Incredible vintage lens for only $15!! D.I.Y project.
Vložit
- čas přidán 23. 05. 2021
- Today we are taking a closer look at a very little-known vintage lens - the Taronar 45mm f2.8! This lens kept surprising me over and over with its phenomenal performance! It's got amazing image quality with really unique rendering and gorgeous bokeh! I absolutely love it!
If you would like to try adapting this lens here is a list of the tools and parts I mentioned in the video:
M25 to M42 adapter - ebay.us/T0LEJJ
M42 to Sony NEX 17 to 31mm focusing helicoid - ebay.us/yFnN9R
Lens Spanner Wrench - amzn.to/37AbZxY
Strong Pliers - amzn.to/3u10zfL
My camera - amzn.to/3DeiF2W
My video lights - amzn.to/2WoI3ls
My video monitor - amzn.to/3Dfqfdz
My microphone - amzn.to/2WhJsud
My studio lights - amzn.to/3x32zL1
My dry cabinet for storing lenses - amzn.to/2Wjih2a
Favorite SD card - amzn.to/3sOidn3
The links above are affiliate links, which means that I get a small percentage if you make a purchase, but it doesn't cost you anything extra. This will help the channel with the costs associated with creating new content. Thank you.
Song during slug video - artist: Lobo Loco, song: Outside of the Battle
If you would like to donate to the channel you can do so here: www.paypal.com/paypalme/vinta...
Thank you for your support!
Find me on Instagram - / vintage_optiks
Another cool video. I like that you are finding not so common vintage lenses to share on your channel. Thanks for including the DIY tips you're sharing to make them usable on mirrorless too!
Thank you so much!! I love trying unusual and uncommon vintage lenses. And I especially love adapting these fixed lenses because some of them have never been tried on digital before and it’s really exciting to see how they perform! This one was such an awesome surprise! I hope the DIY notes are helpful to others who are interested in adapting these funky lenses.
An incredible lens that was lucky enough to be rescued by a very good photographer. Thank you very much for the video and photos.
You are welcome! Thank you for the kind comment.
Wow .. great little lens!
Thank you Matt! I was really surprised by what this little lens can do!
Pretty spectacular.
Thank you!
Really enjoy watching your diy notes....thanks a lot. Keep the good job.
You are welcome! Glad to hear that you enjoy the DIY videos. These little rangefinder lenses can be a lot of fun! Cheers!
I love your channel ! Congratulations, pal !
Thank you so much!
Hmmmm very interesting. Thank you!
You are welcome.
Great channel
Thank you!
Gratulation to this great production!
Sunny greetings Lobo
Thank you so much! I really enjoy your music!
mmm amazing. love your videos
Thank you so much!!
Wonderful video 👍👏👏
Thank you!
I love your D.I.Y. projects. That is really something special. And I am well aware that these rangefinder cameras can have good lenses. I got my first camera in 1974 - an Olympus 35 RC. I shot a lot of pictures with it (mainly slides) and I was happy with the quality. But I will not jeopardise this camera (it still rests in my desk), but perhaps I can get a second one at a cheap price ...
Thank you! Glad to hear that you enjoy the DIY videos. Yeah, vintage rangefinders have really special lenses. That’s awesome you got your Olympus 35 RC back in the 70’s! Definitely don’t take apart a working vintage camera. They are special and perform incredibly well. All the lenses that I’ve adapted have been from broken cameras and I wanted to at least give the lens another life. Take care.
Top tip! Where to find : M42 to Fuji X 17 to 31mm focusing helicoid
Unfortunately I have not been able to find the same helicoid adapters for Fuji X mount. Hopefully someone will make them soon.
@@VintageOptiks I am lost without the slim helicoid adapter for Fuji X, right?
This may have been mentioned before but maybe add to your DIY notes... Pick up spacers on eBay for fine tuning the flange distance. Just found an assortment to add a little length on the Konica lens (my first vintage and was going past infinity) and to use on my Olympus 35 LC 42mm F1.7 lens that I recently picked up. Thanks for the excellent reviews!
