Mixing the Old with the New

I recently acquired a few OM lenses, Olympus lenses that is. These lenses are from the 80s with years of use on them, but still outperform newer lenses in many ways. This is not only due to their construction on the outside but on the inside as well. The technology of glass was actually at its peak in the 80s. Why? With the increase in demand, the quality went down. The demand was not high enough in the 80s. Quantity, not quality is the motto for many now. I am not saying al new lenses are bad, only that most are. The use of plastic in lenses is much to blame for the inferior state of many lenses. Not only are the outsides mostly plastic, but many lenses are using palstic elements inside. Not good! I know Canon best, so I will use them as an example. Canon has their pro-line lenses: the L series. These lenses are usually constructed of metal barrels and fine tuned glass elements. Many times these lenses are internal focusing as well, enabling the lens to stay the same length throughout its focal length. These lenses are excellent. The problem? They are almost all over a thousand dollars!!! Yes you get what you pay for, but what about the poor college students who demand top quality? I have a solution: “Old Glass”. I have included some photos taken this weekend strictly with the OM lenses. Now keep in mind, they are all taken in manual focus, so if you despise manual focus then read no further. But, if you enjoy the control and benefits of manual focus, you are in luck. These lenses on old cameras is a common sight, but seen on a $1500+ DSLR might be something foreign to most. I personally like the look: retro but new age! Back on topic now. These lenses are cheap! Look at pawn shops, eBay, or your parents house(thats what I did). Make sure they are clean of fungus and dust. (Dust is easier to clean than fungus.) Look at the aperture, to ensure the blades open and close smoothly. Another thing: you most likely will need to buy an adapter for your DSLR. But do not fret, I bought mine for $18 on eBay. Now don’t freak out when it says the seller is from China, thats where I bought mine and it was shipped immediately and exactly as described. The adapter is used because most new camera mounts are different than the old lenses.   http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/eosfaq/manual_focus_EOS.html Included here is a website that gives Canon users an idea of what lenses will work on new cameras. Sorry Nikon people, I use Canon therefore thats what I research, but it isn’t hard to find sites with good information. 

You will want to shy away from adapters that use glass elements. This degrades quality to an extent, therefore diminishing the idea of using old lenses for better quality. The adapter should be a steel ring that screws on the lens or camera. Ok, so where was I? (I just had to discipline a puppy and now I have lost track. Damn dogs!) 

Okay so you have a lens, adapter, and camera body. Put it together in seconds and you have a new photography system. For at the most, a hundred dollars, you can open up your options exorbantly while not settling on quality. I have a 50mm f/1.8, 2x teleconverter, and a 70-210 f/4 that i now can add to my arsenal. All with supreme glass, metalconstruction, and fixed apertures. Oh, that is another thing. Most lenses that you find for sale are going to be fixed apertures, which are awesome. My 50mm f1.8 is an awesome lens that allows me more photography situations in low light, than I ever imagined. It makes me giggle jus thinking about all the shots I can take now. I am currently bidding on a 28mm OM lens, because on my DSLR, the 50mm is magnified a little more than I would like. THats one more thing you must keep in mind, the magnification of small sensors on film lenses. If you have a full sensor, than you are fine and have more money than I do. I hope this gives some background and info to the lenses you will be seeing in action from me in the future. The images shown will were taken with the 50mm, using very shallow depth of field. I also used a teleconverter on some, which actually turns the 50mm into a 160mm macro . Great stuff. Go and explore for yourself and stay tuned for more great shots with old lenses.