Legacy lens help please?

[Janet]

I've decided to sell a couple of my "legacy" lenses to help fund a new camera purchase, but I've hit a problem, I think? Then again, I may just be being thick (it's not unknown!)

The first is an Olympus OM F.Zuiko Auto-S 1:1.8 f=50mm with OM mount. I've been using this with an adapter to allow me to use it with my e510/e520 with great results.

My problem is that I can only open and close the aperture when the adapter is attached...without it, it just stays wide open. It works absolutely fine on my cameras, but without the adapter it just stays open. I really want to keep the adapter as I have a few more OM lenses that I like to use...

The other lens is a Zeiss Pentacon 1.8/50 with M42 mount. This one I can't check at the moment as I've mislaid the adapter but I know it's working fine as I used it just last weekend. Although I know it's working beautifully, I can't put it up for sale without photos. I suspect I've left the adapter in the woods!

I'm also selling a Zeiss Sonnar 135mm but this one seems to be OK without being attached to the camera and I can open and close the aperture with no problems.

Confused? You bet!

Any ideas?

[SteveJ]

Your OM 50mm is probably fine when you attach it to an adapter or camera it engages a pin which allows the aperture to be selected. If you look at your lens near the mount there are also two little buttons if you press these you will be able to select the aperture also. Hope this helps.

Steve

[Janet]

Thank you Steve...that's the problem sorted with the OM!

Blindingly obvious when you know what you're doing!

Janet

[OM USer]

The pin (lever) allows you (on an OM camera) to select the aperture to be used and adjust focus with the aperture wide open (giving you a bright viewfinder). When you press the shutter the camera moves the lever on the lens which shuts the aperture (stops down) to the desired level. Zuiko lenses have the famous depth of field button on the side so that you can manually close the shutter to visually see the depth of field effect.

The adapter for mirrorless cameras permanently engages the stop down feature allowing the camera to adjust exposure (in aperture priority mode) according to the set aperture but at the expense of darkening the image as of course you are letting less light in at all times and not just when actually pressing the shutter.

[Harold Gough]

Here is how I dealt with it:

http://www.photomacrography.net/foru...ic.php?t=18243

Harold