So I went out and Froze today with the camera

[brewmaster15]

I've had a busy few months, working several jobs and lots of stuff going on. My New Years resolution is to take more pics... and play around with the camera like I Used to. So I dusted it off, and took advantage of a beautiful clear and sunny Morning in New England today. Cold and Crisp. Threw on the thermals, and loaded the gear up. I decided to pic a lens.. just one to work with and decided this time would be an old school photo trip with a digital flavor to it. I'm a pentax Geek and as such have many old cameras and lenses. I still will pick up old M42 mount lens when I see them at a fair price. The Glass is still great and they feel so solid. Harder to work with, not automatic....forces you to think and experiment.

The Lens I chose is a M42 mount Pentax super takumar SMC 3.5/135 mm. Its your classic portrait lens. Its not a fast lens, but is a really nice one with a strong following of fans in the pentax world. I collect the takumars as part of my hobby, They are generally very reasonably had. I think I paid about $50 on ebay for this one.

you can read some reviews of the lens here.... Please note the Lens was made in 1973...40 plus years old.:)

http://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/S-M-C-Super-Takumar-135mm-F3.5.html

To use the lens I make use of PK adapter...it fits in the camera, and allows the lens to be threaded on.

The camera is not my standard camera...I usually use a pentax K20D.. but I have a couple of smaller Km/k2000 digital SLR.. a basic beginner digital that currently sells on ebay for about $140- 200. This DSLR is 10.6 mp , small by today's standards... but still a very useful camera. Review here..http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxk2000/

I even went old on the tripod.. I have a pretty sturdy aluminum "Brilliant Professional tripod..doesn't have any bells and whistles, doesn't even have a removable camera mounting plate...I like it because the camera will never fall off, and its incredibly stout for its weight. I have other tripods, but this one seemed to fit the theme,
The gear...
http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/20141231_105419_zpsc1a9b934.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/20141231_105419_zpsc1a9b934.jpg.html)

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/20141231_142855_zpsdec1e4c9.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/20141231_142855_zpsdec1e4c9.jpg.html)

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/20141231_143113_zps580aa3e2.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/20141231_143113_zps580aa3e2.jpg.html)

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/20141231_143353_zps04549ba6.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/20141231_143353_zps04549ba6.jpg.html)

Some pics...

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/IMGP8279_zps547b50a0.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/IMGP8279_zps547b50a0.jpg.html)


http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/IMGP8271_zpsd5b5bb28.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/IMGP8271_zpsd5b5bb28.jpg.html)


http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/IMGP8268_zps16f35972.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/IMGP8268_zps16f35972.jpg.html)

Did I mention it was cold... leaves in ice:

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/IMGP8266_zps7196e157.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/IMGP8266_zps7196e157.jpg.html)

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/IMGP8267_zps37cf867a.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/IMGP8267_zps37cf867a.jpg.html)

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/IMGP8262_zps2502a758.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/IMGP8262_zps2502a758.jpg.html)

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/IMGP8259_zpsbd163f49.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/IMGP8259_zpsbd163f49.jpg.html)

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/IMGP8255_zps7217b1df.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/IMGP8255_zps7217b1df.jpg.html)

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/IMGP8295_zps448bc8e6.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/IMGP8295_zps448bc8e6.jpg.html)

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/IMGP8280_zps2d641e05.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/IMGP8280_zps2d641e05.jpg.html)

and one back home of my cat... hand held camera, 1600 IS0...so its very soft..which fits pics of Whiskers nicely.

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/IMGP8309_zpsb96fdaa7.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/IMGP8309_zpsb96fdaa7.jpg.html)



These are just pics of random objects, but theres something fun and relaxing about taking a day off and just going out with the camera. Its funny I have gear that costs alot more, but this simple combo of old gear and a beginners DSLR made for a really great morning out.


al

[Disgirl]

What beautiful shots Al, my favorites are the leaves in ice. Cold here too, it was 72 just the other day, 20's tonight.

[John_Nicholson]

Nice.

-john

[blueluv]

Very nice Al. My fave is the picture with branch half way out the water and reflecting of the water surface.

