That means there are about two decades worth of sharp, affordable and reliable legacy lenses waiting for photographers willing to put a little time into a bit of research. The Best Canon FD Lensesīefore the EF mount, the mighty FD mount was the standard for Canon SLRs from 1971 to 1987.
Other great manual focus lenses to checkout are Rokinon and Venus Optics Laowa lenses. Mitakon Zhongyi Speedmaster 50mm f0.95 Mitakon Zhongyi Speedmaster 50mm f0.95 That’s where it has a look that’s hard to replicate with other lenses.
A rather niche lens, because if want to buy it, you should have full intentions at just using at f0.95, that’s where it’s special. One of my absolute favorites is the Mitakon Zhongyi Speedmaster 50mm f0.95. With the growth of the mirrorless segment, we’re seeing a lot of new third party lenses that are manual focus… The Best 3rd Party Manual Lenses So if you don’t do any action photography, or you’re a filmmaker (who has little use for autofocusing lenses), and don’t want to burn a lot of cash on brand new glass, then there’s absolutely no reason for you not to look into legacy lenses. On Sony’s full frame cameras, the same aperture and focal length, the Sony 50mm f1.4 Zeiss would run you $1500 new.Īlso, crop sensor mirrorless cameras can use a speedbooster adapter, that can allow for more light. in excellent condition will cost less than $100 on eBay, while the new Canon RF 50mm f1.2L is $2199, and the old Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM is $399. to it’s modern counterpart:Ī legacy Canon FD 50mm f1.4 S.S.C. Let’s compare the aforementioned Canon FD 50mm f1.4 S.S.C. In terms of cost, the value proposition of a good legacy lens is through the roof. With focus peaking and legacy lenses designed to be manually focused in the first place, the photographer on a budget has more incentive to work with vintage glass more than ever. Basically, the longer the focus throw, the easier it is to get accurate focus (common with wide aperture lenses). Non-autofocusing legacy lenses have excellent focus throws, or the measure of how far you can rotate the focus ring from its minimum focus distance to infinity.
Focus peaking highlights the area that will be in focus, allowing you to manually focus much faster. Mirrorless cameras on the other hand make manual focusing incredibly easy, thanks to focus peaking, allowing you to focus on your subject without taking your eye off the electronic viewfinder. With DSLRs, you’ll have to confirm focus in Live View (checking the LCD screen) every time which gets tedious very quickly.
Perhaps the first and only reason people get turned off by the idea of using legacy lenses is that it’ll be a fully “manual” experience. But this shouldn’t be that big of a deal as it used to be. Stopped down to about f2.8 (you won’t have metadata with legacy lenses) Who doesn’t love Boyz II Men? | the f1.4 aperture allows you to bring in a lot of light At a 100mm equivalent, it also gives me reach when I’m further from the stage. So I started looking into legacy lenses, and that path lead me towards Canon FD lenses.Īnd as I covered in my guide to the best Canon FD Lenses (more on that below), I’ll still say one of my all around favorites is the Canon FD 50mm f1.4 SSC: Canon FD 50mm f1.4 S.S.C. Back when I started with the Panasonic GF1 (the OG mirrorless camera), I wanted a portrait lens.īut there were only a handful of native lenses, that and I was a broke college student.
Order today to enjoy fast and free shipping to your door anywhere in Australia.I love legacy lenses. Place your order todayīuy special effects lenses online with DigiDirect and have confidence knowing you’re getting the best value for your money. With the ability to buy now and pay later with ZipMoney, getting your hands on the items you want is easier than ever. With so many options to choose from, we are truly the best place to find state of the art camera equipment. The only place to shop all the best camera equipment onlineĪlong with our range of special effects lenses, you can also find a huge variety of camera equipment from internationally renowned brands such as Nikon, Canon, Sony, GoPro, Polaroid and much, much more. Place your order today to see why so many people turn to us for their camera and imaging needs. Finding something within your budget has never been easier, as our online store gives you literally thousands of options to choose from. Whether you’re looking to buy special effects camera lenses to match your Fujifilm, Lensbaby, Kenko or Lomography camera, we have exactly what you need. Looking for cheap special effect camera lenses? Our range has it all