Using manual lenses with the Fujifilm X system is a great option to experiment and expand your camera system. Third-party lens manufacturers such as Samyang produce very high quality and relatively affordable manual focus lenses. Moreover, numerous adapters on the market open the doors to endless possibilities that span multiple brands and decades worth of lenses. From Canon to Nikon, M42 to Leica, the rabbit hole goes very deep for using adapters and lenses for your Fuji X. Yes, you lose autofocus functionality, but the manual focus assist options provided by mirrorless cameras has made manual lenses very easy to use.
Personally, I went for a combination of modern third-party and classic M42 screw mount lenses. Here is my manual focus Fuji X kit:
1. Samyang/Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS – this was actually the reason I got an interchangeable Fuji camera in the first place. I had heard so many great things about this lens and I ended up buying it even before I had a camera to use it with. At around $300 USD brand new, this lens is sharp, fast and gives a lot of bang for the buck! Plus Samyang makes them in the native Fuji X mount, so no adapters necessary. I got my Fuji X-E1 soon after, and it this combination has put more photos into my portfolio than any camera I’d ever used before. It still continues to do so to this day. In the above photo, you’ll see a Cokin P series filter holder attached to the lens. I use filters a lot on this lens, so I just leave the filter holder on and use the square Cokin lens cap to protect it while in the bag.
2. Helios 44-2 58mm f/2.0 + M42-FX adapter – this Russian lens is famous for its center sharpness and swirly bokeh. It’s also very cheap. I got mine in great condition for $33 USD on eBay. Add $7 for the adapter and you’ve got a killer portrait lens for $40 (plus a few more bucks for shipping).
3. Asahi Pentax Super Takumar 135mm f/3.5 + M42-FX adapter – I got this lens for a bit more reach. There is a faster f/2.5 version but it’s bigger and more expensive. This lens is sharp (especially when stopped down a bit), small, built like a tank, and cheap! I got mine with case and metal hood for $31 USD, shipped straight from Japan. This gives me an equivalent reach of 200mm in a small, travel-friendly package. Not bad for $37 including adapter (plus shipping).
Adapters
There is a wide range of adapters available on the market. Again, I will focus mainly on M42 lenses, which I have the most experience with. You can search Google for other kinds of lens adapters. Some I commonly see around are Fotodiox, K & F Concept, and Kipon. There are also more specialized (and expensive) ones like Zhongyi Lens Turbo and Metabones Speed Booster. The latter two adapters mentioned have special optics inside that effectively make your camera perform like a full frame camera. The rest of them do pretty much the same thing. There are also some special adapters that can do tilt and shift, but we won’t discuss those. The more expensive adapters seem to have better build quality and I’m guessing more precise engineering, while the cheapest ones simply get the job done. Since this was just a fun experiment for me, I went for the cheapest one I could find. Since M42 lenses are screw-type, the lettering on the lenses may not always align properly. Fortunately, even the cheapest adapter comes with a hex key adjustment so you can adjust the lens alignment. Most of the adapters will allow the camera to focus to infinity and this is usually indicated in the product description. One thing I noticed about the cheaper adapters, however, is the focus scale is a bit off. For example, on my generic adapters, if you set the lens to infinity, you are actually a bit PAST infinity. I imagine the more expensive models will be more accurate, but I don’t have first hand experience. But since I rely mostly on the focus peaking, I don’t really look at the focus scale on the lens. If you want to do zone focusing or anything that will rely on the focus scale being 100% accurate, you might want to look into the more expensive adapters. Otherwise, the cheaper adapters will do the job just fine.
Note: This article focuses mainly on lenses that have manual aperture control rings. Current Canon EF or Nikon G lenses do not have manual aperture control rings. If you want to use these lenses, best go with an adapter that has built-in iris control, like these for Canon EF and for Nikon G.
Update: I have been receiving numerous questions specifically about using Canon EOS lenses with Fuji X bodies. It is possible, but please note that Canon EF lenses do not have manual aperture controls, so you will need to get an adapter that can control the aperture, like this one. Stay away from the EOS to Fuji X adapters that do not have aperture control rings.
Again, Samyang/Rokinon and various other 3rd party lens manufacturers make lenses in the native Fuji X-mount, so no adapters are necessary to use those.
