Healthy, quiet, subliminal deconstruction of the tech specs arms race vs art of photography approaches, making viewers think about why exactly they are taking photos. Love the slow, considered style. And we have the same sofa.
I love my Fuji X-T1 - it's wonderful with vintage lenses and the focus assist features are brilliant for my old eyes... I don't think they are dear now - I swapped mine for an old EF lens I never used. I think the MFT stuff is brilliant too - the OM-D stabilisation is unreal. Thanks for sharing this and for advocating for the old stuff for those of us on a budget!
Hello Sir, love your videos. As a beginner who just bought my first used camera I am learning a lot from you. Thank you for your dedication towards photography.
About focusing manually with Canon DSLR, just adjust the focus when you watch the viewfinder and half press the shutter button. The focus point will flash in red confirming your focus when you nailed it, then shoot. I use mostly my central focus point and it works very well, better than peaking for me.
Got my first Fuji (xt2) this summer and just ordered an xt10 yesterday to have a more compact camera with the xtrans 2 sensor . So much talk about that sensor , excited to see myself. Thank you for your very helpful videos !!!
Cheryl, I found a great buy for the X-T2 and was wondering if you're still enjoying it? I have a new X-S10 that I'll use for primary and was thinking of the X-T2 for a B camera. Do tell.
Dear Zeno, Enjoy your show very much, and want to thank you for helping me get into digital vintage photography. I like Olympus, due to their IQ and for having IBIS. For people wanting to go that route, M1 and M5 Mark II cameras in good condition are going for about 300 pounds or less now. Thanks again!
Can’t argue with the Sony A7 series! I love the controls and layout of the Fuji cameras, but I could never give up my old Sony a7ii. Really robust, high quality, second to none image files, so small and light for everything it does, and it can be configured to operate all manual easily! The range of lenses beats most, native and aftermarket. What a great little rig! I have almost a million clicks on it, it has survived a terrible car wreck, and I still love using it after all these years. It’s a real “hell and back” versatile camera that you can fall in love with. Just flat refuses to die. 😉 Great video as always!
Some of my most favorite cameras here. The original Sony A7 and Olympus E-M10 I or II are abfab. Pen E-Ps are also lovely. Currently shooting with an A7 with purely vintage lenses. Very cost effective setup. I also think that the vintage lenses blend perfectly with the A7 for obvious reasons. The funny thing is, that I bought my A7 a couple years back for €350, so that I had a Sony FE body and I could start to buy some FE glass. I had planned to upgrade the body later. But I was surprised to find that the camera did pretty much everything I wanted. Shortly after I discovered vintage lenses and sold my Sony FE glass. Having a Sony autofocus lens is really nice, but darn they are expensive. I may still upgrade, but not for a long time.
I got an Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark 3 for ~€550 during the sale of their last cameras of that model. I got the 18-42 3.5 with it. I'd say that it was worth the price. A mint condition E-M5 Mark 3 is worth almost ~$1000, depending on what site you check.
Very good episode . You just made a slight error with the Magic Lantern reference . It's developed for Canon EOS cameras ( like the 5D and EOS M ) Thank you again .
The 5Dmk2 is great for vintage lenses! I love the look of outcome. I find the noise from shadow recovery, as the weakest point on the 5Dmk2. The price vs performance is at a good level right now. The prism screen are told to mess up the autofocus. Have not tested it, but will for a future project. Totally agree with going for a FF when shooting vintage lenses. It's the only way to experience the old glass the way it was supposed to be.
I've shot plenty of vintage lenses on crop sensor cameras and got some fantastic results, but the full character of a lens only really emerges on a full frame sensor! Thanks for tuning in!
@@zenography7923 yes, of course is it possible to get great shots, but full character is harder. In the never ending debate FF vs Crop, I believe the use of vintage lenses are the heaviest argument for FF.
I hear one can also install a custom open source firmware that has focus peaking feature for 5D. This could void the warranty, though. Its pretty hard to get perfect focus w/o peaking with manual lenses.
