Vintage Lenses aren’t for everybody

[@MarkHoltze]

Love them or hate them, leave it below.

[@thecoffeeblog]

I have 34 vintage lenses. How many do you have?

[@robertbirnbach2312]

@@thecoffeeblog I think close to 80 !!! it is an addiction

[@FrankyFeedler]

LOVE! Because the look of a Meyer Domiron/Orestegon doesn’t exist on digital, end of story. But you forgot #6: you might end up in the rabbit hole of starting to service the lenses yourself - total addiction complete!

[@chrisforberg2913]

I love them! The hunt for lens and learning about adapting to my Fuji mirrorless helped get me through the pandemic. They slow down the process and pull me into making the composition like shooting film did in the 80’s and 90’s. My camera is always set to M. Great video Mark.

[@raymeedc]

Love shooting with my vintage lenses. I’ve got about 40, half of which are Takumars, my favorites. In fact I was doing a neighborhood walkabout today with one of my all time favorites, a Super-Takumar 35mm f3.5 mounted on aFujifilm X-E2. For walkaround street shooting, I actually find vintage manual lenses to be quicker than modern auto lenses in most cases, as I set my lens at the hyper focal distance setting of f8 & 15 ft. & wail away!

[@morochrome]

i started with the kit lens of my digigal camera and got old lenses, because it was an easy way to obtain more different types of lenses for not a lot of money. It helped me find my style and what type of lenses I need. I got tired of manual focus pretty quickly though and slowly built my collection of modern af lenses. the vintage lenses i still use from time to time when I want a partivular look, also use them on a film camera.

[@MysterDaftGame]

To me, the main part is that it forces me to slow down. And when I slow down, I put more thoughts into my photography, I have a better frame, better composition... And it's more involving ! And my G.A.S. is going strong haha

[@bloomylicious]

I do enjoy shooting with vintage lenses, but wouldn't rely on them. I mostly take photos of family and friends and for that usually want the best possible image quality, and if i can also get fast auto focus that's great. I mostly use vintage lenses if I'm trying to be creative, to do something a bit different.

[@MajorProgress]

Long time viewer, first-time commenter. I love camera/lens talk. I think if I enter a conversation knowledgeable or looking for information, either or, I leave better. I got too enjoy a riveting conversation on something I am passionate about. I get to geek about a thing with fellow geeks and I get to get insight from another persons point-of-view. Just as unique as all lenses can be. The way people view and use them is on par. I also like how the "vintage" look, build, glass, coatings and quality, are recognized more now, probably then back then. We use them in ways that were not intended. We mod and alter and dissect. And we share our thoughts and findings. That alone is having my cake and eating it too! Thanks for the content and the insight and you passion. Looking forward too joining the many lens/gear reviewers soon here on YT.

[@MarkHoltze]

It really is loads of fun to geek out over it. Especially because it's hard to reproduce the exact same results with these old lenses even if they're exactly the same. They all age differently depending on how they were handled and what conditions they were stored in.

[@steveember8972]

Thanks for presenting the "flip side," Mark. I think you nailed all the cautionary heads-ups! To answer your question, I love using vintage lenses, whether on native-mount film cameras or adapted to digital SLRs, whether APS-C or full-frame. As you state, AF lenses can be lifesavers in terms of reliably nailing focus, so they definitely have their place in my shooting. But, beyond character, there are the "comfort-food" elements of tactile pleasure in focusing or simply handling a sweet (all metal and glass) Takumar (or Carl Zeiss Jena, etc) and appreciating the "built for the ages" quality. Funny, when I was first using such lenses on Pentax Spotmatic or ES SLRs in the '60s/'70s, we took such tactile properties entirely for granted, as so much equipment was of that build quality. Beyond the much valued tactile feedback, while many of my favorite photos have been taken with modern AF lenses, there is, somehow, a greater satisfaction in favorites taken with, say, a much-loved M42 or other MF lens that comes from knowing more "work" went into the process of getting it right...and that the process kept me more in touch with all of the basics one had to learn before cameras became so smart ;-)

[@michaelmarshallphotography5515]

Absolutely love shooting with vintage lenses. I find that the clinical look of modern lenses is a bit to sterile for my taste. I personally love to embrace the imperfections of vintage and play to their strengths in images. I also feel that because the lenses are manual, it forces you to slow down, make a meaningful composition and pay attention to all the details. Fantastic video as usual Mark! Keep up the amazing work!

[@MarkHoltze]

Thanks Michael! Really happy to read your thoughts on using them! BOOM!

[@pacheaco727]

Thanks for doing your part to lower the cost of vintage lenses. Much appreciated.

[@damiendehorn6350]

I LOVE all the quarks of shooting with vintage glass, the hunt for that one lens which continues to elude you, the fear it might not be perfect, knowing each shot you take may be out of focus, etc etc etc. Life's a lot more then pointing a camera and pressing a button.

[@qvarfoto]

Well now I'm OFFENDED! ...no, absolutely not! ;) Great video and a few very important points for ppl getting into vintage anything. Personally, all the things you just said is exactly why I LOVE vintage lenses. And "the hunt" keeps my general interest in photography alive. Plus it gives me more topics to make videos about here on YT which is always a plus. Cheers Mark, this was a great watch! Love your channel.

[@MarkHoltze]

Cheers for your thoughts on the topic mate! Appreciate it!

[@calebbrunkow]

Absolutely love them!

[@MarkHoltze]

tell me something I don't know ;) lol JK man, repeat it over and over, it never gets tired!

