Best vintage lenses with character. 4 offers a unique blend of sharpness and character.

Best vintage lenses with character Aug 29, 2022 · But, vintage lenses offer enough authenticity to bring character back to the medium. I like lenses with characters, a softness to them but sharp enough to be used for client work. Manufacturers should build non-typical focal lengths more often. With a unique blend of sharpness, contrast, colour rendition, and bokeh, vintage lenses can often offer that magical touch that your portraits need. Here is a list Aug 19, 2020 · To make this list easier to digest, I will split the list of best vintage lenses between two categories; the best vintage portrait lenses and the best vintage landscape lenses. My first thought is a V1/2/3/4 Summicron or a 40mm Summicron/Rokkor, or things like the Light In my experience the old Nikon lenses are really great quality and not silly expensive. I need to shoot this more often) S-M-C Takumar 85mm f/1. Thinking of finding a wider Helios or Mir around 25mm or 20mm to round it off though. and for me the best lens for a vintage look is the collapsible summicron. Dec 1, 2024 · Vintage lenses have become increasingly popular, and for good reason. The Won't find ultra wide vintage lenses for cheap. I've just had lots of good experiences with Nikon. I do feel like there's more vintage lenses with character, but perhaps that's just survivor bias. Filmmakers who produce critically acclaimed films prefer lenses with character that are flattering to the subjects being filmed. Rose Atkinson Oct 30, 2024 · Popular Vintage Medium Format Lenses: Best Medium Format Vintage Film Lenses The world of vintage medium format lenses is a treasure trove of optical brilliance and character. Love it. Savvy cinematographers also find that vintage lenses are more durable, lightweight, and affordable than newer Super35 cine lenses. 5 tele lens. Modern large format lenses are sharp. There are also the chinese manufacturers like 7artisans and ttartisan. Please give me your best lens recommendation in reasonable price limits (say under $500 per lens). There are a few versions of this lens, and it's easy to get the wrong one. 5, Mir 1 B 37mm f/2. 8 (CZ, not $1901. The inexpensive kit lenses that come with most modern cameras have better specifications and image quality than the "best" vintage lenses. Helios 44-2 58mm F/2 Lens. Aug 14, 2020 · The aforementioned catalyst for my love of vintage glass. Vintage lenses all have unique character and take unique images. 5 is a fantastic lens and one of the sharpest 28mm vintage lenses. For wide landscapes, the Rokinon 12mm f/2 is about $250 new. C. Spread the love “To get the best colors from this lens, I recommend Nov 6, 2023 · The Best Rokkor Lenses for Video and Photography 1. Whatever I post from it on Flickr gets many times more views than do my three other lenses. Those are single coated Sonnar f/2 and f/1. SLR Magic Cine 35mm F/1. 05/04/2022. Not a great deal of vintage character though. Lots of other brands worth trying. The Helios 44-2 58mm f/2 has garnered a cult following among retro photography enthusiasts. Jul 16, 2021 · Most of what I’ve read and watched has focused on the 100mm lens because, apparently, it’s the sharpest and best option of the Zuiko models. But the use of vintage glass on the GH5 basically boils down to this: if the glass is good, the image will be good. 8 and the SMC 75mm f/2. Sharpest Vintage Wide Lens. 8 Full Frame Cine Lens (Sony E Mount) - $179. I had the 58 1. For video work that needs character, I shoot mostly with two Minolta Rokkor-X primes from the 70s: a 35mm f/1. 8 and 3. Hi, I am interested in using vintage/antique lens for digital back. My favourites from affordable to crazy expensive are the Pancolar 50/1. Technology has improved lens design and coatings have gotten a lot better, IMHO. Let’s take a look at some of the top vintage lenses for retro photoshoots. There are tons of underrated vintage lenses (personally i think most of them are underrated :) ) I've already mentioned in one reply - Meyer Optik Domiplan is one of the best examples, such a good lens with all those crazy triplet characteristics. 8 atx pro sv. 6-2. Most of my vintage lenses are Nikon, and I use and enjoy all of them. Largely though I stick with Fuji’s own lenses, they’re honestly incredible so there’s almost no reason for me to use the vintage lenses. There are lots of good lenses out there. ----- There are FD to EF cine conversions kits, but you can easily adapt old ones and add rings. 