[Cerebum]

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

The earlier Fuji's have the 16mp sensor. Some people don't like the colours but the Fuji's are very customisable. They have jpeg film simulations which are great fun. The later the camera, the better the sims but even with the earlier camera you can program in recipes (found on the interweb) to create the look you want sooc. As for adapters, I use a £5 M42 adapter and a K&F Concept K mount adapter (£20) that allows you to change the aperture on lenses like the limited where there is no physical ring. The adapter has a ring that moves the bar on the back of the lens. It isn't exact but you can guesstimate, meaning you can use any AF Pentax lens I love the control wheels. They are my second love after Pentax.

[pepperberry farm]

The earlier Fuji's have the 16mp sensor. Some people don't like the colours but the Fuji's are very customisable. They have jpeg film simulations which are great fun. The later the camera, the better the sims but even with the earlier camera you can program in recipes (found on the interweb) to create the look you want sooc. As for adapters, I use a £5 M42 adapter and a K&F Concept K mount adapter (£20) that allows you to change the aperture on lenses like the limited where there is no physical ring. The adapter has a ring that moves the bar on the back of the lens. It isn't exact but you can guesstimate, meaning you can use any AF Pentax lens I love the control wheels. They are my second love after Pentax.

thank you

I've been asking Fuji X questions in the proper thread, but I am definitely leaning this way because of the customization/colors of the X-series....

[richard0170]

The earlier Fuji's have the 16mp sensor. Some people don't like the colours but the Fuji's are very customisable. They have jpeg film simulations which are great fun. The later the camera, the better the sims but even with the earlier camera you can program in recipes (found on the interweb) to create the look you want sooc. As for adapters, I use a £5 M42 adapter and a K&F Concept K mount adapter (£20) that allows you to change the aperture on lenses like the limited where there is no physical ring. The adapter has a ring that moves the bar on the back of the lens. It isn't exact but you can guesstimate, meaning you can use any AF Pentax lens I love the control wheels. They are my second love after Pentax.

16MP more than enough. Fuji colours are definitely different, whether to your taste or not is another matter. I find I can get the look I want by shooting RAW and tweaking WB, highlight and shadow control in camera - which is what I also do with Pentax. Also you can't increase saturation or contrast in camera as much as you can with Pentax, or push the brightness down as much. This may just be a good thing (not sure though) as there is a tendency, at least as far as I am concerned to go OTT, with contrast and saturation. I just find I am tweaking the WB more with Fuji than Pentax. Apart from the lack of ACROS (which I would like!) I would not see myself using all those extra film simulations the later cameras offer. If you shoot RAW and process on a computer all these points are rather mute. The later X-T cameras have slightly tweaked controls and menus for better ergonomics and functionality, and of course better continuous AF (with the right lenses). Whether this is worth the extra money is really down to the individual.
I have been very happy with my relatively cheap X-E2s and X-T1. When I get some additional funds, I might just sell one of them on and get a X-T2 or X-E3, just for the ACROS simulation. But as starter cameras, at low cost they continue to serve very well. I would have been very disappointed to discover the Fuji mirrorless was not for me after shelling out the higher prices of the later models. This is also something to bear in mind - you may not get on with mirrorless. Some people do not. There are pros and cons of both DSLRs and MILCs. I like the fact that there is always a viewfinder image available even if the camera has turned itself off after a few moments of non use, with a SLR. I like the fact that good wide angle lenses are realistically priced for MILCs, and you generally get a lighter, more compact camera. Ultimately I want both types of system.

[Jonathan Mac]

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.....

I agree with others that Fuji is a very good option. You're already accustomed to using the lenses on APS-C so that won't make a difference. The Fuji system is similar to the Pentax one in many ways - a focus on small, well-built, APS-C primes, lenses that perform above their price bracket when compared to CaNikOny, relatively compact camera bodies...

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.

I have found that in many situations my Fuji cameras produce colours I like more than the ones from my K-3, especially when light is low, but you seem to shoot mostly in bright sunlight so that won't be as much of an issue. White balance and exposure are more accurate due to the camera being able to "see" the whole image before it's taken rather than using a much lower resolution sensor to set WB and exposure. B&W is indeed far superior though the much-touted Acros simulation is barely any different from the standard Fuji B&W, so I wouldn't worry about it.

If you're willing to spend on a newer or flagship model then of course that's fine, but you should know that the older and more lowly bodies also work superbly for adapted legacy lenses. The X-E1 can be had for cheap though the lack of tilting screen and wifi was a turn-off for me and I decided to get an X-M1 instead, though it has no viewfinder. The "M" was never continued beyond that first iteration and in many ways it's a shame as it's a wonderful little camera and probably the best bargain around. If you need a viewfinder then go for an X-E1 or X-E2, but for not too much more you should be able to get an X-T10 which has EVF, tilting screen, wifi and some other stuff as it's newer, but still old enough to be a bargain.