[@joelsmolenaers1783]

My favourite images I’ve taken had been on my vintage takumar 50mm 1.4 , the joy I got rewatching them in the edit makes it a worthwhile experience. But I definitely have had some quality control problems with some lenses which soured the taste. Overall I definitely love them ❤

[@Riccardo_Mori]

I am so glad you're back uploading videos more frequently, Mark. I had missed you and your refreshing take on photographic/videographic things! I'm definitely in the LOVE vintage lenses camp. I grew up with film photography, so for example manual focussing isn't a pain for me (even though it CAN be a pain with certain digital cameras - I use vintage lenses with adapters on Four Thirds cameras, it ain't fun). At the end of the day, for me it comes down to purpose and mood. If I feel like taking a slow-paced photowalk, then it's time for vintage lenses. If I feel more inclined to go for run-and-gun street photography, then it's time for more compact cameras and autofocus. This video was fun, by the way. I loved the editing and the movie references in each chapter. Keep up the great work! Cheers - //Rick

[@gregwill500]

Almost every single one of your reasons to NOT to like vintage lenses I turned into a reason why I like them - I LIKE the hunt. Even getting a dud that ends up being a shelf decoration is an acceptably heart warming part of the process. I LOVE the fact that i can adapt such a wide variety of lenses to my fujifilm - i just pick a few mounts and tend to stick with those (mostly pentax and nikkon at mo). Manual focusing is much more preferable to me. It allows me to frame up a composition and then just find the focus. And with focus peaking, zoom focusing and then added to that PRE-focusing/ZONE focussing (especially on wider lenses) - I sometimes find manual focussing faster. I own only ONE auto focus lens - and i find manually focussing much more engaging and enjoyable. The only one i would kind of agree with are the optical imperfections - that is just hit and miss. I've ended up with some duds that are just not useable as lenses. But the beautiful sharp and high quality lenses I've acquired outweigh the duds. And the overall experience of shooting with vintage lenses is just...tactile and enjoyable. My one biggest downside, is actually the lack of weather sealing on vintage glass. When I need the weather sealing, I pull out my my one auto focus lens, a fujifilm 35mm f2. For the rest, it's twisting those scalloped or rubber focus rings that are just built to move.

[@mrchrisbarber1]

I love hunt, and everything about vintage lenses, and using them, the hunt especially, you search, you find, you bid or buy, you win, with what you think is pristine, you open the parcel , with excitement, then you reach the lens, and your world turns to jelly, when you find a mushroom patch inside the lens,..then its off you go again,..love your channel, keep up the great work..👍

[@sebastianop.3052]

I start shooting with a film camera and for this reason, I love to be back on vintage lenses using all advantages of modern cameras.

[@MarkHoltze]

What are you looking at? I just got a contax 139 quartz, love it...my only issue is battery. I would almost rather just carry around my Sekonic and go with a fully manual shutter camera without a light meter to not ever have to change a battery again.

[@sebastianop.3052]

My first camera ever was a Zeis Icon Contina and a Zenit 122 (still got both), then an Olympus OM 20, recently I bought for a couple of quid a Minolta x300 and Minolta SRT 101, both with fantastic lenses that I use on the Fujifilm xt1.

[@vaskoobscura_]

Blasphemy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol you definitely make some good points. Personally I think the greater the struggle the greater the reward. Shooting vintage isn't easy but when you nail that shot and you get all that character it's so rewarding. I personally love it. Just picked up a Contax 28-70mm and I'm going to make a video comparing it to the RF 28-70. Hope to contrast clinically sharp vs vintage character :)

[@wearetrackclub]

Nice insights, Mark! Always important to cover different perspectives. Interesting stuff! 👏

[@MarkHoltze]

✊

[@clivebennett8103]

Love using them. As well as slowing me down, this making me spend more time on my favourite hobby, it's a voyage of discovery - every lens is different and you're never totally sure what sort of results you'll get from an "imperfect" vintage lens.

[@MarkHoltze]

love it!

[@liamkilroy3947]

As someone who enjoys photography as just a hobby, vintage glass slows me down, to enjoy the creative process of it all. I love my takumar's for the feeling i get when using them.

[@joekubina5897]

I like them, and love wondering what those lenses have seen over the decades of changing hands and being used on film and digital cameras. And at some point I will part with them and someone else will add to that visual memory.

[@MarkHoltze]

I would love to know more about the stories behind the lenses. HOw many owners, where in the world it's bounced around etc. So interesting .

[@Rowan611]

All I shoot is vintage. I have a Sony 35 1.8 that hasn’t seen the light of day since I started shooting vintage. I’m currently building my Contax Zeiss kit and a Canon FD kit (only need a 35mm). I just got the Contax Zeiss 85 2.8 and, again, I’m completely blown away by the image this lens makes. Not to mention the compact size. Keep the great videos coming!!

[@TheNewArtSchool]

Great video! I LOVE shooting with vintage lenses. Everything you said is so true, but once you find the right one, then everything with some hard work, can be a very natural experience and an extension of your eye.

[@MarkHoltze]

Absolutely ✊

[@mclarenf1V12]

Long time my friend. You must be getting busy which I'm sure is good. I just sold my optically correct Meike Super 35 set (yes, the whole set) cause I bought the BlackMagic Full Frame and we're embracing vintage again. My current line up is (in case it helps others) Pentax 28 2.8, Voigtlander 40mm 1.4 MC, Meyer Optic 58mm 1.9, Jupiter 50mm 2.0, Jupiter 85mm 2.0, Super Takumar 85mm 1.8, Jupiter 135mm f4 (my first vintage lens and one of my favorites) and Tair 300mm 4.5.

[@luzr6613]

Nice work. Having driven up the price of vintage glass over the last while, you've realised the error of your ways and now you're going to crash the market. At last... something to like here. All the work-averse First Worlders cutting their losses double-quick and fleeing to the next hip thang - what a blessing. It's winter here in the Southern H. - 'weather-sealed' is the go - but come spring i'm rounding out my Takumar line-up and going on a Tomioka hunt -and all at fire-sale prices! Happy days are here again!!! Cheers.

