10.45.45 VINTAGE LENS ADAPTERS – THE ULTIMATE GUIDE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Using vintage lenses on digital cameras has become pretty popular in recent years. There are plenty of reasons why this is, with a big one being the rise of the mirrorless camera making it so easy to do so. Whatever the real and full reasons are though, there’s one thing about using vintage lenses on a new camera that cannot be avoided: you’ll probably need a lens adapter. If you don’t know which type you need, the first section of this post is for you. And if you do already know, you can use the table of contents below to find the vintage lens adapters you need. Then if you have any other questions about lens adapters, you can check out the remaining sections to see if they’ve been answered there. Let’s take a look. WHICH LENS ADAPTER DO I NEED?The adapter you need to shoot a vintage lens on your digital camera depends on the following:
Once you know that, you can use the numbers and letters on the adapters to figure out which you need. These numbers and letters tell you what lens and camera body the adapters are to be used with, in that order. First the type of lens mount, then the camera mount. However, they will often use codes rather than spelling out the full name. For example, an m42 lens to Sony E-mount adapter will be labelled m42-NEX, while a Pentax K-mount lens to Fujifilm X-mount adapter will be PK-FX. As long as you don’t change your camera, the second half of the code will of course remain the same for any adapter you buy. I’d recommend making very sure you’re getting the right adapter for each different lens you buy, though. While some are obvious, there are a few pitfalls out there. For example, F.Zuiko lenses from the old Pen F camera need a PenF-xx adapter, while G.Zuiko lenses from Olympus OM SLRs need an OM-xx adapter. Double check before buying.
VINTAGE LENS ADAPTERS BY CAMERA MOUNTSONY E-MOUNT ADAPTERS FOR VINTAGE LENSESSony E-mount adapters have the code NEX on them, which comes from the Sony NEX range of mirrorless cameras. Although the NEX name has been retired, the vast majority of Sony cameras still use the E-mount. If you have a Sony Alpha mirrorless, you’re in luck when it comes to shooting vintage lenses. Thanks to the accommodating design of the body, few other camera types have as wide a range of lens adapters available for them. Also, thanks to features such as focus peaking, few other digital cameras make it as easy to get great results from vintage lenses as Sony Alphas. If you have an E-mount Sony camera, here’s a taster of the vintage lens adapters available to you.
SONY A-MOUNT ADAPTERS FOR VINTAGE LENSESOriginally introduced by Minolta in 1985, the bayonet style A-mount system was acquired by Sony in 2006. Although no definitive official announcement has been made, Sony appears to have discontinued the A-mount for new products, choosing to focus on the E-mount instead. Be aware that some adapters for the A-mount include a glass element, which will enable the lens to focus to infinity, but can also degrade image quality. Unfortunately, as a DSLR system, the range of adapters available for A-mount camera bodies isn’t particularly extensive. If you’re interested in using vintage lenses with your Sony A-Mount camera, then the following adapters are available.
FUJIFILM X-MOUNT ADAPTERS FOR VINTAGE LENSESFujifilm adapters are identified by the code FX, which you would presume comes from the initials of Fujifilm X-mount. The recent range of Fujifilm cameras further displays the company’s kinship with the letter X, with mirrorless models like the X-T1, X-T2, and X-T20. The rangefinder-style X-Pro range continues this trend. Plenty of vintage lenses can be used with mirrorless Fujifilm cameras, thanks to the compatible design of the bodies and the subsequent range of X-mount adapters on the market, making the range a worthy rival to Sony for vintage lens shooters. If you want to use a vintage lens n your X-mount Fujifilm camera, here’s a selection of the adapters available to you.
MFT MOUNT ADAPTERS FOR VINTAGE LENSES‘MFT’ stands for ‘micro four thirds’, and is also known as m43 or m4/3. Developed as a mirrorless alternative to the original Four Thirds system, the name derives from the size of the image sensor. Launched in 2008, it’s a relatively new system, and is used mainly by Olympus and Panasonic. As the “micro” in the name suggests, it allows for small and lightweight bodies that make for popular alternatives to bridge cameras. As a mirrorless system, the MFT mount has a wide variety of adapters available, which is great news if you’re interested in shooting with vintage lenses. If you want to use vintage lenses with your MFT mount camera, here are some of the adapter options available to you.
CANON EF MOUNT ADAPTERS FOR VINTAGE LENSESThe Canon EF mount was originally introduced in 1987 and is the standard lens mount system for the DLSR cameras which comprise Canon’s EOS range. EF stands for ‘electro-focus’, deriving from the system’s innovation of placing the focusing motor within the lens itself. In 2003 Canon launched the EF-S mount derivative for digital cameras with the newer APS-C sensor, which is backwards compatible with the original EF mount. The EF mount’s relatively short flange focal distance makes it very versatile for pairing with other lenses, and accordingly a good number of adapters are available, including those which have a glass element to enable lenses to focus to infinity. If you want to use vintage lenses with your Canon EF mount body, then check out these adapters.
