Anyone into cameras?

[GK]

I've been gifted this lot. I've done some ebay searching and I've found that the mint condition Olympus OM-1 might go to a keen buyer for $150AUD, the Pentax MG body is worth maybe $5 and the Agfa Optima 200 maybe $20.

What I'm really interested in though is the lenses. I've been meaning to get myself a decent digital SLR for years already. I know jack about camera technology but I assume that "SLR" is a standard still interchangeable with modern digital camera bodies? Having a set of decent lenses up front would save me a few bucks. The lenses are a Hoya 67mm dia. 35-200mm "MC auto zoom 1:3.8-5.2" (whatever that means), a Hoya 55mm dia. skylight (1B), 35-70mm 1:3.5-4.5 and a Teleplus MC 2X "Tele Converter".

Anyone know of the caliber of these lenses or how they would compare to modern equivalents?   

[TerraHertz]

Sorry "SLR" is not a lens mount standard. Each digital camera manufacturer has a different format. And they are ALL incompatible with ALL film camera mounts.
If you are going to get a DSLR camera, get an appropriate lens for that camera to start off.

However, that said, for those who want to experiment and know what they are doing, it is possible to use old lenses on DSLRs. By using the wide range of adapter rings available. Only be aware that none of the digital camera features like autofocus and aperture control will work. You'll have to do those manually.

I count myself as 'experimenter, don't really know what I'm doing'. But I've collected a few notes:
--------------
Adapting older photographic lenses to:
  - Canon EOS DSLR cameras with EF mounts. (like the 20D & 40D)
  - C-mount video cameras (digital and analog)

Ebay search: canon eos adapter

Lens types to consider

  Canon FD   These were for Canon film cameras.

  Pentax K   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentax_K-mount
         PK  Same as K. Just a different name. Short for "Pentax K"

  M42        Very widely used. Invented by Zeiss in 1938. Used by Pentax prior to K-mount.
             Aka: Universal thread mount, Universal screw mount & Pentax thread mount.


Canon FD
--------
See:
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_FD_lens_mount
   http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/canon/fdresources/fdlenses/FDcatalogue/fdcatalogueN.jpg   2,016 x 1,194

Pentax K & PK
--------------
See:
  https://www.ephotozine.com/forums/topic/pk-vs--k-mount-1635
  http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/  The K-mount page.

  PK is shorthand for Pentax K. There are a few variants of the K mount, but all use the same actual mount, the differences being down to electrical connections for program modes, (KA) or autofocus (KAF) Any K, KA or KAF lens will work on an older manual focus body, so if you opt for a K1000, you should be fine.
 --
the lens mount is the same basic K on all versions with extra couplings as the cameras have become more sophisticated. Some manufacturers add P at the front to determine it's Pentax fit. PKA is an auto lens mount with an extra pin coupling that supplies electronic connection to auto exposure cameras and KAF is for the newer autofocus cameras.


M42
---------
See:
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M42_lens_mount
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentax_K-mount

The M42 screw-mount system was used by Pentax prior to the introduction of the K-mount. Pentax designed the K-mount wide enough to allow an adapter to fit between the M42 thread and the K bayonet. They also kept the same flange focal distance (also called registration distance or register) as the M42 screw-mount, so that M42 lenses focus correctly using the correct adapter (such as Pentax original[2] or Bower). There are however other third-party adapters that add to the flange focal distance so that one loses the ability to focus to infinity. The loss of infinity-focus may not be significant in macro or close-up photography.

There is great debate in the Pentax community over the applicability and safety of adapters other than those supplied by Pentax. Many users of third-party infinity-focus adapters, such as Bowers, report difficulty in removing the adapters from camera bodies. Such adapters may require modification before they may be safely used. Official Pentax adapters, and flanged non-infinity-focus adapters, do not provoke such problems.