8 and up. 8, the best lens in my arsenal. 8, Tair 1 A 135mm f/2. Not the best version apparently but still very good quality and way better than kit zooms I've used in the past. Any recommendations would be great. The xf 35mm 1. Suggestions? upvotes They might work better on a sensor with less resolution. 4 APO-Telyt-R, to name a few. I have some that will get perfect round marble like bokeh balls ringed with chromatic aberration, and others that will get a bokeh that almost looks Sep 13, 2023 · Here are some reasons why you might choose to use vintage lenses: Distinctive Image Character: Vintage lenses often produce images with a unique character that modern lenses might not replicate. Apr 8, 2024 · Re: What are some good vintage prime lenses with a lot of character for Zf? In reply to thenoilif • 14 min ago 50 or 55mm f/1. Apr 24, 2020 · I should pick the Zeiss 80mm f/2. However, this will run a bit steeper in price. Canon 50mm f/1. Both efforts at Jan 21, 2022 · TTArtisan 50mm F1. 4 28 2. Nov 25, 2023 · Vintage lenses with their quirks, character, and gentle organic rendering can offer a creatively liberating counterbalance to the clinical austerity favored by so many photographers today. Carl Zeiss (Jena) has some awesome lenses in M42. In this article, we explore some of the best vintage portrait lenses known for their character and optical qualities. Due to their imperfections, these lenses offer a unique aesthetic I've had excellent results with a number of vintage lenses adapted to my X-H1. If you want lenses with character and you’re sick of the same clinically clean image quality, you’ve come to the right place. I prefer to use vintage lenses as they come with some character, whether that be weird bokeh, lens flares, distortion or close-focusing wide lenses - a lot of this stuff you don't get on modern electronic lenses in exchange for AF and IS. These lenses, often handcrafted with meticulous attention to detail, offer a unique combination of sharpness, character, and affordability that modern lenses often Feb 4, 2022 · I have also avoided more exotic and pricey optics, such as the Contax Zeiss 2/200 Aposonnar, Contax Zeiss 2. Typically full-frame coverage (24x36mm zone of coverage from photo Nov 10, 2021 · Yes, there’s more to it that just blurred, out of focus areas in an image. Note that to adapt these vintage lenses to modern SLR Magic 18mm f/2. Another one that made me realize this is the Yashica 45mm f1. Curious to hear peoples favourites / experiences with the legacy glass. 2 lens out there for an "affordable" price. 4. If you want sharpness, a Canon S. If lenses were characters helping tell your photographic narrative, would you choose the perfect one or the one that has a bit of character? I have an ensemble of characters, each with their own flaws, which help me better share my photographic story. If you want more optical imperfections character you may get Jupiter-8 or J-3. 2 is probably the best f1. If you want 'vintage' character, I'd go for a Pentax Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 1. 5, Nikon 28mm f/3. Enter, vintage lenses. But they've also been rising in price! Good choice! Using the 2. I should pick the Nikonos W-Nikkor 35mm f/2. 2 Lens for Sony E-Mount - $299 Konica Hexanon 57/1. I tend to prefer shooting wider focal lengths so anything sub 35mm would be perfect for individual lens purchases rather than sets. No Comments. They're cheap and there's lots of them lying around, with mirrorless cameras you can pretty much adapt any lens, old lenses tend to have a certain look to them that new lenses can't match, some are low in contrast or lacking in colour, some have swirly bokeh caused by field curvature which is a desirable effect for portrait photography and not May 4, 2022 · The Best 28mm Lens for Vintage Lovers! Chris Gampat. Mostly portraits, macro, street photography. May 4, 2016 · Nikkor 13mm f/5. 4 for a lovely glowy vintage look and a nice sharp lens at 2. Feb 16, 2024 · Using vintage lenses, with all of their flaws and imperfections, can help give your images a more film-like look. 4, Super Takumar 35mm f/3. And I should pick the Leica Summicron 50mm f/2 V3, which is still technically the best lens I’ve ever used. So it's that one, the Helios 40-2 85mm t/1. I'd like a 35mm lens that is sharp wide open (at f/2) but exhibits a bit of vintage character. Most recent lens purchase was from KEH. Currently shooting another radioactive legend, the Pancolar 55/1. His goal was to see if these older glass could still My ideas on the best M42 prime lenses that cost between US$ 150-350. These samples are from the photo library on my phone. Another characteristic of vintage lenses is that they are fully manual, meaning manual only control over the aperture and focus rings. Sonnar 50 f/1. 