Casa

I don't know if there's a "best" lens, it depends on the job I guess. My always-on portrait lens at the moment is a russian Helios 44, famous for it's swirly bokeh effect. There are many variations of it, the earlier ones somewhat creamier with more aperture blades, the later ones sharper but with lesser blades. 
Otherwise I used to try out many cheaper Pentax K lenses, some of them also available for M42. Some brands like Revue, Ricoh, Chinon etc. can be found dirt cheap and are fun to try out. Just don't expect extremely sharp, technically perfect pictures.

So far I'm using a lot of old Pentax K-Mount lenses and a few M42 (screw mount).
 
I'm definitely in love with the russian Helios lenses, the Helios 44 has this wonderful swirly-antique effect (it's based on an old pre-war Zeiss design) and comes in many variations, some older ones with more (13 or 8) aperture blades, newer ones with 6 blades (but those are sharper). Most sought after are the Helios 44 M-2 (13 blades), M (8 blades), M-4 (sharp), M-6 (sharper). They can be found for 20-30 Euros on ebay, it's also worth searching for an old Zenit camera which came usually bundled with a Helios. The 44 M-2 is a bit more sought after, also the lenses with a lot of zeros as first digits in the serial number are rumored to be better and more expensive. But I'm quite happy with my regular ones. 
Anyway, they are mostly made with the M42 screw mount, a simple dumb adapter for Fuji-X will cost you about 15 Euros on ebay. Adapted, the 58mm F2 turns into an almost-perfect 87mm portrait lens. There are also Metabones Speedbooster and cheaper chinese "Lens Turbo" adapters which turn it back into it's original 58mm focal lenght and add an extra stop of light. 
 
Other than that, I recommend experimenting. Pentax K lenses around 50mm are good and usually not as expensive as vintage Canon/Nikon lenses. Third-party P-K lenses can be found very cheap, I got a lot of "Auto Revuenon" lenses for almost nothing, apertures down to 1.7 are usually very affordable (based on your luck 10-30 Euros)- only the 1.4/1.2 lenses are quite expensive in comparison. A good alround lens I liked very much is an Auto Revuenon 50mm f1.9, got it for my girlfriend for 17 Euros and it's sharper than my own f1.7 version.
 
I'll have to look if I find some photos I can share, so far text only. 
 
Edit: Here's a pic taken with the Helios 44 (M-6 I believe). The swirly effect is quite visible, even with the crop sensor. I plan to get a Lens Turbo soon for the full effect.

You're making some valid points, and adapting lenses - especially the cheaper non-Leica ones - isn't for everyone. My usual always-on lens was the Fuji 35 1.4, until someone stole my camera and I had no money to buy all my stuff back.
Of course you have a super-sharp autofocus glas of much better optical quality. One should never assume to be able to outsmart the market and get something as great as a new Fuji lens for almost nothing. 
However, first off it's of course a matter of taste. If you're looking for technical perfection, tack sharpness, optimal lens correction, just don't. 
 
However, if you want to do some artsy stuff, play around, look for a vintage look, there's not much keeping you. I did it for fun first until my Fuji glass got stolen, then I also used adapted lenses more and more for everyday stuff (the only Fuji lens I still have is the XC 16-55 which is just not much fun to use). But after a while I started asking myself if, for my kind of photography, I should really buy the Fuji lenses back because I got so used to the old glass and it's more fun. 
 
Some more personal points: I'm perfectly used to manual film cameras and was never happy with speedy DSLRs, the X100 was the first digital camera I loved shooting with - because it was like my old film cameras and I understood it immediately. So manual lenses are also very natural to me. Not to mention that even the Fuji lenses were more reliable in manual focus during low light/concert photography. 
 
Another thing - I personally think the trend goes too much towards over-sharpness. Everyone with their DSLR want their photos to look like medium format with Contax lenses used to be, unnaturally detailed and super professional. I'm not looking for that really, I always liked photos that are a little more "down to earth", natural, not really perfect. As for sharpness, I guess the photo I posted above is pretty much the max I need, it's of course shot wide open so I could maybe get a little more out of the Helios, but to me it's just fine especially for a portrait. If I was into architecture I'd never touch this stuff.
 
Anyway, I'm rambling. I'd always recommend a good Fuji lens first, but if you have a few coppers left - go to ebay, have some fun, just don't spend and expect too much. 