[@donaldmfalls]

My experience with using vintage lenses since 2011 has been awe-inspiring. I was shooting with only vintage lenses for 5 years before using autofocus lenses for professional work. I still use vintage lenses today, along with autofocus. Manual focusing is faster than autofocus during difficult situtations.

[@Alex-CPopa]

Love shooting with vintage lenses because it makes me a better filmmaker, all the quirkiness and imperfections just add to the magic. It feels amazing to hold and use a 40-50 etc years lens that has taken so many photographs and been to so many places. It's all part of the journey in which you also take place. They are beautiful tools which shape our filmmaking and inspire us to go out there and make stories happen.

[@MarkHoltze]

Love it!

[@xiaodu87]

The moment you notice, the 5 reasons to hate vintage lenses is actually a hint to try them 😉 I am well into vintage lenses, mostly Takumars and late 1950s CZJ lenses. And guess my main influence in this 😎 That goes so far, that I even prefer manually focussing my only autofocus lens ... The results just seem better. (Well, Pentax is not known for good autofocus anyway) Greetings to Canada!

[@robertbirnbach2312]

I love them and have close to 80. My current favorites are the Helios 40 and a 135 f 2.8 Steinheil Munchen. What I want to know is which lens you shot that video with ?

[@brentbrown51]

I love using vintage lenses on my Sony a6000. My collection: Minolta MC Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.4; Canon FD 50mm f/1.4; Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7; Asahi SMC Takumar 55mm f/2; Asahi Super-Takumar 50mm f/1.4; and a Canon FD 50mm f/1.8. My favorite, at the moment, is the Asahi SMC Takumar 55mm f/2 (better bokeh, maybe?). The overall experience from using these vintage guys feels more creative. Plus, I enjoy the hunt. Have purchased a couple of dead cameras at thrift stores for their lenses. Focusing is easy with peaking. Sometimes I just like to have them all out just to look at and enjoy their amazing industrial designs. Thanks for your posts!

[@MrShanePhoto]

Love them. I had a vintage camera collection i had built up over the years. I was shooting on Nikon DSLRs and only used my Nikon vintage lenses. Then I got a Sony a7iii suddenly I was able to use 10 more lenses from my collection. It completely super charged my love of photography

[@randyk1919]

YES, I love shooting with vintage lenses. Having been raised on manual focus (I'm 59) and, these days, shooting with focus peaking on my Fuji, focusing is fairly easy as long as the subject is relatively static and/or I've dialed in sufficient depth of field (or am using an ultrawide). And I really love the variations in lens flare and background blur coming from my vintage Nikkors, Takumars and so on. What I find *most* interesting with the older gear (when compared to the relative uniformity of my modern Fuji lenses) is that most of my old lenses have two distinct personalities -- one being wide open (i.e. lowered contrast, bokeh quality, blooming highlights, vignetting, etc), and the other in the f/2.8-f/8 range where the imperfections get reigned in and one can see how well these lenses compete with their modern counterparts.. but for a whole lot less cash.

[@ianmilne655]

You're the reason I shoot vintage now Mark, absolutely love it, 'The Hunt' to get the lens and luckily all mine have been good 👍 the manual focus yeh ahem a tad hit and miss but enjoy it, in fact my AF lenses have been left on the shelf gathering dust! Big thank you to you Mark, keep up the good work👍

[@guccidaniels]

love the hunt just not aware of many places (london, UK) that have them available yet. Ebay is obviously a great one although I tend to find the prices are far to high and if i keep the hunt going i will find a diamond in the rough.

[@MarkHoltze]

best thing about ebay is you can just search on your couch lol. Look up exactly what you want as well. Man i would think London UK would have LOADS of vintage options. It's got SO much history (and money) plus being a high end creative capital for the last 70 plus years.

[@LiveMyJourneyTom]

I love shooting with vintage lenses for number of reasons. Shooting with a manual lens slows down my process. Every shot has to be more thought out. I feel more in control and I feel that was I shot is more mine than something shot it more "automatic" way. Another thing is the aesthetic you get with older lenses. While modern lenses are very tuned in to deliver the sharpnes and stop the flares vintage lenses have wildly different characteristics and even sample variation so broad you can have two copies of a same lense and the images they render can differ a lot. It makes me feel good that I'm giving these lenses another lease of life. The cost is very often significantly lower to modern lenses. I can buy a box of old beauties for a fraction of a cost of one modern lens.

[@thelightslide]

I love vintage lenses and shoot them almost exclusively, because - in no particular order - 1. the sense of exploration 2. the sheer variety of optical rendering options, I love choosing what flavor I want 3. the beauty of the results 4. the joy of experimenting and making lenses work even when they “shouldn’t.” I’ve adapted some weird stuff (oscilloscope lenses, antique 8mm cine lenses, projector lenses, enlarger lenses, etc). There’s something ✨ magic sparkles ✨ about the fact that if it bends light, you can figure out a way to shoot with it. One of my favorites is a Tamron 70-150mm soft lens which has a variable control for the spherical aberration, how cool is that? It’s a delight to use and gives images you can’t get any other way. Also… sometimes the vintage lenses are actually sharper than the common modern lenses (Sigma Art lenses obviously excluded).

[@MarkHoltze]

Sigma wrote the book on sharpness 😆 ✊ thanks for sharing mate!

[@timskinnercanada]

Great insights here Mark. Well done. I can totally relate to everything you mentioned. Focus is a tricky one. Some circumstances are challenging for my crappy AF systems (especially wide open) so MF actually works a lot better for me. Athletes or dancers in low light for example where AF will struggle to lock on while I miss shots. With MF vintage I may miss intermittently, the AF will miss an entire sequence. Solution would be less crappy camera but that is not an option for me. Keep up the great work my friend.

