Using old lenses with the SDx ......

[Guest .]

Hi All,

there is one thing, I absolutely do not want to imply ... and that is NOT to decide on buying a modern SIGMA SA lenses. They are modern, powerful and available at considerably fair prices .... but....

If your budget is comparatively low, and if you are curious and ambitious at the same time to learn abot super-tele-lenses for instance, then there are some tricks, that can help you to get such pictures the easy way and at comparatively low prices .... let's have a closer look at these options...!

Well threre are two very old Lens mounts that are universal ... the M42-standard and the T2-standard.

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Here, we've got the T2-mount! It was (and is) a standard mount for fitting an awful number of telephoto-lenses to nearly all camera mounts, ever created.
However, we can fit these lenses to our SIGMAs as I am going to show you...

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Here you see a SIGMA SD with a very old ADMIRAL 800mm /8.0 telephoto lens.

How to fit T2 to SIGMA SA??

First we need a T2 to M42 Mount, which has to be installed to the lense's T2 Mount....

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Next, there is a M42 to SIGMA SA Mount, which has to be installed next...

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Next yuo can fit an awful lot of nice old Lenses (not only telephoto lenses) to your SIGMA SD.

Here some examples!

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If you are interested, post a comment! Then I am going to tell you, how to focus with the old manual lenses, how to expose and all the other secrets!

Of course, I am going to show you about the image quality, which can be achieved using very cheap old lenses ... you will be surprised how well they perform!

See you with nice pictures

Klaus

 

[Guest .]

Hi All,

Well, let me show you some of my old darlings I use with my SIGMAs.

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As shown, the M42 mount is nothing but an ordinary thread (diameter 42mm) to be screwed. So you do not have any bajonett but you screw your lens into the M42 camera body ... really like a screw.

So far so good....

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Now .. this is the M42-SIGMA mount adapter, that can fit any M42-lens to our SDs. Next you fit the adapter to the lens by screwing it to the lens, tighten it a bit and then, you can fit the M42 lens to your SD like any modern SIGMA SA lenses. The adapter (this one is made in Poland) fits to the body absolutely perfect.

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... to be continued ....

 

[Guest .]

By the way ... there is absolutely no problem with infinity focussing! All the lenses do have the exact distance to the imaging sensor of your SD.

Exposure:

Since there cannot be any electronic conversation betwenn the SDx and the old manual lens, now fitted to the camera, ... i.e. .. the camera cannot work apperture or get any information from the lens, exposure cannot work as usual.

There are two options now:

1) Use manual mode ... i.e. adjust aperture at the lens itself and shutter speed at the SIGMA. This means that you would need an extra handheld light meter.

2) Use automatic metering with the SDx ... and this is exactly what I would reccommend you to do.

All SIGMAs SD9/10/14 are friendly enogh to have their built in light meters work, even if their mainboards do not detect any modern SIGMA SA lens to the camera.

So, very nicely, we can use automatic metering in combination with automatic shutter speeds. And so it works:

a) We do have to calibrate the SDs light meter .... I cannot tell you why, but all SIGMAs behave differently here ....
All SIGMAs must be swiched on the "A" mode (apperture):

CALIBRATION:

SD9: Switch the SD9 to a simultaneous apperture value of f:5.6

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SD10: Switch the SD10 to a simultaneous apperture value of f:2.8

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SD14: Switch the SD14 to a simultaneous apperture value of f:1.0

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Once calibrated (for all SDs).......

Chose your ISO-speed, and choose an apperture value at the old lens .... now your SIGMA will automatically decide on a suitable shutter speed, as you are used to it.

Certainly, if you stop down apperture your view finder will become darker.

To be continued .......

 

[Guest .]

How to focus manually....


Basically, there should not be all that many problems with manual focussing.

All SIGMAs do have very good view finders (IMHO) that give accurate focussing control. All my three bodies are manufactured that precisely that the "view-finder-indicated-focus" exactly meets with the image focus on my monitor.

Nicely again, all SIGMAs provide some additional help. The AF-indicator lamp works well with all the MF-lenses.

So we just have to adjust focus, until the indicator lamp indicates correct focus.

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Just a few comparatively dark super telephoto lenses may have problems with the AF indicator lamp.

There are slight differences between the models:

SD9/10: indicator lamp works. The "beep" works as well (if the "beep" is swicthed on)
SD14: indicator lamp works. No beep (even if "beep" is activated) The activated AF-sensor-field does not work either!

See you with nice pictures

Klaus

P.S.: If there should be any questions on the issue ... just post them!

 

[dirk]

Hi Klaus

Thanks for sharing this excellent overview. As soon as I have more time, I will post also my experience with the newest Zeiss ZS lenses on my Sigma SD14 here...

Best wishes (and of course many beautiful pictures...)

 

[Guest .]

Thanks Dirk,

photo hardware is a fascinating issue and all my "toys" are nice to watch and hold in hands.

In the end I certainly do not forget to take pictures with all my equipment.

This is an example of how very well a 40 year old VIVITAR 400mm T2-lens can perform ... here with the SD10...:happy:

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The EXIFs of course cannot be correct! As explained above, apperture is on "simultaneous" 2.8 and focal lengh schows "0".

The truth is:
SIGMA SD10 / VIVITAR 400mm, 5.6 (open) / Shutter speed is 1/200s (no tripod by the way)

Or ... the same lens with the SD14

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See you with nice pictures

Klaus