Many old M42 lenses have a modern-day cult reputation, including the (Pentax) Asahi Takumar range. Some manufacturers, including Carl Zeiss AG, still make lenses in the M42-mount. K-mount cameras have a suitable flange focal distance (45.46 mm) to adapt old M42 lenses without any optical correction or loss of infinity focus/changed close focus distance. Other SLRs with a short flange-focal distance can accept M42 lenses as well: Canon E-mount (44.00 mm), Sony and (Konica) Minolta A-mount (44.50 mm), Sigma (44 mm), Olympus 4/3rd (38.67 mm), and many more, but notably not Nikon F-mount (46.5 mm).
======================================================

Lists of adaptors, for old photographic lenses, to things I use.


Image sources (old lenses, etc)
-------------------------------
  Canon FD   These were for Canon film cameras.

  Pentax K   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentax_K-mount
         PK  Same as K. Just a different name. Short for "Pentax K"

  M42        Very widely used. Invented by Zeiss in 1938. Used by Pentax prior to K-mount.
             Aka: Universal thread mount, Universal screw mount & Pentax thread mount.

  23mm       Microscope tubes.


Image capture device mounts
---------------------------
  Canon EF mount   For EOS 40D camera, etc.

  C-mount          For video cameras, digital cameras, etc.


Adapter sources
---------------
* http://www.aliexpress.com/store/group/Adapters-Mounts-Tubes/924907_502570153.html

Have, bought, sources, info, etc
--------------------------------

  FD --> EF

  FD --> C

  C  --> EF     Bought

  K  --> EF

  EF --> EF     Macro extender. Bought

  K  --> C

  M42 --> EF    Bought 20160423. received.  US$1.95 ebay seller wonderfuloutlet

  M42 --> C

  23mm --> EF   Bought, no lens. Added anti-reflection liner.

  23mm --> C    Have: - non-adjustable, no lens.
                      - 3x Touptek, differing magnifications.

----------------
Bought

C Mount Movie Film Lens to Canon EOS EF Adapter Macro Shooting Ring 1000D
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/For-C-Mount-Movie-Film-Lens-to-Canon-EOS-EF-Adapter-Macro-Shooting-Ring-1000D/32455904097.html

Macro Extension Tube Ring for Canon EOS 350D 400D 450D
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Macro-Extension-Tube-Ring-for-Canon-EOS-350D-400D-450D/1294360467.html

Mount Adapter Ring for M42 Lens to Canon EOS DSLR and SLR EF   Item price AU $2.68
Item discount   -AU $0.13   ebay Item number   271515684555
=======================================================

Adapting Canon FD to EOS EF
---------------------------

20160212

Get very cheap lenses - Use old Canon FD lens on your Canon EOS Camera

Also all kinds of adapter rings
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/group/Adapters-Mounts-Tubes/924907_502570153.html

This one:
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Canon-FD-AF-Confirm-for-EOS-450D-350D-30D-40D-400D-1D-5D/924907_1105128058.html
Adapter Ring for Canon FD /FL Lens to Canon EOS EF DSLR Cameras + AF Confirm
Rated 5.0/5 based on 2 customer reviews 5.0 (2 votes) 5 orders
Price:   US $26.69 / piece
With this lens adapter, you can mount Canon FD / FL Lens on Canon EOS cameras such as Canon EOS 500D, 1000D, 450D, 400D, 350D, 300D, 50D, 40D, 30D, 20D, 5D ll, 5D, 1DS lll .etc.. This fabulous Adapter can enable Canon EOS cameras to work with a variety of accessories. It will allow the Canon EOS owner to widen the scope of photography they undertake.
Features:
  Newest generation! With best Chip, focus infinity is possible !
  Superior quality  , made of brass, no cheap aluminium product! With perfect surface finishing
  With our special AF Chip (newest Generation) you can confirm the sharpness of the image with manual focus through the viewfinder.
  In the viewfinder there will be a red dot(AF) illuminated with audio signal to indicate if the focusing is good.
Compatibile with:
  Canon EOS 1D, 1DS, 1D Mark ll, 1Ds Mark ll, 1D Mark ll N, 1D Mark lll, 1Ds Mark lll
  Canon EOS 50D, 40D, 30D, 20D, 10D, 5D,5DMark ll, 7D
  Canon EOS 500D, 450D, 400D, 350D, 300D etc.
  And other Canon Film EOS Cameras