@@MajorTomWorkshop Yes magic lantern is a nice piece of equipment. Easy to install, and takes some times to learn to use. This focus feature, I personally find a little hard to use effective, taking photos. The screen on the 5Dmk2 is not articulating (another big disadvantage), so you have to be in a position, kind of straight behind the camera. Using a tripod, I prefer to just zoom in x10 on the picture, and then focus correctly. Handheld, I get a much steadier grip, holding the camera close to my body, and focusing through the viewfinder.
@Sidekick Bob I fitted a cross-split Ec-L for an EOS-1, EOS-3 film camera to my 5DMkII and it co-incides beautifully with the centre AF sensor. I had to trim the screen slightly, but it fits well. I wasn't prepared to pay the rip-off prices some want for a split screen.
Great video. I just recently bought an Olympus EM5 and have been pretty pleased with it. It seems to be very similar to the em10 but I shoot in bad weather a lot so the EM5's weather sealing makes it the better choice for me. I needed a smaller camera I could grab when I wanted to travel light and though it would be a affordable way to test the waters with a mirrorless camera. After over 3 decades of using SLRs, the EVF takes a little getting used to but very handy with the extra features. I really enjoy using it.
I usually use a Panasonic G80 these days which, ergonomically, is probably the best camera I've ever used. However, I brought my Olympus E-P1 out of retirement recently just for fun. Using it wasn't easy, especially on a very sunny day with nothing but a low resolution screen to look at. However, the colours really are great and, let's face it, it's great to look at!
I've just got the Olympus EM5 Mark II very nice camera. I've got a 25mm 1.8 cctv manual lens on it the lens was only £30 I think you will like it. Its a steal in my opinion.
Another great, informative and entertaining video! Thanks. I have the Olympus OM-D Em-10 Mark II mirrorless and the Sony a6100 mirrorless with adapters for vintage lenses. Love them both. Oly has the best color engine!!!
Not the latest or greatest but I enjoy using my Panasonic GX7 with vintage glass. Lovely viewfinder, focus aids, and I like its " rangefinder " form factor. It handles nicely so as long you don't try and use large, heavy glass. Just recently ( four days ago ) purchased a CZJ 20mm 2.8. My goodness I'm loving this combination. Have to agree though. Panasonic colours are not the greatest but its not too hard to boost a bit in post. Cheers 🍻
For micro4/3 let's not forget that it is almostly same format as super16 film, so you can adapt super16 lenses, where are a lot cheap enough wide-angle and standart angle lenses!
@@zenography7923 No problem lad! If you want to do something crazy while researching, soviet cine super16 lenses could be mounted, some of them are pretty cool, especially most of zoom lenses, but they're a kind of bulk
Nice video. I'm using a Fuji X-T10 and i love it. The jpg images straight out of the camera are wonderful. I just got a Nikon 50mm f1.4 AI-S lens and can't wait to test it.
Very good overview of the good cameras that are a little older. Viewers, if you're going to buy an E-P1, just be aware that it can't use one of the Olympus EVFs, as it lacks the female port below the hot shoe. Olympus sold an OVF, but that seems pricey for what it is. In the video, it shows an E-P1 from the front, but then shows a back view of what has to be a later PEN, as it has the female port. I think the E-P1 may be the only PEN without EVF capability; the only, that is, until this recent PEN from the new company. That seems like a huge step backwards, to me.
@@zenography7923 Yes, Peter Forsgard reviewed an advance copy of the E-P7 (they skipped the E-P6 name), and it has no EVF and no port. E-PLs thru E-PL8 had them, but E-PL9 and E-PL10 do not. It makes sense, I guess, as it nudges buyers towards the E-M10. This chart sorts it out: cs.olympus-imaging.jp/en/support/imsg/digicamera/compati/pen_optical.cfm.
I have a Fuji xt3 but I also have an x-e1, which you can get in what would be a prince range of 100-120 British pounds. It has the same sensor as the x-pro1 and the xt-1 and xt-10 and it produces excellent images for very little money.
