Canon 400D, how to use m42 lenses

Excalibur · Expire: 2014-04-21

Well I just repeated what I did with a film camera i.e. set manual (if needed) set ISO, shutter speed and aperture, focus and take the shot...h'mm yeah but I'm using a digital camera ATM and I'm doing something wrong as 50% of my shots are blown Rolling Eyes

Well I set the 400d on "M" then set shutter speed, checked ISO, then stopped down the lens, so why isn't the silly computer obeying my commands as I want absolute manual. Question

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

Put it on A, set the aperture on the lens and let the camera chose the shutter speed, then see if the results are still overexposed.

Excalibur · Expire: 2014-04-21

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

I just suggested trying it on A to check that it is metering correctly, if it works on A, then you know it is working and can use it on M then.

I've got a 450D so if you still have issues, then I can try the same on my camera and tell you what mine does, that might help figure it out.

For the colour cast, what white balance setting have you got it on? I leave mine on auto and it does a decent job, then I correct any colour issues in Photoshop.

This was with my 450D recently, using the Auto WB setting, didn't alter anything in photoshop, apart from sharpening it.

Excalibur · Expire: 2014-04-21

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

+1 would give you one stop overexposure, there's a lot of uses for exposure compensation, but for lens testing and general shooting, best to leave it set to 0.

GeorgeSalt · Joined: 09 Feb 2013 Posts: 336 Location: Norfolk, UK

Excalibur · Expire: 2014-04-21

PhantomLord · Joined: 08 Apr 2013 Posts: 476 Location: Szczecin, Poland

Hi Excalibur,

Please don't get me wrong because I'm not even thinking of patronizing you, but maybe you should get through instruction manual about general 400d's use. I know several photographers who at some time changed from film to digital and had to change their habits in some extend as well. In general rules are the same, but in details shooting digital is quite different than shooting in film.

Concerning use of EOS digital with manual lenses, this is what I do:
- Manual mode: as you said - set ISO, shutter speed, BUT aperture on the camera body must be set to maximum (f/1.4, even if lens is wide open at f/2 for example), then focus, then I stop down the lens itself to desired aperture and then shoot. Of course order of steps could be any different, but remember to leave on camera body maximum aperture despite that lens is stopped to the aperture you like.
What's more in M mode there's Exposure meter in the viewfinder, so after you set ISO, shutter speed and aperture on the lens you could see if your exposure is more or less in place.
- Aperture priority mode: the same as above, except you don't need to bother about shutter speed. BUT the same as above - in camera aperture must be set to maximum for correct automatic exposure, even if lens is stopped.

Hope that something that I wrote will help you, as I love using legacy lenses on my EOS 600d, and from my experience EOS digital systems are easier to use with manual lenses than Pentax K5 line for example.

PhantomLord · Joined: 08 Apr 2013 Posts: 476 Location: Szczecin, Poland

Excalibur · Expire: 2014-04-21

Thanks for your reply Phantomilord.......and you are correct about thinking film and changing to digital, as I took fifteen shots and didn't even check if the first one came out correct Rolling Eyes

And being a film user am gonna moan about this digital even it's my fault Wink

But I don't want to trust the 400D for exposure readings as I rely on the Kodak grey card (or equivalent) for correct exposure on the subject.....the exposure meters on film cameras were set to this, and would think digital cameras were set the same or near. But will try what you say although setting the aperture on the camera to F1.4 seems weird..........but hey if it works Cool

Also the camera was set to single shots so that is a mystery why the shots didn't come out in correct order to what I wrote down.
Anyway there's sunshine today so will have another go, but this time I'll check the first shots to get it right Laughing

GeorgeSalt · Joined: 09 Feb 2013 Posts: 336 Location: Norfolk, UK

If you're metering correctly with an external meter, have the 400D in M mode (with manual ISO) and are setting the aperture, shutter speed and ISO to match the meter reading on the 400D.. then if you're getting a lot of over-exposure there may be a problem with the camera or the meter, but it's more usual that the problem is user error.

If the over-exposure is consistently the same number of stops at all aperture settings on the lens, then it's just a matter of knowing the compensation you need to apply.

Quick thought, ISO was set to manual and not auto-iso?

Excalibur · Expire: 2014-04-21

Well found out the camera can meter on "M" just by changing the shutter speed till the slider in the viewfinder moves to zero.....and I suppose if I don't agree what the camera meter says can change the exposure compensation by up to two stops....or alter the shutter speed erm I think as I'm still not sure what manual control I have with a M42 lens.
But I was wondering why it was such a PITA to focus and read info in the viewfinder, and forgot I'd set the viewfinder diopter for my eyes without spectacles and you can guess the rest Wink

Oh..... the ISO is set to 200.

Excalibur · Expire: 2014-04-21

Well used the camera on "m" and used the camera shutter speeds to get correct exposure (h,mm but didn't agree with them) but Ok let the camera decide and the exposures turned out ok and the colours were about right for some green leaves..BUT the results for close up from a Pentax and Tessar look liked they were taking with a bottle glass lens, as they were not sharp at all....the adapter should be OK as it's from Big_is and at F5.6 something should be sharp even if I misfocussed Rolling Eyes

Tessar 50mm at f5.6

Edit: retook another shot with something contrasty and pleased with the results, haven't done anything, as it comes from the camera and don't think I can improve on this shot with a 35mm film camera.

Tessar 50mm at f5.6

PhantomLord · Joined: 08 Apr 2013 Posts: 476 Location: Szczecin, Poland

Hi,

For me both shots are looking sharp, of course I can't see original size photos.
How do you do focusing?
I'm asking because if you use your eye with standard focusing screen it is unbelievably hard to focus without aids like micro prism or split screen and the standard screen is not optimised for manual focusing. Chipped adapters that can confirm focus (by beeping and showing red dot in viewfinder) are usually quite all right, but results are not consistent, so I end up with photos front and back focused.
What I do is use LiveView with 5x or 10x magnification for perfect focus. (Magic Lantern - addition to Canon's firmware makes using LiveView for focusing a lot of easier)
I admit, I hate to use LCD screen to compose photograph and it's not that nice to handle like viewfinder, but to be sure of perfect focus each and every time with MF I prefer to overcome those difficulties Smile

. But sad info is that there is no LiveView on your 400d I'm afraid Sad

.

Solution would be to buy focusing screen with split screen or micro prisms, but good one is cost about 140-250 Euro, so it's too expensive for me for now. And to make it work properly, you need to calibrate it with proper shims.

Here are two focusing screen makers (re-makers actually, as they reshape screens made by canon, nikon and pentax) that people recommend:
http://www.focusingscreen.com/index.php?cPath=21_45
http://www.katzeyeoptics.com/item--Canon-400D-Focusing-Screen--prod_400D.html

Mateusz

Excalibur · Expire: 2014-04-21

Well it might be luck with the focusing Wink

but using a film camera for years gave me some experience Wink

But I'll have to get used to the shutter button as I was getting 2 shots quite a few times...it seems I have to tap it (or something like that). Anyway I only want to use the 400D for testing lenses as using film is too wasteful for this subject, also with low film scans I can't get decent crops, so this 10mp camera should be superior.