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_FD_lens_mount

http://cameraplex.com/list-every-canon-fd-lens-ever-made/
http://web.mit.edu/dennis/www/canon/fd-lens-info.html

  http://cameraplex.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Canon-FD-Lens-list-Cameraplex.jpg   700 x 300 pixels
  tineye search finds the original:
  http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/canon/fdresources/fdlenses/FDcatalogue/fdcatalogueN.jpg   2,016 x 1,194 pixels

----------------------------
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Adapter-Ring-for-Canon-FD-to-EOS-450D-350D-30D-40D-400D-1D-5-50D-Adapter/924907_32451937644.html
Adapter Ring for Canon FD to EOS 450D 350D 30D 40D 400D 1D 5 50D Adapter
 US $22.99
   Adapter Ring for Canon FD / FL Lens to Canon EOS EF DSLR Cameras
With this lens adapter, you can mount Canon FD / FL Lens on Canon EOS cameras such as Canon EOS 500D, 1000D, 450D, 400D, 350D, 300D, 50D, 40D, 30D, 20D, 5D II , 5D , 1DS III .etc. This fabulous Adapter can enable Canon EOS cameras to work with a variety of accessories. It will allow the Canon EOS owner to widen the scope of photography they undertake.
Suitable for:
Canon 100D/350D/450D/500D/600D/650D/700D/750D/760D/1000D/1100D/1200D/10D/20D/30D/40D/50D/60D/70D/1D/1D Mark II/1D Mark III/1D Mark IV/1Ds/1Ds Mark II/1Ds Mark III/1DX/5D/5D Mark II/5D Mark III/5DS/5DS R/6D/7D/7D Mark II
 GKD: Has no chip.
==================================================

M42 to EOS

I think my Soligor lens is M42.
M42 is a plain screw thread.

Ha, this lens fits the EOS mount part of the the 23mm microscope adapter. And works, though the focal range adjustment is off, and it doesn't focus to infinity.


http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/M42-Lens-to-CANON-EOS-400D-450D-350D-40D-5D-10D-1Ds-etc/924907_1108044233.html
     US $5.99


http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Adapter-Ring-Tube-M42-Screw-Mount-Lens-to-Canon-EOS-M-Mount-Camera-Metal-Solid/924907_1194697721.html
  Adapter Ring Tube M42 Screw Mount Lens to Canon EOS M Mount Camera Metal Solid
  What is EOS M?

Bought:
20160423
ebay Sold by wonderfuloutlet ( 43984 )
Hot Sale Mount Adapter Ring for M42 Lens to Canon EOS DSLR and SLR EF Useful Item price   AU $2.68
Item number   271515684555
============================================

g: pentax K lens to canon eos adapter


http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Pentax-PK-lens-AF-Confirm-for-CANON-EOS-50D-300D-Adapter/924907_1105240840.html
Pentax PK lens AF Confirm for CANON EOS 50D 300D Adapter
 US $21.99
Adapter Ring with AF Confirm for PK ( Pentax & Ricoh ) Lens to Canon EOS EF DSLR Cameras
Newest generation! With best Chip, focus infinity is possible !
With this lens adapter, you can mount PK (Pentax $ Ricoh ) Lens on Canon EOS cameras such as Canon EOS 500D, 1000D, 450D, 400D, 350D, 300D, 50D, 40D, 30D, 20D, 5D ll, 5D, 1DS lll .etc.. This fabulous Adapter can enable Canon EOS cameras to work with a variety of accessories. It will allow the Canon EOS owner to widen the scope of photography they undertake.
Features:
 * Superior quality  , made of brass, no cheap aluminium product! With perfect surface finishing
 * With our special AF Chip (newest Generation) you can confirm the sharpness of the image with manual focus through the viewfinder. In the viewfinder there will be a red dot(AF) illuminated with audio signal to indicate if the focusing is good.
 * Newest Generation ! focus infinity is possible !

