# Using analog lens on DSLR?



## sixstringer (Jul 22, 2016)

I'm interested in picking up a vintage analog lens to put on my Canon t2i, I will be getting a Fotodiox m42 adapter. Obviously there will be no auto focus using an analog lens but will I be able to use live view for manual focusing or not? Does live view require interaction with the lens?

Thanks

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## Ysarex (Jul 22, 2016)

Yes you will be able to use live view for focusing, but you will also be able to use the optical viewfinder for focusing -- live view isn't a requirement.

Joe


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## sixstringer (Jul 22, 2016)

Ysarex said:


> Yes you will be able to use live view for focusing, but you will also be able to use the optical viewfinder for focusing -- live view isn't a requirement.
> 
> Joe


Ok thanks, any tips for focusing through the viewfinder? I'm planning on getting probably a 50 1.4 so it might be tricky to eyeball it.

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## dennybeall (Jul 22, 2016)

Will this combination allow the light meter to work on the camera? 
My old lenses don't on my Nikon so an external light meter is needed.


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## 480sparky (Jul 22, 2016)

Check your owners manual for instructions to use the focus assist LED(S) in the viewfinder.


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## chuasam (Jul 23, 2016)

Lens are lenses, they neither produce digits or analogue signals.


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## 480sparky (Jul 23, 2016)

chuasam said:


> Lens are lenses, they neither produce digits or analogue signals.



Some lenses have electronics in them ("digital"), some don't ("analog").


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## fmw (Jul 25, 2016)

I'm not experienced with Canon but I would assume in-camera metering should work in aperture priority or manual mode.  You would give up any mode that requires aperture control from the camera.  My advice would be to choose a lens with all the capabilities your camera body provides.


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## john.margetts (Jul 25, 2016)

fmw said:


> I'm not experienced with Canon but I would assume in-camera metering should work in aperture priority or manual mode.  You would give up any mode that requires aperture control from the camera.  My advice would be to choose a lens with all the capabilities your camera body provides.


I use my Canon with both my Olympus 50mm lens and my Soviet Helios 44 lens. Yes, you need to close down the aperture before pressing the shutter release - the camera meters properly in aperture priority mode.


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## dasmith232 (Feb 1, 2017)

I use M42 lenses frequently with several different bodies (Canon, Nikon and Sony). It works in all cases. Yes, the metering works also. You can use any of the modes, but Av and M will work most consistently. With Av mode, you're setting the shutter and the camera picks the shutter speed. The fact that you're picking the aperture with a mechanical ring doesn't change things.

With some cameras (notably mirrorless), there is a menu option to allow releasing the shutter without a lens attached. With a vintage lens, the camera thinks there is no lens attached. This is true for the M5 and Sony a6000, and many others.


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## petrochemist (Feb 1, 2017)

Many (if not all) Canon bodies need a chipped adapter to operate fully with legacy lenses. Focus confirm will not work without this & I gather some models will refuse to shoot as well.
AFAIK all cameras that don't require this have an option to 'shoot without lens' somewhere in the menus (the wording does vary). This is usually set to NO. Changing it is one of my first steps when I get a new camera!

DSLRs  tend to be more difficult to focus manually via the viewfinder than older SLRs, live-view can give a magnified image or focus peaking to help get the image focused exactly where you want (not always the case with focus confirm LEDs).
With mirrorless cameras all the live-view aids are available in the viewfinder.


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## dasmith232 (Feb 2, 2017)

petrochemist said:


> Many (if not all) Canon bodies need a chipped adapter to operate fully with legacy lenses. Focus confirm will not work without this & I gather some models will refuse to shoot as well. ...



An excellent point. (I use bellows and a wide variety of adapters on my Canon bodies and have seen this too.) The chipped adapter (usually for 1.4x or 2x teleconverters) is necessary to retain auto-focus.