XT2 XE3 EM1 EM5M2 all with M42 Screw mounts 135mm Pentacon /55mm F2 / 50mm Pentacon F1.8 ....with Adapters and Focus Peaking what else do you want ??? I also have other fuji adapters for K mount and Minolta MC mount to use those vintage lenses on ........ in particular 28mm K-mount F2.8 one of my Favs for Street...... I say learn manual focusing to slow down and feel your compositions , I would say also find a 2 GIG CARD SD and shoot in ACROS SIM to simulate the old film days ......it gives you a perspective that will translate to helping your photographic eye .....thanks for your great vid SIR ...you are a ROCK STAR ..........
A wonderful episode, Nigel. We photographers are spoilt for choice, and I agree, has there ever been a better time to be a photog.? I really wasn't aware of some of these models, and their capabilities. I know the Fuji range, almost inside out, and even though you gave examples of cameras in every price bracket, and every sensor size, there's still many others out there. My taste, as you know, is towards the rangefinder dtyle, and my fuji collection reflects this. Another Sunday morning passed, spending imaginary money. I'd love to find a Sony A7 to get the full experience of my collection of vintage lenses, now over 50 examples. I really must meet Lady Luck half way and actually buy a lottery ticket, LOL George
i've had my 5Dc for nearly 8 years now and i've been wanting to upgrade, not to something too new as i'm very okay without some of the features and resolution of newer cameras. possibly to a 5Dmk2 but i'm thinking the smaller a7 series will be more incentive to go out and shoot, not lugging around a full dslr. i've been looking at mark1 a7s or a7ii but i've always kind of liked the oldschool top plate shutter placement of all the mark 1 a7 series. plus i pretty much only have vintage lenses and with an a7 or a7s i would be able to adapt even more! lovely video as always!
Hi Nigel Another great video. I've took the dive into full frame with the Canon 5d classic. I feel it far outshines m43. I love Olympus, but imho, it can't compete with FF. I'm looking at getting a 5d mk IV after I sell my em1 mk ii. You're the best on RU-vid my friend.
M43 and full frame images have a very different character, it's true, and those from the 5d mark 1 have a unique quality I've not seen from any other camera - enjoy!
I've also found fully articulated viewscreens to be valuable for still photography. If you need to hold the camera up to shoot over people's heads in a crowd, they're great to enable competent composition. Shooting close to the ground or at waist height is easy to accomplish with a fully articulated viewscreen. They're useful for far more than just selfies.
I have the E-M1 (1st Gen.) and I have 3 colours to choose from with focus peaking. (red, white, yellow). I guess you were talking about the e-m10, maybe?
I shoot with both the X-T1 for landscape and portrait and X-T10 as my daily carry. I really love the sensor and how the cameras function and feel. #zenographyandmorningcoffee
The xtrans-2 sensor in your cameras is, I think, one of the nicest Fuji sensors for stills, and makes very beautiful images. A little bit nicer than the later sensors perhaps?
I also find my Canon EOS M10 really nice for manual photography. The interface is nice and clean. On this setup the LCD flipped up by 90 degrees to have a topdown view like on a mid frame. Image size set to 1:1. Small, lightweight. Touch screen works like a charm on this one. If you mind the lower dynamic range (I don't as I always aftertouch the RAWs) go for the M5. Having said that I also love the Olympus EM5 for macro and tele range. And of course my Alpha 7 for Street and Portrait
@@zenography7923 ... Avoid the 5d mk2 unless it has has the shutter mech replaced, as they aren't the strong point of this camera ... I bought my Mk1 from new, and it's still going in 2021. The Canon M, M10, M5 and M50 are great value.