[@MarkHoltze]

Experience and the ability to adapt can make up the difference in those tricky circumstances where auto focus misses. At least you can somewhat adjust technique to account for it, auto focus is just running the math and likely won't be able to creatively problem solve a tricky shooting scenario resulting in the same missed focus again and again! Thanks for stopping by Tim, happy summer time mate!

[@mollyanderson449]

I love shooting with vintage lenses. I really enjoy the look they produce and the overall experience of shooting with them. If you’re looking to slow down and be more engaged in the shooting process but don’t want to go all the way with film. Adapting vintage glass to a modern camera is the way to go! 100% recommend!

[@timskinnercanada]

@@mollyanderson449 Well said. Totally agree. Vintage lenses really are the secret sauce. :)

[@zhekalis86]

I've been using manual vintage glass for about 9 years and for me it's simple: 1) Vintage glass tends to be smaller/lighter/cheaper/more beautiful/more enjoyable and some lenses give you a unique experience and results! 2) Glass and metal build qualitty! Real mechanical aperture and focusing rings are a joy to use! The look, feel, weight and size are very importtant if you actually want to enjoy the process! 4) More control! With manual focusing and aperture rings I deside exactly where to focus and not my camera! Autofocus can be a savior in many situations when time and object speed are important factors, but I just don't enjoy autofocusing as much and even with top autofocus systems I don't trust autofocus! Because it focuses where the AI wants or at the closest point or where it can, and not where I wanted it to focus. Even if i choose a focusing point on the camera, I have to double check if the focus is really there and do more shots to make sure that at least one of them got it how i wanted. If the object i still, it's foten faster and safer to manual focus. 4) The price/quality ratio of good vintage glass is unbeatable in many cases. 5) if you want to try a certian focal length or experiment with bokeh, there is no better start than vintage glass!

[@Jnewtonwright]

I am just learning about vintage lenses. I just subscribed to your channel you’ve been an inspiration. I’m now hiking with my wife just to practice with my lenses. I’ve got 8 vintage lenses and more on the way. You got me into Takumar and I lobe them trying to build a set. Using it on my zve10.

[@MarkHoltze]

Nice! Which lenses? Any favs?

[@_NFCreative_]

I own some vintage lenses and i love my 50mm CarlZeiss Pancolar 1.8, also my Olympus 35-70mm f4. It slows me down, get in focus with my opject i want to shoot and i enjoy the character and imperfections of each Photograph! Greetings from Austria!

[@remery4]

i overcome fear and pain thanks to my upgrade from sony a5100 to bmpcc4k and vintage lenses (specifically helios 44-2, that i made a rehoused later with 3d print). i was using only manual focus. and i really like it in videography. i know photo-wise i'd still prefer AF lenses, but there are so much cheap variety that could be sharp and have cool character to them. i have now 2 lenses, but im planning to get at least full set of focal distance from wide to tele

[@MrDiburnett]

I love using vintage lenses for the same reason I held on to film much longer than most people before switching to digital, and why I prefer antique pocket watches to modern quartz ones and bicycles to cars. I like the challenge and the feel of working with mechanical parts. I also like the "character" that they give to my work. There is so much perfect 4K these days. It just doesn't feel real. A certain amount of flaws make things more approachable and human.

[@MarkHoltze]

100% well said mate!

[@hw9177]

The cool thing with vintage lenses is that you can experiment a lot to find out if it's for you, without breaking the bank. Thats what I like about it. And the moment when I catch my kids in perfect focus 😄

[@ransackedroom]

Nice job with this one, Mark. Balanced, interesting, good pacing. I went abroad for grad school this year, and that meant packing 80% of my camera gear into a (dry, safe) storage unit. I’ve had just seven lenses to get through the year. (I know, even seven is an embarrassment of riches for a grad student; I hear how spoiled I sound). I miss my 55mm f/1.8 super Takumar and my Helios 44-m very much. I brought only native AF lenses, “good” lenses, “dependable” lenses. My shots are okay, and I’m largely too busy for photos this year anyway. But I’ve been binging on vintage lens Flickr accounts and doing a lot of coulda woulda shoulda.

[@MarkHoltze]

✊

[@theowlfromduolingo7982]

#6 Even though you turn away from modern gear and want to add more uniqueness and character to your work by using a different tool, it can again be very gear focussed. Just shooting with vintage glass because it’s cool can impact your photos or videos in a negative way because the gear may not suit the style. So it’s gear over creativity again. #7 Due to the massive hype in recent years some fancy vintage lenses may have increased in price even though they are not worth it.

[@MarkHoltze]

I would argue that number 7 is a bonus...forces people to look at different lens options and further spearhead "unique look" over "hype". The gear is implied, it's never going to be defining factor in creative work I don't think. The best creative work actually makes me see past the gear that was used and into the ideas behind what inspired them. Style should be somewhat fluid, I think a very small percentage of the TOP creatives have a very distinct style, but for the majority of us being able to interpret and execute a unique vision that incorporate the variables and limitations in place is critical. If your style isn't commercial, than it's going to be hard to find consistent work. You might be a one hit wonder or the unlikely Andy Warhol in a group. I've made a decent living as an editor who's "style" is very fluid. The content dictates style, the story dictates style...the gear really should be interchangeable. Unfortunately youtube rewards "gear" over deeper more meaningful deeper philosophies so gear needs to be a point of convo. My goal here is really just open up the perspective and not to short change old things because they're old. That said, just offering my take on your take...your take which I truly do appreciate you leaving! Thanks!!!

[@johnchedsey1306]

Having been collecting various vintage lenses for a couple years now, I can safely say I enjoy most aspects of them. Hunting them down in various antique malls or Etsy shops has been fun. Manual focus is usually fun (though there are situations where I absolutely will grab a modern AF lens to be sure I'm getting the shot I want). Being cool with imperfections has been good for me in general to not pixel peep and instead be more holistic about photos. And it's also just nice to have a lighter lens than some of the RF beasts that Canon has made in the past few years (though they are amazing lenses)

[@SomewhatAbnormal]

Optical imperfection can tell a story without using words. It’s the reason why digital filters are so popular. Optical perfection also has a purpose. But it’s ironic that the optically perfect image is usually modified to be less perfect.