Compatibile with:
 * Canon EOS 1D, 1DS, 1D Mark ll, 1Ds Mark ll, 1D Mark ll N, 1D Mark lll, 1Ds Mark lll
 * Canon EOS 50D, 40D, 30D, 20D, 10D, 5D,5DMark ll, 7D
 * Canon EOS 500D, 450D, 400D, 350D, 300D etc.
 * And other Canon Film EOS Cameras

=========================================================

[GK]

And they are ALL incompatible with ALL film camera mounts.

Well that sucks. That's like a gazillion dollars of fine glass consigned to the dustbin. I would have guessed in my naivety that given the investment in dollars that many have in their glass that there would have been market demand and viability for backwards compatibility with the introduction of DSLR.
 

[GK]

And they are ALL incompatible with ALL film camera mounts.

Well that sucks. That's like a gazillion dollars of fine glass consigned to the dustbin. I would have guessed in my naivety that given the investment in dollars that many have in their glass that there would have been market demand and viability for backwards compatibility with the introduction of DSLR.
 

Nikon managed greater or lesser compatibility with the older lenses but that is about it.

I think the situation might be a bit better than that. Those lenses I have all have the same mount and fit the Pentax MG. According to wikipedia the MG used the Pentax "K-mount", so these must all be K-mount lenses. Apparently modern Pentax DSLRs still use the K-mount standard, and these old film lenses still attach. See here:

http://www.robertsdonovan.com/?p=1181

"One of the best things about shooting a modern Pentax DSLR is having access to 35 years worth of wonderful K mount lenses- all with shake reduction! That’s a feature no other camera manufacturer can claim. The problem is that using these lenses effectively on a DSLR is somewhat of a black art that requires the camera be set up properly. Read on for step-by-step instructions of how I set up my Pentax K10D DSLR for use with a manual lens."

If this is the case I'd be quite happy to go out and splurge out on a Pentax DSLR camera body and try out using it with these old film lenses first, before deciding whether or not to fork out for a modern lens. I mean I got these manual focus film lenses for nothing, so why not?

[TiN]

Those old lenses are pretty much worthless in terms of image quality/usability on modern DSLRs, even if you find and install them with mount adapter. If you not into photography, you will likely find manual focusing, setting apertures and adjustments tedious and time-wasteful.

You don't have to buy top-notch $$-lenses for DSLR either, if you just want to take decent pictures. There are lots of options, either from universal lenses like 18-70/135 to more "artistic" nice quality but still affordable prime focals (50/1.8, 35/1.8, 85/1.8 etc, be it Nikon or Canon or whatever). When you buy DSLR , you not just buying a camera body, but selecting a system (some even call it religion  ) to stay with. As if you invest time and money into Nikon, you will quickly find desire to switch into other system rather painful and costly.

Also there is nothing wrong in all manual lenses, there are many old manual-only Nikon/Canon/Sony lenses which are able to produce amazing images, but I'd say it's not usually a good choice for someone who just entering shady world of photography, as you need to be solid in photo principles, various settings combo's and such.

[GK]

Those old lenses are pretty much worthless in terms of image quality/usability on modern DSLRs, even if you find and install them with mount adapter. If you not into photography, you will likely find manual focusing, setting apertures and adjustments tedious and time-wasteful.

Well, that Hoya K-mount 67mm dia. 35-200mm zoom lens that I have fitted with the Teleplus 2X converter gives me a 70mm - 400mm equivalent zoom lens. I'm sure the combination has some optical shortcomings compared to a modern lens, but modern 400mm lenses aren't just a few quid.