Thank you for your input. That is definitely a good idea. I usually don’t fine tune the flange distance and I’m ok with the lens focusing slightly past infinity, because I always check if everything is in focus before I take a shot. But getting spacers is a good idea for those who want perfect infinity stop. That’s great that you got the Olympus 42mm f1.7!! I picked one up awhile ago but haven’t had time to adapt it yet. So many lenses, so little time. :) Glad to hear that you enjoy the reviews. Thank you!!
Another great video! I find intriguing Yashica's lynx lens yashinon 1.4 . I would like to see what you can do with this unappreciated lens.
Thank you! Unfortunately Yashica rangefinders lenses are a pain to take apart and are much more difficult to adapt, which is why I haven’t tried to make a video on them.
Could you do a video on what makes lens different? Like what is color rendering and how to find what you like
Hi, regarding color rendering - each lens, based on its coatings, produces colors that are slightly different from each other. Some produce colors that are a bit cooler and others a bit warmer, and some produce colors that are more vibrant and saturated and others a bit more washed out and dull. After trying different lenses form different time periods and different manufacturers I can see these slight differences and based on my personal preference I like some lenses more than others. It all comes down to the individual and what kind of look they are trying to achieve.
Hey Amigo, I just performed the above conversion and mounted it on my NEX-7, WORKS GREAT. Thank-you for the step by step instructions, it was really quite easy. I will attempt the Konica 45/1.8 next. L E N S A Q U I S I T I O N S Y N D R O M E !
Hey my friend, that's so great to hear!! Thank you for letting me know that you tried this project! I am always happy to hear from people who try these lens conversions. It's super easy, right?! You should totally try the Konica 45mm f1.8!! I love that lens! I am working on a bunch more DIY projects, so more will be featured in the future. Take care and have fun with these funky old lenses. :)
Just purchased from ebay on the strength of your video: Taron rangefider lens set: Wide, Tele, plus findermount and Taronar 45mm f2.8 wish me luck with the back-hack. Paid UK £25.
That’s great! Good luck with the lens project!!
Love your music choice. . Know I wont be appreciated for this but got an SMC Pentax 135mm f2.5 and relieved it so it would not interfere with my 5d2 mirror. ie: got dremmel out. Try it out. what a combo... Hey keep making these vids matey.. Well sorted : )
Thank you so much!! Glad to hear you enjoy your SMC Pentax 135mm f2.5! Great lens indeed!! More videos coming soon! Cheers!
Hey man have you considered looking at doing something with the Kodak Pony line of Cameras they are similarly priced and seem like they would be a cool one to use.
Hello! Currently I don’t have a Pony camera in my collection, but if I come across one for cheap I might pick it up and see what it’s lens can do. So many lenses, so little time.
Great content. I am amused by amount of lenses but also confused which is best for certain situations. Can you make playlist or future video which lenses are best for what type of photos?
As for me I am abstract photographer. Very curious how to use more vintage lenses. Already have zeiss planar 1.7, takumar eight edition, Meyer optic orrston, Helios 40 85mm.
Thank you very much for videos.
Thank you. Glad you enjoy the content. Regarding what lenses are best for what type of photos - I think that it really comes down to the photographer. Each lens that I have reviewed here is good for many different situations. I always try to point out the strengths of each lens, but it’s up to each individual to discover what they like or don’t like about a certain lens and then decide how to use it in their work.
Thanks for the video. Do you know the register distance for infinity?
I would like to adapt this to my Nikon Z mount.
You are welcome. Unfortunately I don’t know the exact register distance to infinity. With the set up I show in the video mine goes slightly past infinity but that’s not a big deal for me because it’s very easy to check if everything is in focus. I hope you’ll enjoy it if you end up adapting it.
This is great stuff, thank you! I have already adapted the Hexanon 45mm f1.8 for my Sony, based on your instructions and I am loving that lens, so thank you. My question, and perhaps it is not a fair question, is how do you think this Taronar 45mm f2.8 compares to the Konica Hexanon 45mm f1.8?
Thank you! That’s great you adapted the Konica 45mm f1.8! One of my favorites!! The Taronar is a fun and very capable lens but can’t match the Konica. I still enjoyed it though.
@@VintageOptiks Thank you again for these videos. They have given me confidence to try other lenses. I just finished adapting the Beauty-S 45mm f1.9 lens from a 1959 Lightomatic rangefinder camera. I think the lens is very nice! I also think it is related to the Taronar: I used M25 to M42 to get the lens attached to the focussing helicoid. I wish I could share some sample photos, I think this could be your next project.
