Canon EOS and manual focus lenses

hexi · Expire: 2011-11-18

Well this is an interesting post. I'll finally wait and save some money in order to buy a 5D , which is by now quite affordable. I want the full frame, cause i think that the crop sensors won't make it for me ... besides having a huge viewfinder on SLR's and going to a smaller one is meh.

So i've read that some lenses are troubles with this body, so if one can help i plane to use those ones, if you can tell by experience if they're usable without troubles cos i don't want to shave a mirror Very Happy

- Helios 44M and 44-2
- CZJ Sonnar 3.5 135mm
- surely a Pancolar 50mm
- Pentax SUper takumar 2/55 mm

optional cos i have RX body
- Contax Planar 1.7/50mm
- Yashica DSB 135mm 2.8
- and a 2.8/85mm Sonnar

Thanx for any infos !

thomasb · Joined: 18 Jan 2010 Posts: 51 Location: Glasgow

Hi, New to the forum. i,ve got a canon 300D and a m42 AF adapter, with a couple of lenses
a pentacon 500mm F;8
a helios 70-150mm F:3.8
and a mirage 100-200mm F:5.6.
what mode should my camera be set to and what do I need to adjust?
or anyone have a link to somewhere where it is explained.

Olivier · Expire: 2015-08-06

Hello Thomas.

Set your 300D on Av or M Mode.
Then set the aperture on your lens, make the focus, adjust the speed to reach the right exposure and shoot.

Maybe you'll have to compensate exposure (over or under expose).

Enjoy ! Very Happy

thomasb · Joined: 18 Jan 2010 Posts: 51 Location: Glasgow

thanks Olivier, i,ll give it a go today.

eeyore_nl · Joined: 09 Nov 2008 Posts: 837 Location: Netherlands

saramob · Joined: 22 Feb 2010 Posts: 4

hi, I'm new here (and really inexpert)
I have a canon 450d and I was wondernig wich manual lenses I could buy... the problem is that I run really low on money so I was thinking that if I buy some lenses of the same brand at least I have to buy only one adapter.. (maybe it's stupid I don't know) wich brand is easy to find (for example on ebay) and has a lot of different kind of lenses?
(I'm trying to figure out what I'd like, for sure something similar to the canon 50mm 1.8 and maybe a tele and a wide angle)

I don't even know if it's a good idea trying manual lenses since I'm so new to photography, but I think that I will learn someway! I looked in this direction 'cause of the prices!

I'm sorry if my question sounds stupid, but I don't know much about lenses so I'm a bit confused
(sorry also for bad english) Embarassed

Olivier · Expire: 2015-08-06

Hello Saramob and welcome.

I think I can speak for every members here : there are no silly or stupid questions. Smile

I have a Canon 40D.
Look at my signature : you'll find M42 mount, Pk mount, Nikon mount, P6 mount.
For each of these mounts, I have one adapter. So that makes 4.
There are other adapters, such as Exakta and others.

The more easy is to buy a M42 adapter. I would advise to buy an AF confim adapter, that means one with a chip which enables the visor red leds to light on in the focusing screen.
With M42 adapter you have access to a very great number of MF lenses and many are cheap.

For example : very good lenses for relatively cheap (less than the canon ef 1.8/50) :
- the Pentacon 29mm 50mm and 135mm,
- the Helios-44 58mm.

A link to a M42 adapter :
m42 adapter

peterqd · Expire: 2014-01-04

Hi and welcome! Don't worry, your English is great, well done! Smile

Your Canon 450D is ideal for MF lenses because you have a very wide choice you can use. Virtually all lens brands can be mounted with plain adapters because the camera is thinner than most other makes, and the bayonet mount is wider. The only common lens brands that can't be used directly are the old Minolta MD and Canon FD mounts, because they are designed for even thinner cameras. These lenses need to be mounted closer to the film/sensor than the EOS mount allows, but even this can be overcome using "optical" adapters which have an internal correcting lens. Cheap optical adapters can affect the image quality and reduce light transmission.

Most of us here have started with M42 screw mount MF lenses before looking at other types, mainly because they are usually relatively cheap and easily found. If you already own an SLR and lenses of a different make (for instance Pentax, Nikon or Olympus) it makes sense to stick with these to avoid buying too many different adapters, but after a while you'll be bitten by the bug and want to try out something else! Smile

Even though you're low on money at the moment, I don't believe it's a good idea to buy very cheap quality lenses, much better to save up to buy something good. You can find some very high quality M42 lenses under $100, and there are several "hidden gems" we can recommend, which can cost less than half that.

You'll need an M42 to EOS adapter to mount these lenses on your camera. You can find them easily on Ebay, I would recommend you start with a plain one like this:
Click here to see on Ebay
Later you can think about other tyoes and adapters with chips which fool the camera into thinking you have an AF lens, and the camera will beep when you hit correct focus.

Good luck!

saramob · Joined: 22 Feb 2010 Posts: 4

thanks for the answers!

I'll give a try with the M42!

