Awesome vintage lens for only $20!! D.I.Y Project!

[@ChasWG]

I did this DIY lens conversion. It all came out pretty well and the lens works very well. I needed to add a spring to the lever that opens the aperture wide open as that was probably the reason why the camera wasn't working. That and the shutter was basically glued shut with nasty old grease and crud. the camera I found and used was rather beat up. I think it had a soda pop spilled on it at some point as there was some sort of goo all over it in the cranks and crevasses. Even inside where the film would have gone. I also had to complete remove all the glass and lenses and completely clean the inner workings to get all the gunk out. In the end, the lens works wonderfully and looks great! It took a bit more work to adapt this one, but the end result was worth it. The lens looks so good, that I started to look into later Konica Hexanon AR lenses and I have totally fell in love wit those lenses as well. Thanks for a fun video and project!

[@VintageOptiks]

I'm glad that you are enjoying this wonderful Konica lens! It sounds like your camera has gone through some rough times, but it's nice to hear that you were able to clean the lens and adapt it for future use. Enjoy!

[@hashemmi24]

Words cannot describe how awesome your videos are

[@VintageOptiks]

Thank you so much!!

[@AbDaniel21]

love this

[@VintageOptiks]

Thank you!

[@robertstacy8438]

Just love this channel. Always interesting.

[@VintageOptiks]

Thank you so much!!

[@yihshyangloo7199]

Hi. I enjoy your documentary style lenses presentation. I even follow your step by step instructions and finally modify an own version of konica hexanon 47mm f1.9. Great GURU.

[@yihshyangloo7199]

Hope you can present more DIY lenses later. Looking forward for the other model like fujifilm rangefinder...

[@VintageOptiks]

Thank you! That's great to hear that you adapted this Konica lens!! I hope you are enjoying it.

[@VintageOptiks]

There will be more DIY lenses in the future.

[@joellinker9899]

Excellent review as usual. You're a really good photographer as well. Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge and art.

[@VintageOptiks]

Thank you so much!!

[@davidthegood]

This is absolutely brilliant.

[@davidthegood]

....subbed! Thank you.

[@VintageOptiks]

Thank you so much!!

[@davehandelman2832]

Love it!! Your diy lenses are fantastic!!

[@VintageOptiks]

Thank you!! I love adapting these quirky little lenses. They have such unique character in the way they render images.

[@enkaphalin1111]

I actually find the busy out of focus blur more interesting than an obliterated background from some lenses. It may not be the best for most situations, but interesting in itself

[@VintageOptiks]

I totally understand. I wanted to mention it because I know that many people are after smooth background blur. This lens definitely renders out-of-focus areas in a very unique way which can look amazing in some situations!

[@f1remandg]

I have watched many of your videos and have commented before that I find them very clear and concise in the delivery, they follow a pattern that is well perceived, however the pricing is an issue, when one puts the whole package together, certainly when pricing helicons, your looking at a $30 average in U.K. then if one factored in the work and any other add on to glue to rear of lens, in most cases it is cheaper to get a straight legacy lens. Regards DG U.K.

[@manob7]

Many Thanks for the great step by step comprehensive instructions. Had to detach the lens/body lockring second through the film chamber opening (tight), taking out the rear element first carefully means less chance of scratching it while struggling with taking out the lens/body lockring. Odd thing is that the iris was moving initially but stopped moving once I started cocking and releasing the shutter - changing aperture ring setting does not work. A bit baffled....

[@VintageOptiks]

You are welcome. I hope the instructions are clear. It's good that you took out the rear element first. Definitely less chance of scratching it during the removal of the lockring. Sorry to hear that your aperture stopped working. That is very odd indeed. I hope you can figure out how to get it working again so you can enjoy the lens properly. Cheers.

[@MikeVanRose]

Great video! thanks again for sharing!

[@VintageOptiks]

Thank you so much!!

[@billkaroly]

I'd like to mount one of these on my Canon RP.

[@bansheep1]

Just bought one. Will arrive tomorrow 😆

[@VintageOptiks]

Oh sweet!! I hope you’ll enjoy it!! 👍

[@seoulrydr]

nice review!

[@VintageOptiks]

Thank you!

[@gunfod]

Love your videos, in the UK the cheapest I could find on eBay equates to 65 dollars for a spares) repair. 🤷‍♂️ That's the UK for you..

