As vintage lenses continue to be popular for both film photography and digital photography, adding these tools to your arsenal can be expensive. So, whether you’re new to vintage gear or a seasoned collector, weird lens enthusiast Mathieu Stern offers some tips to help you avoid spending a fortune.
In the video above, he lists down 10 costly mistakes that every vintage lens collector should be mindful of. Some of them may raise eyebrows, such as avoiding fungus-infested lenses and those with issues or weird mounts. However, he also explains some workarounds for these problems, which should allow you to get these lenses for cheap and still make them usable.
Likewise, he cautions against falling into traps like always going for the popular (therefore, expensive) models, or even mint, deadstock lenses. There are many cheap lenses that will give you similar (or even better, in some cases) results for a fraction of the cost. Always buying online, being impulsive about buying vintage gear and not doing enough research will also lead to extra costs and expenses if you’re not careful!
Got anything to add to Stern’s list? Share it with your fellow vintage lens collectors in the comments below, or in our group discussion if you’re already part of the Photofocus Community!
Happy vintage lens hunting!