Oh, my first posting in this forum
 
I have something to share with you guys & gals.
 
 
I made a .dcp color profile for Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw where I basically tried to reverse engineer the Classic Chrome simulation to have it available for my X-E1 and X-Pro1.
 
 
To install it, copy the .dcp file/files to:
 
Windows: /User/[your username]/AppData/Roaming/Adobe/CameraRaw/CameraProfiles/
Mac: /Users/[your username]/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/CameraProfiles/
 
 
It should appear under the Camera Calibration tab as a profile with the name "Camera Classic Chrome (Homebrew)"
 

 
 
 
 
Have fun, and feel free to post some examples
 
 
-> Download the X-E1 Version <-
 
-> Download the X-Pro1 Version <-



Download V5.1 (published 16.02.2016) here:

Classic Chrome Homebrew V5.1 for X-E1
 
Classic Chrome Homebrew V5.1 for X-Pro1
 
Classic Chrome Homebrew V5.1 for X100
 
Classic Chrome Homebrew V5.1 for X100S
 
Classic Chrome Homebrew V5.1 for X-T1
 
 
 
Edit: links updated (dropbox killed all links to the 'public' folder)

So far I'm using a lot of old Pentax K-Mount lenses and a few M42 (screw mount).
 
I'm definitely in love with the russian Helios lenses, the Helios 44 has this wonderful swirly-antique effect (it's based on an old pre-war Zeiss design) and comes in many variations, some older ones with more (13 or 8) aperture blades, newer ones with 6 blades (but those are sharper). Most sought after are the Helios 44 M-2 (13 blades), M (8 blades), M-4 (sharp), M-6 (sharper). They can be found for 20-30 Euros on ebay, it's also worth searching for an old Zenit camera which came usually bundled with a Helios. The 44 M-2 is a bit more sought after, also the lenses with a lot of zeros as first digits in the serial number are rumored to be better and more expensive. But I'm quite happy with my regular ones. 
Anyway, they are mostly made with the M42 screw mount, a simple dumb adapter for Fuji-X will cost you about 15 Euros on ebay. Adapted, the 58mm F2 turns into an almost-perfect 87mm portrait lens. There are also Metabones Speedbooster and cheaper chinese "Lens Turbo" adapters which turn it back into it's original 58mm focal lenght and add an extra stop of light. 
 
Other than that, I recommend experimenting. Pentax K lenses around 50mm are good and usually not as expensive as vintage Canon/Nikon lenses. Third-party P-K lenses can be found very cheap, I got a lot of "Auto Revuenon" lenses for almost nothing, apertures down to 1.7 are usually very affordable (based on your luck 10-30 Euros)- only the 1.4/1.2 lenses are quite expensive in comparison. A good alround lens I liked very much is an Auto Revuenon 50mm f1.9, got it for my girlfriend for 17 Euros and it's sharper than my own f1.7 version.
 
I'll have to look if I find some photos I can share, so far text only. 
 
Edit: Here's a pic taken with the Helios 44 (M-6 I believe). The swirly effect is quite visible, even with the crop sensor. I plan to get a Lens Turbo soon for the full effect.

You're making some valid points, and adapting lenses - especially the cheaper non-Leica ones - isn't for everyone. My usual always-on lens was the Fuji 35 1.4, until someone stole my camera and I had no money to buy all my stuff back.
Of course you have a super-sharp autofocus glas of much better optical quality. One should never assume to be able to outsmart the market and get something as great as a new Fuji lens for almost nothing. 
However, first off it's of course a matter of taste. If you're looking for technical perfection, tack sharpness, optimal lens correction, just don't. 
 
However, if you want to do some artsy stuff, play around, look for a vintage look, there's not much keeping you. I did it for fun first until my Fuji glass got stolen, then I also used adapted lenses more and more for everyday stuff (the only Fuji lens I still have is the XC 16-55 which is just not much fun to use). But after a while I started asking myself if, for my kind of photography, I should really buy the Fuji lenses back because I got so used to the old glass and it's more fun. 
 
Some more personal points: I'm perfectly used to manual film cameras and was never happy with speedy DSLRs, the X100 was the first digital camera I loved shooting with - because it was like my old film cameras and I understood it immediately. So manual lenses are also very natural to me. Not to mention that even the Fuji lenses were more reliable in manual focus during low light/concert photography. 
 
