Camera Need Camera - simple to use/carry/maintain

@sabby @cyn!de @booo

Please correct me if I am wrong. Since in olden days with full frame camera, 50mm was golden prime, should not equivalent APS-C focal length be ~35mm? If we buy older 50mm lens, it would be ~75mm, missing sweet point by quite some margin. Is there any way we can make it adjust to 50mm with some adapter or something? I do understand that focal length should be determined by the photos we shoot.

When it comes to practicality 50mm is better as it offers more FOV and is comparatively faster. On an APS-C it gives an equivalent of 75-80 which is very close to 85mm on FF which is preferred for portraiture. Again, 35mm lenses are not that easy to find and are expensive.
 
@sabby @cyn!de @booo

Please correct me if I am wrong. Since in olden days with full frame camera, 50mm was golden prime, should not equivalent APS-C focal length be ~35mm? If we buy older 50mm lens, it would be ~75mm, missing sweet point by quite some margin. Is there any way we can make it adjust to 50mm with some adapter or something? I do understand that focal length should be determined by the photos we shoot.

Good question. A 35mm lens would equate to approximately 52-56mm on an APS-C sensor (1.5x Nikon and 1.6x Canon), and a 50mm MF lens would be ~75mm. Please understand that the actual focal length of the lens does not change, but the crop factor comes into play, giving an effectively reduced FOV. You can't physically alter the characteristics of the lens with just an adapter. You can use a 2X adapter to increase the focal length to say 100mm, but perhaps at the cost of reduced clarity, unless it's an expensive adapter.
Would be better to search for a 35 prime, or a 28mm, which were fairly common back then.

When it comes to practicality 50mm is better as it offers more FOV and is comparatively faster. On an APS-C it gives an equivalent of 75-80 which is very close to 85mm on FF which is preferred for portraiture. Again, 35mm lenses are not that easy to find and are expensive.
Actually you can find Nikkor 28mm/35mm MFs fairly reasonably. I have a 28mm 2.8 myself, but the color rendition is quite terrible.

Here's a link that explains how focal length works
https://expertphotography.com/understand-focal-length-4-easy-steps/
 
Even Vivitars! But how good are those? Whereas you can get good 50mm primes for cheap!
Vivitar quality is iffy, there are some real gems and some are mass market and really soft, depends on the luck of the draw.

I would suggest going around to a few camera repairers locally, they get a lot of old stuff, and it's possible to find a good deal there. For example the Nikon 28mm I have is a series E mass market version, and the result is just OK, but there was a earlier 28mm which was razor sharp and gave great contrast.
 
Can't deny that! But for portraiture I feel a 50mm on APS-C would be better.

Yes, it comes close to 75mm and 'flattens' the features a bit, whereas a 35mm, especially some of the older ones will display barrel distortion.

Any views on Yashica ML, Konica Hexanon AR ?

Sorry, I don't have an idea or personal experience with Yashica, or if the adapters to Canon/Sony are available commonly. I did know they made some good lenses, it was C/Y earlier Contax/Yashica and the ML line was in tie up with Tessar.

Newer primes like the Canon 50 1.8, or the Nikon 35 1.8 are super sharp, and over time, I've not missed the charm of focussing manually. I started out with a Carena Film SLR and had a Canon AE1 down the line, so I'm quite used to Manual focus. With the advent of digital cameras, they lost the large viewfinders and split prisms that gave a large view and allowed precise focus manually.
Focusing manually is definitely a great way to learn composition as you think about the sharpness plane and how the subject is isolated.
 
@sabby @cyn!de @booo

Please correct me if I am wrong. Since in olden days with full frame camera, 50mm was golden prime, should not equivalent APS-C focal length be ~35mm? If we buy older 50mm lens, it would be ~75mm, missing sweet point by quite some margin. Is there any way we can make it adjust to 50mm with some adapter or something? I do understand that focal length should be determined by the photos we shoot.
dont do too much math. its simple, full frame lenses work on apsc but apsc lenses wont give cover full frame.

what you need to understand is that for portraits, 50mm-85mm is most used because it has the least amount of distortion of face and makes your face look like natural. gopro cough cough.

most of the guys want to buy zoom lenses because they want to be lazy and dont want to spend creative energy on framing the shot. A good photographer is at the right place at the right time. sometimes on a tree and sometimes in waist deep water. go to https://www.magnumphotos.com/ and get some inspiration. people like henri cartier-bresson used to shoot with really shitty cameras compared to today's standards. :)
 
Yes, it comes close to 75mm and 'flattens' the features a bit, whereas a 35mm, especially some of the older ones will display barrel distortion.
Exactly! The distortion is common in case of 35mms except for a few which are very difficult to find!
Any views on Yashica ML, Konica Hexanon AR ?
Hexanons are cheap and generally have good reviews! No idea about Yashica though!
 
dont do too much math. its simple, full frame lenses work on apsc but apsc lenses wont give cover full frame.
Forgot to mention, you *can use APS-C lenses with full frame sensors. However, as you mentioned, you will get vignetting (black circle around the picture). However, there are some lenses, like the Tokina 12-24, that provide full frame coverage from 18mm onwards even though they are APS-C.

Exactly! The distortion is common in case of 35mms except for a few which are very difficult to find!
Hexanons are cheap and generally have good reviews! No idea about Yashica though!