[@VintageOptiks]

Thank you! Sorry to hear that prices are so high across the pond. Hopefully something more reasonable will turn up soon. Good luck.

[@robert18productions]

Excellent video. I have been wanting to get into adapting these old compact fixed rangefinder lenses. I am going first try adapting some of the fixed Yashinon lenses. I did have a few questions: Have you tried the adapting the Hexanon 48mm f/2? Supposedly it is a highly regarded Konica lenses. Do you prefer this lens or the Konica 45mm f/1.7? Finally, what is your favorite compact fixed rangefinder lens that you have adapted?

[@VintageOptiks]

Thank you! Regarding your questions - yes, I have the Konishiroku Hexanon 48mm f2 (the lens from the Konica III). I made a video on it awhile ago. You can find it on my channel. It's a great little lens. If I had to pick a favorite rangefinder lens I'll go with 2 lenses - the Konica Hexanon 45mm f1.8 (from the Auto S2) and the Olympus G. Zuiko 4.2 cmm f1.8 (from the Olympus SC). I have videos on both of them. Amazing and really fun lenses!

[@nikolinkageorgieva2022]

Excellent review 👏👏👍

[@VintageOptiks]

Thank you!!

[@antraxuran9]

Great video and project idea! Did it seem possible to utilize the original focusing mechanism?

[@VintageOptiks]

Thank you! Unfortunately I was not able to find a way to utilize the original focusing mechanism.

[@tanegaranchu]

What a wonderful project! I have an Old Leica Q that is broken I Wish I could do this with the lens. I wonder....

[@VintageOptiks]

Thank you. It’s a lot of fun adapting these old rangefinder lenses. Unfortunately not every fixed lens is as easy to adapt. Some are a lot more complicated and others are almost impossible, unless you have a full workshop with all kinds of machines.

[@tanegaranchu]

@@VintageOptiks Okagesama De. Thank you I found an easier way instead of super gluing. I used a Flange M25 x0.5 Female To M42 X1 Male thread Screw> Fotasy M42-42 Focus 12-19 adapter>1mm Flange Slim M42-NEX Adapter for M42 Lens for Sony E-mount . I am so inspired! Please post some new content. Tanoshimi!

[@VintageOptiks]

@@tanegaranchu It's good to hear that you found a different way. Thanks for sharing!

[@saganandroid4175]

3:17 Wow, is this SOOC ??

[@0n596]

Super video! Like the lens, but not a handyman. How to fit it to Fuji X-T1 ?

[@VintageOptiks]

Thank you so much. The problem is that I am not able to find comparable parts that will work with Fuji X. The main issue is the slim helicoid adapter. All the other parts will be the same but finding those slim helicoid adapters for Fuji X is very hard. Maybe someone will make them soon. Cheers.

[@0n596]

@@VintageOptiks Means, without the slim helicoid adapter for Fuji X I am lost, right?

[@VintageOptiks]

Yeah unfortunately without the proper helicoid you won’t be able to focus like a normal lens.

[@JuanBuhler]

Hey these extracted/adapted lens videos you have are great. I have a 40mm taken from a little plastic Smena adapted in a similar manner. I'd like to do more, but I have too many lenses as it is! BTW--have you ever considered leaving the leaf shutter in one of these lenses if possible, such that you can trigger the digital camera on bulb mode and use the lens shutter? Might allow for some interesting multi-exposure experiments and it's something I always wanted to do.

[@VintageOptiks]

Thank you so much Juan! I love adapting these old fixed lenses! They have a character that’s very unique. That’s cool that you adapted the lens from your Smena camera! How did you like shooting with it? I never considered using the lens shutter while the digital camera is on bulb mode but it could be a lot of fun. It will be interesting to see how that will work. I’ve tried using the lens shutter as the aperture before and that can give you some cool bokeh shapes. Especially with lens shutters that have unusual shapes.

[@JuanBuhler]

@@VintageOptiks you know, I wanted to pick it up again before answering this, but I CANNOT FIND IT! This is how you know you have too many lenses 🤣 I remember quite a bit of a swirly bokeh, but I really need to find that lens and shoot with it for a couple of weeks.

[@VintageOptiks]

@@JuanBuhler Too many lenses is a good problem to have! 😁 Hope you can find it so you can try that swirly bokeh again. Take care!

[@fdaaaad]

great video! Does the aperture work?

[@VintageOptiks]

Thank you! Yes, the aperture works perfectly.