Another thing - I personally think the trend goes too much towards over-sharpness. Everyone with their DSLR want their photos to look like medium format with Contax lenses used to be, unnaturally detailed and super professional. I'm not looking for that really, I always liked photos that are a little more "down to earth", natural, not really perfect. As for sharpness, I guess the photo I posted above is pretty much the max I need, it's of course shot wide open so I could maybe get a little more out of the Helios, but to me it's just fine especially for a portrait. If I was into architecture I'd never touch this stuff.
 
Anyway, I'm rambling. I'd always recommend a good Fuji lens first, but if you have a few coppers left - go to ebay, have some fun, just don't spend and expect too much. 

So far I'm using a lot of old Pentax K-Mount lenses and a few M42 (screw mount).
 
I'm definitely in love with the russian Helios lenses, the Helios 44 has this wonderful swirly-antique effect (it's based on an old pre-war Zeiss design) and comes in many variations, some older ones with more (13 or 8) aperture blades, newer ones with 6 blades (but those are sharper). Most sought after are the Helios 44 M-2 (13 blades), M (8 blades), M-4 (sharp), M-6 (sharper). They can be found for 20-30 Euros on ebay, it's also worth searching for an old Zenit camera which came usually bundled with a Helios. The 44 M-2 is a bit more sought after, also the lenses with a lot of zeros as first digits in the serial number are rumored to be better and more expensive. But I'm quite happy with my regular ones. 
Anyway, they are mostly made with the M42 screw mount, a simple dumb adapter for Fuji-X will cost you about 15 Euros on ebay. Adapted, the 58mm F2 turns into an almost-perfect 87mm portrait lens. There are also Metabones Speedbooster and cheaper chinese "Lens Turbo" adapters which turn it back into it's original 58mm focal lenght and add an extra stop of light. 
 
Other than that, I recommend experimenting. Pentax K lenses around 50mm are good and usually not as expensive as vintage Canon/Nikon lenses. Third-party P-K lenses can be found very cheap, I got a lot of "Auto Revuenon" lenses for almost nothing, apertures down to 1.7 are usually very affordable (based on your luck 10-30 Euros)- only the 1.4/1.2 lenses are quite expensive in comparison. A good alround lens I liked very much is an Auto Revuenon 50mm f1.9, got it for my girlfriend for 17 Euros and it's sharper than my own f1.7 version.
 
I'll have to look if I find some photos I can share, so far text only. 
 
Edit: Here's a pic taken with the Helios 44 (M-6 I believe). The swirly effect is quite visible, even with the crop sensor. I plan to get a Lens Turbo soon for the full effect.

I don't know if there's a "best" lens, it depends on the job I guess. My always-on portrait lens at the moment is a russian Helios 44, famous for it's swirly bokeh effect. There are many variations of it, the earlier ones somewhat creamier with more aperture blades, the later ones sharper but with lesser blades. 
Otherwise I used to try out many cheaper Pentax K lenses, some of them also available for M42. Some brands like Revue, Ricoh, Chinon etc. can be found dirt cheap and are fun to try out. Just don't expect extremely sharp, technically perfect pictures.

If I could only keep one Fuji lens it'd be the 35 1.4, it does everything I need in almost any situation and has a really great quality. I don't need another stop of light and really think Fuji should better add some more affordable glass to the pool, rather than adding more and more luxury lenses for the few freaks who have that kind of money. 

So far I'm using a lot of old Pentax K-Mount lenses and a few M42 (screw mount).
 
I'm definitely in love with the russian Helios lenses, the Helios 44 has this wonderful swirly-antique effect (it's based on an old pre-war Zeiss design) and comes in many variations, some older ones with more (13 or 8) aperture blades, newer ones with 6 blades (but those are sharper). Most sought after are the Helios 44 M-2 (13 blades), M (8 blades), M-4 (sharp), M-6 (sharper). They can be found for 20-30 Euros on ebay, it's also worth searching for an old Zenit camera which came usually bundled with a Helios. The 44 M-2 is a bit more sought after, also the lenses with a lot of zeros as first digits in the serial number are rumored to be better and more expensive. But I'm quite happy with my regular ones. 
Anyway, they are mostly made with the M42 screw mount, a simple dumb adapter for Fuji-X will cost you about 15 Euros on ebay. Adapted, the 58mm F2 turns into an almost-perfect 87mm portrait lens. There are also Metabones Speedbooster and cheaper chinese "Lens Turbo" adapters which turn it back into it's original 58mm focal lenght and add an extra stop of light. 
 