[@MarkHoltze]

Love it!

[@Robin.F96]

Shooting on a Sony a7r iii and using any lens + leica m adapters, then putting those babies on the fotodiox pronto mk2 and it's been a lovely adventure, this autofocus adapter is marvellous

[@MarkHoltze]

✊

[@daryljohnson9010]

Getting a vintage lens that works well with the pixel lenses on sensors is tricky and can be a costly, frustrating quest. Finding adapters machined to minimally acceptable tolerances is another quite arduous task. EVF quality affects accurate focus tremendously. But when there is a combination that technically works, magic can happen. For me, a net win.

[@medayedmt]

Great video Mark ! 🙏🙏

[@MarkHoltze]

Thank you 🙌, glad you liked it!

[@TravisGDecker]

I DO enjoy shooting with vintage lenses. I enjoy it for many reasons. I learned photography on vintage cameras for starters. I also have a decent collection of vintage gear from when my dad was a photographer. I enjoy the look and feel of the lenses. I like having to slow down a little and focus on what I'm doing... no pun intended.

[@optimumfilms]

I love vintage lenses and overall my experience with them has been fun, but once I started noticing fringing and CA, in some shots, i really had to spend time disecting WHY that was happening so i could shoot in a way that compensates for or removes them from the shots. That was a lot of additional effort.

[@MarkHoltze]

shooting wide open and against high contrast backgrounds (bright windows). Stopping down helps too, but some lenses just have bad CA. Helios 44-2 has none lol.

[@optimumfilms]

@@MarkHoltze Mist filters do a great job "taking the edge off". Like a cocktail for your over stressed vintage lenses.

[@imageshift8907]

Went down that rabbit hole: Nikkors, Contax Zeiss, Olympus, Minolta Rokkors, Leica R's, Zeiss Jena's, Takumars... there are so many nice vintage lenses from the golden SLR era and I bought certainly too much of them. Started even a KZbin Channel to test them out, before I will sell many of them again. If I have the choice and nothing speaks against it project-wise, I opt for them every single time versus newer glass, because I just love to see what they do to the image on my screen. Greetings from Germany!

[@ClaytonDowling]

Just came back from shooting time lapses using a vintage Pentax 50mm 1:1.4. Definitely love my vintage lenses for some things. That said I don't like them at all for certain dynamic situations, like photographing puppies (yesterday's activity). That wants my fastest, sharpest lens.

[@MarkHoltze]

100% scenario should dictate the gear for sure. "The Professional" makes that choice! Experience is critical, but options are nice!

[@_K.L]

Hi Mark ! Thanks you for the honesty. I agree there are a few difficulties with using vintage lenses. What lens did you using to shoot your interview/talking shots with the grassy background? The bokeh is nice!

[@MarkHoltze]

The Canon 24mm F1.4 L. Only reason is auto focus when I’m not behind the camera. The background is what makes it I think the distance of the mixed greens behind with the 2.8 f stop. It looks cooler on my other older lenses but auto makes me not have to worry if I’m in focus and gives me a little room to move around on the frame

[@_K.L]

@MarkHoltze I've wondered for a while if you use manual focus for your KZbin monologues. Thanks for letting me know, your footage looks great! I'm certainly in the "Love it" group. I became infatuated with vintage lenses during the pandemic and I just received a clean copy of the 85mm F1.8 Super Multi Coated Pentax Takumar Lens because of your previous video. Thanks for sharing your love for vintage lenses online!

[@andriimartynov83]

I love shooing vintage lenses. I enjoy the hunt, but I have a rule, which by the way I haven’t broken yet, is spending less than $100 for a lens… adapting is not a problem either… Btw, I bought my canon RP from downtown camera, when I visited my friends in Toronto. It’s an awesome shop.

[@johndaubney7311]

I love vintage glass for the look and feel of the images they create. I have and use modern autofocus lenses about 50% of the time and I appreciate that clean sharp look and there are times I want that look….that said, my heart is still with my canon Fd Nikon ais and some contax glass.

[@richardrude2819]

I haven't shot any vintage lenses yet but man, you got me hyped up. However I don't think I'll be getting into it until I upgrade to a mirrorless camera from my canon dslr. As to the experience, I think I would struggle with manual focus at first since I practically never use manual focus. But I enjoy deliberate photography which vintage lenses seem to encourage. So the manual focusing could turn out to be good or bad for my enjoyment of vintage lenses. Apart from that what it comes down to for me is whether I can get over my pixel peeping ways. I love the way a lot of vintage lenses look, but I also tend to obsess about sharpness to a ridiculous degree. It's a problem and distracts me from more important things. So I think shooting vintage lenses could be a healing experience in that regard 😅

[@MarkHoltze]

Once you switch over to mirrorless it makes manual focus a bit easier. More focusing aides through the EVF vs what you get on a DSLR and it's optical view finder.

[@paulraich5504]

I like them for several reasons. I like tactile feel of the aperture ring on my Minolta MC lens. I like the idea of getting use and life out a lens that was gathering dust for years. I like value of spending $20 at Goodwill or $40-50 on EBay to get a vintage lens as opposed to spending 10x on new. I learned photography backwards. To get going early and save money I started with a 50 mm manual lens not AF lenses. Anyway really enjoy the channel 👍

[@MarkHoltze]

Thanks for stopping by! Minolta's are....fantastic lenses!

