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October, 2024

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Third-party lenses

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oil.
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 1,254
I want some new glass. problem is, Im a broke 15 year old with no job currently but a camera and an interest in filming (mostly skiing, maybe 10% photography when im bored). Stuff like this im on my own on... need some cheap alternatives (wont/cant spend 800 on a brand name lens). are opteka lenses any good? i have a canon 7d (it was my moms, i bought myself a d90, we traded because she liked the simpler nikon and the canon did 1080 video). specifically im looking for a fisheye lens. looking to get a job this summer caddying ($$$$$$$$$) but still unsure.

sparknotes: are opteka lenses any good? what are some cheap lens alternatives?
May 24 2011 11:54PM
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@ScubaSteve
Posts: 378 - Karma: 822
rokinon  8mm f/3.5 if you want that full 180 degree fisheye look.
Love the lens, only costs me $250 I believe.
If you want a little less of a fisheye, i've heard great things about the sigma 10mm f/2.8
although it is alittle bit more pricey
May 25 2011 12:12AM
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TWoods
Posts: 10014 - Karma: 8,386
the opteka/rokinon/prooptic/bower/samayang fisheye are all the same lens, rebranded. Even though some of them claim different focal lengths. If you look at them, you can tell they are the same.

They are great lenses for the money. Sharp, plenty of contrast, I've noticed very little aberration. I've been meaning to get one myself.
May 25 2011 3:29AM
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ChucklesNorman.
Posts: 1197 - Karma: 719
The samyang/rokinon/opteca fisheye is a great lens for the price.

Also, I'm going to play Eheath for a second and recommend looking at some old primes. They are as good or better than a lot of the new lenses that are 10x more expensive.

From cinema 5D, The killer price / performance setup:
*Olympus OM Zuiko 28mm f3.5* $50-$80 It's not just good for the price, it's good for ANY price. This lens is sick

*Pentax SMC 50mm f1.4* $100-$150 Fast, razor sharp, near as good as a 50mm gets. Period.

Here is a pretty good thread about some older lenses.
https://newschoolers.com/ns/forums/readthread/thread_id/559087/page/2/
May 25 2011 9:08AM
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*simba*
Posts: 9125 - Karma: 512
Would I just search for a Pentax to Canon adapter for this lens, or is there a more specific adapter for this?
May 25 2011 9:28AM
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alexat955
Posts: 2732 - Karma: 112
I believe it's m42 to canon eos
May 25 2011 9:56AM
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eheath
Posts: 61603 - Karma: 123,089
Pentax is pentax-k mount, there are alot of PK -> EOS adapters around.
May 25 2011 11:41AM
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Chunter
Posts: 2050 - Karma: 1,894
I was looking through that link and came across the Minolta Rokkor 58mm f1.2; for the conversion to EOS, do you actually have to drill into your body or just in the specific adapter/lens?

Also, does anybody know of any sharp, wideee lens' like the Pentax and Rokkor with a really low f/stop? I'm thinking about getting a Tonika 11-16 f/2.8 but if I can find a prime in that range with a f/stop around there it would be so legit!

Sorry for the thread jack haha.
May 25 2011 12:49PM
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eheath
Posts: 61603 - Karma: 123,089
ultra wide primes faster than 3.5 get spendy, nikon makes a 15mm 3.5 that you can find for a decent price, nikon has 20mm 3.5 i think then 24mm 2.8 for around 150-200 and 24mm f2 for 400. 28mm 2.8s are cheaper.
May 25 2011 1:38PM
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alexat955
Posts: 2732 - Karma: 112
oh i thought they did both my bad
May 25 2011 3:14PM
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TijmenDal
Posts: 4849 - Karma: 1,295
Yeah... not many cheap wide MF lenses around. 28mm is about as cheap/wide as it get's I think. Pity. Guess I'm gonna have to get a Samyang 14mm or something...
May 25 2011 3:26PM
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Chunter
Posts: 2050 - Karma: 1,894
Yeahhh I have my kit 18-55 but I need something wider than that for car meets which are always super crammed and its hard to get far enough away to get the whole car in the picture without people walking in front. Guess I'll keep searching...

I'm also looking to get either a Helios 44-2 2/58mm or a Super-Takumar 50mm, F1.4. I'm almost leaning to the Super Takumar because of the 1.4 over the 2.0 but what do you guys think? Is the Helios that much better than the Takumar?
May 25 2011 4:25PM
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TijmenDal
Posts: 4849 - Karma: 1,295
They're VERY different. Apart from that the Takumar is a full stop faster, it's a very different lens as well. The Helios is mostly bought for the exceptionally harsh bokeh, whereas the Takumar is just very sharp and has a much creamier bokeh.

Íf you decide to go for the Takumar, get an SMC Takumar, not a Super-Takumar. The SMC (Super Multi-Coated) ones are much better than the Super-Takumars!

The beauty about old MF lenses is that they're cheap and if you decide you want to sell it, you can sell it for the same price, or even make a little profit on it!
May 25 2011 6:52PM
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