Other than that, I recommend experimenting. Pentax K lenses around 50mm are good and usually not as expensive as vintage Canon/Nikon lenses. Third-party P-K lenses can be found very cheap, I got a lot of "Auto Revuenon" lenses for almost nothing, apertures down to 1.7 are usually very affordable (based on your luck 10-30 Euros)- only the 1.4/1.2 lenses are quite expensive in comparison. A good alround lens I liked very much is an Auto Revuenon 50mm f1.9, got it for my girlfriend for 17 Euros and it's sharper than my own f1.7 version.
 
I'll have to look if I find some photos I can share, so far text only. 
 
Edit: Here's a pic taken with the Helios 44 (M-6 I believe). The swirly effect is quite visible, even with the crop sensor. I plan to get a Lens Turbo soon for the full effect.

Haha, gotta love autocorrection!

f/otographer the more I dive into photography and the more I come to the same conclusions that you exposed in your post. Gear is really a small
part of the creative process, and all comes to the ability of the human behind the camera to use at best what he has. This really puts in another prospective
all the talks about the last gimmick in one body or in another, and so on.
 
That said, I loved using the Helios last night. As this is my first time using a fixed focal lenght lens and also the first time using a manual lens, the learning curve
is steep, somethimes you loose the shot because you didn't have focus in the right position or you can't make a step back or forth to your subject.
But ehy, neither with the best of the best of the shooting gear you have always the photo ensured.
 
By the way there are some of the first shots I took, I hope you enjoy them:D


 

 

The more I think about it the more you're making real sense there. I'm really considering doing exactly that, which would also mean no more waiting for the PK adapter release. Keeping infinity and being able to adapt 3 different systems sounds too good.

I'm currently looking forward to seeing a Lens Turbo II Pentax K adapter from Zhong Yi (Mitakon), it's announced but already very late. It'd be a great addition to my system because my Cupboard is full of old K lenses... However, my current always-on for portraits is a Helios 44 (M42), so my first question: Does anyone have experience with using an M42-Pentax K adapter on a Lens Turbo/Speed booster for Pentax K/Fuji X? Does it even work? Zhong Yi already offers a M42-Fuji adapter, but given the amount of K lenses I have I'd rather go with the upcoming Pentax K option, and given my limited funds not buy both. 
 
Other than that, how's the general experience and satisfaction with Lens Turbo or similar adapters? I'm quite aware they're not nearly as sharp as the unadapted lens or the Metabones stuff, but I'm not looking for perfect sharpness in my photos anyway, more for pleasing portraits with nice backgrounds. Also, that extra stop of light would be amazing for using my favorite portrait lenses in low light situations. 

I'm not an X-T1 owner, but can easily relate. I never really got into digital photography, which doesn't mean I was a big film shooter either - but I used to shoot and have a lot of fun during school days with my old film SLRs. Used to have a few digital point and shoot cameras, never liked them much, never got interested in buying a new one, always hated big clunky DSLRs. Until I saw a used X100 and just had to buy it, love on first sight. Since then I had so much fun getting back into photography and trying new stuff, it's insane. Not everything is golden in Fujiland, but for that I'll always be thankful. 

So far I'm using a lot of old Pentax K-Mount lenses and a few M42 (screw mount).
 
I'm definitely in love with the russian Helios lenses, the Helios 44 has this wonderful swirly-antique effect (it's based on an old pre-war Zeiss design) and comes in many variations, some older ones with more (13 or 8) aperture blades, newer ones with 6 blades (but those are sharper). Most sought after are the Helios 44 M-2 (13 blades), M (8 blades), M-4 (sharp), M-6 (sharper). They can be found for 20-30 Euros on ebay, it's also worth searching for an old Zenit camera which came usually bundled with a Helios. The 44 M-2 is a bit more sought after, also the lenses with a lot of zeros as first digits in the serial number are rumored to be better and more expensive. But I'm quite happy with my regular ones. 
Anyway, they are mostly made with the M42 screw mount, a simple dumb adapter for Fuji-X will cost you about 15 Euros on ebay. Adapted, the 58mm F2 turns into an almost-perfect 87mm portrait lens. There are also Metabones Speedbooster and cheaper chinese "Lens Turbo" adapters which turn it back into it's original 58mm focal lenght and add an extra stop of light. 
 
