Haven’t you heard? Retro is back! As a reviewer of camera gear for over a decade I’ve had the privilege of test driving some of the latest, greatest and sharpest lenses ever to grace the photography world — but there’s still a time and a place for the dreamy softness, subdued colors and retro flare that comes from shooting with a vintage lens.
While maybe not the sharpest optics, vintage lenses are often budget-friendly and full of character, charm and not least — they’re incredibly fun to use and play around with! Legendary retro optics include the likes of the Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 which can be picked up secondhand for around $30, and if you’ve ever wanted to experiment with super wide apertures there’s the Canon FD 50mm f/1.2 which costs around $200. One of my favorite lenses from yesteryear is the legendary Helios 44-2 58mm f/2, renowned for its beautiful swirly bokeh that draws attention directly to your subject — it too can often be picked up for under $100.
Vintage glass is often cheap and fun to use — and the even better news is that they’re super easy to adapt to and shoot with using a modern mirrorless camera body. To pair your old vintage lens to a mirrorless camera you’ll need an adapter. Aperture and focus controls are generally set manually via the lens, meaning a simple, cheap and cheerful adapter will get your glass working with your camera body.
Most of my affordable choices are for adapting old lenses from film cameras to mirrorless cameras, but I’ve also included a Canon EF to Sony E adapter. This was Canon’s mount for its SLR (and DSLR) cameras — given Canon started production of EF lenses back in 1987, I think it’s fair to call this range retro too, almost 40 years later!
It’s never been easier to shoot with vintage lenses as modern mirrorless cameras often have features such as live exposure simulation so you can see how your exposure looks in real-time as you adjust the aperture ring on your lens. Many models also include focus peaking — a feature that puts a colorful bright line around edges of contrast in your scene so you can see which parts of your shot are in sharp focus — super handy! So, without further ado let’s take a look at the adapters I suggest to help you breathe a new lease of life into old lenses.
Dan Mold
I started writing for photography magazines and websites back in 2012. I’m an expert gear reviewer, Photoshop specialist and have been a deputy editor of some of the world’s most beloved photography magazines.
Vintage lens adapters for modern mirrorless cameras
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