MF Adapted Lens Image Samples - Post Your Best!

440roadrunner wrote in post #7560168
But of course there are situations where using live view just doesn't work, thought.

Here's something for you on your Katz eye screens---MAKE SURE you set it up correctly with the diopter. The diopter adjustment affects the split prism adjustment to a great degree

I took mine, my 100-400L at short distance , tripod, on a high contrast target. Allowed the camera to AF, switched to manual focus, live view, and confirmed that the focus was dead on.

THEN I discovered that the split prism screen was off and found that the diopter corrected it.

wow, had no idea re: this...I hope it's not going to be an issue. Someone else told me they had major frustrations with the metering. I thought it would be negligible.

I have an XSi/450D, and I was wondering if anyone here would be so kind as to let me know a few things before I screw up and buy something that I can't use...?

I need a wide-angle lens pretty bad, I have the 18-55mm Canon kit lens, (I know, I know!) and it leaves me wanting. heheh
Anyway, I would REALLY like to try what you guys are doing, but to make a wide-angle lens actually be a "wide-angle lens on a 450D is not an easy task.
Or is it?
(For instance, I can't stitch any of my panoramic shots together, they won't work in any of my programs I use)

Can someone please let me/us know what adapter would be good, I have seen the glassed ones on e-Bay, and they mention that it will allow the lens to go to infinity, but I don't trust the glass, I mean, it looks like a cheap, VERY cheap piece.

I am sorry to interrupt, but this may help more than just me, I can't be the only one that is wondering about the glassed adapter, or needing a wide-angle lens.

Thank you a LOT, even if I don't get help, this is a really fun and informative thread!
If I am talking about stuff that needs to be somewhere else, please let me know, I get so easily confused... heh

Randy

recrisp wrote in post #7584650
Can someone please let me/us know what adapter would be good, I have seen the glassed ones on e-Bay, and they mention that it will allow the lens to go to infinity, but I don't trust the glass, I mean, it looks like a cheap, VERY cheap piece.

I am sorry to interrupt, but this may help more than just me, I can't be the only one that is wondering about the glassed adapter, or needing a wide-angle lens.

Don't buy a wide-angle conversion lens that goes on the front of a regular lens. If you are disappointed with the kit lens (and you should not be--really), you'll really be disappointed with a conversion lens.

But the conversion lenses are fisheye lenses, and you can do MUCH better with a 16mm/2.8 Zenitar fisheye. That Russian lens costs about $150, and you can get them with EF mounts, though they are all-manual lenses including manual focus and manual apertures. Stopped down to f/5.6 or f/8, they are excellent. It will give you about the same coverage as a 14mm rectilinear lens on a small sensor, without the most extreme fisheye effects that normally sit in the corners of a full-frame image. It is quite usable.

Rick "just don't expect miracles at f/2.8" Denney

I present to you the buttery bokeh of the Helios 44-2 58mm f2.

The thing about this lens is that sooo many were produced and soooo many were crap, quality control was non existent. But I believe I have one of the best copies of this lens.

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Rick,

Thanks for the really quick reply, I appreciate that.
By "glassed" lenses, I really meant the conversion adapters that e-Bay sells that have the glass in it, so it will focus to infinity, not the add-on filter type lens that you 'may be' referring to, I know they're junk, I bought one years ago for my camcorder. heh
Heck, ANY lens that isn't really that expensive would be good, adapter or not, I can't get a good wide-angel shot, not the way I like to anyway.
I realize this is crossing over into wide-angle/panoramic territory, and I apologize, but I'd really like to get one that was quality like you guys are using, but as a wide-angle, if that makes sense.
This is the adapter I was referring to... http://www.amazon.com …ics&qid=1237862​405&sr=1-7

Thanks, and I hope (again) this isn't against any rules, I usually follow rules rather than break them!

So the 16mm/2.8 Zenitar fisheye would be a good one for a XSi?
I ask that because my 18-55mm does a really bad job as far as connecting each shot as a pano.
I guess it's either that, or nothing though, one can't get too much lower than that, I do have an 8-24mm on my Nikon 990, that worked fine, buit we're talking different format cameras too.
I'm just talking out loud, this thread has got me to salivating at the thought that it would work, I had already convinced myself a year ago not to try this route, I had no idea that shots could look as good as these.

