Old Lenses and Adapters

M42-EIS Adapters

A while back, I mentioned discovering the fun of playing with some old lenses. I’ve continued to explore in the interim. Manual focusing can be tricky, especially without any aid beyond apparent sharpness. My vision isn’t the greatest and, while I could manage the occasional sharp image, it was not consistent. This led to some discussion with photographers who mentioned options for other adapters.

The adapters I am currently using are a simple M42-EOS adapter and a similar adapter with a “confirm” chip attached. Both do the primary job quite well. I had seen options for the confirm chip before, but most reviews tended to be negative. The price was usually at least triple what I paid for the regular adapter, so I figured I would make do. When I was pointed to one with a more reasonable price, I figured I might as well give it a try.

To be honest, the confirm chip is not the perfect solution, but I doubt that I will find anything much better. When the old lens is set to it’s widest aperture, I can get focus confirmation. The focus confirmation light, a dot in the lower right of the digital display will register focus. When I get multiple focal points sharp, those sections of my focal screen will also flash. When working wide open, this is perfect. The problem comes when I need a deeper depth of field, especially on the Super-Takumar 50mm f/1.4.

Assuming that both myself and my subject are relatively still, I can definitely make this combination work. Find focus wide open, then adjust to the desired aperture. The obvious next step is to become more familiar with each of the older lenses. Currently, I have to peek to  manually adjust the aperture. The “clicks” just aren’t second nature to me at this point. Even so, I have managed to be more consistent even with the oddball fish-eye lens.

Overall, it is a fun adventure. I have not yet tried to do a portrait set solely with these vintage lenses. I hope to do just that in the near future.

What is your favorite vintage piece of equipment? If you don’t have one, go find something and play just for fun. It is a great way to provide a fresh perspective on your work.

 

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