[TiN]

With 400mm 1:9 (200 * 2x coverter) you will see almost nothing in viewfinder and also will not be able to take photos without having whole thing on heavy tripod and without your breath at hold (not because excitement, but due to shake from air moving over the camera) 

If you into long-range lenses (birds, airplanes?) old Nikkor 300/4 is nice cheap choice (even though slow, it's ligthyears ahead of any zoom+2x teleconverter) setup

[steve30]

The K-Mount lenses should work fine on a modern Pentax camera (just with no autofocus/auto aperture). I've never used a Pentax DSLR, but they do look rather good and would be well worth considering if you are wanting to start out with DSLRs.

K-Mount and M42 mount lenses can be adapted to fit on Canon EOS DSLRs. I've done this and had good results, but a lot of modern cameras have crappy viewfinders, so manual focusing can be a bit tricky.

I can't comment on the specific lenses you have, but I doubt they'd really be worth much, so they're probably worth keeping so you can have a play with them. Whether the image quality is good enough, or whether they are usable enough will be entirely down to your personal preference .

If you do decide to buy a DSLR, there are some modern, automatic, "kit" lenses which are very good, and quite cheap and would be well worth getting to start you out with. The most common type is probably the 18-55mm zoom. If you go down the Canon route, they have some cheap 24mm and 50mm 'primes' which are very good. That way, you will have a choice of either a modern lens, or an old one, and not be limited to either one or the other.

Hope that helps  .

[helius]

It's become very popular these days to use old lenses (mainly primes, the older zooms are usually not that sharp). There's a whole world of cameras that basically obsolete DSLRs: there is really no need for an optical path from the lens to the user's eye when the sensor is good enough. In addition, these smaller cameras (micro-four thirds, blackmagic, etc) have a shorter flange distance, which means they are widely compatible with MOST older lenses with the right adapters, and they have passive autofocus systems which means they can be used with any manual focus lens. Flange distance is everything when it comes to lens compatibility. If the distance of the lens is shorter than the camera, infinity focus is impossible. I've attached a PDF that tells you the lens mount and flange distance of almost every lens series, which tells you whether they can be adapted to any camera.

check out forum.mflenses.com, there are a lot of discussions there.

edit: I can't tell who made the lenses in your picture, definitely not Hoya (Hoya only makes filters). They look like they could be Soligor or a lower-end brand. Most old zoom lenses are really not sharp, but there were exceptions. The teleconverter is a device to mount in between the camera and lens that multiplies the focal distance, making a medium tele into a long telephoto, etc. It's basically a kludge for when you can't afford or carry a long tele, and shouldn't be used for the highest image quality. The Olympus lens looks like it may be very good.

[Thor-Arne]

Many interesting replies here.

I'm sure you could get these old lenses to fit on a DSLR, but I can guarantee that they will never perform like the modern professional lenses designed for DSLR's.

Personally, I'm biased towards Nikon/Nikor.
Going to a professional shop and actually trying some of the kits available might be the best solution, and that will probably answer the question about these old lenses.

[edy]

You want to have fun with those old cameras and learn about f-stops, depth of field, shutter speed, ISO and light meters.... Pick up some film. I'm sure it still exists. Add to that a developer box and some chemicals, and get yourself to develop negatives. Then scan the negatives to further process, or pick up an enlarger and more chemicals and some photo paper and make your own prints in a "dark" (red light) room. You will learn about tons of stuff. You can even put infrared film and take neat effect shots. Polarizing, neutral and other filters can give you awesome effects, and learn to "solarize" in the dark room. Take long exposures (bulb), strobe shots, double exposures, etc.

If you don't want to bother with all of that, buy some modern lenses. That's just how photography is. Yeah it sucks and I have a pile of old gear which I took years of amazing photos with... and if can get film and find a place to develop it or you decide to make your own, it can still be very satisfying and interesting and very educational. Best not to combine old and new, cameras are designed to work as a system and modern DSLR's may not even be worth you buying it just so you can use some old lenses with it.

