Old film lenses working with digital

[kpaulak]

This may sound like a silly question to most, but I am new at the digital photo

world. I have some great lenses from my film photo days. Does anyone know if

they will work with the body of a digital SLR?

[jamespjones]

Hi Paula,

 

It is not a silly questions, it is a question we have all had at one time or another. What kind

of digital are you looking at, and what kind of lenses do you have?

 

They may work, they may not. Rather than going brand by brand, details will help.

[mike_earussi1]

Nikon and Pentax will going back to the 1960's. Autofocus Canon and Sony (Minolta) film lenses will work on their DSLRs.

[SCL]

It really depends on brand and mount type. For instance I use Nikons Tamrons on my Nikon DSLR. If I had a Canon DSLR I could use Canon EOS, my Tamrons, Nikons, and Leica R lenses on it, due to the shorter sensor to lens mount flange. I couldn't, however, used my Canon FD lenses and get infinity focus without an adapter which would seriously degrade the image due to the introduction of additional lenses in the adapter. If you check Cameraquest.com, you will see some of the adapters for mounting lenses on DSLRs, and you can also see hundreds advertised on Ebay.

[bobatkins]

Here's the data on using old lenses on Canon EOS cameras (one of the easiest to adapt old lenses to) - http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/eosfaq/manual_focus_EOS.html.

 

Old pentax lenses (K and screw mount) can be adapted to work on new Pentax DSLRs.

 

Most old Nikon lenses will work on most new Nikon DSLRs

 

Old Canon FD lenses will not work on Canon EOS DSLRs

 

Old Minolta MD lenses will not work on Minolta/Sony DSLRs

 

Old Olympus lenses can be adapted to work on new Olympus DSLRs

[jwallphoto]

I recently went completely digital, but I kept my 200mm micro and 50mm f/1.4 manual focus lenses. They work great. Since they are non-CPU lenses, though, you need to tell the camera which one you are using by going through the menu. Which reminds me, I need to see if there's a short-cut to doing that on the D200.

[ronald_moravec1]

John, you can set the function buttom under the debth of field preview to do it. Hold it down and the main command sets the fl. the sub command the max f stop.

 

You do need to go into the menue to progran the function to do it.

[kelly_flanigan1]

Here is a shot with a 1950's Nikkor 10.5cm F2.5 LTM rangefinder lens on an Epson RD-1 rangefinder with -s mod; shot in jpeg mode; manually focused. iso is 1600 so abit noisy in the dark areas; f-stop set to F4; camera panned with the action. Here even a 1/2 century old lens works decently on a modern cropped non full frame digital sensor.<Br><Br><BR><BR><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/ektar/105mm%20F25%20Nikkor/_EPS4278PENSACOLA28SULLIVANsmall105.jpg?t=1206655174"><BR><BR><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/ektar/105mm%20F25%20Nikkor/_EPS4278PENSACOLA28SULLIVANmediu-1.jpg?t=1206655472"><BR><BR><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/ektar/105mm%20F25%20Nikkor/_EPS4278PENSACOLA28SULLIVANlarge.jpg?t=1206655535">

[kelly_flanigan1]

Here is a shot of a construction site with the same digital body using a 5cm F2 Nikkor in Leica thread Mount; another lens thats 50 years old. In this dusk shot the train was moving about 20MPH but the shutter speed was high enough.<BR><BR><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/ektar/EPSON%20R-D1/_EPS3677NIKKOR5cmF2FULL.jpg?t=1206655915"><BR><BR><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/ektar/EPSON%20R-D1/_EPS3677NIKKOR5cmDEERE.jpg?t=1206656100"><BR><BR><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/ektar/EPSON%20R-D1/_EPS3677NIKKOR5cmF2boxcar.jpg?t=1206656408">

[jim_flinchbaugh]

And if you buy into the Olympus 4/3 system you can use almost any brand lens on the camera with a adapter from that online auction place that will remain nameless.

 

jim

[dennisgg]

Canon lens adapters:

 

Olympus OM

Nikon (Non-AI through current AF if the aperture is a manual turn ring)

Pentax M42 screwmount

Pentax K-mount

Leica R (SLR)

Hasselblad

Yashica/Contax

Pentax 645

Mamiya 645

Pentacon 66

Exacta/Topcon (except ones that have the aperture arm sticking out)

Kodak Retina/Voightlander Bessamatic

Rolleiflex 35 (SLR)

Kiev-60

 

Nikon can use some adapters, but unless the body is a D200 or higher, you will not be able to meter through the lens stopped down like Canon's can. I don't know about the Pentax's, Sony's and Olympus'.

 

Easily the most flexible lens mount. The adapters are available with a chip on them to do focus confirmation (which is what I use). I have Nikon, Olympus OM, Pentax M42/screw, and Pentax K-mount adapters that I use.

 

 

 

 

Dennis