[@jarihuikari8921]

Before buying my first vintage lenses I already had used many manual lenses with my Olympus Pen cameras. So it wasn't a big thing to try some adapted older lenses too. Starting using them was easy. I also bought second hand Canon EOS 1000D with which I can also use old lenses. M42-mount. So far my favourite vintage lens has been Meyer-Optik 180mm f5.5 Telemegor. I really enjoy using it. It costed me only 45€.

[@MarkHoltze]

Perfect!

[@ice9phil]

yes! I like to be a conscious consumer. I like to think before doing, and I really like the option to use different families of optics. Go to Europe, throw German or Russian lenses in my bag, go to the Rockies, take my Nikkor or Minolta lenses. Shoot pics of my dog, maybe use some old 3 element lens that has a glow. Thats why i like using analog lenses.

[@ChasWG]

I recently bought my first new camera body is years. I picked up a Canon R7 to do a video shoot where using a smaller camera would be best. And as I had already made the investment in Canon EF glass and discovering that using an adapter to make the EF lenses work on my new RF body, I was sold. I did the job, I got paid and then I wanted to do more with the camera. And that's when I discovered the use of much older lenses on these very modern cameras. I liked that idea. I used to have a full set of Canon FD glass back in the day and I sold it all to buy the newer EOS system with its cool auto focus. But I always missed the tactile feel of turning the focus and aperture rings of those old FD lenses. Don't get me wrong, I totally love my EF, L series glass. And the speed of the systems, but I was missing something as well. There is something fun about adapting a year old lens on a new RF body and seeing it work. I am rediscovering some of my first photographic beginnings with these old lenses. Its been a lot of fun so far!

[@janhenkins]

Using adapted lenses are always a challenge, at least it is for me. Still, I really love the dreamy look I sometimes get with my small-sensor MFT cameras. Not "professional" at all, but then again I am not a pro photographer. I take photos because I find it therapeutic. Using a unique-to-me combination of an old lens adapted to my GX1 or G80 gives me a kick that pin-sharp always-perfect pictures just cannot provide. The weird coatings on some of my older Helios 44-2 lenses, my one beat-up Jupiter 8 that's scratched to hell and back (read "dreamy soft focus") and my borked Takumar stuck open at F8, they are all awesome - every single one of my steadily growing collection of glassy weirdness. If it wasn't for this, I would've stopped taking photos a long time ago. Another plus for vintage lenses - all (well, most...) of my lenses were outrageously cheap, all less than $40 per item on that popular auction site everybody uses. My most interesting lenses were $15 or less. Keep it up Mark, I love your content!

[@GlitteratiLive]

Using manual vintage lenses brought me the ‘feel’ I was unconsciously looking for.

[@MarkHoltze]

brilliant!

[@khalideid8463]

I do and i always enjoy ur videos too 😊

[@stilljaybird405]

There's a antique mall that I shop at religiously for vintage camera gear. They see me from a mile away 🤘🏿

[@MarkHoltze]

That’s the best!!! Like hanging out at the record shop in the 80’s 😆

[@Itchybiscuit]

Attach a vintage lens to your digital camera and live in the moment. Choose the aperture, the shutter speed and sometimes, the ISO then delicately twist the focus ring to achieve that 'perfect' focus. The world beyond your viewfinder disappears and it's just you and your subject. Your breathing slows as you concentrate fully on your subject, its foreground and background. Have you framed it properly so that you end up with a pleasing composition? It's a sense of mindfulness. It can be almost zen-like. You press the shutter button, do a quick check of the preview and either reposition, change your settings or move on to the next object(s) which have caught your eye. I wouldn't give up my vintage lenses. If I did, I wouldn't have any lenses at all. 😊

[@MarkHoltze]

Nicely said mate! ✊

[@zelcruz23]

So much fun that I got to collect Takumars haha Then I got to enjoy it more using vintage SLR and shooting film. Always love your content sir Mark!

[@normancambridge]

The image at 4:54 is stunning Mark! Which lens did you use?

[@MarkHoltze]

The good old super multi Takumar 35 f2 engine

[@normancambridge]

@@MarkHoltze That is so funny, I use the 3.5 all the time because it's so sharp and have an f2, but haven't used it yet! I'm sticking it on the rig now! Thanks!

[@АндрейПлавский]

finally ! he has returned!

[@heroaomedia]

Here's a Number 6 - your client might not like them... I saw this recently where a much lower quality agency was chosen over a higher quality one because the low quality had a sharp, clean digital look, whereas the much more experienced agency used anamorphic and vintage glass. 😳

[@Studio23creation]

I would quality is as an advantage: "it eliminates the clients who are not enclined to do creative moody work".

[@willmorrell488]

Higher quality agency: You can't do this to me. You know how much I've sacrificed!?

[@MarkHoltze]

Ya, this is an odd truth. I'm lucky enough to be able to avoid the scenarios you're describing in my years of doing this. I learned very early on the value of WHO you work with vs just simply getting the job. My philosphy is i'm hired as the professional, based on the creative brief i'll make suggestions on how and what we use. Not everything is a "vintage" project by any means, but generally speaking I'm lucky enough not to be questioned too critically on my suggestions, but I think that comes with experience and mutual respect between client and agency. Not always the case, but sometimes it's just easier to go with the flow cause if you make too strong a case and they really don't want to move forward, you're going to be grilled on everything right up until the end. lol. Your scenario is a huge red flag for me though......i'd be VERY cautious in those prep/pitch meetings on even if I take the job.

[@MarkHoltze]

@@Studio23creation 100% this...