Other than that, I recommend experimenting. Pentax K lenses around 50mm are good and usually not as expensive as vintage Canon/Nikon lenses. Third-party P-K lenses can be found very cheap, I got a lot of "Auto Revuenon" lenses for almost nothing, apertures down to 1.7 are usually very affordable (based on your luck 10-30 Euros)- only the 1.4/1.2 lenses are quite expensive in comparison. A good alround lens I liked very much is an Auto Revuenon 50mm f1.9, got it for my girlfriend for 17 Euros and it's sharper than my own f1.7 version.
 
I'll have to look if I find some photos I can share, so far text only. 
 
Edit: Here's a pic taken with the Helios 44 (M-6 I believe). The swirly effect is quite visible, even with the crop sensor. I plan to get a Lens Turbo soon for the full effect.

So far I'm using a lot of old Pentax K-Mount lenses and a few M42 (screw mount).
 
I'm definitely in love with the russian Helios lenses, the Helios 44 has this wonderful swirly-antique effect (it's based on an old pre-war Zeiss design) and comes in many variations, some older ones with more (13 or 8) aperture blades, newer ones with 6 blades (but those are sharper). Most sought after are the Helios 44 M-2 (13 blades), M (8 blades), M-4 (sharp), M-6 (sharper). They can be found for 20-30 Euros on ebay, it's also worth searching for an old Zenit camera which came usually bundled with a Helios. The 44 M-2 is a bit more sought after, also the lenses with a lot of zeros as first digits in the serial number are rumored to be better and more expensive. But I'm quite happy with my regular ones. 
Anyway, they are mostly made with the M42 screw mount, a simple dumb adapter for Fuji-X will cost you about 15 Euros on ebay. Adapted, the 58mm F2 turns into an almost-perfect 87mm portrait lens. There are also Metabones Speedbooster and cheaper chinese "Lens Turbo" adapters which turn it back into it's original 58mm focal lenght and add an extra stop of light. 
 
Other than that, I recommend experimenting. Pentax K lenses around 50mm are good and usually not as expensive as vintage Canon/Nikon lenses. Third-party P-K lenses can be found very cheap, I got a lot of "Auto Revuenon" lenses for almost nothing, apertures down to 1.7 are usually very affordable (based on your luck 10-30 Euros)- only the 1.4/1.2 lenses are quite expensive in comparison. A good alround lens I liked very much is an Auto Revuenon 50mm f1.9, got it for my girlfriend for 17 Euros and it's sharper than my own f1.7 version.
 
I'll have to look if I find some photos I can share, so far text only. 
 
Edit: Here's a pic taken with the Helios 44 (M-6 I believe). The swirly effect is quite visible, even with the crop sensor. I plan to get a Lens Turbo soon for the full effect.

I agree with you milandro, if one is looking for best performance and best of the tecnology this is not what will
make you happy.
 
For me at the moment it is just a cheap way to try to experiment with ma X-T1 since I am a student with no money XD
 
Want I to buy the incredible 16mm f/1.4 or the 35? YES totally   can I afford them now? NO totally but I have 25 € to buy one of
this old lenses that wouldn't give me the great performance of fuji glass, but will deliver some nice shot till I wait for a job and more
money and I got that going for me, which is nice [cit.]
 
By the way... today I went out for shopping and found this beauty in a flea market, zenit 12xp + helios 44M-4 for for a really cheap price
 

 
 
tried it with bulb pose and both seams to work, at the moment I am not very interested in the camera, so I will probably sell it soon and
get an adapter for the lens.
 
By the way, maybe it's a stupid question but, why adapters M42 to fuji X are so thick with respect to other adapters?

I have mixed feelings about digital photography and adapted lenses.
 
I understand that, especially in this thread, my stance won’t find much sympathy since the participants are obviously enthusiasts, so go easy with the flack! Exchanging opinions is the point of a forum, not being right or wrong or winning arguments.
 
