Lens News

If you’ve read our choices for the 10 Best Vintage SLR Lenses for Your DSLR, you’re also going to want to read our simple guide below with tips on how to mount those lovely, classic pieces of glass on your modern digital SLR.

Giving up on a favorite lens is almost like breaking up with a loved one – yes, photographers are a weird bunch – but if it’s ever happened to you, you know the feeling can be oddly familiar. “I used to love this lens but, for some reason, it just doesn’t do it for me anymore.”

If you love the look and affordable prices of vintage lenses but have no idea how to use them on a modern camera, the below video from Mark Holtze is for you. In the clip, Holtze shows you how to use these classic lenses on your current DSLR or mirrorless camera using adapters that coast as little as $10.

“Date your cameras and marry your lenses,” a Sony staffer professed after I arrived in San Diego last week for the unveiling of two new lenses; the 50mm f/1.4 ZA prime and 70-200mm f/2.8 GM zoom. Our select group of journalists were repeatedly told, “Do not leak this launch.” Considering the leaks of cameras introductions from their competitors this summer, the firm request was understandable and we obliged.

Lenses are, perhaps, the most important (pardon the pun) element in photography but most photographers probably have no idea how they really work. If you want to learn about lens but you don’t have a lot of time and don’t want to break your brain, Canon has released simple and straightforward 3.5-minute video titled “How Lenses Function.”

Every lens maker offers standard types of lenses: wide angle, normal, and telephoto zooms plus several primes in popular focal lengths. Although highly useful, these lenses alone do not represent the breadth of offerings available. Hidden away within the lineups of many lens makers are specialty models which, even if they aren’t suitable for one’s purposes at any given time, are fascinating not only for their unique qualities but also because they might someday be the perfect tool for a specific shooting situation.