are old lenses any good?

[bluechair84]

I'm building up a collection of lenses now... three so far! I'm looking to get an ultrawide, very fast lens, possibly a macro but I could never afford these new. I have an adaptor to use OM mount lenses on my Olympus - but are the older 35mm lenses that would fit my specs and budget any good? What seperates an older lens from a newer one?

[matt wilson]

Age .and things like the electronic components .

Going back to 35mm days I had a 50mm 1.4 on a Canon T 90 .How I wish I had kept it .

In my opinion a good lens is always going to be a good lens.

[ianpinion]

Have you read the guide to buying a second-hand lens? It should give you a few pointers of what you need to look out for and what to be wary of.

[OldBoy]

I posted a answer today on this topic but the site went down and my post disappeared.

Most older lenses are great value and can be as good as the lastest or sometimes even better. I brought a 400mm F2.8 AIS lens for £2,400 which cost £9,600 when new, and it's a cracker regarded as better than the lastest version. The only downside is it weighs 6kg and hasn't go VR. Just check on the web for any infomation about any lenses you want before buying.

[bluechair84]

the second hand advice is good on the article, and is concerned with how damaged a second hand bargain may be - it's certainly good advice on what too look out for when the comments below (regarding fungus) are included. It would be nice if it passed an opinion on on whether discontinued lenses are as good as the latest designs and whether the latest glass is worth the incredible amounts of money they go for.
Mat+Oldboy - it's good to know that you like your old lens, i'm definately going down this route until my skills deserve something newer - if I find issues with my old bits.
This weekend is going to be the litmus test for the camera, practise and lenses I've bought recently. I'll be photographing for an article... hopefully they won't notice the £35 second hand prime I bought :-s

[bluechair84]

Oh - I'll add that I'll be dropping them up for critique to improve them in 'shop

[OldBoy]

Originally Posted by bluechair84

Mat+Oldboy - it's good to know that you like your old lens, i'm definately going down this route until my skills deserve something newer - if I find issues with my old bits.
This weekend is going to be the litmus test for the camera, practise and lenses I've bought recently. I'll be photographing for an article... hopefully they won't notice the £35 second hand prime I bought :-s

If you buy second-hand from a camera shop, Like Mifsuds where I got my 400mm F2.8 from, you might pay a bit more but most give a warranty and grade it, and it's usually been checked and repaired if neccessary.

You might be surprised at how good that prime is.

[greenwing]

Originally Posted by bluechair84

I'm building up a collection of lenses now... three so far! I'm looking to get an ultrawide, very fast lens, possibly a macro but I could never afford these new. I have an adaptor to use OM mount lenses on my Olympus - but are the older 35mm lenses that would fit my specs and budget any good? What seperates an older lens from a newer one?

I think that the problem with what you're looking for is that there weren't really many ultrawide old lenses, and even those are not going to be very wide at all on your E520. 20mm was very wide on a 35mm SLR, but that's firmly in 'normal' territory on your camera.

Chris

[bluechair84]

Originally Posted by greenwing

I think that the problem with what you're looking for is that there weren't really many ultrawide old lenses, and even those are not going to be very wide at all on your E520. 20mm was very wide on a 35mm SLR, but that's firmly in 'normal' territory on your camera.

Chris

I think this has something to dow ith numbers doesn't it... 35mm is the function of something quantum equals the equivilant focal length on my digital. It's a bit beyond me at the moment but I'll research that one.
My kit lens goes down to 17.5 which takes a nice scene, but i'd like something faster to compare.
Current photos for critique will be going up soon.
Cheers Chris