The other scenario and a big one to watch out for is that if you use an "auto" adapter and a manual lens, the camera will (almost always?) lock up when you actually take the pictures. In some cases the picture will be recorded and you have to cycle power to get control back (e.g., film-bodies, Rebels, 60D). In other cases, the picture will not be recorded and you still have to cycle power (e.g., 5D3).

The auto adapter (auto-focus control and/or aperture control) is often associated with teleconverters (or tele-extenders) or extension tubes. The issue is that the tube tells the camera, "what's attached to you is auto". But then the lens breaks that contract. Often, you can "modify" the flanges on the adapter with a dremmel tool to convert the adapter into a manual focus, but electronically controlled aperture. (I've done this, and you have to be REALLY careful (and accurate) with modification.)

I don't think I've ever been able to get an AF lens and 3rd party adapter to provide focus confirmation (but I haven't really tried that hard to get that). Also, I've not had any problems (ever) with pure manual adapters, which includes various mount adapters (like the M42-EF) or reversing adapters (for macro).


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## ilscuro (Feb 2, 2017)

I use legacy lenses on my Canon dslr's, and to help me focus I use focus peaking, available via magic lantern, it's unbelievably helpful.


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## petrochemist (Feb 2, 2017)

dasmith232 said:


> An excellent point. (I use bellows and a wide variety of adapters on my Canon bodies and have seen this too.) The chipped adapter (usually for 1.4x or 2x teleconverters) is necessary to retain auto-focus.
> 
> The other scenario and a big one to watch out for is that if you use an "auto" adapter and a manual lens, the camera will (almost always?) lock up when you actually take the pictures. In some cases the picture will be recorded and you have to cycle power to get control back (e.g., film-bodies, Rebels, 60D). In other cases, the picture will not be recorded and you still have to cycle power (e.g., 5D3).
> 
> ...



Wow that makes it sound complicated.  I was annoyed about my cameras default setting being don't shoot if the camera can't talk to the lens! Once that's changed I've always have focus confirm & with some of my cameras image stabilization too even with 80 year old lenses! 

The EOS mount is great for adapting lenses but seems to work best when not used with Canon! I find it an ideal intermediate with my MFT cameras - I can fit practically all my SLR lenses to it on one side, and can use several special adapters to link to the camera on the other side. Less than 10% of the lenses I  adapt use electrical controls at all, the remaining few just loose aperture control.


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## greybeard (Feb 2, 2017)

All lenses are analog.  The microprocessor in the camera looks at the analog images on the sensor and converts the information the sensor sends to digital and then sends those numbers to the card to be recorded.  All digital devices have an Analog to Digital and or Digital to Analog converter of some sort (AD and DA) your computer or printer takes the digital description sent to it from the camera card and converts it (digital to analog) back to an analog picture.  The digital file on the card is not the picture but, a digital description (recipe) of the picture in the form of a stream of 1's and 0's.


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## Bebulamar (Feb 3, 2017)

sixstringer said:


> I'm interested in picking up a vintage analog lens to put on my Canon t2i, I will be getting a Fotodiox m42 adapter. Obviously there will be no auto focus using an analog lens but will I be able to use live view for manual focusing or not? Does live view require interaction with the lens?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk



All my lenses were bought for my film (analog) cameras. I didn't buy any lenses when I bought a DSLR body. They work perfectly, no adapter, full function. AF, metering and all.


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## petrochemist (Feb 4, 2017)

Bebulamar said:


> All my lenses were bought for my film (analog) cameras. I didn't buy any lenses when I bought a DSLR body. They work perfectly, no adapter, full function. AF, metering and all.



All your film lenses are relatively new ones then, with I would expect nothing older than 1987. This is when the Canon introduced the EOS range, which is completely incompatible with its earlier FD (from 1971) and FL  (from 1964) mounts, it's not possible to build an adapter for these older lenses to work on EOS without either loss of infinity or adding a teleconverter element. 