Another well explained Video about the options how to use Vintage Lenses on different Cameras I was very excited you mentioned the Canon 5 D classic wich I use with the focusing screen Ee-s it was hard to find but very very helpful to focus Yes it is a 12 MPx Camera but so what I never was in the situation to print a picture in the size of Buckingham Palace Indeed not each picture is nailed with this screen but 90% are ok The magic word is practice practice as much as you can period But are Mirrorless Cameras the Holy Grail ??? It is the Future Focus Peaking is a good invention but is it always correct I doubt this. It would give me a great pleasure if you doing a video across the using of vintage lenses on DSLR Cameras However i am looking forward to the next episode of the great Zenography and thank you for the work you doing for us and all the Information Jürgen from Germany
Thanks Jurgen, glad you enjoyed it! Peaking isn't a perfect system, and as you say it's not always correct, however it's the best focussing aid I've used on digital cameras. I prefer the ground glass screen system of the old film slrs, but I don't think we're going to see one in a mirrorless system anytime soon! I'd say the success of peaking is very nearly equal to that of the old ground glass system - in my experience anyway!
Mirrorless cameras also often let you zoom in super far in the viewfinder, so you can guarantee focus. Of course, that's a bit slower because you need to then zoom out and check framing.
I've got myself a Pen EPL-3 which I'll sadly have to hand off to my mother soon ;) I still prefer my older APS-C Pentax bodies, but the Pen also was a blast to try out. Surprisingly good images and ISO performance, great colours, and stabilization meaning you won't need a flash in most situations. I'm sure my mum will be happy with it as her first camera, now time to look for one for myself.... The EPL-3 (second generation 12MP sensor) and EPL-5 (first gen 16MP) seem to be the sweet spot in terms of price to performance.
Zeno, thank you for your wonderful summation on affordable mirrorless 📷. I wholeheartedly agree with you with regards to the Olympus Pen 📷. They are beautiful, well made, affordable & wonderful shooting experience. I still 📸 with my Olympus EP2 with the kit lenses & the IQ is warm, organic & beautiful. The prices on the Olympus are slowly climbing in the US. My favorite Fuji 📷 are the XP1& XE2 for their film-like IQ. When paired with vintage Russian lenses or Chinese made lenses, the result is all the more film like. Unfortunately, the prices on vintage Fuji 📷 has 🚀 - nothing under $300. But, for me, still worth the price for 📸. Thank you for sharing your vast knowledge & infectious enthusiasm for making photography fun & vintage gears viable, affordable for your everyone. ✌🏼& 📸
Really nice video filled with good info. 3 years ago I decided to get back into photography after many years absent from it. After considerable research, I opted for the Fuji X-t20. I got a great deal with AAFES [Army Air Force Exchange Service....I am a veteean]. I got the camera plus two kit XC Zoom lenses all for $1,000. The XC is a bit of a cheaper Fuji lens with all plastic construction. But the quality is surpringly good. I bought some vintage nifty 50 lenses [Industar 50-2, Minolta F2, Canon FD f1.4, Pentax f1.7, Pentagon f1.8]. Although I hear lots of talk about color differences, I can't discern any. I must have a bad eye. But I have taken photos on a tripod with controlled lighting and the colors all look the same to me. I am wondering why. I can't figure it out. I'm very happy with Fuji.
@@zenography7923 Modern Panasonic camera colours are very neutral. Using a Lumix alongside Fuji or Canon, other cameras look slightly wrong. However I think people respond to "wrong" (cyan skies, warm or desaturated greens, tinted whites) more than truthful hues. I generally run shots through a filter in post to eliminate some of the reality, and get the scene looking more like a photograph.
I have been toying with the idea of upgrading to mirrorless for about two years now, but ended up buying a Sony A99 (used) for a lot less than a mirrorless equivalent. I also have a large selection of Minolta/Sony glass, plus some vintage ones, so without bulky adapters to use this glass, I would need to replace that as well. I would keep the vintage lenses though. Maybe one day, if I get a good trade-in deal.
i bought a prewar industar 10 for my zorki 1 but on two tested zorkis the rangefinder ends on 20/infinite where it should land on 7/infinite for the tested range with an industar 22. works fine with other lenses. would buying a viewfinder to stick on top of the camera fix this when using industar 10?