[Larry Grenier]

Nice work Al. Oh, and we watched "Christmas in Connecticut" last night :-)

[brewmaster15]

Thanks guys...

This set up isn't what I would want to use for fish tank pics, as its slow.. but its not too bad... no flash, and hand held under dim tank lights.

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/IMGP8331_zps5cc20ad7.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/IMGP8331_zps5cc20ad7.jpg.html) Lots of tannins in then water.

al

[brewmaster15]

"Gimped"... ready for the old black and white print newspaper

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/IMGP8331_c_zpscc25bb3c.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/IMGP8331_c_zpscc25bb3c.jpg.html)

and "Gimped" again..ready for psychedelic 60s

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/IMGP8331_a_zps4c1a4b8d.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/IMGP8331_a_zps4c1a4b8d.jpg.html)

Playing around with the editting tools is almost as fun as taking pics...maybe more so.


al

[OC Discus]

Al,

My wife and I lived in New England from winter 1989 to spring 1994. The first heavy snow was always amazing as it hung from all the trees. The leaves in October could also make me stop the car and look in amazement. The last winter there, 93-94 was the blizzard. The ice didn't melt on Canobie Lake in Salem, NH until mid to late May.

[rickztahone]

I can't view the pictures right now Al because I'm stuck at work but I know the takumar lenses well. I have adapted plenty of them on my Sony Nex6 and the do such a great job. In all honesty, I prefer the build of older manual lenses because they are built like tanks.


The one Pentax lens I have had a lot of fun with is the 55 f/1.8. Very nice lens. Of all the manual lenses I own, my favorite is still my converted 58 1.2 Minolta. That thing renders like no tomorrow. I look forward to getting home and viewing your photos.

Happy New year.

[brewmaster15]

I can't view the pictures right now Al because I'm stuck at work but I know the takumar lenses well. I have adapted plenty of them on my Sony Nex6 and the do such a great job. In all honesty, I prefer the build of older manual lenses because they are built like tanks.


The one Pentax lens I have had a lot of fun with is the 55 f/1.8. Very nice lens. Of all the manual lenses I own, my favorite is still my converted 58 1.2 Minolta. That thing renders like no tomorrow. I look forward to getting home and viewing your photos.

Happy New year.

Hi Ricardo, You mean something like this...:)

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/20141231_220653_zps1ad7eb7e.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/20141231_220653_zps1ad7eb7e.jpg.html)

Its great seeing another takumar Fan.
http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/a5d754c2-bdf5-4930-a19e-099d3b8c11dc_zps764cfeb0.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/a5d754c2-bdf5-4930-a19e-099d3b8c11dc_zps764cfeb0.jpg.html)
I love my Takumars! all inthe pic above are except for one 70-210 vivitar series one M42(an absolutely awesome lens BTW)


All...My point in this thread was to demonstrate how you don't need the top of the line most current system to have some fun with photography as a hobby and to show that even an inexpensive old lens can make a decent picture. All of these pics are totally unedited, no post processing except for the "Gimped" Ones. Its a great hobby for people to pick up. Its also a great hobby to take up with your kids. My and Son and I are photo partners...More fun taking pics with someone else. Almost all the techniques you need can be easily had at your local library in any old 35 mm SLR book.. The Core techniques on photography have not changed much...just what the picture is recorded on (film vs digital) and how its recorded. We have another thread going on in the forum about The state of the hobby and fishkeeping. I see alot of parallels between Keeping Discus as a Hobby and Photography and both offer an excellent opportunity to bond better with your kids.


I hope to get out in the next day or two with my son for some pics and will probably go with another M42 mount.. maybe this time a 300 mm lens and focus on birds, my favorite subject.

al

[brewmaster15]

Al,

My wife and I lived in New England from winter 1989 to spring 1994. The first heavy snow was always amazing as it hung from all the trees. The leaves in October could also make me stop the car and look in amazement. The last winter there, 93-94 was the blizzard. The ice didn't melt on Canobie Lake in Salem, NH until mid to late May.

