Vulture
Well-known member
To a degree, this is an extension of my Jul 21, 2016 post:
https://squattheplanet.com/threads/cheap-lenses-good-photographs.28379/#post-206991
(This is a discussion on using vintage lenses on new/ relatively new cameras)
I've changed somethings and have done somethings others either haven't done or just don't speak about.
It's pretty cool.
My favorite thing is mounting a medium format lens to my full frame digital camera. In the last article, the lenses were cheap ($10- $30). This lens averages about $150 online. It's a Mamiya 45mm f 2.8 meant for Mamiya 645. I mounted this with a Fotodiox Pro M645 lens mount to NEX (E-Mount) Mount. Unless technical jargon interests you, you're probably wondering what my point is.
The point is a better image for less money than a new lens. (Note that a new 45mm costs roughly $1100. I got an older, perfect quality one for $150.) In the July 21st post, someone brought up that cropping would be an issue if a vintage 35mm (small format) lens were to be put on a cropped frame digital camera. This is true. What happens is the image that the lens carries to the sensor is bigger than the sensor. Some is cropped. Also, a 50mm vintage lens would be a 65(?)mm on a cropped sensor camera. Great, now what? A full frame camera will take a vintage lens without cropping, 1:1 ratio.
There's an issue with this 1:1 on old lenses called "light fall-off". This is the dark corners on the image rectangle. The better lenses don't do that, but then again you can't afford those that are noticed by collectors. Now what?
I essentially re-produced the problem of pre-image cropping and disproportional ratios of the cropped frame camera/ vintage lens setup, with a full frame camera. Enter the older medium format lenses, which are generally not too bad in price (as mentioned earlier, $150) and produce a larger image circle than the small format vintage lenses. If there is light fall-off, you will never know. It has been cropped due to disproportional image circle to sensor ratio.
Jargon? Probably, but those who know it get it. Ask if you have questions. Note the difference in the corners. (Also, normally these images are very clear, it greatly dropped the quality to post here)
Medium format Lens:
<a href=""><img src="http://i.imgur.com/VMmrj8N.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
Small format lens:
<a href=""><img src="http://i.imgur.com/9OKyM55.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
https://squattheplanet.com/threads/cheap-lenses-good-photographs.28379/#post-206991
(This is a discussion on using vintage lenses on new/ relatively new cameras)
I've changed somethings and have done somethings others either haven't done or just don't speak about.
It's pretty cool.
My favorite thing is mounting a medium format lens to my full frame digital camera. In the last article, the lenses were cheap ($10- $30). This lens averages about $150 online. It's a Mamiya 45mm f 2.8 meant for Mamiya 645. I mounted this with a Fotodiox Pro M645 lens mount to NEX (E-Mount) Mount. Unless technical jargon interests you, you're probably wondering what my point is.
The point is a better image for less money than a new lens. (Note that a new 45mm costs roughly $1100. I got an older, perfect quality one for $150.) In the July 21st post, someone brought up that cropping would be an issue if a vintage 35mm (small format) lens were to be put on a cropped frame digital camera. This is true. What happens is the image that the lens carries to the sensor is bigger than the sensor. Some is cropped. Also, a 50mm vintage lens would be a 65(?)mm on a cropped sensor camera. Great, now what? A full frame camera will take a vintage lens without cropping, 1:1 ratio.
There's an issue with this 1:1 on old lenses called "light fall-off". This is the dark corners on the image rectangle. The better lenses don't do that, but then again you can't afford those that are noticed by collectors. Now what?
I essentially re-produced the problem of pre-image cropping and disproportional ratios of the cropped frame camera/ vintage lens setup, with a full frame camera. Enter the older medium format lenses, which are generally not too bad in price (as mentioned earlier, $150) and produce a larger image circle than the small format vintage lenses. If there is light fall-off, you will never know. It has been cropped due to disproportional image circle to sensor ratio.
Jargon? Probably, but those who know it get it. Ask if you have questions. Note the difference in the corners. (Also, normally these images are very clear, it greatly dropped the quality to post here)
Medium format Lens:
<a href=""><img src="http://i.imgur.com/VMmrj8N.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
Small format lens:
<a href=""><img src="http://i.imgur.com/9OKyM55.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
Last edited:
