Best Vintage Lenses for Canon Cameras

Why would you spend thousands on a camera and then buy a cheap vintage lens with terrible lens flare and weird bokeh?

Character!

Modern lenses don’t have any character. They’re almost too good.

DxOMark has put a premium on the performance of a lens under lab conditions and this has convinced modern photographers that sharper is better…it’s not.

Sharp is good, but character is better.

Photography doesn’t happen in a lab and it’s a visual Art form. ART FORM. It’s supposed to be an interpretation of reality, not a crystal clear rendition. We’re not out here photographing documents, we shoot real life, things that move, things that are subjective.

Vintage lenses are becoming more popular as creatives reject the ‘hyper-real’ aesthetic in favour of the emotive and nostalgic aesthetic of film.

Vintage lenses have a uniqueness, modern lenses have standards.

Best of all? They’re cheap!

Good quality vintage wide aperture lenses cost very little compared to their modern equivalents. So grab yourself a bargain and get playing!

1. Helios 44-2 58mm F/2

The Helios 44-2, a Soviet-era lens with a focal length of 58mm and a maximum aperture of f/2, is one of the most popular vintage lenses.

This lens is famous for its distinct swirly bokeh, making it a favourite among portrait and wedding photographers. With an M42 mount, you can easily use this lens on a Canon DSLR with an inexpensive M42 to EF mount adapter.

The Helios 44-2 58mm f/2 lens is not just a piece of glass and metal; it’s a piece of photographic history. Originating from the Soviet Union, this lens has garnered a cult following among photographers around the world, known for its distinctive image rendering and dream-like bokeh. It’s a lens that brings something truly unique to the table, especially in an era dominated by modern, clinically sharp lenses.

Build and Design: The Helios 44-2, with its solid metal construction and heft, speaks of an era where durability was a standard, not an option. The design is utilitarian, with no frills, reflecting its Soviet-era industrial roots. The lens feels substantial in hand, and the manual focus ring provides a tactile, smooth experience that modern autofocus lenses often lack.

Optical Performance: The most talked-about feature of the Helios 44-2 is its ‘swirly bokeh,’ an effect that creates a unique, swirling blur around the out-of-focus areas of the image. This effect is particularly pronounced when shooting wide open at f/2 and when the subject is backlit. The centre of the image remains relatively sharp, with a softness creeping in towards the edges, a characteristic that adds to the lens’s unique signature.

While the lens is not the sharpest when wide open, stopping down to f/4 and beyond significantly improves the sharpness across the frame. The lens imparts a certain ‘vintage’ look to the images, with a slightly lower contrast and a warm colour rendition, which many photographers find appealing.

Colour and Contrast: The Helios 44-2 renders colours in a way that can be best described as ‘vintage.’ There’s a certain warmth and softness to the colours that give images a classic, film-like look. Contrast is moderate, ensuring that images have a gentle pop without the harshness that modern, high-contrast lenses can sometimes produce.

Handling and Usability: Using the Helios 44-2 is a manual experience through and through. Focusing and aperture adjustments are done manually, which can be a slower process but also more engaging, allowing the photographer to connect more deeply with the craft. The lens is compatible with a wide range of modern cameras through the use of appropriate M42 adapters, making it a versatile tool in a digital photographer’s kit.

Conclusion: The Helios 44-2 58mm f/2 lens is a journey back in time, a tool that eschews modern conveniences for character and charm. Its swirly bokeh and unique image rendering offer a creative tool that stands out in the sea of modern optics. It’s a lens for those who cherish the process of making an image as much as the final result, for those who want to impart a piece of their soul into their work. In a world where sharpness and pixel peeping often dominate discussions, the Helios 44-2 reminds us that photography is, after all, an art form – and every artist needs a brush that can paint their world in unique strokes.

2. Canon FD 50mm F/1.4

The Canon FD 50mm F/1.4, from Canon’s previous generation of lenses, still has plenty to offer today’s photographers. It features excellent sharpness and a bright f/1.4 aperture, which is perfect for low-light shooting and achieving beautiful bokeh. An FD-to-EF adapter is required to use this lens on modern Canon EF and EF-S mount cameras.

The Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 lens is a true classic, embodying the perfect blend of quality, performance, and timeless design. As a member of the Canon FD series, this lens represents the pinnacle of manual focus lens design before the advent of autofocus systems. It’s a lens that continues to be celebrated by photographers for its optical quality and the distinct, pleasing images it produces.

Build and Design: Canon’s FD lenses are known for their robust build and the 50mm f/1.4 is no exception. The lens is constructed with a combination of metal and high-quality plastics, resulting in a durable, solid feel in hand. The design is sleek and functional, with an attention to detail that reflects the high standards of its era. The focus ring is smooth and well-damped, offering a tactile precision that modern lenses often lack.

Optical Performance: The 50mm f/1.4 is a lens that shines in terms of optical performance. The wide aperture of f/1.4 not only allows for shooting in low light conditions but also provides a shallow depth of field, enabling photographers to isolate their subject and create images with a beautiful, creamy bokeh.

Sharpness is impressive, especially when the lens is stopped down a bit. Wide open at f/1.4, the lens offers a soft, dreamy quality which many portrait photographers adore, while stopping down to f/2.8 and beyond yields images with excellent sharpness and detail.

Colour and Contrast: Images taken with the Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 are characterized by their vivid yet natural colour rendition. The lens imparts a slightly warm tone to images, giving them a classic, film-like quality. Contrast is well balanced, ensuring that photos have depth and dimension without losing detail in shadows or highlights.

Handling and Usability: The lens’s compact size and balanced weight make it an excellent companion for everyday shooting. The manual focus ring demands engagement from the photographer, promoting a more intentional and contemplative approach to composition and focus.

While the Canon FD mount is not natively compatible with modern EOS cameras, the lens can be used with a variety of mirrorless cameras via affordable FD to EF, FD to RF, or FD to mirrorless camera mount adapters, breathing new life into this classic lens.

Conclusion: The Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 lens is more than just a piece of optical equipment; it’s a testament to the era of meticulous craftsmanship and optical excellence. Its robust build, outstanding optical performance, and the unique quality of the images it produces make it a prized lens among both vintage lens enthusiasts and photographers looking to add a classic touch to their modern digital work. Whether you’re capturing portraits, street scenes, or everyday moments, the Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 offers a timeless look and feel that is increasingly rare in the modern photography landscape.

3. Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm F/1.8

Although not as well-known as some of its contemporaries, the Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm F/1.8 is a fantastic vintage lens. It’s incredibly sharp, even at its maximum aperture, and delivers beautiful colours and contrast. It’s a great choice for photographers on a budget since it’s often significantly cheaper than comparable lenses. To use it on a Canon camera, you’ll need an Olympus OM to Canon EF adapter.

The Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 stands out as a testament to Olympus’s commitment to precision optics and compactness, aligning perfectly with the ethos of the OM system. Known for its excellent optical quality and portability, this lens continues to be a favourite among photographers who appreciate the blend of quality and compact design.

Build and Design: The lens, true to the Olympus OM legacy, is remarkably compact and lightweight, making it a perfect companion for travel and everyday photography. The build quality is exceptional, with a metal barrel and mount that ensure durability. The focus ring is smooth and precise, offering a tactile and responsive feel that makes manual focusing a joy.

Optical Performance: The Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 is lauded for its sharpness and clarity. At f/1.8, the lens provides a bright viewfinder image and the ability to shoot in low light conditions while also achieving a pleasingly shallow depth of field. Bokeh produced by this lens is smooth and aesthetically pleasing, making it ideal for portraits and subject isolation.

When stopped down, the lens exhibits even greater sharpness and contrast, making it versatile for a variety of photographic styles, from detailed still-life shots to vivid landscapes. The colour rendition is natural and vibrant, capturing the essence of the scene with fidelity and depth.

Colour and Contrast: Colours rendered by the Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 are vivid and true to life, with a natural warmth that gives images a classic, timeless look. Contrast is well-balanced, ensuring that images have depth and dimension without losing detail in the highlights or shadows.

Handling and Usability: The lens’s compact size and minimal weight make it a pleasure to use, especially for photographers who prefer to travel light or enjoy street photography. The focus ring’s smooth operation allows for precise control over focus, essential for achieving sharp images, particularly when shooting wide open at f/1.8.

Compatibility with modern systems is also a strong point, as the lens can be easily adapted to fit various mirrorless cameras, offering photographers a blend of classic optical quality and modern digital convenience.

Conclusion: The Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 is more than just a lens; it’s a piece of photographic craftsmanship. It marries the classic appeal of manual focus lenses with outstanding optical performance in a compact, portable package. Its ability to produce sharp, vibrant images with beautiful bokeh makes it a beloved choice for photographers of all levels. Whether you’re capturing portraits, exploring the streets, or documenting daily life, the Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 offers a unique combination of quality, versatility, and timeless charm.

4. SMC Takumar 50mm F/1.4

The SMC Takumar 50mm F/1.4 is a vintage lens known for its remarkable sharpness and stunning bokeh. This lens creates images with a unique character, and it’s a great choice for both portraiture and street photography. It was initially made for the M42 mount, so you will need an M42 to EF adapter to use it with Canon cameras.

The SMC Takumar 50mm f/1.4 is not just a lens; it’s a legend in the world of photography. Known for its exceptional optical performance and solid build quality, this lens from Pentax’s Takumar line has earned a revered status among photographers, both for its historic value and the unparalleled quality of the images it produces.

Build and Design: The lens is a testament to the superior craftsmanship of its era. With a robust, all-metal construction, the SMC Takumar 50mm f/1.4 feels substantial and durable. The focus ring is a pleasure to use, offering a smooth and precise manual focusing experience that modern lenses struggle to match. The attention to detail in the design, including the tactile feel of the aperture ring, speaks volumes about the quality standards of the time.

Optical Performance: The SMC Takumar 50mm f/1.4 is renowned for its optical quality. The lens exhibits exceptional sharpness, even when wide open at f/1.4, a feature that makes it ideal for low-light photography and achieving a shallow depth of field. The bokeh rendered by this lens is smooth and aesthetically pleasing, enhancing the overall look and feel of the images.

Colour rendition is another area where this lens excels, producing vivid and accurate colours that bring life to images. The Super Multi-Coating (SMC) on the lens elements effectively reduces flare and ghosting, ensuring that the images are clear and contrasty, even in challenging lighting conditions.

Colour and Contrast: The SMC Takumar 50mm f/1.4 delivers images with rich, natural colours and excellent contrast. The SMC technology ensures that light transmission is optimized, and reflections are minimized, resulting in photos that pop with clarity and depth.

Handling and Usability: The lens’s manual focus design demands a level of engagement and skill from the photographer, encouraging a more intentional and contemplative approach to photography. The weight and balance of the lens feel just right, making it a joy to use for extended periods. While it uses the M42 screw mount, it can be easily adapted to fit modern DSLR and mirrorless cameras, offering a blend of classic imaging characteristics and contemporary photographic technology.

Conclusion: The SMC Takumar 50mm f/1.4 stands as a high-water mark in lens design and performance. Its combination of solid construction, outstanding optical quality, and the unique, characterful images it produces, make it a highly sought-after lens among photographers who appreciate the artistry and craft of photography. Whether used for portraits, street photography, or general-purpose shooting, this lens brings a distinct and desirable quality to images, reminding us of the magic that vintage optics can bring to modern photography. In a world where sharpness and auto-focus speed often dominate discussions, the SMC Takumar 50mm f/1.4 reminds us of the unique beauty and satisfaction that can be found in slowing down and connecting more deeply with the craft of image-making.

5. Canon FL 135mm F/2.5

The Canon FL 135mm F/2.5 is a remarkable lens, often overlooked because it’s from the FL series, which preceded the current EF mount. However, with its stunning sharpness and beautiful, creamy bokeh, it is a hidden gem. This lens would be a fantastic addition to any Canon photographer’s collection for portraits and telephoto needs. You’ll need an FL to EF adapter to use this lens on Canon DSLRs.

The Canon FL 135mm f/2.5 lens is a classic telephoto prime that has garnered respect for its optical quality and distinctive rendering. As part of the Canon FL series, it represents an era of meticulous optical craftsmanship and mechanical precision. This lens continues to be a favourite among vintage lens enthusiasts and photographers looking for a unique, classic aesthetic in their images.

Build and Design: The Canon FL 135mm f/2.5 is built like a tank, with a metal body and mount that speak to its durability and the quality standards of its time. The lens is quite substantial in weight, reassuring users of its solid construction. The design is sleek and functional, with every aspect of the lens serving a purpose. The focus ring is smooth and well-damped, providing a precise and satisfying manual focusing experience.

Optical Performance: Optically, the Canon FL 135mm f/2.5 is known for its impressive performance. The f/2.5 aperture allows for a good balance between light intake and maintaining a manageable depth of field. This makes it especially suitable for portrait photography, where its ability to isolate subjects and produce pleasing background blur (bokeh) is highly valued.