One of the reasons to go for modern primes. Very little barrel distortion, especially in expensive lenses like the Sigma ART series, or even the cheaper 35mm Nikkor 1.8 . At one point, we decide whether to put the amount, say 8000 for a used Takumar, or in a new AF lens, which for all purposes is sharper, has better contrast and color rendition.
 
So finally took the plunge and ordered following;
Minolta Rokkor-x 50mm f/1.7
Konica AR Hexanon 50mm f/1.8

I will try both of these and keep one which suits my taste. These two costed me approx USD 65 shipped to Hong Kong - which is nearly 60% of what prices are going in used market here.

Now I need to get adapters.
 
So finally took the plunge and ordered following;
Minolta Rokkor-x 50mm f/1.7
Konica AR Hexanon 50mm f/1.8

Now I need to get adapters.
I would still suggest getting an M42 Jupiter or Helios 44-2 58mm to see the bokeh difference. With the Helios. I get lovely bokeh because of the blades. Let me see if I can dig up an old picture or two.

Helios 44-2
IMG_9403_RES.jpg

Pentacon 200/4
IMG_9391BW_RES.jpg

Nikkor 28mm 2.8 Series E
IMG_9651_RES.jpg
 
I would still suggest getting an M42 Jupiter or Helios 44-2 58mm to see the bokeh difference. With the Helios. I get lovely bokeh because of the blades.

That lens is next on my list along with Meike 35mm f/1.7 (E mount). I would not rush on purchasing lenses though.
 
Looks like you already got many responses. I'll just add this. Spend a couple months using your existing lenses to photograph what you like. Then, observe which are the focal length you used most and buy suitable lenses accordingly. We all think we need so many lenses at different focal lengths, but ultimately it is usually 3 or 4 focal lengths where we take 90% of our photographs.
 
Looks like you already got many responses. I'll just add this. Spend a couple months using your existing lenses to photograph what you like. Then, observe which are the focal length you used most and buy suitable lenses accordingly. We all think we need so many lenses at different focal lengths, but ultimately it is usually 3 or 4 focal lengths where we take 90% of our photographs.

That's a nice input!
I agree. I shot earlier in 50mm, and now, with a DSLR, 35mm on a DX sensor seems to suit me for most general photography. I use my macro and tele for portraiture because of what they entail. I find that I like macro and abstracts more than street these days, so a 100mm Tokina macro or a Nikon tele would be my go-to lens for what I require.
What I notice is that people find their own niche over time. For some, it's street, for others, landscape, etc. So, it's best to choose the tool that's right for the job.
 
@nac @cyn!de @AK3D @sabby @booo

Another update to this thread and my equipment.

I was using A5100 with MF lenses. Though Focus Peaking is great help, I felt view finder necessary. I sold of my A5100 nearly at buying price - rather slightly above buying price and got A6000 for about ₹17,000; about ₹2000 more than A5100. This came with a tripod too :D

Now my lens collection stands as follows;
Minolta MD ROKKOR-X 50mm f1.7 ~ HK$300 - I felt focus ring is little hard moving compares to Konica lens I have. However, one of vintage lens enthusiast confirmed its fine. I am looking to try this for 1-2 rounds more else going to sell it off.
Minolta MD Zoom 28-70mm f3.5-4.8 ~HK$100 - This serves as kinda multipurpose with 28-70 range and when I am bit lazy.
Konica Hexanon AR 50mm f1.8 ~HK$250 - my favorite lens till now
Konica Hexanon AR 135mm f3.5 ~HK$200 - recently acquired for telephoto end
Helios 44-2 58 f2 ~HK$270 - loved this one for sharp images, might be my next favorite lens; yet to shoot for swirly bokeh
7Artisans 25mm f1.8 ~HK$550 - starting lens for wide side
 
I recently figured out that... if you have a fully automatic lens like the sony, you can setup the camera on a tripod small one like manfrotto pixi mini or gorilla pod. you can actually spend a lot of time composing and long exposure shots using the playmemories app as a wireless remote. it works amazing. Also, the iphone screen helps a lot better than the viewfinder/camera screen while checking the picture quality.
 
@nac @cyn!de @AK3D @sabby @booo

Another update to this thread and my equipment.

I was using A5100 with MF lenses. Though Focus Peaking is great help, I felt view finder necessary. I sold of my A5100 nearly at buying price - rather slightly above buying price and got A6000 for about ₹17,000; about ₹2000 more than A5100. This came with a tripod too :D

Now my lens collection stands as follows;
Minolta MD ROKKOR-X 50mm f1.7 ~ HK$300 - I felt focus ring is little hard moving compares to Konica lens I have. However, one of vintage lens enthusiast confirmed its fine. I am looking to try this for 1-2 rounds more else going to sell it off.
Minolta MD Zoom 28-70mm f3.5-4.8 ~HK$100 - This serves as kinda multipurpose with 28-70 range and when I am bit lazy.
Konica Hexanon AR 50mm f1.8 ~HK$250 - my favorite lens till now
Konica Hexanon AR 135mm f3.5 ~HK$200 - recently acquired for telephoto end
Helios 44-2 58 f2 ~HK$270 - loved this one for sharp images, might be my next favorite lens; yet to shoot for swirly bokeh
7Artisans 25mm f1.8 ~HK$550 - starting lens for wide side
Some great collections of lenses you got at stellar prices, Congrats ! Where did you get the A6000 for 17k ? I was thinking to upgrade from my Nex to A6000/A6300 and almost decided on buying new. If I could get a great deal like that, I'd get the A6000 body in a heartbeat.
 
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