If you want to adapt EOS AF lenses to another system an expensive electronic adapter will be needed to give aperture control, and special tricks are also needed to control aperture if reverse mounting the lenses for macro...

There are other possibilities than EOS though where your full support statement could be true (provided only lenses of a similar age have been brought) these other options generally give much better support of lenses older than the AF generation:

Pentax's K mounts support the full function the lens was designed to have on lenses from 1976 without the need for adapters and with a simple ring also supports M42 lenses dating back to 1949. Any K mount AF lenses (except for the world's first AF SLR lens for the ME-F) will have full function of modern K mount bodies.

Nikon's F mount can support native lenses as old as 1959 but this does depend a little on the model of camera some cameras do not support some series of lenses.  The variants here can get a little confusing but it's certainly possible for DSLR bodies to support full functions of AF film lenses.

Sony's A mount is a successor to the Minolta/Konica AF mount (introduced 1985) so film AF lenses can be fully supported by that... I don't know if A mount bodies can be adapted the Minoltas earlier MF bayonet system (The SR mount was introduced in 1958). Unfortunately their short-lived Vectis range of APS film lenses do not appear to be adaptable to anything else - being electronically controlled for both aperture & focus simple adapters are not much use!

Most of my film lenses predate the existence of any SLRs with AF, so it would be asking a lot for my body to provide AF with them. However if I use a special teleconverter the camera will fine tune the focus on many of these MF lenses, and as mentioned above the body gives stabilization to them too. Of course metering etc work too, though some my require the lens to be stopped down first.

There are adapters for micro four thirds & probably other mirrorless systems that support all the electronic functions of EOS lenses, these are available in both straight through & focal reducer variants effectively giving 2 lenses for each EOS lens. Taking the adapter of allows the native range of lenses to be used, and if you have a particular lens you are keen on using (including those old FD lenses) there are generally adapters without corrective lenses available for them too...


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## table1349 (Feb 4, 2017)

To quote Big Mike: *"Lenses are not Digital!"*


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## snowbear (Feb 4, 2017)

I have a lens from circa 1975.  I have used it on my dSLR without issue other than the lens doesn't meter in the camera.


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## john.margetts (Feb 5, 2017)

snowbear said:


> I have a lens from circa 1975.  I have used it on my dSLR without issue other than the lens doesn't meter in the camera.


Well, it's the camera that meters, not the lens! Your camera should still be able to meter with any (or no) lens attached.


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## 480sparky (Feb 5, 2017)

gryphonslair99 said:


> To quote Big Mike: *"Lenses are not Digital!"*



Well, the *GLASS COMPONENTS *aren't digital, but the* electronics contained in the lens* certainly are.


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## table1349 (Feb 5, 2017)

480sparky said:


> gryphonslair99 said:
> 
> 
> > To quote Big Mike: *"Lenses are not Digital!"*
> ...


dig·i·tal
ˈdijidl/
_adjective_
adjective: *digital*
*1*.
(of signals or data) expressed as series of the digits 0 and 1, typically represented by values of a physical quantity such as voltage or magnetic polarization.
relating to, using, or storing data or information in the form of digital signals.
"digital TV"
involving or relating to the use of computer technology.
"the digital revolution"
*2*.
(of a clock or watch) showing the time by means of displayed digits rather than hands or a pointer.
*3*.
relating to a finger or fingers.​Origin




late 15th century: from Latin _digitalis_, from _digitus_ ‘finger, toe.’

The electronics are electro-mechanical in nature.


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## 480sparky (Feb 5, 2017)

gryphonslair99 said:


> 480sparky said:
> 
> 
> > gryphonslair99 said:
> ...



So the 1's and 0's the lens sends to the camera and the 1's and 0's the camera sends to the lens aren't digital?

So there must not be any *D*SLRs either, since the electronics in 'digital' cameras are electro-mechanical in nature as well.


