zundapp5 Loc: Portugal

My new lens, from an old Agfa 6x6 that I adapted to DSLR

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sample taken with; f/8, 1/640, iso100, +0,3ev

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Rongnongno Loc: FL

To each their own.

Your adaption works no question, great job.

My real question is:
Newer quality lenses offer better optical accuracy in both light direction/diffusion and color accuracy so, why look back?

In your example it seems that the lens had an iris shutter and flash connection meaning that the flash is synched at any speed (a D-SLR dream) but your camera (or any other camera) cannot deal with it unless you:

1) use long exposure mode and expose with the lens
2) disable the lens shutter and expose using camera manual mode.

Either way this a convoluted approach, not a bad one (I like complexity). You have to admit that this is not for everyone.

Edit The lens/negative and lens/sensor is different. How does this influence the focusing?
I am thinking of circle of diffusion, focal length, focal distance...

usaellie101 Loc: Spring Hill, Florida

I have a Pentax ( film camera) telephoto lens. I would love to be able to use it on my Nikon D5100. Is there an adaptor that I could use?????

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Google pentax/nikon adapters, they exist.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Very clever, and I bet it's an attention grabber.

zundapp5 Loc: Portugal

I am fully agree with you!
I like to remember the old days when it was hard to be photographer with fully manual film cameras

drmarty Loc: Pine City, NY

Way to go! I don't go back quite that far but I have, and use, several old Nikon primes that I have had modified to work on my D800 and D600. Love the quality of the photos!

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

I also use manual focus Nikkors with my digital cameras, but without modification. What did you modify?

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

The fun is doing that which is creative. Kudos Zunddap5.

I have Sony A specifically because I have my old Minolta lenses. They are heavy but are good glass.

My old M-42 mounts from my first DSLR 1972 are very useful for Macro work (reversed)since they allow manual focus and f stop adjustment. Nothing quite so low cost as that lens you have in the back of your sock drawer.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

Greatly depends on the lens, this is something that I am not so sure you know much about. Some of those old manual lenses are excellent, offering every bit as much clarity and sharpness as the newer lenses, often delivering wonderfully contrasted images at a fraction of the cost of their newer counter parts... If you have not used older lenses on your DSLR then maybe you should give it a try before you condemn them.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Yes, there are a few lenses that are 'better' FEW being the keyword. These by the way would all be prime lenses.

Lenses were 'clearer' as when using D-SLR we do not see gems like 50mm 1.1 or the like. Yes the lenses distortion was greater. Also more often than not we were used to some lenses. Personally I had a preferred lens a 135mm f2 for portrait. The equivalent that I have now feels different.

Off topic
As to not knowing my lenses how do you explain that it took me seconds to identify the features of this lens? Wild guess? Sorry but keep you remarks to 'some were better' you would have been right. The second part trying to belittle my knowledge/experience was uncalled for.

authorizeduser Loc: Monroe, Michigan

I love the old Japanese metal lens put together with screws. This is why they are still around and functioning and many can give a new lens a run for their money as far as sharpness and color goes at a fraction of the cost. If the lens is in excellent condition, I will take an old Japanese metal lens from the 70's ~ 80's, even if it is manual focus over a new China special any day.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

A little touchy aren't we, will you now call me a stalker as well? The reference to not knowing those lenses was qualified, "If you have not used older lenses on your DSLR". Like I said the other day, you seem to consider yourself to be a expert on most everything photographic yet post almost no images here and those that you have posted could have been taken by my 1 year old granddaughter. Even here in this thread you lay claim to your superior knowledge when I would suggest that you may be speaking out of hat. Below find to images that I just created this morning with an old M42 Vivitar 200mm manual lens, it is not their Series 1 line but rather an old lens manufactured by Kiron that I paid less than $20 for including shipping to my home. These images are straight off the camera and have not been touched in PP. Go ahead and critique my $10 lens and tell me why it does not measure up, but please keep in mind that no enhancement whatsoever has been done to these images.

It would seem that you are very studied in photography, there is little doubt, but there is little evidence of your ability to put that knowledge into practice... I admit that I could be very wrong, we are awaiting to see you lay that criticism to rest.

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Rongnongno Loc: FL

Stalker? No.
Looking to create trouble? yes.
Calling you on it? Yes.
The rest BS.
End of my posts on your behavior.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

Yes, maybe we are both a bit testy, but you might consider that many of us love those old vintage lenses and often find jewels out there that can be had for a fraction of a new lens. Case in point I have a Takumar 35mm f/3.5 that is exceptional, ebay pricing on these lenses is about $50 vs a new canon at 10X the cost. I have a 200mm Takumar preset that on a recent trip I was able to get better images using it on an old Digital Rebel of mountain goats in Arizona than my son was able to get using my 60D and my 300mm f/4L.

Your original post discounts these lenses as if they are a waste of time when nothing could be further from the truth, they can be a great source of fun and a real learning experience for the novice photographer as they generally require constant exposure adjustment as you change your aperture settings, one quickly learns the importance of exposure and how to control it using these old lenses. There are many benefits to using these old lenses, from slowing down and learning to compose or to better understanding how your camera works.... Not to mention that like I said there are some absolute jewels out there and when you find one it becomes an important part of your bag. It has been a long time since I have used a Macro lens for macro photography, if you look at my Flickr page almost all of those extreme close ups were done with an old manual Minolta 28mm lens. There is a lot to be said for those old lenses.