Thank you Mark! Glad to hear that the videos are encouraging you to try out other lenses on your own. That’s great you adapted the Beauty-S 45mm f1.9!
I also adapted it (about a year ago), but never made a video about it. Wonderful lens indeed!
@ Vintage Optiks Ran across your channel last night and had to subscribe. Really good stuff! BTW, would love to try adapting the Taronar 45 to my Sony, but a little hesitant to order the M25 to M42 adapter from the supplied link due to the delivery date being 6 weeks out (international delivery from China). Do you by chance know of another source for the adapter, preferably stateside?
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoy the content and thank you for subscribing. Unfortunately I can not find any M25 to M42 adapters that are sold within the US. I also had to order mine from China. I totally understand that the delivery time can be quite long, but I haven't been able to find a different source.
Congratulations on your video. I followed your link for the M25 adapter but I need a helicoid adapter to my Nikon Z. Have you a recommendation for this? I’m unable to find anything suitable.
Thank you. Unfortunately I don’t know if they make helicoid adapters with those measurements for Nikon Z. I’ll keep looking and if I find something I’ll let you know.
Крутые фотки
Thank you
Waho superbe qualité d'image avec de belles couleurs et un bon contraste .Superbe objectif.
Impressive image quality very very nice Lens.What caméra do you use ? Tks
Thank you so much! It’s a great little lens for sure. I use Sony a7III
Merci bonne journée
Hi I bought a Taron Eyemax camera which comes with a Taronar 45mm f/2.8 lens, without the red PR mark, after watching this video. Unfortunately, after I dismantled the lens and cut off the wire, I discovered the cocking pin is broken so I couldn’t get the shutter blades to open. Would anyone here be able to advise how I can get the shutter blades to stay open? Your help is much appreciated.
Thanks for sharing this I converted one for my wife and she loves it on her Sony 6600.
I was also wondering if you have a conversion for a Yashica Electro 35 45mm 1.7 lens. I found a broken camera and wanted to put the lens on my Fujifilm X-E3?
That’s awesome that you adapted the Taronar lens for your wife and I am happy to hear that she enjoys it!! Regarding the Yashica lens from the Electro 35 - that is not an easy lens to deal with. It’s a lot more complicated and time consuming. It’s the same with the Yashica lens from the Lynx 14 which is even more difficult. There is some information on the internet about adapting them if you really want to try it, but I just wanted to let you know that they are not as easy as the DIY projects I’ve shown so far.
@@VintageOptiks thank very much I think I will keep it for parts for my working camera's.
Can you get infinity focus with configuration?
Yes.
Hi have you tried using enlarger lenses?
Hi, yes I have. They can make great macro lenses when adapted to digital.
Thanks for this, plus the tips for adaptation, much appreciated. Have you tried different focal lengths. I came across a 2.8/40 and there seem to be others.
You are welcome! I hope the information is helpful to others who want to try adapting fixed lenses. I haven’t tried any other focal lengths by Taronar yet. I do have a couple other of their rangefinders but haven’t had a chance to try the lenses yet. I have the 40mm f2.8 and the 45mm f1.9. I’m very curious how they’ll perform. Also I wonder if they’ll be as easy to adapt. I’m excited to try them out in the future!
Good for you! I come across Sony cine cameras, I guess from the 1970s. They are big things and must have been expensive at the time, maybe 20% the price of a car, then? But nobody apart from a few people who try to repair the whole camera seems to know much about their objective. The cameras sell for about $25. Do you know about them?
@@stephenbaker555 No, I haven’t seen these Sony Cine cameras from the 70’s! That sounds interesting! It will be so much fun to adapt their lenses to Sony mirrorless!! Do you know of anyone who has tried it?
@@VintageOptiks I saw a French CZcamsr get hold of one and the first thing he did was clean it under the shower. I’ve also seen them on Facebook Marketplace in the UK. The problem is that I can’t find the links now! I guess that the objective is integrated into the camera body and so the lens set itself needs to get rehoused. This may not interest you and it’s way beyond me but it might explain why they are so cheap. I will keep looking and if I find something I’ll send you a link.