New England can be a beautiful place in the fall. I am not fond of it in the winter at all! Snow can be so beautiful, until you have to shovel or plow it! I'd much rather live in a warmer climate and visit New England in the fall/winter..lol But for the time being, this is my home .:)

[brewmaster15]

I also should add that most brands of digital SLR's make an adapter like the PK one I used here so these M42 thread mount lens can be used on pretty much all slrs...of course theres no autofocus, its all manual. But thats not really a bad thing...you appreciate something alittle more when you work for it!:)

al

[Second Hand Pat]

Al, I have an old 35 mm Minolta camera with a couple of lens. Wonder if I can find uses for them on the Nikon. Love your pics. The one of Whiskers is special.

[brewmaster15]

Al, I have an old 35 mm Minolta camera with a couple of lens. Wonder if I can find uses for them on the Nikon. Love your pics. The one of Whiskers is special.

Pat I have seen minolta lens with pentax mount...it may take some customizing but its probably doable. What sizes are the lens, I have a few suggestions for their use:)

[Second Hand Pat]

Al, one of the lens is "cokinlight 67mm U.V. FRANCE" and the other is "USP 4.256.381 USP 4.299.454". Both lens are made in Japan. The camera is a Minolta X-700. Both camera and lens are 80s vintage.

[brewmaster15]

Pat Those lens may be too long for what I am suggesting here, however, they may be fun to play around with. Most camera makers or after market provider (check ebay) make a reversing ring. You screw it onto the filter thread of lens, and it has a mount for a particular camera. It effectively lets you use any brand lens on the camera by reversing it. The effect on many lens, particular primes and smaller lens, is you create a close focusing macro lens..

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/20150101_093355_zps2f52891c.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/20150101_093355_zps2f52891c.jpg.html)

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/20150101_093414_zps7044648c.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/20150101_093414_zps7044648c.jpg.html)

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/20150101_093442_zps6fc7acfb.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/20150101_093442_zps6fc7acfb.jpg.html)

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/20150101_093500_zps3ae4bb5d.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/20150101_093500_zps3ae4bb5d.jpg.html)

You need to know what mm the lens thread is... I use a 52 " one and 58" one here for the lens I use this on.. You also need to know what mount...ex...Nikon.


The result is a lens that can make a cool macro pic, but is tricky to use..you need a steady hand as the depth of field is extremely narrow. I used to use this set up in the lab, with supplimental lighting on a stand in the film days, but it actually works really well with DSLRs, because you just have more control over exposure and compensation.. On a stand its killer. I keep looking for an old hobby enlarger stand I can modify.

Any how... heres what it can do...
original pic of tetra can (no I don't feed them..store my blackworms in it!) using my cell phone
http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/20150101_094801_zpsf1a356c2.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/20150101_094801_zpsf1a356c2.jpg.html)

and the image using a reversing ring , this time on a 35-105 mm zoom.

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/IMGP8347_zps2d7192c7.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/IMGP8347_zps2d7192c7.jpg.html)


You can also improvise significantly... I have a 55 mm lens and have a 58 mm adapter...want to use them together.. I always keep a roll of black electrical tape in the bag. the way I took the word macro above is simply.. tape it on.:) and mount the lens.

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/20150101_093604_zpsc42baaae.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/20150101_093604_zpsc42baaae.jpg.html)

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/20150101_093535_zps70fee1a6.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/20150101_093535_zps70fee1a6.jpg.html)

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/20150101_093500_zps3ae4bb5d.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/20150101_093500_zps3ae4bb5d.jpg.html)

[brewmaster15]

Hand held is possible but extremely hard.. I'm a little jittery in the am from the coffee... but
with phone..small plant...
http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/20150101_102858_zps84759177.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/20150101_102858_zps84759177.jpg.html)

with a reversed 50 mm lens... again hand held no external light.
http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/IMGP8336_zps2b6a64a6.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/IMGP8336_zps2b6a64a6.jpg.html)

would have been much better on an adjustable stand.

[Second Hand Pat]

Thanks Al, I need to do a little research here but could be back with more questions.

[brewmaster15]

The last option I have for you is to use a focusing rail/bellows. You can modify it as necessary to take your lens.. These mount nicely on a tripod and is a great way to take macro photos outside. Works awesome for plants and insects.