Read more here:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/buying-guide/traditional-darkroom-buying-guide

[GK]

edit: I can't tell who made the lenses in your picture, definitely not Hoya (Hoya only makes filters). They look like they could be Soligor or a lower-end brand. Most old zoom lenses are really not sharp, but there were exceptions. The teleconverter is a device to mount in between the camera and lens that multiplies the focal distance, making a medium tele into a long telephoto, etc. It's basically a kludge for when you can't afford or carry a long tele, and shouldn't be used for the highest image quality. The Olympus lens looks like it may be very good.

You're right. The lenses only have Hoya brand filters screwed onto the ends. I've found the brand name for the 75-200mm zoom lens - it's two words but written in a weird hieroglyph and the first word is hard to figure out. It looks like HYDHL. That gets me no lens-related google hits but the second word does and it is definitely SICOR.

The 35-70mm zoom lens is a "SUN C-A-D".

[MarvinTheMartian]

If you are interested in going down the path of developing your own film and making prints as Edy was saying, then I have some of the gear you would need that you could have for nothing (enlarger, etc), if you live somewhere in the Sydney region.

[helius]

The first word is definitely katakana for "saikoru" (=Sicor). It was made at some Japanese optical factory, and labeled with various brands like Soligor, Hanimex, and Prinz, owned by import companies. It was a cheap lens, but the actual performance of lenses sometimes has very little to do with their price.

[GK]

Yeah, both the big HYDHL SICOR and the smaller SUN lens are labeled "Made in Japan". Sun Optics appears to be a company that has been borged long ago, but the brands does appear to have a decent reputation for quality.

These cameras belonged to my parents. They did a clean-up and put these aside for picking as they were otherwise going into the bin and no one is going to be offended if that is where they ultimately do end up. My old man was adamant that the SUN lens was the one to keep. The Olympus does have the original F.Zuiko lens - definitely no fungus. This thing is as clean as the day it came out of the factory.

[edy]

There is a reason you got this old camera gear for next to nothing. That's not to say it is isn't *worth* anything. It is an amazing opportunity to delve into classic photography and pick up and test for yourself a lot of classic photographic techniques, ideas and principles.

Look at what you can get on eBay for next to nothing... 4 SLR cameras with lenses for $60:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-4-EOS-Rebel-K2-Ti-SLR-35mm-Film-Cameras-28-90mm-35-80mm-Zoom-Lenses-/371653322617?hash=item568843a779:g:flAAAOSw5L9XDVe6

And here's another:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Camera-Lot-of-3-Nikon-Canon-Minolta-plus-Extras-Big-Lot-PARTS-/152104874572?hash=item236a28324c:g:lfsAAOSwintXR2W6

And check out this auction which you could probably win for next to nothing (currently at $15):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-PENTAX-35MM-FILM-CAMERA-LOT-2-BODIES-5-LENSES-FLASH-AND-MORE-/391479921539?hash=item5b26058b83:g:pbYAAOSwzJ5XWwlD

And the list goes on.... Sad isn't it? Still that does not mean it can't be put to good use.

Personally, I have a Kodak Retina, two "Zenit" (Russian) cameras (basically Pentax screw-mount clones) with a plethora of lenses (wide, regular, zoom), some "bellows" camera (not sure of name), a Leica, and a pile of bits and pieces that go with it all. Either from my parents, from flea-markets, from older relatives, all gathered over many years. I used to use it when film was commonly available and I could drop off a roll at a local store and get prints made. Often the people at the store would not believe their eyes seeing the photos (when they actually did it manually before computers did it all)... because they were so nice and scenic or special-effect. They were used to seeing the usual "vacation" photos of people, whereas I took the time to set up special shots, either using a Macro lens or time-lapse photos, or other experiments.

