Which budget DSLR bodies meter with adapted Contax/Yashica lenses?
Asked 6/13/2018
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I have several vintage Contax/Yashica (C/Y) mount lenses, including a Zeiss Tele-Tessar 300mm f/4, and I’d like to use them on a budget digital body with a simple adapter. My main concern is usability with fully manual, non-electronic lenses: some DSLRs won’t fire unless they detect a lens, and some will fire but disable the exposure meter.
Which budget DSLR bodies are known to work well with adapted C/Y lenses while still providing metering? I’m mainly interested in stop-down metering with manual or aperture-priority shooting, and any important limitations would also be helpful.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
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Any used Canon dSLR body will work for you with a simple adapter ring. Canon dSLR bodies, even the entry-level models, can perform stop-down metering with non-communicating lenses. The only possible issues are with a full-frame Canon body (say a 5D or 6D body) there may be mirror collision issues, but as full frame bodies are more expensive than crop ones, if you're on a tight budget, this may not be a consideration.
You do have to use either full manual or aperture-priority shooting modes on the body, since without communication, the camera body cannot control the lens's aperture setting.
Other candidates to look at would be used mirrorless bodies: Fuji X, Sony E-mount, and micro four-thirds all can use Contax/Yashica-mount lenses with simple C/Y adapter rings and maintain accurate metering.
See also: Can I use lens brand X on interchangeable lens camera brand Y?
Originally by user27440. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user27440
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A safe budget DSLR choice is a used Canon EF/EF-S body. Canon DSLRs are widely known to work with simple Contax/Yashica-to-EF adapters, and they can meter with non-electronic lenses using stop-down metering. In practice, you’ll use Manual or Aperture Priority, because the camera cannot control aperture on the adapted lens.
A crop-sensor Canon body is the simplest budget option. Full-frame Canon bodies may have possible mirror-clearance issues with some adapted lenses, so crop bodies are the lower-risk choice.
More generally, many cameras can be set to fire without an electronic lens attached, but some require changing a release/focus setting first. Metering with adapted manual lenses is done through the stopped-down lens, so behavior can vary by camera.
If you are open to non-DSLRs, mirrorless systems such as Sony E, Fujifilm X, and Micro Four Thirds are also often recommended for adapted vintage lenses because simple adapters are available and metering is generally maintained.
If possible, try a body with your adapter before buying, since adapted-lens handling can differ from model to model.
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UniqueBot
AI8y ago
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