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/20150101_095928_zps25828bb0.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/20150101_095928_zps25828bb0.jpg.html)

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s623/Snakebyte2/this%20and%20that/20150101_100130_zpsc2fa19ef.jpg (http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Snakebyte2/media/this%20and%20that/20150101_100130_zpsc2fa19ef.jpg.html)

I need to get out more and use this..I have a 50 mm macr for the hiking bag, and this set up is bulky, but it definetly is a good system at a fraction of the cost of a macro lens.

al

[Second Hand Pat]

Thanks Al, I need to do a little research here but could be back with more questions.

This appears to be a decent guide for using old lens on the newer camera http://www.ebay.com/gds/How-to-Use-Old-Lenses-on-New-Digital-Cameras-/10000000177629067/g.html

[Second Hand Pat]

That focusing rail/bellows looks awesome. Very cool and would need a heavy duty tripod with it I bet.

[brewmaster15]

Pat, Thats a start, but I'd recommend any of the old 35 mm film books gathering dust on the library and book sellers shelves. The techniques I mentioned here are not specific to digital photography...but are a a carry over from film days.

[Second Hand Pat]

Pat, Thats a start, but I'd recommend any of the old 35 mm film books gathering dust on the library and book sellers shelves. The techniques I mentioned here are not specific to digital photography...but are a a carry over from film days.

Al, I have a couple of reference books. :D Also my research does not yield positive results for marrying older lens to a Nikon DSLR body. http://www.chriscamera.com/lenses4digital.htm.

[brewmaster15]

Al, I have a couple of reference books. :D Also my research does not yield positive results for marrying older lens to a Nikon DSLR body. http://www.chriscamera.com/lenses4digital.htm.

Pat, that article is very misleading...



Older camera lenses that work but not easily:

Nikon manual focus lenses will work - with limited functions - on some Nikon digital SLR cameras. Not on the Nikon D40, D3000, D3100, D5200 etc..

Pentax thread mount lenses (from the Spotmatic and even older cameras) can be used, with an adapter, on Pentax digital SLRs but you must program a custom function.

Pentax bayonet mount, manual focus lenses will fit on the Pentax digital SLRs and work, but you must program a custom function. take this...the programing part... its a 2 seconds fix one time deal....and then a matter of telling the camera what size lens it is.. example 400 mm.. Thats the "custom programming on Pentax... nots sure what it entails on cannon/nikon...but I do know people use the old m42s on atleast some.

Pentax is often considered the Poor mans SLR as compared to nikons and Canons, but one thing about them that pentax users love is all the old pentax lens work on all pentax cameras and pentax has gone out their way to keep that status... makes for a real easy transitions. You arent going to turn a manual lens to a autofocus, but an autofocus film age pentax lens works as an autofocus on a DSLR.

Also when you are reading these reviews...theres a world of difference between "working" in a conventional sense, and working in a modified sense.. like the reversing ring and bellows examples.

I have little experience with non-pentax cameras and their mated lens, but you may find out more info on various dedicated websites equivalent to pentaxforums.
hth,
al

[Second Hand Pat]

Thanks Al. I will continue to look around.

[brewmaster15]

Pat..

Heres a video of someone using a reversing ring on a Nikon digital SLR D5200

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXEWIa8PKBA

When you search just search for your camera's make and Reversing ring.
I searched.. "using a reversing ring on a nikon DSLR"

When you use a reversing ring..it doesn't matter what brand lens you use... though best are lens that have an aperature ring.
hth,
al

[rickztahone]

Pat, manual lenses can be adapted. I have that same minO camera (x-700) and it has a stock 50 1.7 if I remember correctly. Truth is, not all older lenses do well adapted. That 50 for instance is nothing special and to do a mount swap would be more trouble than its worth. Do some research on flange distances amongst lens mounts and you will see which are easier to adapt. The Sony next I spoke about and even many other mirrorless cameras in the market have taken advantage of the fact that their flange distance makes it so that you can adapt ANY lens. I love shooting manual focus. It's more methodical and overall more rewarding.