[@heroaomedia]

@@MarkHoltze oh this wasn't me... I saw this happen. The difference was pretty vast so I was surprised. But I think it's important to tailor the video to the need of the project like you mentioned. I'm learning that - I love the more raw look but sometimes it doesn't work and I need to be okay with that 🙄

[@spec-productions5733]

Hi Mark, been watching you (and have been a sub) for a very, very long time. 😎 Great production quality as usual. You certainly deserve a boatload more subs, but that may require catering to new equipment seekers. Glad you're staying true to who you are. But I digress... I like manual lenses because my entire pro photog career was based on them (back in the film days). In fact... get this: I've come to realize that using autofocus lenses is an acquired skill. Why? Because I still struggle with keeping autofocus targeted on my subject, which is a complete non-issue with manual focus lenses. So, for the longest time, I resisted autofocus out of frustration. All that said, the more recent generations of bodies with eye AF have made it easier for autofocus rookies (aka dummies) like me. By skill with AF, I'm referring to those who know how to set their cameras for their intended subjects, then use either their rear joystick or touch screen (or both) to keep their intended subject selected. I've yet to develop that skill. I do OTOH, have a Sony A74 with a Zeiss F1.8 permanently mounted for point and shoot stuff. For manual focus, I typically use the Lumix S5 (love the layout) and Canon R5 for bodies. I also have the S1h as you do, but find that the S5, being smaller and lighter is nice for playing around with the far too many lenses I have (mix of Leica R, Contax, Zeiss classic, and Nikon... now adding Leica M and Voigtlander to the mix). As for adapters... oh boy. Too many systems and lens variations. I have a bad case of adapteritis, but (once upon a time) did convert all my vintage lenses to EF using Leitax adapters (that gets expensive). And now... I'm doing the film thing again, and have way too many film bodies. But, that's a whole 'nother story. Keep up the great work. 🙂

[@MarkHoltze]

Love it mate Thanks for leaving that comment. Didn't get notifications on it so I'm just looking through to see what I missed!

[@jpokeefe]

I would hate it if I were using my DSLR. Focus peaking on a mirrorless camera really helps get good shots in focus.

[@sclogse1]

Just a thought for a show idea. If someone asked me what is done to a lens to make it a 1.4 instead of a, say, 1.7, even though I'm the photo guy among my friends, I'd find it hard to explain well.

[@sadmanshakib7646]

Honestly at first, I was broke. Spent all my saved money on the xt4 body. Am a starving uni student so it really hit my wallet hard. So I got a 2 vintage lenses, the helios 44-2 and the Minolta MC Tele Rokkor PF 135mm. And the photos I got with them were basically okay, but not really good enough. Like I'd take 20 shots and 1 of them would be presentable. But I justified that feeling with "oh but it has character". Fast forward to 2 years of saving, I got the 18-55 kit from Fuji and the Viltrox 56mm. Both have autofocus. I'm finally confident enough to do some freelance work. But yea don't get me wrong, I still occasionally shoot with the 2 lenses, but yea if you wanna get into doing some client work, starting off, even the kit lens is better than those vintage lenses. But hey if you're experienced enough, which I hope to be one day, you can use those lenses too. Oh if it's purely hobby and you don't have to worry about money like a certain someone, go at it fam. It's genuinely very fun.

[@johnlarsson4437]

Vintage lenses offer Easter eggs as part of the hunt. I bought my first vintage lens, a Super Takumar 50mm f1.4 for "dreamy" bokeh and 50$ USD. Wow. This is where I discovered my first Easter egg. Someone posted stopped down pics and they looked great. I tried it on my Z5 and wow. I discoved it's a beast on top of that delightful smooth focus ring and creamy bokeh. This became my entry into the rabbit hole. Great. Like that film rabbit hole wasn't bad enough;-) So now I love it on my Z5 and have mixed feelings on my Nikon F__ cameras and my Olympus OM_ film cameras. Having both F mount and OM mount cameras leads one to unintentionally accumulate vintage glass in addition to the M42 glass I'm just beginning to accumulate. (Thanks Meyer Optik.) I love the manual experience on the Olys and I'm still working on it using my Nikons. If only there was a way to capture and combine the joy of film with the joy of vintage on digital. The hunt lives on.

[@MarkHoltze]

beep boop booop...I am a bot.

[@rodrrico]

Soooo, for me the biggest drawback has to be the 'hunt'. Cameras and by proxy, lenses are tools of the job, so when I take on a project that requires that vintage look my first heart attack is getting my buttery hands on said vintage lens. Other than that, it's all about the right tool for the job. If the project aesthetic would benefit from a vintage look, then the hunt. Is. On.

[@cokrlicix]

Your first point applies to any second-hand purchase, it's not like that only with vintage lenses, as for manual focus goes it has its drawbacks of course, but humans are not the only thing you actually shoot, and when shooting objects manually focus is much better because the camera can not know where I want my focus to be and what I'm trying to do, point being that my footage looks much more professional with the manual than with autofocus. And to add that I do use autofocus when it makes more sense, so basically, both have there's pluses and minuses and you shouldn't dismiss either one.

[@MarkHoltze]

I’m speaking about vintage lenses though and it’s just cautionary. Not dismissing anything in particular. There is a lot of nuance I’m not discussing because I wanted to keep this short and sweet. :)

[@cokrlicix]

@@MarkHoltze I know you did (speak about vintage lenses), I use takumar,fujinon,helios etc. I totally agree & understand. Love your channel BTW. Keep up the great work and thx for the reply.

[@edmundschubert4963]

I love the hunt!

[@MarkHoltze]

Hunter over gatherer 😆 maybe a bit of both?