[@sclogse1]

I'm ready to buy the stepup ring,but a bit confused.Your ring is an M-42 to M-52 ring, but your helicoid is M42 to Nex. Shouldn't the stepup ring be a stepdown ring from M52 to 42? You get why I ask this? Thanks.

[@VintageOptiks]

Hi, no worries. It’s the same thing. In my video I describe the ring as “M42 to M52 step up ring”. And that’s what it’s sold as. But of course you can describe it also as M52 to M42 step down ring. You are either stepping up from the smaller number to the bigger number or stepping down from the bigger number to the smaller one. I hope this makes sense. The main point is that the M52 part gets glued to the back of the lens and the M42 part screws to the M42 to NEX helicoid. Take care and I hope you’ll enjoy the lens.

[@williambolton5679]

Are you using sandpaper for wood? Sandpaper for metal should work better. Thank you for these videos. They're very inspirational. I'm still waiting for the Konica S2 to arrive. I have another question about helicoids for you. I ordered a 12-17mm helicoid but since it's coming from China I thought delivery might take too long and so ordered a 12-19 mm one from a US source. Does the lower number on the range indicate infinity focus and the larger number, close focus? In other words, theoretically would the 12 to 19 mm helicoid enable closer focusing than the 12 - 17? And both helicoids should have the same influence on infinity focus, right? You mentioned in the video for converting the Konica 45mm f1.8 that you used a 13-18mm helicoid and didn't mention a need for sanding the step-up ring as I remember. I have horrific memories of filing down the Russian steel mount of a Helios 44-3 made for a Zenith m42 mount with Chinese files which were not up to the task but were all I could get in Bangkok. I'd rather not do any filing or sanding ever again. The lens was worth the eight hours of labor, however.

[@VintageOptiks]

I've used sandpaper for wood and metal before and they both work fine. I only need to sand down the ring about 1mm, so it's pretty easy. You are welcome! I am glad that the videos are helping people try lenses that they might not consider otherwise. Regarding helicoids - yes, the lower number indicates infinity focus and the larger number close focus. The higher the large number is, the closer you can get with the lens, since the lens will be extended further. And yes, the 12 to 19 helicoid will focus a bit closer than the 12 to 17. And yes, both helicoids have the same influence on infinity focus since they are both 12mm helicoids. I assume that you'll be using the 12-19mm helicoid you mentioned with a slim 1mm M42 to NEX adapter? Sanding down the step up ring is really easy and not a hard process at all. I am not sure if you saw my video on the Zuiko 42mm f1.8 where I explain in detail how I sand the ring and how I check infinity. Regarding the Konica 45mm f1.8, I didn't need to sand down the step up ring for that lens because the lens was able to reach infinity with the step up ring just the way it was. I always check first if infinity can be reached by taping the step up ring to the back of the lens. So I recommend doing that before gluing anything together. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any further questions. I am excited for you to try the Konica 45mm f1.8!!

[@williambolton5679]

@@VintageOptiks Thanks for your thorough explanation! I rewatched your video on the Zuiko lens to see how you sanded it. I was joking about the sandpaper, but a fine metal sandpaper should be more efficient and produce a smoother result. Of all the lenses you've converted the Konica 45mm f1.8 is the most attractive to me, and I've recommended the video to several people. I can't wait for the camera to arrive. Thank you again. Cheers!

[@VintageOptiks]

@@williambolton5679 You are welcome William. I love helping people with these DIY projects. For me they are very rewarding and I hope others will enjoy these lenses as well. I do love the Konica 45mm f1.8 a lot! It's an incredible little lens! I am excited for you to try it out. Thank you for recommending the video to others. I appreciate it. Cheers!

[@antoniogarcia7431]

Câmara

[@seoulrydr]

Today I purchased a Yashica IC Lynx 14E rangefinder camera with a Yashinon-DX 45mm f1.4 lens for $3. I dismantled (read: destroyed) the camera and removed the lens. I have also removed both lens elements from the housing. The problem I'm having is the leaf shutter is stuck shut and I have yet to figure out how to release it without really making a mess. The aperture works fine. Any suggestions on how to remedy this situation and make it compatible with my Sony A7R3 would be much appreciated!

