There is still plenty that can be gained by maintaining your presence in photography, say, with a vintage manual focus prime lens mounted on a digital SLR camera, which can be a vintage model itself. The setup can be based on curiosity about image characteristics of lenses from the past, a choice to start going digital over the ever-increasing cost of doing film photography, or the option of acquiring advanced digital camera models.
I did my pick with a Nikon Series E 35mm 1:2.5, mounted on a Canon EOS 300D via an AF-Confirm Nikon Ai to Canon EF lens adapter. On the EOS 300D, the Series E 35mm 1:2.5 lens is equivalent to a 56mm lens on a 35mm full-frame camera, a focal length that is a tad longer than a standard 55mm lens as often found on vintage SLR film cameras.
Nikon Series E lenses were introduced by Nikon as a range of lightweight and affordable lenses to accompany the budget-priced Nikon EM, FG, and FG-20 SLR film cameras, scaled down in size, weight, and in some cases, with revised optical formulas as compared to the Nikkor series lenses. The 35mm 1:2.5, a good low-cost alternative, is 5 elements in 6 group design with Nikon Integrated Coating (NIC) and is highly recommended for its good contrast and neutral color rendition.
The Canon EOS 300D (EOS Digital Rebel in North America, in Japan as the EOS Kiss Digital in Japan), introduced in 2012, was the first entry-level digital SLR camera introduced by Canon. The camera was launched with a 6.3MP CMOS sensor, initially with a silver polycarbonate body, and was the first to be fitted with the EF-S lens mount, a compatible variation of the EF lens mount created for Canon digital SLRs with APS-C sensors.
Up Close
I took the challenge of using the lens and camera setup for close-up shots of the hibiscus in bloom and the tiniest buds and leaves from my miniature garden, which had only a sparse group of flowering plants. Adapting the lens to the camera via an AF-confirm adapter is also very convenient as the adapter is compatible with the camera's focus confirmation system. The setup works well and flawlessly.
The resulting images, tweaked and cropped on the desktop image editor do well to show that the lens and camera setup is worth more than just for photographing the plants and flowers in the garden, it should do well for other genres of photography as well.
With prices for the asking on the auction market for the camera, and slightly higher for the harder-to-come-by lens, the system could very well be a good start for the budding photographer or if you are thinking about veering away from the ever-increasing cost of doing film photography, or delving yourself into the higher and more complex end of digital photography.
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