[pepperberry farm]

not in the least. i don't mind, and in fact i am thinking hard about getting a mount for one of my older bodies, just to play

gotcha - just making sure that I wasn't trodding too heavily in there....

[Jonathan Mac]

Did you try to fix the infinity focus by changing the AF fine tune*? This is a long shot, but might actually work, and would not take a lot of your time.

* i have no experience whatsoever with AF fine tune and MF lenses

I see where you're going, but I don't think that it will help if the lens physically cannot reach because of a limitation due to the registration distance/mount/bayonet tolerances.....

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that won't work. AF fine-tuning does not in any way alter the physical distances involved, it just allows to account for tiny differences between the lens mount to the AF sensor compared to the mount to the image sensor.

[pepperberry farm]

the Olympus H.Zuiko Auto-W 24mm f2.8 arrived a couple of days ago - tiny little thing....

the good news is that there is infinity focus with it and there really isn't any bad news:

[pepperberry farm]

metering is a bit off using the green button, but if I pay attention, it isn't a huge issue....

[pepperberry farm]

One note about the project (for those following along) - I am probably going to be winding it down and not buying any more lenses for it. I find the limitations of the mount vs the lenses leaves too much to be desired.

- I've tried no AR mount lenses at all, simply because all the literature states that I'll never get infinity focus.

- Yashica and Contax mounts do not reach infinity - I pretty much destroyed a Contax 50 trying to determine where the issue is.

- Nikon F-mount lenses do not turn enough on the mount to fit safely - only about a quarter, maybe a third of a turn and they stop - hard stop.

- Olympus lenses must be modified for full aperture control on the mount, and I am loathe to do that to them.

For these reasons, I'm currently shopping for a mirrorless camera that would allow me to use the lenses I have to their fullest.....

[pepperberry farm]

[Cerebum]

One note about the project (for those following along) - I am probably going to be winding it down and not buying any more lenses for it. I find the limitations of the mount vs the lenses leaves too much to be desired.

- I've tried no AR mount lenses at all, simply because all the literature states that I'll never get infinity focus.

- Yashica and Contax mounts do not reach infinity - I pretty much destroyed a Contax 50 trying to determine where the issue is.

- Nikon F-mount lenses do not turn enough on the mount to fit safely - only about a quarter, maybe a third of a turn and they stop - hard stop.

- Olympus lenses must be modified for full aperture control on the mount, and I am loathe to do that to them.

For these reasons, I'm currently shopping for a mirrorless camera that would allow me to use the lenses I have to their fullest.....

Have a look at the Fuji XE cameras. I have a super cheap XE1. People criticize it but for £90 I think it is brilliant. Its also small and retro

[pepperberry farm]

Have a look at the Fuji XE cameras. I have a super cheap XE1. People criticize it but for £90 I think it is brilliant. Its also small and retro

thank you - I'm currently researching mirrorless systems and to admit to looking more and more at Fuji, mainly the X-T2 and X-T3 models....

[richard0170]

thank you - I'm currently researching mirrorless systems and to admit to looking more and more at Fuji, mainly the X-T2 and X-T3 models....

If you are going to just use legacy glass, or other MF lenses, I can't see much point in going for these later models. X-T1 in great knick plus battery grip should be available for round 1/2 the price of X-T2. Manual focusing on the X-T1 is a breeze. I would only get the later models if you want superior continuous AF. And the faster focusing XF lenses, which you would require for this, are not cheap either.
Whatever you chose though I suspect you will be delighted with a Fuji camera once you get used to the different functionality and menu system.

[pepperberry farm]

If you are going to just use legacy glass, or other MF lenses, I can't see much point in going for these later models. X-T1 in great knick plus battery grip should be available for round 1/2 the price of X-T2. Manual focusing on the X-T1 is a breeze. I would only get the later models if you want superior continuous AF. And the faster focusing XF lenses, which you would require for this, are not cheap either.
Whatever you chose though I suspect you will be delighted with a Fuji camera once you get used to the different functionality and menu system.

that's exactly the type of experience I need to read about - thank you, Richard...

[richard0170]

that's exactly the type of experience I need to read about - thank you, Richard...

You won't get Pentax colours with Fuji cameras, even when using Pentax lenses. I have to work more with WB on Fuji cameras to get colours I like. However the B&W of Fuji is in my opinion nicer. The Fuji experience is different. The main benefit I find, is that you can get to use some really reasonably priced but excellent Chinese lenses. For instance my collection of 7Artisans 12mm f2.8, Kamlan 28mm f1.4, Meike 35mm f1.4 and Meike 50mm f1.7 lenses came to about £450 total new. Any of your exisiting 50mm plus lenses, especially Macro ones, will be excellent with the appropriate adaptor. But wide angle lenses designed for a DSLR won't be as good as proper ones designed for a mirrorless mount. This is because the flange distance of the DSLR requires more complex optics.

[Gary H Perth]

I went for a Sony A7ii as my mirrorless, because it's full frame but no larger than a Pentax APSC DSLR. This means that I can use vintage lenses to cover the field of view they were designed for. It's a bit expensive, but the IBIS (stabilisation) means that the images are showcasing the lens - IBIS will allow slow shutter speeds handheld without minor operator movement compromising the results. I have since bought a Sony A6000 to use with my Limited lenses, but the newer A6400 has IBIS.

[richard0170]

I went for a Sony A7ii as my mirrorless, because it's full frame but no larger than a Pentax APSC DSLR. This means that I can use vintage lenses to cover the field of view they were designed for. It's a bit expensive, but the IBIS (stabilisation) means that the images are showcasing the lens - IBIS will allow slow shutter speeds handheld without minor operator movement compromising the results. I have since bought a Sony A6000 to use with my Limited lenses, but the newer A6400 has IBIS.

The Sony A FF series might cover the field of view, but due to the curved nature of the FF sensor they use, field curvature with many legacy lenses can be an issue. Phillip Reeve has done a lot of reviews of legacy glass which highlight the issue, especially with 35mm and wider lenses.

[Sykil]

The Sony A FF series might cover the field of view, but due to the curved nature of the FF sensor they use, field curvature with many legacy lenses can be an issue. Phillip Reeve has done a lot of reviews of legacy glass which highlight the issue, especially with 35mm and wider lenses.

Uh, as far as I know there are no curved sensor cameras on the market yet. Certainly no enthusiast / professional ILCs.

[richard0170]

Uh, as far as I know there are no curved sensor cameras on the market yet. Certainly no enthusiast / professional ILCs.

Yes full frame Sony. Probably because the lens throat is so small for FF. Not as I originally thought because they wanted you to buy their own expensive lenses. Or maybe that is why they left it so small.