4, and 85mm f1. The Pentax K 28mm f/3. Yeah, that lens looks good. I liked 16mm 1. What you're looking for is the M42 15-blade edition. The 7artisan 35mm 1. I think that both modern and vintage times have bland lenses and lenses with character. Asking subjective questions hmm Just go get any new lens to play with. I like vintage manual focus for general all purpose lenses, and the 28mm and 35mm takumars I had were great, but anything above 105mm for most vintage lenses weren't very sharp in my experience. 4D AF Nikkor. I’ve found this happens most often when filmmakers employ cheap, fast lenses with their aperture all the way open, creating a smudgy, mushy look with so much bokeh that the Amazing lens with character and quality. 6K sensor area of my BMPCC 4K, I can buy a Cooke S16 feature film zoom lens (Varokinetal 10. Apr 28, 2022 · Last Updated on 08/18/2022 by Chris Gampat. Pentax K 28mm f/3. 4, the lens produces a soft, vintage-style image with pronounced vignetting and some corner Aug 30, 2017 · Surprisingly sharp with pleasing flare and low contrast, they have the warmth of the ‘Cooke Look’ but with that added character of a vintage lens. Vintage lenses have rising in popularity as digital cameras advance. You aren't likely to find a vintage lens that can match it. Other things to consider This lens continues to be a favourite among vintage lens enthusiasts and photographers looking for a unique, classic aesthetic in their images. 4 should be great too. Mar 9, 2021 · The Five Best Nikon Vintage Lenses 1) Nikon 28mm f/1. Feb 16, 2024 · The audience loves flawed characters, ones that have secrets and imperfections. Jul 21, 2023 · Today I am testing out my set of vintage Nikon AI-S lenses. 7 lens taken from the GSN Electro. With all of this in mind, here are some of the qualities you can expect to encounter when shopping for a vintage lens: Durable all-metal construction; 5–8 blade diaphragms. Something similar to the Pentax 31mm, 43mm, and 77mm lenses, for example. This can include softer focus, unique bokeh, lens flares, and a particular color rendition that adds a nostalgic or dreamy feel to photos. 3 Mins read. But, I think the best vintage lenses are the ones you have. It doesn't really matter. If you are looking for vintage style lenses. Its reputation of being sharp Nov 7, 2023 · Many vintage lenses have coatings and designs that are well-suited to infrared light, producing sharp, contrasty images with minimal flare. Great bokeh on film at f8 or digital at f4 The Fotasy ime is a really fun lens but it's inability to do the the basics (like have a flat plane of focus) means it takes some experimentation to get the best out of it. Since they were designed to be blown up to 35mm, the best of them are on a par with or better May 9, 2021 · Lenses would become more diverse if manufacturers did this. 4 is revered for its sharpness and beautiful bokeh. Additionally, the unique character of vintage lenses can add an extra layer of interest to the already surreal nature of infrared images. 5 APS-C Cinema Lens Large Aperture Manual Focus for Sony E-Mount - $415. Fewer blades saves cost – more blades creates rounder bokeh. 8. 8, 50mm f1. With their manual focus and distinctive characteristics like vignetting, chromatic aberration, and specific bokeh shapes, vintage lenses can add a lot of personality to your images. 4 is one of fujis oldest x-lenses and was designed with the intention of looking like a 50mm vintage lens, which works pretty well. Some of the best have been with Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm f/1. Apr 28, 2022 · That lens made me realize how wonderful it is to give old vintage lenses new life. Minolta rokkor lenses are very cheap, well-built, and got a certain charm to them, and all of them until the autofocus era just need an SR-Mount adapter. Viltrox S 23mm T1. Thus for character sharp to compete with those is not what I seek, but something to give a rendering with character that cannot be obtained with a modern lens. Oct 26, 2020 · He continues, ‘Vintage lenses are a great way to expand your knowledge on photography and using manual focus can force you to take your time. The Nikkor 13mm f/5. It's a nice lens. This video lasts 37 minutes. Viltrox S 33mm T1. Important question (expected) is what I prefer to shoot. “Vintage glass is a great way to create your own unique photo style. 