Oh wow, it sounds like a fun project! :) I’ll definitely keep my eyes open for one of these. Thank you for letting me know. There are so many wacky lenses out there! We live in such a special time to be able to adapt almost any lens ever made to our cameras!
No Helicoid ??
Wonderful videos! can you explain why the rangefinder lenses have so much depth and character?
Thank you!! That's a difficult thing to explain but here is one reason why they might perform differently than normal SLR lenses: Rangefinder lenses have different designs compared to SLR lenses because they don't need to accommodate the flipping mirror of an SLR camera. Therefore their rare elements can be much closer to the film plane and their designs are usually simpler. Also their glass elements are much, much smaller, which helps control certain aberrations compared to large glass elements in SLR lenses. I think this is one of the main reasons why I almost never have issues with chromatic aberrations when I use these little lenses. But regarding their character it's a really hard thing to explain. These lenses were never made to focus at such close distances and they were made to be used with film, so using them in the way that I do, mounted to a helicoid and adapted to digital - unearths some great qualities. I absolutely love adapting them because as you noticed they are quite different compared to normal SLR lenses. And unusual rendering and lots of character is something I always appreciate in a lens!
@@VintageOptiks wow, better than the original huh... Would you recommend it on an aps-c sensor sony?
In a way yes. This lens was never able to focus down to 30cm when it was part of the rangefinder but with this set up it can! Also nobody was able to shoot 4K video with it before but adapted to Sony it can. It’s pretty sweet to be able to use it in new ways.
I’ve only tried it on full frame Sony but I’m sure it will be a great performer on APSC as well!
Any experience with the Taronar F.C. 45mm f1.8? I have the opportunity to get one on a Taron V18 Nippon Kosokki Ind. camera for a very good price.
I haven't tried the 45mm f1.8 version yet, so I can't say how it will perform. But if you can get it for a very cheap price it will be fun to experiment with.
Hey. There’s an interesting focal length of 38mm on a Minolta hi Matic. Ever interested in doing a DIY on that?
Hello. I’m familiar with the Minolta Hi Matic with the 38mm lens, but the issue with that lens is that it doesn’t have manual aperture. A bunch of rangefinders from that time period had automatic aperture, which is an issue if you want to adapt the lens to digital. Basically you’ll only be able to shoot the lens wide open unless you find a way to manually open and close the aperture. That’s why when I search for rangefinder lenses to adapt I make sure that they have an aperture ring to be able to manually change the f stops. Cheers!
@@VintageOptiks smart. Thanks
How hard would it be to adapt to a Nikon dlsr like my D7000?
You won’t be able to reach infinity
@Vintage Optiks I was afraid of that. Oh well, lots of Nikon vintage lenses to explore. I enjoy your videos. Thanks for making them.
Thank you!! I appreciate it.
Hello. Congratulations. It's a fantastic channel. I was looking for this camera and I found a cheaper Taron JL Taronar F.C. 1:2.8 40 mm.
Is it the same lens? Thank you in advance
Hello and thank you!! The lens from the Taron JL is not the same lens. I have that camera but haven’t had a chance to adapt the lens yet. But I’m excited to try it in the future! I’m very curious how it will perform.
@@VintageOptiks Thank you :)
Hello. What adapter exactly? I found this on ebay: M25.5-M42 Flange Modify Lens Adapter M25.5x0.5 Female To 42mm Male thread Camera
Or this:
M25 x0.5 For Rodenstock Schneider Nikon Camera Lens to male M42 X1 adapter Flat
Hi, I have a link for the adapter in the description of the video. I just updated it so you can follow the link and it will take you to the right adapter. Cheers!
@@VintageOptiks cheers! I bought one of these cameras non functional for $15 so I’m looking forward to it even tho I have Hexanon 45mm, I think this DIY might be a better lens
You got for a great price! The bokeh of this lens is super cool! I’m excited for you to try it out.
@@VintageOptiks I’ll let you know
Nádherné video , postrehol som aj kameru 6x6 mohli by ste ju bližšie špecifikovať ? Vlastním vintage objektívy : PANCOLAR 1,8/50 A PANCOLAR 1,8/80 držím palce a želám veľa zdravia v ďalšej práci.
Thank you!