As I venture back into 35mm film photography after a 20-year hiatus, I am fascinated with using old lenses with my Fuji X-mount camera. My Fujifilm X-mount system is super fun because I can adapt almost any lens mount via an inexpensive adapter. My Asahi Optical and Minolta lenses were new decades ago, and the image quality of the adapted lens can vary depending on the quality of the lens and the adapter used. However, the possibilities to use these decades-old lenses are nearly endless.
I adapted my SMC Takumar (M42) and MD Rokkor-X (SR-mount) lenses to the Fuji X-mount using M42-FX and MD-FX lens adapters. The M42 and SR mount lenses do not have electronic contacts, so they cannot communicate with the camera body. This means that autofocus and aperture control must be done manually. The Fuji X APS-C sensor has a crop factor of 1.53x, which means that a 28mm lens will have an effective angle of view of a 43mm (1.53x28) lens when adapted to the X-mount. Because of the crop factor, the depth of the field will also be affected. A lens that may have a shallow depth of field on a full-frame camera will have a deeper depth of field on the X-mount.
I have wide-angle and "normal" lenses that become "normal" and "short portrait" lenses when adapted to my Fuji X-mount camera.
| Make | Model | 35mm focal length when adapted to X-Tran sensor |
|---|---|---|
| Minolta | MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm F:2.8 | 42.56mm |
| Minolta | MD Rokkor-X 45mm F:2 | 68.4mm |
| Minolta | MD Rokkor-X 50mm F:1.7 | 76mm |
| Pentax | SMC Takumar 50mm F:1.4 | 76mm |
| Pentax | SMC Takumar 55mm F:2 | 83.6mm |
Camera Settings
When using manual focus lenses on Fuji X bodies, there are several important settings to remember:
- Enable the "Shoot Without Lens" option in Shooting Menu 3 to ensure the camera triggers properly.
- Configure the "Mount Adaptor Setting" in the same menu to inform the camera about the focal length of your lens and record it in the EXIF data.
- Access the MF Assist options in the Shooting Menu 4 for better focusing with manual lenses. There are three options:
- Standard: This option allows real-time zooming into the image to check focus at the pixel level.
- Digital Split Image (unavailable on X-E1 and X-Pro 1): This feature displays a split image rectangle, aligning the two halves when the focus is achieved. It resembles split image viewfinders on manual film SLR cameras.
- Focus Peak Highlight: This mode highlights the areas of the image that are in focus. Newer cameras offer a choice of highlight colors, while older bodies provide high and low settings. Focus Peak Highlight is the preferred method of MF assist mentioned.
Lenses
My Mintola Rokkor-X lenses are known for their sharpness, contrast, and colour rendition. These lenses were produced in the 1970s and are compatible with a wide range of Minolta SR mount SLR cameras. They have a classic, all-metal construction and feature a focusing ring and aperture ring that are smooth and easy to operate.
My MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm F:2.8 lens is a wide-angle manual focus lens useful for landscapes, architecture, and interiors. The maximum aperture of f/2.8 allows for low-light shooting and shallow depth of field.
| Lens | MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm f/2.8 |
|---|---|
| Focal length | 28mm |
| Maximum aperture | f/2.8 |
| Minimum aperture | f/22 |
| Lens construction | 7 elements in 7 groups |
| Angle of view | 75 degrees |
| Minimum focusing distance | 0.3m (1ft) |
| Filter size | 49mm |
| Weight | 200g (7.1oz) |
| Dimensions | 63mm x 44mm (2.5in x 1.7in) |
My MD Rokkor-X 45mm F:2 is a "normal" manual focus lens that offers a slightly wider than normal perspective on full-frame cameras, making it a versatile lens for various applications. The maximum aperture of f/2 allows for low-light shooting and shallow depth of field.
