and sometimes not as sharp as some modern stuff ... but the whole fixation on sharpness really is overdone on forums. A great is is more than 'sharp'. BTW, the Canon 24mm 2.8 is a great little Af lens as is the 35mm 2.0. Great performance for small money and very little difference in IQ to way more pricier stuff. Definately diminishing returns v's cost on a lot of lenses.

perryge wrote in post #7404106
Fast, wide, good, and cheap don't really go together, but there are lots of options - hk300, how much was that Yashica you let me play with?

I got my Yashica 24/2.8 ML for about usd100 ... i think for that price it's a real steal!

BTW ... when are you coming back? I now also have a Carl Zeiss Jena 20 / 2.8 !

By far, the easiest MF lenses to adapt for use on a Canon EOS system are the Olympus OM Zuikos...they take very well to an adapter, never cause any interference problems, and are readily available at very good prices. The IQ on these little lenses is exceptional. Plus, their size and weight is another advantage, especially if you happen to be a hiker...they can easily fit into a pocket. Try that with a 35L. For landscape shooting where AF isn't really an issue, some of the older MF lenses can easily out-perform their modern-day counterparts.

As a matter of fact, I'm trying to thin the herd a little bit...I have a couple Oly wide angle primes up for sale...check my gear list for the details.

Thanks for all of your responses, everyone!

I think rdenney really said it:

Exactly what I'm looking to do. I'd like to find a cheap 28mm or 35mm lens and play around with it. If I find I'm not into manually focusing, I'll put it up on eBay (or here, for that matter).

(OT: Or could be 'Rick "can't make up his mind" Denney' )

@condyk: I've heard great things about the Zeiss lenses. Thanks for the AF lens suggestions, also. I suppose I could just go for one of those and put this whole experiment aside. But now I'm curious.

@argyle: Thanks for your Zuiko suggestions, too (and you will be hearing from me via PM ). Definitely small, compact, and light fit the bill as well.

I don't even use lenses with AF anymore. I love my "Alternative" glass.

But the Zuikos suggested are excellent choices in the focal ranges you are looking at. I want to get a Zuiko 21/3.5 as a WA prime, but I just bought my Rokkor 58/1.2, so I have to wait a while before that happens.

If you want to go a little wider than the ranges you listed, take a look at the Tokina 17/3.5

They were released in a multitude of different mounts, and for the price, they are very underrated lenses. You can find them in EX+ condition on KEH for around $175.

-Kyle

@khnordeen: It's nice to hear from someone who uses primarily MF lenses. I'll definitely take a look into the Tokina- were they made for the EOS mount or would I still have to find a converted one? I'll have to check out KEH, too, haven't been there yet.

Tortie wrote in post #7408063
@khnordeen: It's nice to hear from someone who uses primarily MF lenses. I'll definitely take a look into the Tokina- were they made for the EOS mount or would I still have to find a converted one? I'll have to check out KEH, too, haven't been there yet.

They were made in the old FD mount, but not the EOS.

The ones I have seen most commonly are Nikon F-mount and Contax mount. All you need is the appropriate adapter from Fotodiox or another company and you can start shooting on your camera.

KEH is a great place to look for used MF equipment. Also check out the used equipment at Adorama and BHPhoto. A lot of users on FredMiranda also list/sell "alternative" gear, so that would be another good place to look.

Good luck!

-Kyle

khnordeen wrote in post #7408136
They were made in the old FD mount, but not the EOS.

The ones I have seen most commonly are Nikon F-mount and Contax mount. All you need is the appropriate adapter from Fotodiox or another company and you can start shooting on your camera.

KEH is a great place to look for used MF equipment. Also check out the used equipment at Adorama and BHPhoto. A lot of users on FredMiranda also list/sell "alternative" gear, so that would be another good place to look.

Good luck!

-Kyle

Okay, I figured they were made for the FD, just wanted to make sure.

Wow, KEH seems like a neat website. I'll have to look further into it. I haven't looked for used MF lenses at either Adorama or B&H yet- don't know why. Ha. I have been popping in and out of FM to see what people were putting up.

Thanks so much for your help!

hk300 wrote in post #7406861
I got my Yashica 24/2.8 ML for about usd100 ... i think for that price it's a real steal!

BTW ... when are you coming back? I now also have a Carl Zeiss Jena 20 / 2.8 !

Back probably in July. Need to figure out what I'm doing next year . Looking for a good affordable wide angle is not easy - right now I'm using the OM Zuiko 28 3.5, which is very nice and I got it for a good price too!

I have an old Pentax Super-Takumar on my 450D and focusing with the view finder is really difficult. The viewfinder is just too small and without those focusing screens it's really tough. But I realized how useful LiveView is for focusing which I never really used prior to getting the MF lens. Not sure if the 400D has LiveView, but if it does, focusing is much easier and produces great results. MF lenses require much more patience and a steady hand, but are cheap and neat to play with especially in low-light conditions

Yes the viewfinder is far too small on the Rebels. You pretty much need a dedicated MF focusing screen, and it helps to have either Live View or a 5D/1-series for the big viewfinder. The 400D doesn't have Live View though.

perryge wrote in post #7409169
Yes the viewfinder is far too small on the Rebels. You pretty much need a dedicated MF focusing screen, and it helps to have either Live View or a 5D/1-series for the big viewfinder. The 400D doesn't have Live View though.

Ec-B FTW!!!

-Kyle