It was fun, but I can't say I miss it when compared to digital photography which offers so much more for so much less cost, including instant gratification and the ability to take an infinite number of photos. It was such as "QUANTUM LEAP" from film to digital that this single-handedly killed the photo film industry in not a very long time. That's why nobody needs the old film gear for anything. There's no going back.... but you can still have fun with the gear if you really really want to.

Honestly, for every day shooting where you need to see what you did instantly, just go with a digital camera.... Not even a D-SLR. You will be better off with any decent fixed-lens cameras, some of which allow you to attach "adapters" that give you the option to change lens angles. The use of DSLR ("single lens reflex") doesn't necessarily equate with changeable lenses. There are cameras that are non-DSLR that will let you switch lenses.... called "mirrorless" cameras. Basically, they don't have the mirror and optical viewfinder that define D-SLR. The lens images directly on the sensor. They are simpler and faster and don't have the extra moving parts, and almost nobody uses a viewfinder anyways.

If you want to learn classic photography as a hobby and you like to learn and experiment and get that "surprise" feeling when you actually develop a roll of film and understand more about what is happening, it is a beautiful nostalgic experience.... And you have a nice set of gear or "kit" to do many things with.

MarvinTheMartian is even gracious enough to provide equipment for you to get the hobby rolling! 

I think you will find that if you ever want to get into film again, there is a wonderful community of hobbyists out there who still enjoy it that can help you along. There's nothing like a totally MANUAL non-electronic camera that you need to figure out EVERYTHING about your shot, and then have absolutely no idea how it turned out until you develop the film!

Personally, what I'd like to get into is holography. I attended an amateur holography exhibition by a local club when I was a teen (a long time ago) and was just mesmerized on what kind of stuff they had printed on glass plates. It was incredible to see.... even color holograms. Ever since then, my dream has been to make holograms. It uses lasers and splitters and prisms and various lenses as well to cast light on your object and you set up a glass plate (with the photographic emulsion) in such a way that the laser lights bounce off the object and hit the plate. Once exposed, you develop the glass plate in a similar way to wet-chemical film processing and then you can view your hologram using the same laser light, or there is a way to make it work under normal room lights as well. I'm still waiting for the day I have the time to get in to that hobby.

[GK]

If you are interested in going down the path of developing your own film and making prints as Edy was saying, then I have some of the gear you would need that you could have for nothing (enlarger, etc), if you live somewhere in the Sydney region.

Thanks for the offer, but I really have neither the room nor the time to spare for an additional hobby like that.   

[GK]

Honestly, for every day shooting where you need to see what you did instantly, just go with a digital camera.... Not even a D-SLR.

Which is exactly what I currently have and what I have had for the past ~15 years already. I'm not keen on getting a DSLR or some such with a telescopic lens as a substitute camera for making everyday happy snaps.
 

[GK]

The use of DSLR ("single lens reflex") doesn't necessarily equate with changeable lenses. There are cameras that are non-DSLR that will let you switch lenses.... called "mirrorless" cameras. Basically, they don't have the mirror and optical viewfinder that define D-SLR. The lens images directly on the sensor. They are simpler and faster and don't have the extra moving parts, and almost nobody uses a viewfinder anyways.

It does if you have a K-mount Pentax DSLR; any old K-mount lens will snap right on, although there are operational quirks with manual lenses w.r.t. the non operation of auto focus/aperture; these are all outlined in the photography blog/tutorial I linked to towards the beginning of this thread.

Helius has already mentioned those "mirrorless" cameras (Micro-four-thirds) which do look very interesting and probably better than a Pentax K-mount DSLR. However the "Micro-four-thirds" is an Olympus/Panasonic thing, but aftermarket Pentax K-mount adapters which would suit my lenses are readily available.

This blog looks particularly pertinent: 

http://www.thephoblographer.com/2012/12/25/using-my-dads-old-manual-k-mount-lenses-on-micro-four-thirds/   

[MarvinTheMartian]

Thanks for the offer, but I really have neither the room nor the time to spare for an additional hobby like that.   

