4/9/2023 0 Comments Vintage portraits![]() ![]() ![]() I’ve used the Meyer Optik Gorlitz Oreston 50mm f1.8, the Pentax Super Takumar 50mm f1.4, and the Helios 44 58mm f2 lens.Īll of them have the same M42 mount, a system of attaching a lens to a camera body originally designed by the Carl Zeiss company in the late 1930s. To illustrate the types of portrait images you can take with vintage glass, I’ve used three different lenses for this article. Other options to assist manual focusing in the Fujifilm X-Series line include digital split image and digital microprism. This technology helps to focus enormously, especially if, like me, your vision isn’t as good as it used to be. When shooting portraits, you rotate the lens until your subject’s hair and/or eyelashes highlight in red. When this is enabled, the camera will highlight objects that are in focus with a color (typically red) as you look through the viewfinder.Īs you rotate the lens back and forth, different objects will come in and out of focus. Set up focus peakingįocus peaking is a technology that many cameras have to make manually focussing a lens easier. I found this classic in a charity shop for $15USD. Digital cameras have amazing technology inside them that will help you. If the thought of manually focussing on a portrait shoot alarms you, don’t worry. The first mass-produced autofocus camera was the Konica C35 AF point-and-shoot in 1977, and the first 35mm autofocus SLR, the Pentax ME F, was released in 1981.Įven after the arrival of this new technology, many professional photographers thought of autofocus as a gimmick and didn’t trust it until further advancements in the late 80s and early 90s. It may surprise you to know that in terms of the history of photography, autofocus lenses are relatively new. If you’re adapting a lens from one system to another, you’ll have to focus manually. In the vast majority of circumstances, yes. Now you’re all set to manually focus your classic lens on your digital camera. Also, remember to keyword your images on import, as you may have several classic lenses with the same focal length. If you skip this step, it’s no big deal, but it certainly makes finding images later on a little easier in Lightroom. The camera doesn’t know which lens you are using, so it will take the value in here for the metadata for images. Secondly, set the focal length of the lens you are using in the mount adapter setting. If the camera doesn’t recognize the lens, it may not allow you to take any images at all, so this is a must. If you’re using another brand, ask in Facebook groups, or turn to Google to find out how you can do the same for your camera.įirstly, you need to enable the “shoot without lens” option in the menu. The steps I have below are for my Fujifilm X-Series cameras. Once you have your lens and adapter, you now need to set up your camera to shoot with it. Set your camera up to shoot with your classic lens Pictured are M42 and M39 to Fujifilm X lens adapters. Lens adapters are available for almost all classic lens to digital camera combinations. If that avenue doesn’t produce any classic beauties for you, turn to eBay, Facebook marketplace, and other online markets to see what’s for sale. With some luck, the lens (and camera) will be in a usable condition, and you will be able to shoot portraits with it. It’s quite possible that an old Pentax or Olympus film camera is lurking in their attic. The first thing you could try is to ask friends and family if they have any old film photography gear. ![]() How do I find a classic lens?įinding a classic lens is relatively straightforward. It’s also a point of interest – people often look puzzled and will go out of their way to find out what lens you’re using and where you got it. I love to think about the images the lens has taken over the course of its lifetime, who has used it, and where it’s been. Although prices have risen in recent years, you can still buy many amazing lenses for under $100 USD.įinally, it’s a lot of fun to shoot with an older lens. Secondly, buying a vintage lens is a fantastic way of getting some quality glass in your kit on the cheap. However, they certainly have a unique charm and character that you just don’t get from today’s ultra-sharp digital lenses. They’re not better or worse than images taken with modern autofocus lenses. This is a key question – why shoot portraits on classic lenses? There are a few reasons why I enjoy it.įirstly, I love the different look that it gives my photos. Pentax Super Takumar 50mm f1.4, Helios 44 58mm f2, Meyer Optic Goerlitz Oreston 50mm f1.8. Three classic M42 mount lenses that can be used in digital photography. ![]()
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