Sharpness is remarkable, particularly when stopped down a bit. The lens delivers images with excellent detail and clarity. Some photographers even prefer the slightly softer rendering at f/2.5 for portraits, as it imparts a natural, flattering look to the subject.

Colour and Contrast: The lens produces images with rich, vivid colours and good contrast. The colour rendition has a classic charm, often described as warm and inviting. Contrast is well-balanced, ensuring that images have depth and dimension while maintaining detail in both shadows and highlights.

Handling and Usability: Despite its weight, the lens is relatively compact for a 135mm prime, making it a viable option for fieldwork, especially when used with a monopod or tripod. The manual focus design encourages a thoughtful, deliberate approach to photography, allowing photographers to engage more deeply with the process of making an image.

The Canon FL mount can be adapted to many modern cameras using appropriate adapters, allowing this classic lens to be used on contemporary digital platforms, including DSLRs and mirrorless systems.

Conclusion: The Canon FL 135mm f/2.5 lens is a remarkable tool, offering a blend of high-quality optics, solid construction, and timeless design. Its ability to produce sharp, detailed images with beautiful bokeh and classic colour rendition makes it a cherished lens among photographers who appreciate the unique qualities that vintage lenses bring to the table. Whether capturing portraits, details in nature, or candid street scenes, the Canon FL 135mm f/2.5 offers a unique perspective and injects a sense of character and depth into every frame, reminding us of the enduring legacy of classic optics in the digital age.

Other Vintage Lenses that can fit Canon cameras

These lists include a mix of lenses from various manufacturers, known for their unique characteristics and performance. With an adaptor, any of these lenses can be made to fit your Canon EOS mount camera:

M39 (Leica Thread Mount) Lenses:

1. Leica Summicron 50mm f/2
2. Leica Summilux 50mm f/1.4
3. Canon 50mm f/1.8
4. Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.5
5. Jupiter-3 50mm f/1.5
6. Jupiter-8 50mm f/2
7. Jupiter-9 85mm f/2
8. Jupiter-11 135mm f/4
9. Industar-22 50mm f/3.5
10. Industar-26M 50mm f/2.8
11. Industar-61 50mm f/2.8
12. Industar-50 50mm f/3.5
13. FED 50mm f/3.5
14. Zorki 50mm f/2
15. Elmar 50mm f/3.5
16. Elmar 90mm f/4
17. Hektor 135mm f/4.5
18. Summar 50mm f/2
19. Summaron 35mm f/3.5
20. Summarex 85mm f/1.5

M42 (Pentax Screw Mount) Lenses:

1. Helios-44 series (44, 44-2, 44M, etc.) 58mm f/2
2. Jupiter-37A 135mm f/3.5
3. Mir-1 37mm f/2.8
4. Tair-11A 135mm f/2.8
5. Zenitar-M 50mm f/1.7
6. Zenitar-K 16mm f/2.8 Fisheye
7. Pentax Super-Takumar 50mm f/1.4
8. Pentax Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 135mm f/3.5
9. Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon 35mm f/2.4
10. Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm f/3.5
11. Yashinon-DX 50mm f/1.4
12. Asahi Super-Takumar 55mm f/1.8
13. Pentax SMC Takumar 50mm f/1.4
14. Meyer-Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm f/1.8
15. Meyer-Optik Görlitz Trioplan 100mm f/2.8
16. Porst Color Reflex 55mm f/1.4
17. Asahi Pentax Super-Takumar 35mm f/3.5
18. Revuenon 55mm f/1.2
19. Schneider-Kreuznach Edixa-Xenon 50mm f/1.9
20. Isco-Göttingen Westron 35mm f/2.8

These lenses are celebrated for their unique rendering, build quality, and the distinct look they impart to the images. While some of these are more easily found than others, each has its place in the history of photography and can offer a unique experience when adapted to modern cameras. Remember that using these lenses on contemporary digital bodies requires manual focus and exposure control, which can be a rewarding experience in itself, encouraging a more thoughtful and deliberate approach to photography.

In conclusion, while there are plenty of modern lenses available for Canon cameras, exploring the world of vintage lenses can be both rewarding and cost-effective. Remember that using these vintage lenses on Canon cameras requires adapters, and since these lenses are manual focus, they may require a bit more skill and patience to use effectively. However, they can add a unique touch to your photography and help you capture images with a distinct vintage feel.