I found two old lenses of my father:
- tamron 80-210 f/3,8-4 adaptall 2
- konica 40 f/1,8

is it worth using the tamron? since it's already here I'm curious of trying it

I read on various forums that there is no way to use the konica 40mm on my canon 450d, is it impossible even with two adapters (canon-m42 and m42 konica, or something like this)? (I guess not, or many people would do it) Very Happy

I see that somebody put in the middle an extension tube, but he had to glue the back cover of the lens to the tube and make a hole in it (and I think this is useful only for macros, or not?)
http://photoblog.edu-perez.com/2009/01/konica-lens-canon-eos-camera-2.html

I used the konica 40/1.8 on my father's SLR and I like this lens really much! It's a pity that I couldn't use it on my camera

peterqd · Expire: 2014-01-04

Hello Saramob

Tamron Adaptall-2 lenses are all good quality, some are especially good, so it's worth keeping this lens. There were two versions of the 80-210, model 03A which has a built-in sliding hood and the later 103A with a separate screwed-in hood. The model number is printed on the aperture ring. The later version is supposed to be better, but I have both and I don't see a lot of difference. You'll find a review of each lens here (click on the Adaptall-2 lenses button)
http://www.adaptall-2.com./

The AD-2 system was an ingenious idea to enable a lens to be used on just about any make of camera by using removable mounts. You change the mount by pressing the shiny chrome button near the aperture ring and turning the mount anti-clockwise. I don't know what mount is fitted to the lens now, but it's likely you'll need a different mount in order to use it on your Canon camera. These are always found on Ebay and cheaper brand new AD-2 mounts for the Canon EOS system are now being made in China etc. Here's an example:
Click here to see on Ebay

As for the Konica lens, I'm afraid it's like the Minolta and Canon FD lenses I mentioned above. It's designed for a much thinner camera than yours, and needs to be about 4mm closer to the film plane than is possible on the 450D. Even if you found an adapter to mount it, you would find you could only focus on subjects up to about 2m from the camera.

Rolf · Expire: 2015-12-26

benone · Joined: 01 Mar 2010 Posts: 4

Hi all, new here, as I thought I may aswell go with manual focus lenses, as I always use MF on my new lenses, and I don't have the sort of money to spend on expensive lenses.

I've got a Canon 450D, and I've been looking at old Praktica cameras with M42 lens fittings, along with a few lenses.

Click here to see on Ebay

would these lenses work with my 450D? And how well.

Also, would I find better deals searching for equipment seperately? Or together, as listed.

If seperately, what are good choices for a telephoto lens?

Apologies if some questions are simple, I'm pretty new to photography and young, too. Didn't get the opportunities to use old SLRs in their day.

peterqd · Expire: 2014-01-04

Olivier · Expire: 2015-08-06

Hello Binone and welcome here.

For a start, follow Peter's wise advice.

Then, look for M42 lenses.
For a cheap and good beginning with your 450D I would suggest Pentacons 1.8/50mm 2.8/135mm and if you're interested in "wide angle" a Pentacon 2.8/29mm.
Also a very good lens which goes for cheap is the Helios-44M 2/58mm.
There's also the Super Takumar 1.8/55mm.
Don't look for cheap zooms. Generally they're not good.

You'll need a m42 to Eos adapter ring.
I suggest you take it with AF chip confirm, which helps to be in focus : your rangefinder red leds light up when you're in focus.

Don't hesitate to ask people here when you find something and wonder wether it is worth while or not.

Beware of fungus and haze. Scratches on lenses generally don't have any effect on the image quality. Fungus and haze are much more annoyable.

Cheers. Smile

benone · Joined: 01 Mar 2010 Posts: 4

Thanks Olivier and Peter for the advice.
How about the Konica Hexanon AR 135mm f3.5? I've read reviews with this lens compared to some of the lenses you have mentioned such as the Pentacon 135mm.
Also, I've read that a AF chip confirm has sizzled someones 5D once, but I believe that was on a AF m42 lens? I'm not sure.
Thanks!

peterqd · Expire: 2014-01-04

You can't use Konica lenses on a Canon unless you only want to use it for macro shots - see my reply to Saramob on page 4 of this thread.

There aren't any autofocus M42 lenses as far as I know. An AF chip tricks the camera into thinking an AF lens is mounted but you still have to focus manually. The chip makes the camera beep when you hit correct focus.

I still think you would be better starting with a plain M42>EOS adapter with a plain screw thread. This will work with all M42 preset lenses and automatic lenses with an Auto/Manual switch (only a few don't have this). A different type of adapter has a flange at the bottom of the thread to press in the auto aperture pin, which is needed if there is no A/M switch, but this puts the lens into stop-down mode so you have to focus before you adjust the aperture for every shot. Without the flange the pin is not depressed and you can use the A/M switch to open up the aperture for focussing and close it down again without needing to adjust the setting.

The flange can also cause problems with mounting certain lenses, either because the hole is too small, the pin is not depressed fully or the lens cannot be screwed into it sufficiently.

This is the plain kind, i.e. without the flange, which I would recommend:
Click here to see on Ebay

By all means try an AF-chip adapter if you feel it would be better for you, but they usually don't work at apertures smaller than f/8 and most of them have the flange I mentioned above. I only use mine with Tamron zooms, which don't have the A/M switch.