| Lens | MD Rokkor-X 45mm f/2 |
|---|---|
| Focal length | 45mm |
| Maximum aperture | f/2.0 |
| Minimum aperture | f/22 |
| Lens construction | 6 elements in 5 groups |
| Angle of view | 51 degrees |
| Minimum focusing distance | 0.5m (1.5ft) |
| Filter size | 49mm |
| Weight | 225g (7.9oz) |
| Dimensions | 63mm x 42mm (2.5in x 1.7in) |
The MD Rokkor-X 50mm F:1.7 lens was a popular "standard" lens for everyday photography and is often considered a "nifty fifty" lens. The large maximum aperture of f/1.7 allows for low-light shooting and shallow depth of field.
| Lens | MD Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7 |
|---|---|
| Focal length | 50mm |
| Maximum aperture | f/1.7 |
| Minimum aperture | f/16 |
| Lens construction | 6 elements in 5 groups |
| Angle of view | 46 degrees |
| Minimum focusing distance | 0.45m (1.5ft) |
| Filter size | 49mm |
| Weight | 205g (7.2oz) |
| Dimensions | 63mm x 40mm (2.5in x 1.6in) |
Like the Minolta lens, the Asahi Optical Company manual focus lenses have a classic, all-metal construction and a focusing ring and aperture ring that are smooth and easy to operate. These lenses were also produced in the 1960s and 1970s and are compatible with a wide range of Pentax M42-mount SLR cameras, including those made by Pentax, Praktica, and Zenit. The lenses feature Asahi Optical Company's SMC (Super Multi-Coating) technology, which helps to reduce flare and ghosting and improves contrast and colour reproduction.
The Asahi Optical Company Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 50mm F:1.4 lens was a popular "standard" lens for everyday photography and is also considered a "nifty fifty" lens. The large maximum aperture of F:1.4 allows for low-light shooting and shallow depth of field. Its technical details are almost identical to the technical details of the Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm F:1.7.
My copy of the Asahi Optical Company SMC Takumar 50mm F:1.4 is from Dad's old Asahi Pentax Spotmatic II. It has some fogging in the lens, and a screw that holds the rings for the aperture markings is missing. It rotates loosely, which makes it very hard to set the aperture.
| Lens | Asahi Optical Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 50mm f/1.4 M42 |
|---|---|
| Focal length | 50mm |
| Maximum aperture | f/1.4 |
| Minimum aperture | f/16 |
| Lens construction | 8 elements in 7 groups, including one aspherical element |
| Angle of view | 46 degrees |
| Minimum focusing distance | 0.45m (1.5ft) |
| Filter size | 49mm |
| Weight | 275g (9.7oz) |
| Dimensions | 64mm x 43mm (2.5in x 1.7in) |
Like the Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 50mm F:1.4, the Asahi Optical Company Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 55mm F:2 lens is a standard lens for everyday photography despite its 55mm focal length. It is also often considered a "nifty fifty" lens. The maximum aperture of f/2 allows for low-light shooting and shallow depth of field.
| Lens | Asahi Optical Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 55mm f/2 M42 |
|---|---|
| Focal length | 55mm |
| Maximum aperture | f/2 |
| Minimum aperture | f/16 |
| Lens construction | 6 elements in 5 groups |
| Angle of view | 43 degrees |
| Minimum focusing distance | 0.45m (1.5ft) |
| Filter size | 49mm |
| Weight | 200g (7.1oz) |
| Dimensions | 63mm x 62.5mm (2.5in x 2.5in) |
These decades-old all-metal lenses are heavier than my mostly plastic Fuji XF27mmF2.8 R WR lens, which weighs 85g. The lightest of these all-metal lenses is the Pentax SMC Takumar 55mm F:2 lens which weighs 195g.
| Lens | XF27mmF2.8 R WR |
|---|---|
| Focal length | 27mm |
| Maximum aperture | f/2.8 |
| Minimum aperture | f/16 |
| Lens construction | 7 elements in 5 groups, including one aspherical element |
| Angle of view | 55.5 degrees |
| Minimum focusing distance | 0.34m (1.1ft) |
| Filter size | 39mm |
| Weight | 84g (2.96oz) |
| Dimensions | 61.2mm x 23mm (2.4in x 0.9in) |