CANON EF-M MOUNT ADAPTERS FOR VINTAGE LENSESA newcomer on the market, the EF-M mount was introduced in 2012 for use with Canon’s range of mirrorless cameras, which launched with the EOS M and continued with the EOS M50 and EOS M100. Canon have been slow to produce lenses for the EF-M system, leading many customers to the lament the paucity of native options. The good news is that as a mirrorless system there are a wider variety of adapters available for the EF-M mount than the older EF and EF-S mounts, which makes it a good option for pairing with vintage lenses. If you shoot with a Canon EF-M mount camera, the following vintage lens adapters are where it’s at.
NIKON F-MOUNT ADAPTERS FOR VINTAGE LENSESThe Nikon F-mount was introduced all the way back in 1959 and has remained in use ever since, making it one of only two mounts still in production that predates the introduction of auto-focus. Unfortunately, the longer focal distance of the F-mount makes it problematic for use with non-native vintage lenses, and some adapters have a glass element to enable lenses to focus to infinity. The good news is that thanks to its long and storied history, there are approximately 400 different lenses produced by a variety of manufacturers available for the Nikon F-mount, so native vintage lenses aren’t hard to come by. However, if you do need a vintage lens adapter for a Nikon F-mount camera, then here are some of those that are available.
NIKON 1-MOUNT ADAPTERS FOR VINTAGE LENSESIntroduced in 2011, the 1-mount is used by the Nikon 1 series of compact mirrorless camera bodies. As is the case with other mounts, as a mirrorless system the 1-mount is a more flexible option than the DSLR based Nikon F-mount, which means there are plenty of adapters available – great news if you want to start shooting with vintage lenses. The FT1 F-mount adapter is an option if you have lots of vintage Nikon glass, permitting the use of over 80 F-mount lenses on your 1-mount body while retaining auto-focus functionality, albeit with a high degree of magnification. If you want to shoot with vintage lenses on your Nikon 1-mount camera, the following adapters are available.
LEICA M-MOUNT ADAPTERS FOR VINTAGE LENSESThe Leica M-mount was introduced in 1954, originally appearing on the Leica M3 camera, and has been the long-time standard Leica mount ever since. Remaining in use to this day, it has also been utilized by other manufacturers, including Minolta, Konica and Carl Zeiss AG. The ‘M’ in the name comes from ‘Messsucher’, the German for rangefinder, and M-mount cameras are known for their compact bodies and simple designs. Adapters for the M-mount are identified by the abbreviated ‘LM’ code in their title. If you own a Leica M-mount camera and want to shoot with vintage lenses, here are some of the adapters available to you.
SAMSUNG NX-MOUNT ADAPTERS FOR VINTAGE LENSESIntroduced in 2010, the NX-mount was the standard mount for Samsung’s NX range of mirrorless cameras, which launched with the NX10. Although no official announcement has been made, Samsung’s withdrawal from the camera market means that no further models are expected to follow on from 2015’s NX500. The NX-mount’s relatively short history means there are not as many adapters on the market as for equivalent Sony and Fujifilm mounts, but the mirrorless system’s flexibility means there are still some options available. If you’re interested in using vintage lenses with your Samsung NX camera, take a look at the following adapters.
PENTAX K-MOUNT ADAPTERS FOR VINTAGE LENSESThe Pentax K-mount is also known as the ‘PK-mount’ and has appeared on Pentax 35mm and DSLR cameras dating back to 1975. The popular mount has also been used by a range of other manufacturers, including Sigma, Cosina, and Ricoh. A number of adapters are available for the K-Mount, and many feature glass elements to allow the lens to focus to infinity. Some users have reported difficulties with attaching and removing lenses on non-Pentax adapters though, so shop carefully if you plan on using a third-party product. If you own a Pentax K-mount camera, here are some of the vintage lens adapters on the market.
PENTAX Q-MOUNT ADAPTERS FOR VINTAGE LENSESA relative newcomer, the Pentax Q-mount was launched in 2011 and set a new standard as the smallest and lightest mirrorless camera body type on the market, only recently being surpassed by newer Samsung and Panasonic offerings. Used in compact, rangefinder style cameras, the Pentax Q series has a short flange focus distance that makes it a versatile option for use with other manufacturers’ lenses, and accordingly a good selection of adapters are available. Pentax have also made available a Q to K-mount adapter, making the use of over 200 K-mount lenses possible. If you have a Pentax Q-mount camera and are interested in using vintage lenses, then the following adapters are available.
QUICK CHARTS OF COMMONLY AVAILABLE VINTAGE LENS ADAPTERSSONY, FUJIFILM, MFT, SAMSUNG, LEICA
CANON, NIKON, PENTAX
WHY DO WE NEED LENS ADAPTERS?There are two main reasons why we need lens adapters for vintage lenses. First is that different camera manufacturers use different mounts for their lenses and bodies, as shown above. Second is they tend to design their gear to have different distances between the lens and the sensor or film in the camera. The latter means the size of your lens adapter will vary depending on what lens it’s for and what camera it’s to be used on, and isn’t something you can change or avoid. The former means you need to ensure you’re buying the right adapter to use your vintage lens on your camera. Put together, they mean lens adapters serve two main purposes – to adapt different mounts to each other, and to ensure the distance between lens and sensor is correct. If you’ve not picked one up and shot with a vintage lens yet, I highly recommend you do. Information is taken: https://www.myfavouritelens.com/vintage-lens-adapters-ultimate-guide/ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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