I tend to over-simplify with the generations of the Fuji cameras but really the picture is more complex as you need to take into account not just the sensor but also the processor it's using. All the cameras mentioned above have the lovely 16MP sensor, which I believe is the non-Bayer version of the one used in the K-5 etc, while the 24MP sensor in my X-T20 is the non-Bayer version of the sensor in my K-3. I find the IQ performance of the K-3 and X-T20 to be very similar and prefer the output of the X-M1, but it's AF is slower and a bit less reliable (won't worry you if you're only using legacy glass).

And a word of warning - mirrorless cameras are a gateway to rampant LBA as you can adapt just about anything to them. Fujifilm cameras are also a gateway to Fujinon lenses, which are absolutely superb. I used the X-M1 exclusively with legacy glass for a couple of years before I got my first native Fuji lens, the 35mm f/1.4, but after that there was no stopping. I've even considered banning myself from spending significant money on Pentax and diverting those funds to Fuji instead as they're so good and probably have a longer future ahead of them.

[richard0170]

I have found that in many situations my Fuji cameras produce colours I like more than the ones from my K-3, especially when light is low, but you seem to shoot mostly in bright sunlight so that won't be as much of an issue. White balance and exposure are more accurate due to the camera being able to "see" the whole image before it's taken rather than using a much lower resolution sensor to set WB and exposure. B&W is indeed far superior though the much-touted Acros simulation is barely any different from the standard Fuji B&W, so I wouldn't worry about it.

I do not adjust the WB because of inaccuracies, but because I find the colours sometimes "wrong" - usually greens not green enough for me. Interesting what you say about ACROS. You may have just dissuaded me from and XE3 ot XT2, thus releasing funds for more glass!

[Sykil]

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.

Those sensors are not curved. The effect you are referring to is likely due to the microlens array or possibly the sensor stack, not sensor curvature. Unless you have a source, I have no reason to believe this. Nothing I have read online points to the A7 or A9 cameras having curved sensors, which would absolutely be noteworthy.

[richard0170]

Those sensors are not curved. The effect you are referring to is likely due to the microlens array or possibly the sensor stack, not sensor curvature. Unless you have a source, I have no reason to believe this. Nothing I have read online points to the A7 or A9 cameras having curved sensors, which would absolutely be noteworthy.

Ken Rockwell. However, you may be right, I have just done a search an found no other source. Never the less, Phillip Reeve documents several legacy lenses, usually 35mm which exhibit field curvature on A7 cameras.

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Last edited by richard0170; 09-09-2020 at 02:49 PM.

[Lowell Goudge]

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.

- 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.

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

This is why I converted my Nikkor -H lens to M42 with manual aperture, and correct shimming For infinity focus.

It takes 6 turns of the lens to unscrew it, so falling off is not an issue

[Lowell Goudge]

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.....

This is why I converted my Nikkor -H lens to M42 with manual aperture, and correct shimming For infinity focus.

It takes 6 turns of the lens to unscrew it, so falling off is not an issue

In thinking about it a little, although the mod would be more significant, would it be possible to incorporate multiple lens locking pins into the mount. When you look at the Pentax locking pin mechanism, it might be possible depending on where the other brand locking pins are located

[pepperberry farm]

entirely possible, but would probably be beyond the simplicity of this mount swap...

[Lowell Goudge]

entirely possible, but would probably be beyond the simplicity of this mount swap...

i might look at this on my K10. the lens locking mechanism has failed
i know it should be a simple fix as the pin, and the AF drive stay recessed, but given the location of the locking pin, if the other brands pins are further around, clockwise, then it is only a question of extending the existing part and adding multiple pins.

of course the other option would be to mill a locking pin hole in every lens at the pentax location.

[pepperberry farm]

and a last update to this thread - I'm removing the Adaptist mount from the K-S1 body and using the body as my M42 body...

[barondla]

and a last update to this thread - I'm removing the Adaptist mount from the K-S1 body and using the body as my M42 body...

I always meant to get one of these mounts and never did. Then they just disappeared. Didn't really care about mounting any other brands except Olympus OM. Now I see they have to be modified. Bummer. I'm a little unclear on the OM mod. Is it needed for the lens to fit on the camera and work, or for only the metering to work? I have Leica M 2, 3, and 4 without meters and that never stopped me.

Thanks,
barondla

[pepperberry farm]

I always meant to get one of these mounts and never did. Then they just disappeared. Didn't really care about mounting any other brands except Olympus OM. Now I see they have to be modified. Bummer. I'm a little unclear on the OM mod. Is it needed for the lens to fit on the camera and work, or for only the metering to work? I have Leica M 2, 3, and 4 without meters and that never stopped me.

Thanks,
barondla

you have to block the aperture mechanism in order to get the aperture to stop down...

with a proper adapter (for my Fuji, for example), it does that non-destructively...

[barondla]

you have to block the aperture mechanism in order to get the aperture to stop down...

with a proper adapter (for my Fuji, for example), it does that non-destructively...

Oly has a spring loaded button on the lens to stop it down for dof preview. Can't the button be held in while taking a picture? Or does the mount somehow interfere?

Thanks,
barondla