8, just amazing lens (especially earlier models). Re: Vintage Parfocal Zoom Lens Recommendation for BMPCC4K Nov 23, 2021 · Best Vintage Lenses Now that we’ve gone over the mounts, let’s talk about the best vintage lenses! By the way: I punched “best vintage lenses” into Google out of curiosity and the top results left a bit to be desired, so use caution if you search around the internet for opinions. The worst possible outcome of using vintage or “faux-vintage” lenses is an overly stylized look that distracts the viewer and draws attention away from your story. Also, this lens is the easiest of all my manual lenses to nail the focus. 0 Apo-Summicron is probably the best example without getting into lenses built for very specific purposes Jan 29, 2024 · And once again, it’s Justin Phillip who (in his special way) provides insight in his ‘Best Vintage Lenses for Price & Character‘ focusing on the purchase of Minolta Rokkors, with the emphasis always directed towards video production. 5, the 105 2. 8 on MFT (you gain roughly two stops of noise performance with the bigger sensor -- all else being equal). I‘ve had almost every fuji lens and they all were great and have their characters. Subjects are landscapes and portraits. Jan 9, 2017 · An important word on adapters: opt for well-made, high quality lens adapters even if they cost more; steer clear of adapters that include optical elements to allow your vintage lens focus to infinity, and do an online search of the dozens chat rooms on this subject to find the adapters and combinations that work best. This will be our first time purchasing vintage glass and have no idea which to go with. Full breakdown of each generation of the Rokkors. Some definitions say older than 20 years. Leica have been making asph lenses since 1966. Sep 13, 2021 · The best vintage lenses give your images a unique character – here are our top picks across the brands, old and new M42 mount is full of amazing lenses (Zeiss Jena, Asahi, Meyer Gorlitz, etc) with character that work very well with an adapter. Many lenses are usable for landscape by f/4 and quite good by f/5. You can always go for the popular Helios 44, try to find a set of the aspherical nFD lenses from Canon, the Tomioka 55mm f1. I’m personally looking for lenses with unique rendering and character, will use with an LX so K mount is best, m42 might be an option also. 4 is still quite pricey Welcome to the Fujifilm GFX subreddit! The Fujifilm GFX subreddit is a place to share and read up on the latest news about the GFX camera series and GF lenses, and show your latest photos with the Fujifilm GFX camera series, while interacting with the community. Wide open at f/1. 8-60mm), with it's legendary Cooke look, at less than 3% of it's original 1975 price. Last updated on 05/03/2022. These lenses often produce images with a distinct character. My daughter think vintage is from the year 2000 🤨. Nov 27, 2024 · The Nokton Classic 40mm f/1. As an advantage vintage lenses are of course also much much cheaper than their modern equivalent, and the image quality can be great!’ Learn more on Instagram – fstop_vintage. I hope this becomes an interactive video and you can suggest your own thoughts on the b Nov 9, 2014 · I love lenses with character. Build and Design: The Canon FL 135mm f/2. Best value is modern Laowa ultra wides for MFT. Ironies upon ironies, with the growing demand for vintage Cooke Speed Panchro lenses from the 1920s to 1960s, Cooke themselves are introducing a modern redesign of the vintage classic. Next, he narrows down the options for us, listing down 55mm to 58mm lenses from Japan, Germany and Russia. 2 has quite a lot of character. 3 (Very unique bokeh for a wide angle lens. The focus ring is buttery smoth, and the focus peaking on my M6 MII lights up brighter than any of my other vintage lenses, and I get more keepers due to this. 5, and Nikkor-H 300mm f/4. Someone suggested the contax zeiss which I could go with the 35mm f2. Uri Plank wrote: But vintage lenses will give you some incredible bokeh/background blur and colors that you just can't get with most modern lenses. It’s extremely wide at 13mm, but produces no distortion — which is a thing of beauty. A lens with a character let's say. So a lens that works for film can perform worse on a digital camera because you either get a hot spot, or softer then expected images. 