There are a few reasons why people choose vintage lenses over the modern equivalents. One of them is that organic, film-like character that is missing in most modern lenses. The E.Ludwig Meritar 50mm F2.9 is one of such lenses, bursting with character that many of us really love! The only lens I’ve tried so far… Continue Reading
When it comes to ultra-wide (non fisheye) vintage lenses, especially the photography ones that many of us now happily use for video, there are only a few options to choose from and most seem too expensive for what they are. When fast, sharp, ultra-wide modern lenses like Tokina 11-16mm F2.8 can be bought for under… Continue Reading
Industar 50-2 is the lens that I meant to buy a long time ago. A lot of photographers and cinematographers around already have one of these and that got me wondering what all the fuss is about. The first thing that you notice about this lens is its tiny size and yet it will work… Continue Reading
I’m often asked about good lens options for M4/3 & Sony E-mount cameras. Most people are hoping to save quite a lot of money when building a vintage set, so this guide will concentrate on affordable lenses with a price tag no higher than $300 per lens (I’ll also share a full set option for… Continue Reading
I am real Helios 44-2 58mm F2 “fanboy”; I recommend it to everyone who asks me for a vintage lens advice, but thanks to the video made by fellow vintage lens fan, Victor Bart, there is a “new” kid on the block that we should be taking the notice of. The lens in question is… Continue Reading
28mm lenses are some of the most affordable vintage lenses that one can buy. Almost every manufacturer made them, sometimes in multiple versions. Today I will be talking about the 28mm lens that I’ve been using the most myself, not that I think it’s the best out there, but you will soon understand why it… Continue Reading
Recently one of VLFV readers, Phil Abatecola got in touch to share his experience using (mostly) Russian vintage lenses to shoot his feature length web series. There were loads of things Phil had to take into consideration when building up his “Kremlin Kit” for the series and I felt that it will definitely be a… Continue Reading
This shootout has been long time coming! I’ve collected quite a few vintage 20mm lenses in the last few years with Canon FD being my latest addition. I just sold my Pentax-A 20mm F2.8 and I decided that I have to do this shootout before I send it out to its new owner. It would… Continue Reading
I’m very excited to share an amazing guide to vintage lenses (above), put together by really talented filmmaker and simply a cool dude, Khairil Bahar. This one will be particularly interesting (but no limited) to Sony E-mount camera users, new to vintage lenses. Khairil talks a lot about how to get the best out of… Continue Reading
While the Samyang 85mm is not a vintage lens, it definitely deserves a place on this website as somewhat of a bridge lens between the solid, manual vintage lenses & modern optics. It has almost all the features I like in vintage lenses and also has the sophisticated optics found in high-end modern lenses.… Continue Reading