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## john.margetts (Feb 5, 2017)

480sparky said:


> So there must not be any *D*SLRs either, since the electronics in 'digital' cameras are electro-mechanical in nature as well.


Except that the 'D' in DSLR refers to the structure of the image files, not the circuitry in the camera or lens. Otherwise my EOS 5 film camera would be digital as it uses the same system to control the lenses as DSLRs do!


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## table1349 (Feb 5, 2017)

480sparky said:


> gryphonslair99 said:
> 
> 
> > 480sparky said:
> ...


Lenses send no 0's or 1's to the camera nor does the camera send 0's or 1's to the lens.  Those are electric impulses.  The Digital in DSLR is because of the Sensor that records the projected image in the binary form of 0's and 1's.   No Sensor, no DSLR.  Sensor in the camera then you have a DSLR as you have a camera built upon the Single Lens Reflex system containing a Digital Sensor.


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## john.margetts (Feb 5, 2017)

Strictly, the sensor is not digital. The sensor output is converted to digital by an a/d converter.


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## 480sparky (Feb 5, 2017)

gryphonslair99 said:


> Lenses send no 0's or 1's to the camera nor does the camera send 0's or 1's to the lens.  Those are electric impulses.  The Digital in DSLR is because of the Sensor that records the projected image in the binary form of 0's and 1's.   No Sensor, no DSLR.  Sensor in the camera then you have a DSLR as you have a camera built upon the Single Lens Reflex system containing a Digital Sensor.



I'm confused.  "Electric impulses" are not 'digital'?  Then how does the camera know, for instance, I have a 70-200 Version I attached to it?  Does the lens not send a string of 1's and 0's to the camera?  Does the camera not send a string of 1's and 0's to the focus motor in the lens?

What about aperture.......*especially with Nikon's new E lenses*?  Does the "E" stand for "Eh, you don't get it"?

https://nikonhacker.com/wiki/Lens_Serial_Interface


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## snowbear (Feb 5, 2017)

john.margetts said:


> snowbear said:
> 
> 
> > I have a lens from circa 1975.  I have used it on my dSLR without issue other than the lens doesn't meter in the camera.
> ...


I agree that the camera has the meter, however there is no metering with the older lenses on the D40; I have to use an external (or another camera).


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## unpopular (Feb 5, 2017)

All of my lenses are Mid-1980's and earlier. They have not exploded yet.

You'll have to get used to stop down metering, which is actually more precise, but it is a bit inconvenient. Everything will be much slower, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. 

Unless you're photographing an ADHD eight year old. Though, I doubt that even a 7D could keep up with him.


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## table1349 (Feb 5, 2017)

480sparky said:


> gryphonslair99 said:
> 
> 
> > Lenses send no 0's or 1's to the camera nor does the camera send 0's or 1's to the lens.  Those are electric impulses.  The Digital in DSLR is because of the Sensor that records the projected image in the binary form of 0's and 1's.   No Sensor, no DSLR.  Sensor in the camera then you have a DSLR as you have a camera built upon the Single Lens Reflex system containing a Digital Sensor.
> ...


Simple answer: NO


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## 480sparky (Feb 5, 2017)

gryphonslair99 said:


> 480sparky said:
> 
> 
> > gryphonslair99 said:
> ...



So using bits & bytes isn't 'digital'?  The 'chips' in lenses aren't digital?



> Data is always sent one byte (8 bits) at a time, least significant bit first.





> 1600μs communicating with 96 KBps and 100μs for 156 KBps baudrate





> E and PC-E lenses opt for purely electronic control,



This is NOT digital?



> VCC (power)
> RW or H/S (read/write) (becomes RW1 if teleconverter is used)
> LCLK (serial clock) (becomes LCLK1 if teleconverter is used)
> LIO (serial data) (becomes LIO1 if teleconverter is used)
> ...



Nor any of this?
Nikon Lens Contacts | DSLRBodies | Thom Hogan


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