slr digital body and yashica lenses - Ducati.ms

RockingM · Apr 29th, 2011, 3:51 pm

I have quite a few yashica lenses for the 35mm.
I don't have a Digital slr but would like to find one that I could use my lenses with. I guess it will still remain manual focus at least or something.
Anyone offer some guidance I'd appreciate and I don't want to spend bucks I don't have is the reason.

**scott** · Apr 29th, 2011, 4:48 pm

Kyocera stopped all production of Yashica and Contax cameras in 2005 then sold the name rights to a cheesy Hong Kong outfit. Sadly your lenses won't really be worth the time to fit with adapters or whatever else it would take to use on a modern D-SLR.

SS904 · Apr 30th, 2011, 7:31 am

There is a pretty active counter-culture of sorts built around using old manual focus lenses on new digital bodies.

Here is a forum devoted to it.

Manual Focus Forum

You can probably find your answer there. Adapters are available to mount most MF lenses to most bodies.

SS904 · Apr 30th, 2011, 7:49 am

Before you get too deep though, let me rain on your parade a bit...

People are into the MF lens thing because there are some really crazy good older MF lenses that provide a certain effect or image quality that may not be available with a newer lens at a reasonable price. There is some really great old glass out there.

Unless the lenses you want to use are special, and in that group of unique glass, the limitations of using old lenses with new bodies may not be worth the effort to you. Obviously, you will have manual focus only. The other thing you may not have considered is aperture control and metering. The camera will not be able to control the lens at all. You will have to use stop-down metering, and focus, method to achieve the exposure you want. It's not that intuitive and it is a slower process. If that's what you're in to, cool. It can be fun. If you're looking to have a functional DSLR, you may be better off selling off the lenses you have to buy a compatible modern lens that works with the camera you buy.

Just my .000002 Cents, for what it's worth!

RockingM · Apr 30th, 2011, 3:04 pm

thanks fpr the info fellows. I had googled it and it made it sound simple to find the adapter. I use to prefer all manual stuff but I'm getting lazy with the photography bit. Though, it might be fun to explore it. I'll ask my cousin this weekend, he's been a photographer most of his life.

DUCeditor · Apr 30th, 2011, 9:22 pm

Robert, Many of us are or were in your predicament. I always assumed that my many pro Nikkor lenses would work as fine manual focus lenses if or when I went serious digital. Nope! So there they sit, lovely as ever, unused in a draw while I slowly got what I needed for an entirely new system.

There is however a plus to what has happened. That is that you can get so much more lens for your money today - at least within the ranges and types sold to amateurs.

If, for instance, you buy into a Canon body you can get two "kit" zooms that'll give you the 35mm equivalent of 29mm wide to 400mm tele, and that is with such goodies as anti-motion technology, for just a few hundred bucks.

I found it hard to bite the bullet but am now very happy that I did.

(Anybody want some really good deals on some older Nikkor lenses?)

-don

SS904 · May 1st, 2011, 6:56 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by DUCeditor

(Anybody want some really good deals on some older Nikkor lenses?)

Don. The ironic thing is you'd have an easier time mounting your old Nikon glass to Canon EF mount bodies than mounting Canon's own FD mount lenses. A simple and inexpensive adapter is all you need. Canon's FD mount stuff needs an adapter that has optics (read expensive) to allow for infinity focus. Never used one, but they are also reported to degrade image quality. You can buy cheaper adapters for FD to EF with no optics, but you will not have focus to infinity! Maybe do an eBay search and drop a few bucks on a Nikon (F mount?) to EF adapter and make use of that classic glass! I have a very nice Canon FD 50 f/1.4 SSC screwed to a Canon AE-1 that makes a nice display in my office. I'd love to mount it to my 40D or 1D3...

smoothlennie · May 2nd, 2011, 6:40 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by SS904

There is a pretty active counter-culture of sorts built around using old manual focus lenses on new digital bodies.

Here is a forum devoted to it.

Manual Focus Forum

You can probably find your answer there. Adapters are available to mount most MF lenses to most bodies.

Dan,

Thanks for this link. I have just joined and posted an image, taken with a Vivitar Series 1 7-201 lens on an old 6 megapixel entry-level Pentax dSLR, bought for a family member.

cheers,

Dave