The pre war industar (or fed) 10 can cause focussing problems when mounted on film bodies, as they were matched to particular bodies at the factory (as the early leicas were). I'm not sure when this practice ended but I shouldn't be surprised if it affects all the pre war lenses. If you have a mirrorless camera it should work fine on that, and the coated version doesn't have this problem. To cure it, you might try placing thin paper shims between the lens mount and the camera, until correct focus is achieved, although that would only work if you need to add, rather than subtract length. I hope that helps!
Always good to get a Zenography video on a Sunday to chillout too! Ooooo I have a question for Zen! What do you think of that new Nikon Z fc? I must admit I am slightly tempted, although I'd have preferred if it were full frame.
@@zenography7923 It’s certainly a pretty camera. I can’t to see the reviews when it finally gets released. I think Nikon might be onto a winner with it!
I'm a Nikon z user, I absolutely love my Z7, I use a lot of vintage lenses with it and also f and z mount lenses. The look of the new camera is amazing, if it's in line with the Z7 quality wise it has to be a very attractive option.
Hello, I have the Canon eos RP. All my old lenses are working very good with this camera. I have the Leika 35, 50 and 90mm, some Pentakon and a Rokkor 2,8/ 135mm. Many Regards from Berlin, Ralf
Ha, both mentioned FF-Options here are exactly my two Fullframe Systems - 5D since 2006, A7 since early 2014. (edit) And the E1, T1 are my APS-C Fujifilm Options, besides my Film SLRs.
Had a Fuji XT2 and it was a lovely camera but shooting mostly MF lenses I couldn't live with the crop factor so I traded it in for a used Sony A7 mk2 which is just perfect for MF lenses especially with the image stabilisation when using longer lenses
By the way, I’m not an expert but from what I pick up from other channels, one of the best things you can do for a channel’s rating is to watch its videos more than once. Might be worth mentioning that in the “like, bell, subscribe” segment 👍
I have a Canon Rebel SL2 (200D). I can shoot with viewfinder mirrored or on the flip screen mirrorless. It is APS-C with a 1.6 crop factor. I also have a Rebel G 35mm film and a Rebel XTI DSLR full frame. My lens are all EF mount. 24mm and 50mm primes. 17-85 and 75-300 zooms. Your segment about the 5D was good. That would make a good beginner camera.
What are you thoughts on the Nikon 1 series of CX sensor (x2.7 crop) mirrorless cameras? I've had three and find them to punch above their weight in many areas video and still image wise (especially in good light) and can be seen very much as precursor prototypes to current Nikon Z's I think, indeed my old Nikon 1 V2 feels and looks very much like my new Nikon Z50, but as if it's shrunk in the wash. As a now dead system you can pick up bodies and lenses for pennies too ( although the 70-300mm and the stellar 32mm f/1.2 prime tend to hold high prices still, especially as they get rarer than hens teeth) and with the FT-1 adapter you can fit full sized Nikon F glass to them with auto focus functionality too. I find them to be a quality tiny system (bigger than the Pentax Q, but still very diddy) if you want to travel light and pack a few lenses in bag for a city break for e.g, without stealing space in it from your clothes and tooth brush!
Wasn,t the orig Olympus an OM 10? Not OMD EM1? Btw, the EM1 is a steal now, around £180 for a pro level, weather sealed tank. Great kit, as you state, only 16mp? I defy anyone to tell the diff on later 20 mp camera,s unless your printing to poster size.
A 50 mm lens does not work as a 100 mm on a APS/C camera, it is just cropped. Not even cropped double. But the erea you see on a APS/c is the same as on a full frame if you should crop the picture on a Fullframe, the lens does not change.
I've been a fan for a few years. Is there ANY way I could purchase a helios 40 85mm through you? I would pay you a extra fee of course. Just wondering if you happen to come across one. I've ben looking for the last 2 year's. But I trust you if you find one.
