Using Vintage Lenses on modern cameras with adapters — What I Wish I Knew Earlier

I used to shoot a lot of film — Nikon EM, Nikkormats, Canonets, Pentax and Konica point-and-shoots, even a medium format Yashica Mat 124G. Most of those cameras are gone now, but some of the lenses stayed — and they’ve become a key part of how I shoot today, digitally. In this video, I share how I went from analog photography to adapting vintage glass on modern Micro Four Thirds cameras like the Lumix G9, GX85, hacked GH2, Olympus E-M5, and Pen Mini E-PM1. I explain how dumb adapters and focal reducers from Viltrox and Zhongyi work, which lenses I love using (like the Canon EF 17–35mm f2.8, Sigma Mini-wide f2.8, Sigma Ultra-Wide f2.8, Nikon Nikkor 55mm f1.2, Nikon E 50mm f1.8, Nikon 35-70mm f3.5, Nikon 135mm f2.8, Pentacon 29mm f2.8, Carl Zeiss Tessar 50mm f2.8), and how I even adapted an old Isco Kiptaron cinema projector anamorphic lens to shoot 2x cinematic footage. I also talk about modern manual lenses from Zhongyi, Meike, TTArtisan, 7Artisans, and Laowa — great options if you're chasing that vintage look with a modern build. If you're curious about adapted lenses, shooting on a budget, or just want to add more character to your footage — this one's for you. 💸 Support the channel: If you found this video helpful and want to support what I do: 👉 paypal.me/danieljosephbour Mentioned in the video: NOT AFFILIATE LINKS Viltrox focal reducers: -Nikon F lenses to M43: Viltrox nf-m43x https://viltrox.com/products/viltrox-... -Canon EF lenses to M43: Viltorx EF-M2 II https://viltrox.com/products/ef-m2-bo... -M42 lenses to M43: Zhongyi Lens Turbo II https://zyoptics.net/product/mitakon-... Isco Kiptaron Anamorphic: https://www.s8profis.de/en/anamorphic... Analog cameras: -Altix NB with Carl Zeiss lens -Nikon FG -Nikon EM -Pentax point and shoots -Konika point and shoots -Nikkormat -Yashica Mat 124g -Pen FT -Agat 18 Also mentioned in the video: My dogsitter collective:   / andthedoggos     / danandthedoggos   Fred R's channel:    • The 44th Chamber of Helios: 44-2 VS 44M-4      • Cheapest MFT Video Lens Set that you all h...   🎥 Chapters: 0:00 Intro 1:08 Always sync your audio when using two different recorders 1:29 Today's setup: Lumix GH2 + Zhongyi 42.5mm f1.2, Sennheiser MKE200 1:40 I'm a dogsitter 2:23 Setting up white balance 3:43 Why the Lumix GH2 in 2025? 5:05 Why am I making this video? 5:45 My photo journey 8:40 Moving to Berlin, getting into analog photography again 12:50 If I had to start analog photography again, I'd go half-frame: Olympus Pen FT, Agat18 14:20 Why I sold my cameras but kept almost all the lenses 16:00 My issue with new lenses: clinical sharpness 19:25 How lens adapters and focal reducers work 24:35 Advantages of using vintage glass on modern bodies 25:30 Older lenses are often cheaper than modern equivalents 25:50 Vintage lenses have character 26:18 Manual focus: so smooth 29:00 Old lenses are unbreakable, almost 29:45 Some lenses hold their value 31:30 Old lenses can be mounted on most new cameras 31:45 Fun pairings 32:30 Modern Chinese manual lenses 33:50 Drawbacks of adapting vintage glass 34:30 A useful tip to remember what you shot 35:10 Don’t forget to set your stabilizer to the right focal length 36:00 Activate “shoot without lens” in camera settings 36:20 My favorite vintage lenses for MFT 39:15 Adapting an Isco Kiptaron anamorphic x2 42:30 Final thoughts