Cameras
I use these manual focus lenses with a Fujifilm X-E1 and an X-T1. If you want the most bang for your buck, I’d recommend getting an X-E1 used or refurbished. The X-E1 is currently the cheapest Fuji X body with an electronic viewfinder, and you can get one on the used/refurb market nowadays for $200-$300. It provides focus peaking, as well as the standard zoom-in type of manual focus assist. The X-Pro 1 is also quite cheap now, and will provide a similar experience, though I’m not sure how the optical viewfinder will function with them (leave a comment below if you have any info on this).
For a bit more money, you can get a phase-detect enabled body such as an X-E2, X-T1, or any newer model after these. The good thing about newer phase-detect bodies is the additional split-image option for MF assist, as well as different focus peaking colors. Aside from these two options, the newer cameras don’t provide many more advantages in speed and handling for manual focus lenses. That’s why the X-E1 is still my favorite body for manual focus lenses.
Settings
When using manual focus lenses on Fuji X bodies, don’t forget the following settings:
1. SHOOT WITHOUT LENS. The camera will not trigger if this is not enabled. It can be found under SHOOTING MENU 3.
2. MOUNT ADAPTOR SETTING. This tells the camera what focal length your lens is, and will record it in your EXIF data. There are several preset focal lengths and two programmable ones. This can also be found under SHOOTING MENU 3.
3. MF ASSIST. Found under SHOOTING MENU 4. There are a few options to help you focus better with manual lenses.
-Standard: This basically zooms into the image real time and helps you check focus at pixel level.
-Digital Split Image (*not available on X-E1 and X-Pro 1): This shows you a split image rectangle. When the two halves of the image are aligned, you are in focus. This is similar to split image viewfinders on manual film SLR cameras.
-Focus Peak Highlight: This mode highlights the areas of the image that are in focus. In newer cameras, you can choose several highlight colors. In the older bodies, you can choose between high and low settings. This is my preferred method of MF assist.
Shooting Experience
I got my manual focus lenses with slower types of photography in mind. I shoot mainly landscapes with the Samyang 12mm and the Takumar 135mm, while the Helios is mainly a portrait lens. For faster-paced shoots, I use autofocus lenses. I know that some people are really good (and fast) with manual focus lenses, particularly for street shooting using the zone focus method. Personally, I use the manual focus lenses when I can take it slow.
Another thing that should be mentioned is that the adapters do make the lens a bit bigger. I don’t really mind, but it may be a turn-off for some.
Conclusion
As I mentioned before, using manual focus lenses on your Fuji X (or any mirrorless system) can be a fun and relatively inexpensive experience (unless you go for Leica lenses, which of course are quite the opposite of inexpensive). Modern lenses from third-party manufacturers like Samyang are awesome, and classic lenses can give you some unique looks to your images. With a bit of Googling, you can find a wealth of information on the best lenses in any price range. If you have any experiences to share in using manual focus lenses with your Fuji, leave a comment below. Thanks for reading and I hope this article proves to be helpful.
Finally, here are some sample images I have made using manual focus lenses on my Fujifilm X system.
The amazing Samyang 12mm + Fuji X-E1:
The bokehlicious Helios 44-2 58mm f/2.0 + X-T1:
The long and strong Super Takumar 135mm f/3.5 + X-T1:
Want to read more about manual lenses on Fuji X and watch them in action? Check out my new article and YouTube video about my M42 lenses and Fuji here!
Again, I have used some Amazon affiliate links in this article to show you more information about the products mentioned here. Clicking and purchasing will, of course, help me out at no extra cost to you.
44 Comments
nice setup! the XE-1 seems to be the best cheap option for manual lenses.
Thank you! I believe so too! It can still hold its own despite being a fairly old body and gives you pretty much all you need when using manual lenses.
I mainly use fuji xt10 for both XF af lens and MF lens with adaptor
I think sony offer more choices of adaptors and more compatible with MF lens than fuji but i didn’t like to sony function & control
I love to shoot with fuji x. I can get almost evertything i need..the Picture styles, jpeg file and control is Great.
Thanks for your comment! I agree, the controls of the Fuji cameras are hard to beat! Ergonomics and the look of the files are definitely at the top of the list of why I shoot Fujifilm.
Hi Roy,
very interesting article. Thanks for having sharing your knowledge and experience with those cameras and lenses. Just one curiosity: does the Asahi Super Takumar lens not come with a Fuji X Mount? I just wanted to understand if it’s working fine with Fujifilm mirrorless cameras like the XE-1.
Thanks in advance
Federico
Hi Federico! Thanks for checking out the article! To use Super Takumar and other M42 lenses, you will need an M42 to Fuji X adapter like this one: http://amzn.to/2iCtG3V or this one http://amzn.to/2ifGnVW.
Hi Roy, this is such a great article!
I was so confused about shooting with my Canon lens using an adapter for a newly purchased Fuji XA-3. I found this post and quickly followed your guide. I recently jumped to the mirrorless bandwagon and this is so helpful!
Keep the blog posts coming!!
Thank you for reading, Beatrix! I’m glad it could help! 🙂
Great article. Keep up the good work.
Thank you!
The only manual lens I already tried with my Fuji X system is Meike 35 mm f/1.7. It’s very cheap, just about USD 100.
Though the biggest aperture is 1.7, but it could separate the model with the background very good for environment portrait. And I compared it to my Fujinon XF 35 mm f/2.0, seems that Meike 35 mm gives warmer tone.
Hey Roy. Thank you for the great article, and sharing your stunning photos! That bird (egret?) standing on the water with reflections is really cool. So, I just purchased an X-T20 and you’ve inspired me to buy some old manual lenses. Wondering what the most practical strategy might be for investing in one lens line/type/company (M42, Nikon, Canon, etc…) and then buying one really high-quality adapter to be shared among them all. If so, then I’m wondering which line of lenses might yield the best quality options, and ideally lowest price points, due to higher availability. Thanks in advance for your advice.
Hi Jonathan! Thanks for reading! Since vintage lenses are more of a hobby and experiment, I personally chose the M42 line of lenses. They definitely have some of the lowest price points and pretty good quality. The lenses are typically older and have older designs, so things like flare and corner sharpness may not be the greatest. There are standout M42 lenses such as the Helios 44 that can hold their own compared to more modern lenses. If I were to choose one line of lenses to use with one high quality adapter, I might be inclined to suggest Nikon D lenses. Those are more modern and generally sharper with better lens coatings compared to the M42. However, they will be a bit more expensive. Overall, I would suggest getting dedicated adapters for each of your lenses regardless of system, so you can have the best of all worlds.
Hey Roy stunning photos. I just purchased my fuji x-t20 and is just getting started out. I am a novice and hope to get good at taking photos. The Samyang lens that you posted about is kind of expnesive. Do you have any suggestions for any older lenses that might provide similar quality? Thanks
Thank you, Aravind! I have actually been searching for a cheap and wide M42 lens but have not had much success. There are 19mm and 20mm M42 lenses out there but their prices are often around $200 USD or more. They’re really not that wide either and old lenses will likely not provide the performance of a modern lens. Might as well save up a bit and go for the Samyang, IMO.
Hi Roy – So happy to have found your article! Exactly what I needed to know, and excited to read about your enthusiasm and expertise. Just purchased an X-H1 and now have a camera worthy of my vintage Leica R series lenses.
Hi Joel! Thanks for reading and for the great feedback! I’d love to try Leica glass someday as well!
Hi Roy
Thanks a lot for your ideas
I have the FUJIFILM XE2-S and I’d like to use these lences: a) Carl Zeiss Planar T 1.7/50 , b) Yashica ML Zoom 28-85 1:3.5-4.5 , g) Sigma UC Zoom 35-135 1:4.5-5.6 and finally d) MC Helios 44M-4 58mm 1:2 M 52×0,75
What adaptors shall I need for each one?
Thank you a lot
Greetings from Greece
Hi Stavros. Not familiar with all the lenses you mentioned, but a quick Google search indicates the first 2 are Contax Yashica mounts. A CY to FX adapter is available. The Helios 44M, which is mentioned in this article, is an M42 mount, so M42 – FX. The Sigma UC zoom is made for various mounts, so you’ll have to check that. Thanks for reading.
HI Roy,
I’m really new to this Vintage lens to Digital body thing and maybe my question could be wrong or stupid 🙂
I just bought a Fujifilm X-T20 and a new Fujinon lens with it, but searching for it before buying it I was intrigued by this Vintage lenses thing.
I knew already I was going to get caught in this quick sand, I went straight to ebay and bought several lenses 🙂 all M42.
I have no problems with manual focus, I’ve been using analog camera many years ago, what is not very clear to me yet is the aperture, I will set it on the lens but how the camera know which aperture I’m shooting at?
I must be honest saying I’m asking this before even mounting the lenses 🙂 I received the camera yesterday and still waiting for the lenses, but I’m already digging the manual (thing I usually don’t do:)).
I’ve been searching about this topic online but didn’t really find an answer.
thanks a lot in advance
P
Hi Paolo. Thanks for your question! The camera will not know exactly what aperture you are at when using vintage lenses, since there is no data communication between them. However, the light metering is fully functional and the camera will accurately tell you the exposure reading and/or adjust exposure automatically (depending on what mode you’re in).
I hope my answer helps. The world of vintage lenses on modern mirrorless cameras is definitely a fun and interesting one. Thanks for reading and enjoy your classic lenses!
Roy I have a question. I bought an X-E2 and I bought an EOS-FX mount off of ebay. Now I know you mentioned I won’t be able to control the aperture with a mount like that… However, even though there is a focusing ring on my canon lens (50 1.8 STM)… Nothing happens when I move the ring to focus. I switched the control up front (M C S — put it on M). I put the lens on Manual focus. I did the shoot without lens and entered the distance (50mm). I don’t understand. Also— does the EVF/LCD screen not accurately show the exposure before taking a picture— when using a lens with adapter like this? I went to take a picture and the LCD showed a nice exposure— took the picture and it was quite dark. Does it work like a DSLR when used like this and you have to CHIMP? One of my main interests in buying this camera was seeing accurate exposure before taking a picture.
If I get one of the adapters you mentioned for my film lenses will I have this same exposure (not showing) problem??
Hi Ella. Canon STM lenses are an entirely different beast, as they have no true manual focus. There needs to be an electronic connection to the lens to make focusing work. The only adapter that will work with Canon STM lenses is the Fringer (https://amzn.to/2I0IIA7). The advantage of this adapter is it will give you full AF functionality with most if not all Canon lenses. It is very pricey though, and you might be better off getting a true Fuji lens. However, if you have a full line-up of canon lenses you want to work with your Fuji, then the Fringer might be a good option. If you want to go the inexpensive route, a vintage lens with the corresponding adapter will not cost much. Thanks for your question. Hope this helps!
Hi Roy
Just got x-pro2 and minolta 135 every thing works but it seems that i only can use the lcd screen to se the focus and not in the eyefinder?
have a nice day
Hi Maher. I’m not super familiar with the X-Pro 2, but there are a few more things to consider since it has a hybrid viewfinder. If you are using the EVF mode it should be exactly the same as the LCD. If you are using the optical viewfinder mode, you should be able to overlay a digital focus on the bottom corner to help you with focusing. This video shows what that looks like: https://youtu.be/LrT5hHV4PWU?t=197. Hope this helps and thanks for dropping by!
Dear Roy,
When you use a “manual” lens, I understand that means manual focus. As regards exposure, I normally shoot with my Fuji XT-30 in Aperture Priority mode, meaning I set the aperture (it seems to always be F/5.6 on my Fuji 35mm lens!) and let the camera choose the exposure time/ISO setting combination (basically, ISO 160 subject to a minimum shutter speed of 1/200sec). Will this exposure strategy still work for a “manual” third-party lens, or do I have to manually control exposure that as well? Of course it will become clear once I have purchased a lens, but it would be good to know beforehand as I really find my present exposure rules so easy and hassle-free.
Thanks for the great article and feedback.
Chris
Hi Chris. “Manual lens” refers to both manual focusing and manual aperture setting. Yes, Aperture Priority mode will work with manual lenses. As you adjust the aperture ring on the manual lens, the camera will still be able to meter the light coming through the lens and automatically set the shutter speed accordingly. Hope this helps!
Thanks Roy!
I use focus peaking on a XPro-1 with an old 500mm MTO F8 tele lens (manual). This sucks and one out of 50 pics are I focus, due to very thin focus plane and the lack of phase focus (contrast focus does not work well on white birds which such a lens). Please the Pro-1 EVF has a ridiculous resolution, on this first generation shooting OVF is a must (so no big tele lens), EVF is more like a backup when OVF doesn’t work).