I'll check into the Zenitar though, I'd much prefer a cheaper alternative though, I just spend my savings on a couple of lenses and a flash, so I'm kind'a broke. heh
Thank you!

Randy

rdenney wrote in post #7584748
Don't buy a wide-angle conversion lens that goes on the front of a regular lens. If you are disappointed with the kit lens (and you should not be--really), you'll really be disappointed with a conversion lens.

But the conversion lenses are fisheye lenses, and you can do MUCH better with a 16mm/2.8 Zenitar fisheye. That Russian lens costs about $150, and you can get them with EF mounts, though they are all-manual lenses including manual focus and manual apertures. Stopped down to f/5.6 or f/8, they are excellent. It will give you about the same coverage as a 14mm rectilinear lens on a small sensor, without the most extreme fisheye effects that normally sit in the corners of a full-frame image. It is quite usable.

Rick "just don't expect miracles at f/2.8" Denney

Vivitar 90/2.5 with 1:1 Adapter @ 2.5

Let me know what you guys think

-Kyle

recrisp wrote in post #7584875
So the 16mm/2.8 Zenitar fisheye would be a good one for a XSi?
I ask that because my 18-55mm does a really bad job as far as connecting each shot as a pano.

If you want to stitch panos, then I would suggest trying your kit lens again, but not at the widest setting. Stitching panos is difficult with a lens that suffers from barrel distortion, and most wide-to-tele zooms have barrel distortion on the wide end and pincushion distortion on the long end. There may be a workable sweet spot.

You won't want to use Zenitar images for that--fisheye images have to be defished before stitching, and that's just too much manipulation. But it's wide enough so that you may not feel that need.

As to the cost, you get what you pay for. The Zenitar is a low-cost solution of known quality (meaning, it works fine if you stop it down). Going lower-cost than that might not provide acceptable results for you even stopped down.

Waiting is always an option.

Rick "also not good at waiting" Denney

Ohhhh, that is probably what the problem is, barrel distortion, I'll try that the next time I am taking a pano shot.
I know what that is, and all, but I took a lot of shots at the widest setting like you said, thinking that would be better, but it made them unusable.
Now that I know this, I'll do what you said and give it another try, that ought to work.

Thank you Rick for that option, that was the first time I tried taking a pano shot with this camera and that lens, hence my "Doh!" moment.
(Now I'll shut up and read and quit butting in... heheh)

Randy

khnordeen wrote in post #7585555
Vivitar 90/2.5 with 1:1 Adapter @ 2.5

Let me know what you guys think

-Kyle

Beautiful stuff Kyle... Love the colors and the bokeh is phenomenal... Keep'em coming...

- airbutchie

mehran.mo wrote in post #7584764
I present to you the buttery bokeh of the Helios 44-2 58mm f2.

The thing about this lens is that sooo many were produced and soooo many were crap, quality control was non existent. But I believe I have one of the best copies of this lens.

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never heard of this one but it does have lovely bokeh...seems quite sharp wide open too. That's nice.

khnordeen wrote in post #7585555
Vivitar 90/2.5 with 1:1 Adapter @ 2.5

Let me know what you guys think

-Kyle

think it looks great. very pretty colors/bokeh and there doesn't seem to be CA on on the high contrast sections. Looks like a good find.

another shot with the Helios 44-2 w/ bellows

Figured I might as well post another picture from my Carl Zeiss 50mm f/1.7 Planar T*.

well, here's some test shots with the CZ 100 F2 Planar macro (I believe this is also available in canon mount)...nothing special since it's raining, I have no fleurs and I'm trying to photograph some of the other mf lenses FS.

Pachie's being difficult

at f2

The lens has really great bokeh ! How easy/difficult is focusing on the D700.

Lars Finkelstein wrote in post #7597298
The lens has really great bokeh ! How easy/difficult is focusing on the D700.

well before I installed the katz eye screens it was easier to obtain focus on the D700 than on the D300. The large viewfinder and the (left/right) arrows worked well but it took me some time to achieve focus and then I'd say 1 of 4x, I'd have missed focus and not known.

Now that I have the screens, it's extremely simple on both. I'm amazed at the ease. Thus far I've had 1 OOF shot with the new screens...and it was of a laval lamp's innards I was having a bit of trouble tracking it.