This is some very informative stuff. Thanks. Now, I wanted to disagree with you on the idea that "you don't need any more than 5 megapixels...". I have some customers that always want big prints from crappy little cell phone images so I crave resolution. But I take your meaning, one can create some very fine images and be unconcerned with pixel count. If the image is strong just blow it up and call it gritty.
@@zenography7923 A5? Which is just about 6 X 8 inches? Lol. Yeah no problem there. When you say "blow up" I am thinking about the people I get who want to enlarge their images to 4 X 6 FEET or more. Then I want all the pixels I can get.
@@johnflett7228 I regularly enlarge photos to A3 from a 5MP bridge camera and everyone admires the results. Why anyone would want their cell phones snaps enlarging beyond say 8 x 10 is kidding themselves and I would tell them so. I have M4/3 cameras too for other purposes.
Great info, I have been looking into M4/3. I have Canon crop sensor cameras can Vintage lenses fit onto ef mounts the same as Canon's full-frame cameras without an adapter? If so what 35mm brands work? Thank you
Great overview of what's out there. Sony A7 gets my vote for its full-frame sensor, focus peaking and small size. I do have a couple of Canon 5D Mk1 bodies which are lovely to use with my old Pentax lenses but no focus peaking and a bit bulky to tote around. Hard to see back screen in bright light. Check out the brilliant Olympus Pen advert: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-m9Et7UQh1tg.html
The lack of peaking is a difficulty on the 5d mark 1, although I found it reasonably easy to focus by eye I would have appreciated some form of focussing aid - fantastic images though!
Thanks for all the advice. I just have one question, can we just attach the vintage lenses straight on or are there mounts or other attachments we need. If so, how do we know which mounts or adapters we need? Thanks in advance.
You'll need an adaptor for any vintage lens - I use the cheapest, so called 'dumb' adaptors, just a metal tube with the right mounts at either end, so if, for example, you're shooting an M42 mount vintage lens, you'll need an M42 to e-mount (if shooting a Sony camera), M42 to Fuji X, etc. Hope that makes sense. This ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-99jJKlzKrzA.html might be of some use!
@@zenography7923 thanks for the detailed explanation. I think I have an idea of what you mean. I intend to get started with a cheap enough mirrorless camera and then to try and get the lens and adaptors to fit it; and to ask good people like yourself for advice on the way to make that happen. Thanks for the link too.
I have bought an Olympus om-d em10 mark 2 and I'm looking for lenses but it is not clear how to find the info about which lens will use which mount for a particular camera, take the OM Olympus 50mm f1.8 or the helios 44 or the Jupiter 8 or any other lens for example. I have had a watch or two of your video dealing with mounting vintage lenses to mirrorless cameras but how to gather this information I am still unsure of. If to look at the m42 for a particular lens how then to find out if it will have the right mount for the camera I have?
I base the prices I quoted on the prices I paid, plus a look at what prices are doing on ebay. As I've often said, many sellers ask very inflated prices - but you don't have to pay them! The bargains are there and - with patience - you will find them.
can someone show me x trans 1 or fuji film fx , that i cant on a point and shoot canon sx130 with RAW and DXO film sims , i think those are even better then what fuji has , only downside is you have to do it in post but its one button , one click . And of course more options . And of course 5D mark 1 , utter cult , i shoot with it . because 12mpix is all that i need .
The size comparisons need more light & close-ups to be useful. Better seen on those camera compare sites. RU-vid makes dim lit scenes totally black. Also you kept saying the E-M1 and pointing at the E-M10. Olympus' camera model naming is confusing I know. And I looking at similar prices for the first version of the E-M1 I'm guessing that would be a better choice than the E-M10, no? Larger viewfinder, higher fps 1/8000 s speed and lots of other features like focus stacking for example.
Sorry, I should of course have said em10! Technically yes, the em1 is a better specced camera, but whether it's a better choice as such depends on your requirements I guess!