[@VintageOptiks]

Hi. The lens from the Yashica Lynx 14 has a reputation of being really hard to adapt to digital. I don’t have one and I haven’t worked on any Yashica lenses yet. Opening the leaf shutter involves finding 2 parts - the shutter cocking spindle and the shutter release lever. Once you figure out which is which all you need to do is cock the shutter, then push the shutter release lever, block it with something (like a piece of crumbled paper) once the shutter has opened up, and then usually the leaf shutter stays open. That’s what I do with the lenses I’ve adapted so far. Good luck.

[@seoulrydr]

@@VintageOptiks Thanks! I have yet to find any clue as to how to activate the leaf shutter, which is why I think it's either stuck, or the cocking mechanism is broken. However, I'll keep tinkering. Thanks again!

[@thurthevintagelens]

I'm adapting to Nikon Z flange distance of16mm how would I make up the extra 2mm? I did order a 12 to 19mm helicoid, Would I not sand down adapter?

[@VintageOptiks]

Before you do any sanding of the ring, simply tape it down with some electrical tape (like I show in the video) and test it out with the helicoid. If you can reach infinity without having to sand it that’s great, but if you can’t, sand it a little bit a time, and test again until you reach infinity. Once you know you can reach infinity, then you can glue the ring in place. Good luck.

[@thurthevintagelens]

@@VintageOptiks thank you!

[@Loftikaz]

can you recomment ultra wide lens 18 to 21mm range, close or as good as leica R or Zeiss

[@VintageOptiks]

I love the Zuiko MC 21mm f3.5 and the Nikkor UD 20mm f3.5. Also the SMC Takumar 15mm f3.5 is amazing! I also really like the Konica AR 21mm f4. However I don’t know how they compare with Leica R ultra-wide angle lenses since I don’t own any.

[@Steff_Audiobooks]

Hi Vintage Optiks! I have on progress a similar project with a Color-apotar 45mm f2.8. The lens is equiped with a 2 blades, diamond shape aperture and I really love the bokeh it produces. Could you please tell me how do you calculate the flange distance ?

[@VintageOptiks]

Hello! That’s great to hear that you are also trying to adapt fixed lenses! I love diamond shaped apertures!! So much fun! Regarding the flange focal distance it’s simply a trial and error kind of process. Once I remove the lens first I try to see what parts I have that will fit on the back, then once that problem is solved I put the lens on one of my helicoids and see which one can reach infinity. Sometimes I need to sand down some of the parts (as in this case) and that’s it. Pretty simple and no calculations needed :)

[@Steff_Audiobooks]

@@VintageOptiks Thank you for clarifications :) !

[@tomasglavina9952]

@@Steff_Audiobooks The link might be helpful in some cases (not so much for fixed lens rangefinders unfortunately), at least as an orientation, substract the flange of your digital camera (18mm for Sony for example) from the flange distance of the mount the lens has and you have the minimum value/lenght that the adapter or focusing helicoid is supposed to have to reach infinity. stephen-westin.com/misc/mounts-by-register.html

[@Steff_Audiobooks]

@@tomasglavina9952 Thank you!

[@samsen3965]

If the broken camera that I wanna buy says Lens is stick in F16, does it mean that Lens is actually toasted and not reusable, even if separated from camera as you tell or is it still salvageable?

[@VintageOptiks]

Yeah, I wouldn't buy the camera you are describing. If the lens has stuck aperture blades it won't function properly even if it's removed from the camera. Try to get a broken camera with a lens in good condition.

[@thurthevintagelens]

Do you know what the flange focus distance is for the Konica auto s camera is?

[@VintageOptiks]

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find the flange focal distance of the Konica Auto S anywhere, which is why the process of adapting it is a bit of trial and error. But it’s quite simple overall.

[@thurthevintagelens]

@@VintageOptiks thank you.

[@thurthevintagelens]

Seems everything I found Konica used 40.5, I will start there again thank you.

[@VintageOptiks]

@@thurthevintagelens Good to know. Thank you for sharing.

[@WraithCalling]

If you like, I have a spare Konica Lens I can send you. Feel free to send me a message.

[@VintageOptiks]

Hi, that’s really nice of you to offer! Thank you!! Which Konica lens do you have a spare of?

[@WraithCalling]

@@VintageOptiks I have a 50mm 1.7, later model.

[@VintageOptiks]

Thank you for letting me know. I already have the 50mm f1.7, but I really appreciate your offer. Cheers!

[@antoniogarcia7431]

A mamara Kiev,NAO e russa/é Ucraniana