I would recommend at least a phase focus enabled camera.
Interesting insights. I have never really been a fan of the OVF on any of the Fuji X bodies and I can imagine it’s quite tough with manual focusing, especially with a 500mm. Thanks for your comment!
And thanks for your excellent blog!
Thanks for reading, François! Best regards!
Roy
Thanks for the blog. I have recently purchased a second hand Fuji X-T1 and use vintage Yashica ML lenses of various focal lengths inherited from my Yashica FX Super film camera. These work brilliantly using a C/Y – X adapter and as one who cut his teeth on analogue cameras I find the X-T1 controls so easy to use.
Cheers, Alan! I haven’t tried Yashica lenses myself, but have heard good things. Definitely agree on the Fujifilm controls and ergonomics. They are so intuitive. All the best on your journey with digital!
Hi Roy, Wonderful blog and very helpful for lots of People I am sure. I love your Videos too, thanks a lot for your help! I have a X100T and recently bought a Nikon FE Film camera. Bloody hell, what a cool experience..again, Transports me back to the 80ies when I did photography Courses in School. So I wanted to bring that Manual and analog experience in to the digital world (like so many). I love Fotos with character and imperfections, for me, it is the Moment and the emotions that are important to Frame, not a clinical shot. Now there Comes the vintage lenses into Play…..I just ordered a Xpro1 for a ridicolous Price in excellent condition. Always had a soft spot for that camera, with all ist quirks. BUT after reading that the EVF is terrible and the OVF is no good with focussing, I wonder if it is no god with old glass or Manual focussing in General. I Need to find out for myself but I guess a XT1 or 2 would be the better Option going that route. I don’t shoot much with the OVF on my X100T as the EVF is good and I ike to nail my shots incamera, Jpegs and minimal to no post. But to get that analog Feeling I set myself to try to use my OVF with the Xpro1 (also cause EVF is bad), we’ll see how that goes. haven’t checked through your blog but another possibility of MF Focusing and handling the camera would be a cheap third Party lens like Pergear, 7 Artisans etc. would cost you apx as much as an old lens BUT without the extra bulk of the Adapter (for me this is a strong Point for the cheaper x mount lenses). have you ever tried one and what is your opinion. Also These lenses Focus the old way, not by wire Right? the only Thing I don’t like with the Fuji, is the Focus by wire.
I just take picutures for myself, it is a hobby, no Need for fast AF or huge MP, I like to take my time, the whole process and experience is importtant to me and not just the final Picture, Kinda like to slow down, nice balance to hectic life, wotk, Family etc.
Sorry Roy Long post, I know.
thanks again and stay safe!
Miche from Switzerland
Thank you for reading and watching, Michel! Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
Thanks Roy,
Really helped with setting up my new Fuji XH-1 and Samyang 12mm. Early days but looking forward to getting out there to fully test it!
Cheers
Mark
Thank you for reading! I’m glad you found it helpful. All the best with your new kit!
Hi Roy, good item on manual lenses, thank you.
One question please. Do you know if there is any technical reason to set the manual lens length in the menu? Is the process any different?
Thanks.
Hi Simon. Setting the manual lens focal length on the camera does two main things:
1. It fills in the focal length EXIF data embedded on the image files. I personally like to have the proper data for future reference, but you can get by without doing this. This is as long as your camera does not have in body image stabilization (IBIS).
2. For IBIS bodies, the focal length setting is necessary for the stabilization to work properly. So on cameras like the X-H1, X-T4, and X-S10, it is best to input the data properly.
Hope this helps. Thanks for reading and best regards!
Dear Roy, Great article. Your article pushed me to go for the X-H1 versus M4/3 camera. I have been using a metabones speed booster with C/Y Zeiss lenses, the results have been very good. The only downside is the inability to set the aperture setting for both EXIF and camera functionality. I hope that one day soon Metabones will produce their adaptors speed booster adaptors with the functionality of the Fuji Leica M adaptor, so relaying some lens data to the camera. Making Fuji X cameras almost fully functional with legacy lenses.
Cheers, Jules! Thanks for reading!