Practicing Photography with Old Film Lenses?

Do you ever practise photography? When I used to play golf, I spent more time practising than actually playing on the course. I’d experiment, learning how to bend the ball’s flight, not worrying about what some might call ‘perfect.’ I have never quite understood what perfect means, but I got my handicap down to 5 and almost made 4!

Do photographers practice, I mean without worrying about taking a prize winning photograph? When I talk to photographers they mention watching videos to learn more about photography, but once they have a camera in their hands I wonder if the mindset is more about making a perfect photograph, at least for most of the time.Yesterday, I took my X-T50 to the town of Brigg, with just one lens – an old Olympus 50mm film lens – to practice! I arranged to meet Andrew, a friend of mine, who brought along two old film lenses he owns: a Helios and a Pentax that he said I could try too. The are both M42 screw fitting so I purchased a K&F Concept adaptor to suit. As I played with the lenses, I was not concerned with the subject matter of the photographs I took, and was not overly concerned with how good they were. Instead, as we walked along Brigg High Street I looked for colours, as I was more interested in exploring how they each rendered colour. It was a really enjoyable time with cameras, and I was really pleased with the results.

Shot with the Helios 58mm

Andrew’s Helios belonged initially to his Dad, and is a preset model, but not all of the versions are the same, as they were produced in various configurations over the years. The popular Helios 44 series, which includes this 58mm f/2 lenses, was made in both preset and automatic aperture versions, offering photographers different ways to approach their shooting.

Preset Lenses

Preset lenses feature an aperture ring that lets you set the maximum aperture separately from the working aperture. This gives you full control over depth of field, allowing for a more deliberate and hands-on approach. The Helios 44 (the original model) is a prime example of a preset lens, offering a more traditional method of controlling exposure. To use a preset lens, you first set the maximum aperture using the aperture ring. Then, when you take a photo, you rotate the second aperture ring to adjust the working aperture (the one that controls exposure during shooting). The preset system gives you full manual control over depth of field and light.

Automatic Aperture Lenses

With later models like the Helios 44-2 and 44-3, automatic aperture systems were introduced. These lenses have a pin mechanism on the mount that allows the aperture to close automatically when the shutter is released, provided your camera supports this function. While the convenience of automatic operation was added, some of these lenses retained the option for manual control, allowing photographers to adapt as needed.

Later Models

The Helios 44M series, with its “M” suffix, brought in a manual aperture control system. Even so, many of these lenses still featured auto-aperture functionality via the pin mechanism, providing versatility for a wide range of shooting styles. In summary, early Helios 58mm lenses, like the original Helios 44, were preset, while the series gradually introduced automatic aperture systems, particularly in the Helios 44-2 and later models. However, some lenses maintained the preset system, offering a choice for photographers who prefer a more manual approach. Always check the specific model to understand its aperture functionality, as each brings its own unique qualities to the table.

How I used the Preset Lens

I used it yesterday by setting the aperture to f5.6 and the shutter speed to 1/60th. The ISO was set to auto, and using live view, I adjusted the exposure compensation between -1 and +1 to achieve the desired tonality. I kept the preset dial at f5.6 throughout. I was really pleased with the results and see me buying a helios lens.

Why did the Exposure Conpensation work when using manual aperture and shutter speed?

The above is a screengrab from Lightroom showing the images straight out of camera. As mentioned above I had the camera set to f5.6 at 1/60th second with auto ISO. The tiles were black, but a camera meter is designed to assume scenes average out to a middle a neutral middle gray, which reflects about 18% of the light. This is because most scenes have a balanced range of tones (highlights, midtones, and shadows). The meter for this scene will increase the exposure for dark subjects, making them lighter. Even though I had aperture and shutter speed set, and because I had auto ISO, the exposure compensation alters the metering target, where the metering target is the brightness level that the camera’s metering system aims to achieve for a well-exposed image. It’s essentially the point of reference for the camera when it calculates exposure based on the light it detects. I subtracted 1.5 EV to get the black I wanted.