8-60mm (ff 31-173mm) Cooke Varokinetal T3 Optex S16 mod lens ARRI PL mount I like vintage parfocal Super 16mm and 16mm film lenses for a filmic look that can compensate for the video-ish image of a digital sensor. Cons: Focus markings are way off/wonky for the cine conversions, the throw is super short making pulling kind of a pain and the kits for purchase or to convert are pretty damn expensive. 4 can't be beat. Minolta Rokkor-X 50mm f/1. I also tried to compile the list with a mix of budget-friendly lenses and some more aspirational vintage lenses which are not out of reach for most photographers. May 22, 2020 · The following is the list of the most commonly recommended 35 mm lenses, grouped according to the decision matrix and why I did or didn’t decide to test them. 8 vintage lenses. I like some older lenses with less-than-modern coatings, so I can play with flare blobs. 2, cheap, good lens with character. These include models from the popular Helios-44 series and Takumar lenses. 4 offers a unique blend of sharpness and character. I recently completed my set based on the Helios 44. 7 lenses were very common in the mid to late 70s. But Jun 15, 2024 · Vintage Lenses: Character and Creativity. Many other lenses also have unique bokeh characteristics, albeit not as easy to describe (like the Rokkor 58/1. Vintage lenses that I haven't tried: You can also get cheap modern Asian mirrorless lenses for $50-200 that aren't vintage. Back in the time before the use of computers, lenses were made by hand and had character to them. Then Pentacon 50mm 1. They look fantastic. 6. 2 - great portrait lens, sharp wide open and overall very pleasing vintage character. Category 1: Classic Vintage: These lenses were the best of best back in the day. 5 is built like a tank, with a metal body and mount that speak to its durability and the quality standards of its time. Modern lenses tend to look sterile and flat due to flare suppressing coatings that increase contrast and sharpness. The 5 Best Vintage Lenses for Infrared Photography Minolta MD 28mm f/2. After a decade of buying various vintage lenses, I've narrowed mine down to just a few (and that includes a Helios 44-2). I love it and recommend it. Common characteristics of vintage lenses. I have a 14mm f/2. Best vintage lenses with character for a short film, $2000 budget for 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm. Vintage lenses are a lot of fun to use, and l use a few just because some have a certain “character” to them that is sometimes what I’m looking for. 8, a lens which helped me make my favorite photo (and the artwork on my band’s 12” single). 4 A standard lens perfect for portraits and everyday use, the 50mm f/1. That lens was $44 before tax and shipping and was in immaculate condition. First, on the list, we’ll be covering some of the sharpest vintage wide-angle lenses. S. 4 and still learning how to use its strong points. 00 10. 4 LTM is a great one. These lenses can be SLR photography cameras or cinema cameras. On the other hand, vintage lenses bring a unique charm to your photos. You also might want to know a little about how vintage lenses work and how to evaluate their condition. . Apr 20, 2022 · If you’re curious about adapting vintage lenses to Fujifilm cameras like the Fujifilm GFX 100S, the video above has some answers for you. Can be found for an amazing price, too. 4 lenses in my opinion) I get more explores with this lens than any other Auto-Takumar 35mm f/2. 5 clones. 4 but used more 18mm (now even swapped to ricoh gr), I also loved my 90mm and 56 apd but ended up using only 35/2 on my aps-c fuji as most versatile and compact lens for my needs. Many vintage lenses are especially well-known for creating beautiful and distinct bokeh. There is so much choice in M42 mount, where to begin? The Takumars are already mentioned. 8/300 and 4/400 Tele-Aposonnar, Leica 180/3. Nov 12, 2018 · Old fashioned Petzval style lenses have a swirly bokeh, some love it and some hate it. 2). It's an interesting point what vintage actually means. Doe in alfalfa field at twilight. I'd class vintage Leica as pre asph. If you are shooting with a camera requires lens with the coupling prongs look for late lens. If you are doing a low-budget project (film) the last think you need to be thinking about is doing it with vintage lenses. Aug 19, 2020 · Vintage lenses are defined as old camera lenses from the film era. 4 it will be around $1500 off eBay. 6 was one of Nikon’s best and rarest lenses ever made. Filmmakers at the Sundance and Golden Globe awards last year and this year used manual focus lenses exclusively, in spite of the Canon C300 II and Blackmagic cameras having AF: A lot of the guys using vintage glass use older panasonic or oly pocket cameras, not necessarily the GH5. I'm talking about lenses like: C-mount's, CZ, Leica, Voighlander, Angenieux, Minolta MD/MC, Canon FD, and others I might even not know about. 