Using adapted lenses somehow makes me think of having a formula one car with the parking brakes slightly pulled while racing  (     there is no parking brake on a formula one and for a good reason!).
 
You have a camera capable all sorts of functions ( which you no longer have ) implying a communication between camera and lens ( including some software correction of the specific lens that we are using as opposed to a more “ general” one” chosen when you tell the camera which adapted focal length you are using, so the camera applies a general, un-targeted, correction).
 
All of this produces some limitations ( ok, I respect your choice) and might have some ill effects on maximum achievable quality because the lens is not specifically corrected by the camera software ( it does so also on raw files not only jpeg’s) also because the lenses used weren’t made for the specific digital photography use and weren’t optimized for the sensor that you are using.
 
It I have tried several lenses on my X-E1 ( and have my thoughts on this having been the cause of some dirt on the sensor)  but the Helios 58mm, the Takumar 50mm and the Chinon 28 that I have used didn’t impress me.
 
Yes the helios bokeh     was fun for a couple of shots but then it became and end itself and not a means to an end. Clearing the radioactive Takumar was also interesting but the pictures were no better than with other lenses. The Chinon was not much of a muchness anyway.
 
Anyway, I understand this is fun and games and that there has to be some form of satisfaction in using these lenses that I am not really understanding.
 
 
About buying them.
 
 
Despite the fact that now many people are aware of the fact that lenses which were useless until not so long ago have been resurrected and all seem to have a market now, it is still possible to buy for very little money these lenses at car booth sales.
 
In my experience spending 60€ for an Helios is ... a lot of cash! If adaptive photography is thrifty as much as a good deed celebrating the “ legacy” lenses, you can do a lot better than that!
 
Anyway, in answer to OP:
 
 
Check for grease or oil on the aperture blades or in the lens. Cleaning it is NOT always necessary but it is NO fun!
 
Check for fungus ( looks like cracks) in the glued element of the lens.
 
Check for dust particles most old lenses will have some unless they have had a VERY protected life.
 
Check that the focussing helicoid is smooth and doesn’t feel “ gritty” or has any hesitations in the action.
 
Takumarks ( and other lenses) might be yellow because they contain radioactive elements which get yellow-brownish in time.
 
 
It takes a bout two days with an IKEA special led lamp to clear them or very long exposure in the sun (if the lens becomes too hot the glued elements might detach)
 
Adapters can be cheap or expensive, your call, the turbo adapters make you lose definition (!!!) but give the same look in terms of their nominal focal length on a reduced size sensor ( so a 35 stays a 35 and doesn’t become a 50).
 
Turbo adapters CANNOT be used with all type of lenses. Those which protrude inside too much cannot be used with those adapters!
 
 
Remember that long adapted lenses will have thick lens elements which add a lot of dispersion that is not beneficial to the quality and contrast of the images.

So far I'm using a lot of old Pentax K-Mount lenses and a few M42 (screw mount).
 
I'm definitely in love with the russian Helios lenses, the Helios 44 has this wonderful swirly-antique effect (it's based on an old pre-war Zeiss design) and comes in many variations, some older ones with more (13 or 8) aperture blades, newer ones with 6 blades (but those are sharper). Most sought after are the Helios 44 M-2 (13 blades), M (8 blades), M-4 (sharp), M-6 (sharper). They can be found for 20-30 Euros on ebay, it's also worth searching for an old Zenit camera which came usually bundled with a Helios. The 44 M-2 is a bit more sought after, also the lenses with a lot of zeros as first digits in the serial number are rumored to be better and more expensive. But I'm quite happy with my regular ones. 
Anyway, they are mostly made with the M42 screw mount, a simple dumb adapter for Fuji-X will cost you about 15 Euros on ebay. Adapted, the 58mm F2 turns into an almost-perfect 87mm portrait lens. There are also Metabones Speedbooster and cheaper chinese "Lens Turbo" adapters which turn it back into it's original 58mm focal lenght and add an extra stop of light. 
 
Other than that, I recommend experimenting. Pentax K lenses around 50mm are good and usually not as expensive as vintage Canon/Nikon lenses. Third-party P-K lenses can be found very cheap, I got a lot of "Auto Revuenon" lenses for almost nothing, apertures down to 1.7 are usually very affordable (based on your luck 10-30 Euros)- only the 1.4/1.2 lenses are quite expensive in comparison. A good alround lens I liked very much is an Auto Revuenon 50mm f1.9, got it for my girlfriend for 17 Euros and it's sharper than my own f1.7 version.
 