A Quick Rule of Thumb
White subject (e.g., snow) → Add EC (+)
Black subject → Subtract EC (-)

Shot with the Pentax 55mm

I was enjoying the Helios so much I almost forgot to try Andrew’s Pentax 55mm M42 lens, which is a classic example of vintage glass that continues to capture the attention of photographers today. Produced by Pentax (formerly Asahi Optical Co.) in the 1960s and 1970s, I remember these lenses being celebrated for their solid build, sharpness, and smooth bokeh. While originally designed for Pentax’s M42 screw-mount film cameras, they remain highly sought after by those using modern digital cameras, especially with the use of an M42 adapter. The lens offers a slightly telephoto perspective that sits comfortably between a standard 50mm and a true portrait lens. It’s versatile for a range of photography, from street shots to portraiture. The typical f/1.8 aperture provides good light gathering, but some versions, like the f/2 and f/2.8, offer even more flexibility.

Manual Focus and Tactile Control

As with many vintage lenses, the Pentax 55mm M42 is fully manual, requiring me to focus and control the aperture myself. This might seem old-fashioned to those used to autofocus, but I find it offers a more intimate and deliberate photographic experience. The tactile feel of the aperture ring and focus mechanism adds to the enjoyment of shooting with this lens, and is part of its charm.

Build Quality and Optical Performance

This lens is maybe 5o years old, so it was built to last with a metal construction. When it comes to image quality, the Pentax 55mm doesn’t disappoint. Online I have read about it’s sharpness, contrast, and smooth bokeh, and claims that it produces images that still stand up to modern standards, but I think you could argue that they are moe engaging than the clinical digital lens images!

Variants

There are a few variants within the Pentax 55mm range, with the Super-Takumar 55mm f/1.8 being one of the most well-regarded for its optical performance. The later SMC Takumar series, featuring Super Multi-Coating (SMC), improves contrast and reduces flare, making it a great choice for more challenging lighting situations.

Like the Helios Andrew’s lens has a M42 screw mount, which means they are compatible with a range of older Pentax cameras as well as modern cameras when paired with an appropriate M42-to-mount adapter. I was using a K&F Concept mount, as is usual for me. I found the results sharp, the build quality of the lens excellent, as well as being very compact, and I enjoyed the vintage feel of the lens. On the back of the camera the colour rendition looked less vibrant than the Helios, but with a small amount of tweaking in Lightroom I love the colours of the images from the Pentax lens, just as do with all three lenses.

Shot with the Olympus 50mm

I am not going to write about the this lens in this post, because tommorow I am off to Lincoln, and after my experience in Brigg I am going to take my Olympus stable out. I will report more in part 2 of this post

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I really enjoyed using all three of these made in the film days lenses. They render a different colour than the modern designed for digital lenses, and the whole experience of manual focussing is a lovely experience allowing me to compose rather than think about where the camera wants to focus. Whilst it is true that modern auto focus lenses can be manually focussed, the focussing feels lighter and with less control than lenses made for manual focus. Time will tell, but I could imagine selling all my modern Fuji lenses and using the X-T5o with vintage glass all the time. I took the image above with my Fuji X100VI, which I think will be staying, as I love the experience of using it too. It might end up being my only digital camera and lens bit of kit.

One Final Image from Yesterday : My Favourite and Why!

I took this to test how the Helios handled the colours green and red. A lot of my work, especially in my press photography days was in black and white and this scene would have been problematic! Why, because when converting colours to black and white, the magic lies in how light is translated into shades of grey. Colours like green and red, while vibrant in the spectrum, can often end up looking eerily similar in monochrome. It’s all about brightness levels.

Both green and red can reflect similar amounts of light depending on their shades. When these colours are stripped of their hue and saturation during the black-and-white conversion process, they’re reduced to their luminance value—their brightness. If their brightness levels are close, they’ll appear as a similar tone of grey, blending together rather than standing apart. In the world of photography, this is where filters or digital adjustments come into play. By tweaking how specific colours are handled in the conversion, you can separate those greys and make the reds or greens pop—or blend—even more. For me, this interplay is part of the joy of black-and-white photography. It’s not just about removing colour but reinterpreting light and tone. Knowing how colours behave in this transformation helps us craft the story we want our images to tell. After all, photography is about what you show—and what you choose to leave behind.

Yesterday, when I was creating these images the light level was low, and lacking in contrast! The results could have been very poor, but the colours rendered by the Helios is just gorgeous, and the bokah beautiful. They make me think of Christmas.

Do you Practice Photography or use Vintage Lenses?
Please comment below, I would love to hear from you