No worries.

Ditto re time and space - I've had that gear in storage for about 20 years and really need to move it on (ie probably dump it  ) to make room in my workshop. I just never had the time to get back into photography when I moved into a unit/flat (no room to set it up there!) and when I moved into a house some years later, I didn't have the time - then the digital revolution came and that pretty much killed any incentive for me to get back into 'real' photography! 

[cloudscapes]

Please do not throw legacy lenses out (in the dustbin).

No, they wont work with modern DSLRs, but they work just fine on mirrorless cameras. I've been doing that for years.

[laureatemachine]

The K mount lens will definitley work, albeit in manual mode for both focus and aperture, on a Pentax DSLR.  I have a Pentax Kx DSLR and use my old K mounts.  The KA mount lenses I have will even work in auto aperature mode too.  But unless you are really looking to learn the technical aspects of photog. I suggest you find a DSLR setup you like with one or two autofocus zoom lenses.  Heck, many of the P.H.D. (push here dummy) cameras with bigger diameter optics take really fine pictures and HD video.

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[AG6QR]

And they are ALL incompatible with ALL film camera mounts.

Except for the Nikons.  In 1980, I bought a Nikon FM, (a very basic, fully mechanical, manual film camera) and slowly built up a collection of lenses for it.  I still use every one of those lenses on my Nikon D200 DSLR.  The D200 itself is now nearly a decade out of date, but it still does a fine job.  There are newer Nikon DSLRs with better CCD sensors these days, and I may trade up to a newer body eventually.  All of my Nikon AI lenses work as well on the D200 as they did on the film cameras, supporting auto diaphragm and full-aperture metering with auto exposure.  Of course they're manual focus, but that's not a problem.  They also don't support having the camera automatically control the aperture -- you've got to twist the aperture ring to control the aperture, but in my mind, that's a more intuitive way to control aperture anyway (maybe that's just force of habit).

Obligatory electronics content:  Here's what a 35 year old Nikkor lens can do, handheld, paired with a 9 year old DSLR.  When you amortize the cost of good quality gear over a long enough time, it's not that expensive.



That's taken with a 105mm f/2.8 AIS Micro-Nikkor

[Kilrah]

If you want to play with old lenses the newest Sony Full frame mirrorless cameras are awesome - they're the only ones that basically can use every lens ever made for 35mm through the appropriate mount adapters and without additional crop. Been playing with a bunch of old lenses with mine, it's a lot of fun. Take it for the "experience" and "creative" value though - obviously if you're looking at purely technical image quality the old glass is pretty much always very "meh" by today's standards.

[GK]

The Sony Full Frame cameras look nice, but the base model appears to be the A7 and that costs ~$1400.

I've been looking at a number of these mirrorless cameras and I have two niggling concerns regarding their use with legacy manual K-mount lenses. The first is the quality of the adaptors. There are a huge number of such adaptors stamped with various brand names and very cheap on offer from vendors on ebay - some ridiculously cheap - like less than $10. I wouldn't presume any of these to be anything but junk.

Then there is Fotodiox, which are a bit pricier (from ~$25 to $50) but the reviews on sites like amazon are mixed. Some claim that their Fotodiox adaptor fits nice and snug whilst others claim that theirs doesn't or that it broke apart and that their lens detached from the camera. The only decent K-mount m43/E-mount adaptors for lenses with a manual aperture ring that I can find (that is readily available) is (Japanese) made by Voigtlander, at a cost of ~$180.

The other concern I have is with the mechanical robustness of the lower-end mirrorless options. An Olympus Pen Lite E-PL5 (just for example) on a tripod with a big heavy old school lens might not be a good idea.

For about 40 dollars more than the cost of the E-PL5 plus the Voigtlander adaptor I can get an entry-level Pentax K-50 DSLR body:  http://www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au/prod10367.htm   Its got a tough durable body and no expensive adaptor is required to fit any legacy K-mount lens.