I can't say I've ever heard of an AF chip frying a 5D. A few M42 lenses project inside the camera too far at infinity focus and obstruct the mirror, which causes an error code and the camera locks up. But switching off and on again cures this. However, this isn't a problem with your 450D as its mirror is smaller.

Olivier · Expire: 2015-08-06

benone · Joined: 01 Mar 2010 Posts: 4

Found this, price looks great, but the delivery is a little steep.
Click here to see on Ebay
Is the lens mount a M42 though? The seller hasn't said which mount it is, can you tell from the pictures at all?
I've contacted the seller, but if they don't respond before the end of the auction I could miss out on a great deal.
Thanks!

peterqd · Expire: 2014-01-04

That's a truly great choice to start you off. It is definitely M42 mount, no question. It has the original lens cap, correct hood and the case probably means it has very little wear. And the buyer has 100% feedback. Go for it! I don't expect the price to stay that cheap, but don't bid much more than $50 because, for sure, another one will come along for that price soon.

This lens is the S-M-C type Takumar, which means it has the extra linkage for open aperture metering on the Pentax Spotmatic F and ESII cameras (as well as the improved lens coating). The linkage doesn't affect how the lens works on a Canon, but you will probably have problems trying to use it with the flange type adapter I mentioned earlier. You should definitely use this lens with the plain adapter I recommended.

Good luck!

Olivier · Expire: 2015-08-06

Benone, if you begin a Takumar collection, there's a beautiful old Takumar 3.5/200 sold by a very fine guy here :

Click here to see on Ebay

Very Happy

benone · Joined: 01 Mar 2010 Posts: 4

Thanks for the help guys, ended up with a Pentacon 1.8/50mm and a Super Takumar 3.5/135mm got a Praktica MTL5B with the Pentacon also, all seem good so far, looking forward to the adapter to come through now!

Marcin · Joined: 01 Apr 2010 Posts: 28 Location: Ireland

Welcome everybody

I'm new in this forum and it really impressed me with all this manual world.

I'm owner of canon 50d dslr and after checkin many different threads on this forum I decided to buy a m42 adapter.
From that stage some stairs showed up.
I would try to buy some 200-300mm lens. There are sonnars but I'm not sure what to do with adapter. Is it better to take one with AF or cheapest one made from aluminium or maybe brass ?
To be honest after few post I'm in love with Sonnar 200. In future I'm planning to buy ff camera but for now crop must be enough. Also with crop i have better "zoom".

I would like to ask for some help and advice in this matter.

I found that my current Canon 28-135 lens is not enough to take shoots of birds or distant objects.

Could I also ask for some advice with wide lens ? something around 12-20 with good f on it.

Kind regards

Ps. sorry for brain washing english but it's not my native language.

And most important ! I'm new in photography too.
You can check my poor skill Wink

on http://www.flickr.com/photos/deliasz
but i think that i can improve really fast.

Olivier · Expire: 2015-08-06

Hello Marcin and welcome here.

(You'd better go away very fast from here because you are on a very dangerous slope. You are among MF addivted guys and you'll become like them) Twisted Evil

Still with us ? Very Happy

Okay, you have a 50D which is a very good body and has a good viewfinder. It also has Liveview which is very fine for adjusting focus precisely (on quiet and steady subjects).
If you have the standard viewfinder glass, you'd better take an AF chipped adapter ring. Else, if you change the standard glass by an EF-S one, you'll see clearer and you don't need an AF chipped adapter.
But you are a beginner in photography... so maybe you should begin with the AF chipped adapter which will help you to get close to focus and train your eye for future.

About wide lenses, you won't find under 20mm lenses as they are for full frame 24x36. A 12mm MF lens would be a 8mm on APS-C like the 50D.
You have a Pelang 8mm or a Zenitar 16mm, but they are Fisheye lenses.
So Wide lenses would begin at 20mm, then 24mm, 28mm, 29mm, 35mm.

The permament question to answer you correctly is : for what kind of use ? Landscapes, architecture, indoor shots ? Then what is your budget ?
Nevertheless, I would list those lenses :
Carl Zeiss Flektogon 20mm f4 and f2.8
Pentacon 29mm f2.8
Tamron 28mm f2.5
Carl Zeiss Flektogon 35mm f2.8
Soligor 35mm f2.8
MIR-1B 37mm f2.8
Zuikos

Marcin · Joined: 01 Apr 2010 Posts: 28 Location: Ireland

Hello Olivier

Thank you very much for effort and some good information about what I could do with my camera. Im not sure what you mean by glass view finder ?

Also for now I would like to focus on tele lens like maybe 80-200, 180, 200 or 300 with good light. I think i could spend around 200 on lens on that stage. We talking of course about used lenses.

I don't want to buy a lot of them in same tame because i will not have time to check them and feel them Wink

At the moment I'm owner of Canon 28-135 3.5/5.6 and Sigma 50mm 1.4.

I'm not sure about adapters but for now I know only about m42.There are different adaptors for eos system but I'm not familiar with them (with m42 too...)

I will stay on that site for long time becase I can see here great people with passion and so many helpful threads. That was some luck to find this place Wink