8, and a 50mm f/1. A Pentax SMC M 135mm F3. My first thought is a V1/2/3/4 Summicron or a 40mm Summicron/Rokkor, or things like the Light If you want 'vintage' character, I'd go for a Pentax Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 1. Winter sun pillar Nov 23, 2022 · I find vintage lenses are great for creating a dreamy character to images, and the Flektogon's close up images do this wonderfully, whilst being sharp enough to not be distractingly blurry in the in-focus areas. I'd go with that date as anything older than me sure is vintage 😁 Aug 7, 2022 · With tack sharp output even wide open, great colour output, and dreamy bokeh in the great 100mm focal length, this seven-element lens is the best vintage portrait lens, producing excellent subject-background separation even at incredibly close focusing distances. I have an M9 and like shooting 35mm lenses at f/2 (for things like family, portraits, street, etc). Regardless, if you’re chasing soft, warm vintage lens looks, these will absolutely not disappoint. There are definitely modern lenses with tons of character imo, especially stuff by Venus optics. With its signature swirly bokeh and unique rendering, this lens is a gem in vintage photography. Canadian film photographer Kyle McDougall compares the Fujifilm GF 32-64mm f/4 lens with the Pentax SMC 45mm f/2. 8 Samyang for full frame, and, in terms of low light performance, it should actually do a little bit better than f/1. 8 200 F4. The soft, pastel color rendition of this lens is unlike my other takumars--gorgeous flower lens. ” Depends what you’re looking for specifically, I’ve recently gotten into some really lovely Meyer optik lenses but they don’t fill out the whole line you’re looking for so I’d recommend the pentacon lenses they’re really just slightly cleaner (“newer” coatings and different build qualities) Meyer optik lenses but there are a lot more of them, I have experience with the 29mm f/2. May 26, 2019 · Good vintage lenses are almost equal to modern lenses in some cases they can even beat all but the very best and expensive ones WHEN used at their best apertures. With the crazy prices increases on Canon FD and Leica R glass it has people looking elsewhere for My favorite vintage Asahi lenses: Super-Takumar 55mm f/1. Konicas Hexanon series also has some great lenses but there aren't too many out there but the 57mm f1. This list was current as of 2022-2023. A vintage lens would be best used on a camera that has no OLPF filter. Nov 12, 2018 · What vintage lenses have character? Leica's 50mm f/2. Sharp, easy to focus manually, weighs very little, and Minolta glass is often a bit cheaper than other vintage lenses (at least from the big name brands). Anyways, my half-joking generalization here is just based on the irony that most subjective evaluations of vintage lenses as "good" or "bad" were done from a viewpoint of old school photographers who generally wanted as little "character" in their lenses as possible, and that those same evaluations are too often left unquestioned today even in Mar 17, 2023 · So many great lens, but as noted, the F lens mount was launched in 1959, Nikon like all the major manufactures invested in lens design, then computer aided designs, and coating improved as well. Favorite lens in my bag. 1. Also depends on your actual budget. 8 Planar on my Rolleiflex 2. 5 APS-C Cine Lens Large Aperture Wide Angle Manual Focus for Sony E Mount - $415. Their 35 and 17 are also good but not up to the 50. 8, Ultron 50/1. Are these the best value for what they are or are there better quality vintage lenses with a more “cinematic” look for cheaper? Minolta Rokkor Buying Guide for Cinematographers and Indie Filmmakers. Plus history of one of the most fasc Best Vintage Lenses. As befitting one of the best wide-angle vintage prime lenses, the 28mm f/1. 8 (better than the 50/1. Time and technology Oct 12, 2022 · For this list, we’ll be covering the sharpest vintage lenses when open wide. 5. 5 Lens. 4, the Tokina 28-70mm f2. 8 (love this focal range. You can't afford to experiment with lens character by using vintage leneses. rudtfmk ausdx sbwmw oso rzaxfur wpa jsrvek bkfooba ypqyrnyl zwdt