KPH tech blog

For the past year, I’ve been using my Dad’s vintage lenses with my DSLR. He hasn’t used them for years, mainly because they came with his Zenit EM, a 35mm film SLR camera. He doesn’t even use them with his Nikon D3100.

But, his lenses are in good condition: one is a Helios 44M – a prime lens good for bokeh shots – while the other is a Photax 200mm telephoto lens, which is also a prime lens. They are free of all the usual caveats of used equipment, such as condensation or fungus on the internal glass.

However, using these two lenses wouldn’t have been possible without an M42-EOS adaptor, which converts the M42 screw-fit of the lenses, to my DSLR which has a bayonet fitting. The adaptors are useful, and in my case, very cheap. Mine cost £8 from Amazon, and also offers the AF-confirm function, which is useful for focusing on a subject with Manual Focus.

The lenses can only be used in full Manual mode on my camera, which I do anyway, but is the reason why so many photographers today avoid them – and why they’re so cheap compared to modern glass.

Watch any review on YouTube, and fully manual is looked at in negative light. Probably because DSLR’s offer automatic features, but for me, it shouldn’t be a negative point. I grew up in the 90’s using film cameras, and was using them way up until I got my first digital camera in 2006.

I enjoy photography the way it used to be – Manual. Even since getting my DSLR two years ago, I’ve never used any of the Auto modes because they’re too restrictive.

Also, Manual mode is the only way to use a vintage lens, because there’s no way of controlling the lens aperture or focus via the camera body (only the shutter speed can be altered on the camera), so alterations to the aperture and focus have to be done on the lenses themselves.

My camera is automatically set to its maximum aperture, f/1.4, so the camera knows not to under-expose, leaving me to choose the aperture on the lens. As they’re prime lenses, there’s no zooming in or out to different focal points, so all that’s left is to set the focus on the lens, and the shutter speed & ISO on the camera.

I’ve also found that my vintage lenses produce slightly pale-looking photos, but this is easily corrected via the White Balance settings on my DSLR, or edited later in post-processing.

While on holiday recently in Cornwall, I picked up a 135mm prime telephoto lens for £5. Yep, that cheap. And the photos aren’t that bad, either… in fact, for £5, in my opinion they’re better quality than some lenses that could’ve cost me £150 or more.

I’ll be sharing my photos and notes on my Instagram and also my photo blog, Chris JK DSLR, so please do check these out.

Over and out,

-Chris JK.