[@GameGabe]

Gotta say manual focus is the only thing im hating so far about manual lenses. I took a step further and got myself into projector lenses, all i can say is ... expect the unexpected. Sometimes a 40$ projector lens can give you same results as a 1000$ lens

[@tjschmal]

If a vintage lens enthusiast like you, asks his 50000+ vintage lens enthusiastic followers if they love or hate vintage lenses the result might be slightly biased. 😉 And yes … surprise, surprise … as one of your subscribers i looooovve vintage lenses and i collect them like crazy. It‘s the character and their uniqueness … ❤

[@theotherguy254]

I love shooting with vintage lenses. HOWEVER, its not something i feel comfortable using when I am doing client work. The chances of me missing focus are too great for me not to use an autofocus lense when I am being paid for my time. which is unfortunate, becasue the results from vintage lenses can be very unique

[@manugeee]

I just counted my vintage 50mm lenses (more than 40 wtf!?) and now I started a video series to get them better to know. 😊 Shooting vintage lenses is on the one hand work. You have to set everything by hand and even better: you can mount them on film cameras and shoot film. ;-) There would me so much more to say, why the old tech is so great, but who is actually reading this far into this comment? Mark? Are you still with me? 😂

[@terencemorrissey4413]

Mark, I get the impression you primarily use vintage lenses for video vs still photography?

[@MarkHoltze]

For paid work because I don’t get paid as a photographer. Photography is a hobby for me but still reach for an old lens over a modern one in the stuff I do.

[@MrLinuschan]

there's a love hate relationship with vintage lenses for me. Personally i love hunting down a lens that is getting lesser by every passing day. Shooting with it is fun as well, but when it comes to shooting photos of people, it takes too long to focus and i feel awkward as the person behind the camera. (I'm not a professional, I just shoot it as a hobby). I would still continue hunting down lenses that i find interesting even if i dont shoot vintage lens all the time.

[@MarkHoltze]

Totally understand that, shooting people is already tricky, that extra time to get the focus can be distracting.

[@MrLinuschan]

@@MarkHoltzefocusing is a nightmare especially when you're at f2.0 or below which is what we usually use for portraits. Not to say that it's impossible but it takes wayyyyyyyyy longer than people on the other side of the camera are used to🤣

[@JPerry-jw9ik]

I love vintage lenses. They're much better for art expression. The camera can do most of the work with those automatic lenses. Heck, I don't even do post processing! It's cheating. :D

[@kruno7150]

If I dont shoot with vintage lenses, I would use my phone :) not that i have something against AF, but I use cheap M4/3 camera and (relatively) cheap vintage lenses in, sometimes, bad conditions, so its win-win for me - unique photos (mostly for wife FB page) and no tears if something happens

[@williambolton5679]

I hope you succeeded in discouraging people from shooting with old lenses, Mark. Now maybe the prices will go back down.

[@R8135003]

in a very busy world vintage slows you down.simple.

[@johndoane7200]

Don’t need no “stinkin’ robot aesthetics, Happy accident aesthetics rule in my hood and fuel my vintage addictions…🎉

[@Narsuitus]

In general, I like shooting vintage lenses. However, the one thing I hate it that they remind me that they were not vintage when I bought them.

[@MarkHoltze]

😂 I hear that

[@napologetic_]

Did not hate this. ❤

[@lxhk3595]

Sometimes also autofocus is a pleasure 😂

[@EdmundElijah]

Nikon's Z mount is the King of all mirrorless mounts right now - with an inner diameter of 55mm and a flange distance of 16mm, the lens mount options are endless. Now if only people actually bought Nikon cameras.

[@MarkHoltze]

Also have fantastic high resolution EVF's. D70 was my first digital camera. You're right, if only people bought Nikon! Feels like they've just been left in teh dust, there's so much awareness on social media (especially with Sony) who's arm reaches VERY long. They also do a lot for their "ambassadors" too in terms of scratching their backs. Canon has fallen out flavour recently, I don't think Nikon has anybody REALLY pushing their stuff and Lumix has been trying way too hard to by paying Sony shooters to "switch". Feels very forced.

[@jamesoliver6625]

Manual focus is only hard when you don't practice, even with the minimal ground-glass of a Nikon DSLR. Shooting vintage liberates you from being trapped by the incessant marketing mantra of sharpness and correction. When I investigated the math and physics of what some firmware and software was doing to "correct" these aberrations in an image, it was obvious that it wasn't beyond the pale that the "superiority" of modern lenses might be the result of a new chip within the lens over better optical design and better glass or plastic. When a lens' firmware is updated, it makes you think. Or the same combined with new camera firmware. To what extent is it all a marketing snow job. I can correct and sharpen to the level I think proper with software (Affinity) and enjoy shooting (photography), and explore more vistas with lenses that are less than $500 in truly pristine condition.

[@craigmckernan4056]

What did the AI Vintage Lens Terminator Snob say to the adapted photo? Answer, I’ll be back 😅

[@MarkHoltze]

😆 perfect!!

[@eyeofalchemy]

Vintage lenses > modern lenses Every. Single. Time. I even use em on paid gigs, regardless of what gig it is - theres a lens for it. I use em on my Fuji bodies, and if i want some extra flavour, I slap on my speedbooster and bob's your uncle🤷🏻‍♂️ Also, excuse me sir, did you just whip out a Hassie at the end there???👀

[@MarkHoltze]

Hassie “MODO” lol. Komodo with an adapter that lets me use the prism and waist finders ;)

[@eyeofalchemy]

@@MarkHoltze Noice🔥

[@michaelm1]

You know what? Shooting with a lens manufactured before I was born, knowing that while I'm shooting, I'm getting an extra dose of gamma radiation from the thoriated lens elements, utilizing the lens imperfections to create a perfect image, is a strangely thrilling photographic experience. (Just in case I frightened somebody, I'll add that only a small percentage of vintage lenses contain thorium or other radioactive elements in higher than trace amounts.)

[@JitDawgBruhDang]

I don’t understand the craze for vintage lenses. I can understand the look can be interesting but getting the look baked in is inferior thought. Modern lenses are sharper and have less optical flaws that you could add and control infinitely with programs like Davinci. Sharpness fall off, vignette, chromatic aberration, and bloom can be added in post. If you are buying gear, the most versatile tool is best but vintage lenses are not that

[@dwaynefoong]

yes those EX+++++++++

[@MarkHoltze]

gets you to the top of the search results lol.