I'll have to look if I find some photos I can share, so far text only. 
 
Edit: Here's a pic taken with the Helios 44 (M-6 I believe). The swirly effect is quite visible, even with the crop sensor. I plan to get a Lens Turbo soon for the full effect.

For 60€ it'd better be good. I got mine for half of that, not like new but in very good condition (and with a functional Zenit 12xp attached to it. )
Anyway, I'm sure you'll have fun, at the moment this is my only portrait lens. I recommend trees, forest, grass, dead leaves as background for the swirl, but I like the creamy bokeh without it too. 

So far I'm using a lot of old Pentax K-Mount lenses and a few M42 (screw mount).
 
I'm definitely in love with the russian Helios lenses, the Helios 44 has this wonderful swirly-antique effect (it's based on an old pre-war Zeiss design) and comes in many variations, some older ones with more (13 or 8) aperture blades, newer ones with 6 blades (but those are sharper). Most sought after are the Helios 44 M-2 (13 blades), M (8 blades), M-4 (sharp), M-6 (sharper). They can be found for 20-30 Euros on ebay, it's also worth searching for an old Zenit camera which came usually bundled with a Helios. The 44 M-2 is a bit more sought after, also the lenses with a lot of zeros as first digits in the serial number are rumored to be better and more expensive. But I'm quite happy with my regular ones. 
Anyway, they are mostly made with the M42 screw mount, a simple dumb adapter for Fuji-X will cost you about 15 Euros on ebay. Adapted, the 58mm F2 turns into an almost-perfect 87mm portrait lens. There are also Metabones Speedbooster and cheaper chinese "Lens Turbo" adapters which turn it back into it's original 58mm focal lenght and add an extra stop of light. 
 
Other than that, I recommend experimenting. Pentax K lenses around 50mm are good and usually not as expensive as vintage Canon/Nikon lenses. Third-party P-K lenses can be found very cheap, I got a lot of "Auto Revuenon" lenses for almost nothing, apertures down to 1.7 are usually very affordable (based on your luck 10-30 Euros)- only the 1.4/1.2 lenses are quite expensive in comparison. A good alround lens I liked very much is an Auto Revuenon 50mm f1.9, got it for my girlfriend for 17 Euros and it's sharper than my own f1.7 version.
 
I'll have to look if I find some photos I can share, so far text only. 
 
Edit: Here's a pic taken with the Helios 44 (M-6 I believe). The swirly effect is quite visible, even with the crop sensor. I plan to get a Lens Turbo soon for the full effect.

So far I'm using a lot of old Pentax K-Mount lenses and a few M42 (screw mount).
 
I'm definitely in love with the russian Helios lenses, the Helios 44 has this wonderful swirly-antique effect (it's based on an old pre-war Zeiss design) and comes in many variations, some older ones with more (13 or 8) aperture blades, newer ones with 6 blades (but those are sharper). Most sought after are the Helios 44 M-2 (13 blades), M (8 blades), M-4 (sharp), M-6 (sharper). They can be found for 20-30 Euros on ebay, it's also worth searching for an old Zenit camera which came usually bundled with a Helios. The 44 M-2 is a bit more sought after, also the lenses with a lot of zeros as first digits in the serial number are rumored to be better and more expensive. But I'm quite happy with my regular ones. 
Anyway, they are mostly made with the M42 screw mount, a simple dumb adapter for Fuji-X will cost you about 15 Euros on ebay. Adapted, the 58mm F2 turns into an almost-perfect 87mm portrait lens. There are also Metabones Speedbooster and cheaper chinese "Lens Turbo" adapters which turn it back into it's original 58mm focal lenght and add an extra stop of light. 
 
Other than that, I recommend experimenting. Pentax K lenses around 50mm are good and usually not as expensive as vintage Canon/Nikon lenses. Third-party P-K lenses can be found very cheap, I got a lot of "Auto Revuenon" lenses for almost nothing, apertures down to 1.7 are usually very affordable (based on your luck 10-30 Euros)- only the 1.4/1.2 lenses are quite expensive in comparison. A good alround lens I liked very much is an Auto Revuenon 50mm f1.9, got it for my girlfriend for 17 Euros and it's sharper than my own f1.7 version.
 
