Basic instruction

[tiggyboo]

I have an X-T30 that I'd like to use some  of my old Canon FD lenses with.  I have the adapter and made the recommended menu changes (e.g., shoot with no lens, set focal length.)  However, I'm not sure how to do the metering once they are in place.  I understand it is manual - but does manual mean I make settings on the lens according to what my viewfinder manual exposure is telling me, or do I need to basically use a light meter/external source to determine the exposure setting and adjust accordingly?

[quincy]

With Canon FD lenses, two things will not work automatically anymore: focus and aperture setting. Everything else on your camera still works in auto-mode, if you wish so. Especially automatic ISO as well as automatic shutter speed.

If your viewfinder is set to "preview exposure and white balance", then what you see is what you get. If you want your camera to evaluate and set your exposure for you, just dial in the aperture you want to have on your lens, and let the camera do the rest (auto-ISO, auto-shutterspeed). You can even chose one of those (e.g. the shutterspeed) yourself, and let the camera set the right exposure via the other one (ISO in this example).

If you want to use the camera fully manual (set aperture, shutter speed and ISO yourself), then you can either use the EV meter or the histogram in your viewfinder, or the viewfinder image itself to set the exposure as you want.

Just a small hint: use the aperture to define your depth of field, use the shutterspeed to freeze motion (or to allow movement, if you wish), and then use your ISO to compensate for the correct brightness of your image.

 

And have fun!

[tiggyboo]

Thanks Quincy.  I do have "preview exposure and white balance" set, yet I always just get "F0" in the viewfinder when I put an FD lens on.  With shutter speed in Auto, the F stop never changes (always F0), nor does the displayed shutter speed when I change the f stop on the lens.  I wonder if I have some other menu setting that is keeping this from working?

Thanks,

Al

[quincy]

FD lenses don't transfer aperture information to the camera. The aperture coupling in the FD bayonet was completely manual. If you look at the back of your lens, there is a lever that runs on a circular track. This lever, if moved all the way to the other side, stops your lens down until it reaches the value you set at the aperture ring.

This means you need an adapter with a built in mechanical coupler. The simplest ones just have a pin which moves the lever all the way down while you attach the lens to the adapter, and then you can simply adjust the aperture by turning the aperture ring. More fancy ones have an additional ring on the adapter, to simulate the camera stopping down the lens. I have one of those: https://www.metabones.com/products/details/MB_SPFD-X-BM2 You can see the (movable) pin inside the adapter, at the bottom.

If your adapter does not have a pin / ring etc., your lens can't stop down. However, even if it does, your camera does not know the aperture setting. Good thing is, the camera does the metering (for exposure) without knowing the aperture setting, by just simply evaluating the live feed off the sensor, and can adjust ISO / shutter speed accordingly.

[tiggyboo]

On 7/3/2019 at 6:25 AM, quincy said:

... Good thing is, the camera does the metering (for exposure) without knowing the aperture setting, by just simply evaluating the live feed off the sensor, and can adjust ISO / shutter speed accordingly.

This is where I am having the problem - evaluating the live feed off the sensor to get what I need to set things manually.  I understand that the lens isn't going to convey any information.  What specifically should I be seeing in the viewfinder to indicate the camera is evaluating the exposure?  Everything looks absolutely static for me with the lens adaptor in place.  Thanks!

[quincy]

If you turn the aperture ring on the lens (when it is attached to the adapter & camera), does the aperture change size?

[tiggyboo]

Yes, thanks.

[quincy]

Ok, so when you close the aperture while keeping ISO and shutter speed the same, the live view image in your viewfinder should get darker.

You can use that information (or the live histogram) to adapt shutter speed or ISO yourself. (Or you let the camera do the job with one of the auto-settings)

Edited July 27, 2019 by quincy

[Chasingdashot]

Hello

I am new to the forum and a beginner with adapting lenses. I want to adapt Leica lenses to my Fuji X-Pro3. I bough the Fuji adapter for Leica to Fuji X mount. Put it on the camera, but the fit is slightly off, so with zone focusing everything is shifted a bit to the right...is this correct or is there a problem with the Fuji adapter? Also I thought I would be able to use focus peaking when manually focusing but have not yet been successful.... I will continue to try, but is it feasible?

Thanks much!

 

[jerryy]

15 hours ago, Chasingdashot said:

Hello

I am new to the forum and a beginner with adapting lenses. I want to adapt Leica lenses to my Fuji X-Pro3. I bough the Fuji adapter for Leica to Fuji X mount. Put it on the camera, but the fit is slightly off, so with zone focusing everything is shifted a bit to the right...is this correct or is there a problem with the Fuji adapter? Also I thought I would be able to use focus peaking when manually focusing but have not yet been successful.... I will continue to try, but is it feasible?

Thanks much!

 

I am not able to help you with the adapter fit (I do not have those lenses). But focus peaking should work with Leicas and adapters. How do you have the menu options set up?

Also, this may help: https://www.jmpeltier.com/fujifilm-manual-focus-assist-modes/

[mrPeter]

On 3/17/2021 at 9:25 AM, Chasingdashot said:

>>Also I thought I would be able to use focus peaking when manually focusing but have not yet been successful.... I will continue to try, but is it feasible?<<

Thanks much!

 

Did you switch the M/C/S focus switch on the front of your camera to M? On my X-T4 peaking with an adapted manual lens only works when I switch to Manual focus. Hope this helps.

[James Hurren]

Hey great thread.

I'm curious about how adapting full frame lenses influences compression, if at all. I know a Nikon 300mm f/4.5 NIKKOR-ED Ai-S IF will have the same angle of view as a 450mm lens. It won't have the same DOF as on full frame, it will effectively be an f/6.75. This leads me to doubt that compression of the lens is influenced at all by use with a different sensor size. There's also subject isolation, which may or may not be the same thing?

I spend more time taking photos than thinking about these things, so don't worry. Help me understand. Heh.

[Astigmatism]

On 7/3/2019 at 7:25 AM, quincy said:

FD lenses don't transfer aperture information to the camera.

The way I remember them, the camera body would have a little window above the lens looking down on the top of the barrel, and in the viewfinder you could see the aperture. But this was strictly optical and didn't couple to the exposure control system in any way. If you put your finger in the wrong place, you'd see that in the viewfinder instead. I had an F1 and an AT1 and don't remember if one or both of them worked this way. Anybody know more specifically?