5DMk3 With vintage Pentax Lenses

[ZakCreative]

Hey Everybody!  I'm new to the forums and to DSLR Photography and Videography in general, though I do have a background in film making.  I acquired a 5D Mark 3 last year and am really happy with it so far.

Here's my question:  Are there any tips or tricks to getting old manual lenses to work on the Mark 3?  I bought a cheap PK-EF adapter on Ebay to get my Dad's old ME Super lenses to fit and they do, but anytime I take a picture, the camera will give me an error message, and it gives me the same error message anytime I try to switch to video.  I did have some success I guess, as I was able to get partial images, as if the top half of the sensor was exposed.  Any suggestions?

[Peter]

Thanks. Love the 58/2.

[ebiggs1]

Although the photos are nice, they are not anything a new EF lens can't do, so am I to assume the reasoning is simply cost?

I know it is/was for me as I have a pretty big collectiion of FD lens'. I would love to use but all efforts have failed to exceed what new EF lens' can do.

[Peter]

Bokeh? That´s why I use my lens. If you are a film maker, I suppose changing the aperture is easier and smoother.

[ZakCreative]

Cool, thanks for all the suggestions guys.  I think I'm going to try removing that tab, since I think you're right that the camera would take photos just fine except for the mirror getting hit.  The reason for wanting to use these lenses (the pictured one is a 50mm and I also have a 150mmZoom and a 28mm and a 2X teleconverter) is really to experiment and see what I can get out of them.  Seeing that I have them I'd like to use them rather than going to something new.

[ZakCreative]

Well, everything seems to be working fine, nothing a hack saw and a file won't fix.  Here are a few test images from some co-operative co-workers.  Manual focus takes a little getting used to.  Each of these shots are uncorrected, straight out of the camera.

[ebiggs1]

As something to play with and test,I am all in with you but as a practical use, you've lost me.

[HDCamTeam]

Using very old lenses with adapters can be not only funny, but also artistically very useful for stills and video (and cheap too)

My biggest concern is the potential damage to the mirror if it's hitting the lens' lever. I wouldn't test it on a 5D Mark 3 unless completely sure there's no problem at all. Too expensive camera to test with!

The lens chart posted before is a great guide, but make sure your lens doesn't make any damaga anyway.

Just our 2 cents.

Cheers

[David]

While it is certainly best to never let it happen, the mirror is a lot tougher than people think. The mirror on my 5DII has hit numerous times on multiple lenses without any ill-effects.

Question for ebiggs1. Did the adapter that you used for the FD mount lenses have corrective glass (for achieving infinity focus)? That would explain why the quality was so bad.

[ebiggs1]

Yes the two I have, have a corrector lens and 'yes' they are quite horrible.

The Jakub Mika adapter is interesting and I am considering buying one. I have one FD lens in particular that I would love to use. It is a 600mm f4.5. It was/is a fantastic lens, in the day anyway.

I am a little hesitant to remove the aperture lever but really why not? I will never use it again on my F1n?

I have tried to use the F1n and scan the negatives or slide into CS6. I have had mixed results. Concerns are the extra work involved and the extra expense of a quality scanner. Not to mention film and processing.

After a print is made or viewed on a monitor, however, this process makes it pretty difficult to tell which is which. See for yourselves.

One photo is taken with a F1n and a FD lens. The other is a new Canon DSLR with an "L" lens.

[ebiggs1]

Hard isn't it?

I am not telling which is which so you must decide for your selves. I have shown this comparison to many people and around half to a little more get it correct. Maybe they are guessing?