I'll have to look if I find some photos I can share, so far text only. 
 
Edit: Here's a pic taken with the Helios 44 (M-6 I believe). The swirly effect is quite visible, even with the crop sensor. I plan to get a Lens Turbo soon for the full effect.

So far I'm using a lot of old Pentax K-Mount lenses and a few M42 (screw mount).
 
I'm definitely in love with the russian Helios lenses, the Helios 44 has this wonderful swirly-antique effect (it's based on an old pre-war Zeiss design) and comes in many variations, some older ones with more (13 or 8) aperture blades, newer ones with 6 blades (but those are sharper). Most sought after are the Helios 44 M-2 (13 blades), M (8 blades), M-4 (sharp), M-6 (sharper). They can be found for 20-30 Euros on ebay, it's also worth searching for an old Zenit camera which came usually bundled with a Helios. The 44 M-2 is a bit more sought after, also the lenses with a lot of zeros as first digits in the serial number are rumored to be better and more expensive. But I'm quite happy with my regular ones. 
Anyway, they are mostly made with the M42 screw mount, a simple dumb adapter for Fuji-X will cost you about 15 Euros on ebay. Adapted, the 58mm F2 turns into an almost-perfect 87mm portrait lens. There are also Metabones Speedbooster and cheaper chinese "Lens Turbo" adapters which turn it back into it's original 58mm focal lenght and add an extra stop of light. 
 
Other than that, I recommend experimenting. Pentax K lenses around 50mm are good and usually not as expensive as vintage Canon/Nikon lenses. Third-party P-K lenses can be found very cheap, I got a lot of "Auto Revuenon" lenses for almost nothing, apertures down to 1.7 are usually very affordable (based on your luck 10-30 Euros)- only the 1.4/1.2 lenses are quite expensive in comparison. A good alround lens I liked very much is an Auto Revuenon 50mm f1.9, got it for my girlfriend for 17 Euros and it's sharper than my own f1.7 version.
 
I'll have to look if I find some photos I can share, so far text only. 
 
Edit: Here's a pic taken with the Helios 44 (M-6 I believe). The swirly effect is quite visible, even with the crop sensor. I plan to get a Lens Turbo soon for the full effect.

So far I'm using a lot of old Pentax K-Mount lenses and a few M42 (screw mount).
 
I'm definitely in love with the russian Helios lenses, the Helios 44 has this wonderful swirly-antique effect (it's based on an old pre-war Zeiss design) and comes in many variations, some older ones with more (13 or 8) aperture blades, newer ones with 6 blades (but those are sharper). Most sought after are the Helios 44 M-2 (13 blades), M (8 blades), M-4 (sharp), M-6 (sharper). They can be found for 20-30 Euros on ebay, it's also worth searching for an old Zenit camera which came usually bundled with a Helios. The 44 M-2 is a bit more sought after, also the lenses with a lot of zeros as first digits in the serial number are rumored to be better and more expensive. But I'm quite happy with my regular ones. 
Anyway, they are mostly made with the M42 screw mount, a simple dumb adapter for Fuji-X will cost you about 15 Euros on ebay. Adapted, the 58mm F2 turns into an almost-perfect 87mm portrait lens. There are also Metabones Speedbooster and cheaper chinese "Lens Turbo" adapters which turn it back into it's original 58mm focal lenght and add an extra stop of light. 
 
Other than that, I recommend experimenting. Pentax K lenses around 50mm are good and usually not as expensive as vintage Canon/Nikon lenses. Third-party P-K lenses can be found very cheap, I got a lot of "Auto Revuenon" lenses for almost nothing, apertures down to 1.7 are usually very affordable (based on your luck 10-30 Euros)- only the 1.4/1.2 lenses are quite expensive in comparison. A good alround lens I liked very much is an Auto Revuenon 50mm f1.9, got it for my girlfriend for 17 Euros and it's sharper than my own f1.7 version.
 
I'll have to look if I find some photos I can share, so far text only. 
 
Edit: Here's a pic taken with the Helios 44 (M-6 I believe). The swirly effect is quite visible, even with the crop sensor. I plan to get a Lens Turbo soon for the full effect.