Adapting a vintage lens to modern digital cameras is a fun and easy way to give a retro look to your photos. Sure, you can do that with film-inspired presets, but these old lenses bring a certain character that modern lenses and post-processing can’t completely recreate. You may not even have to buy one if you have some long-time photographers in the family! In any case, you can also keep an eye out for cheap lenses to attach to an equally inexpensive adapter. In the mood to experiment? Here’s a fine recommendation!

In the video above, Oklahoma-based Brett Day shared his experience and results from shooting with an old Meyer Optik Görlitz 50mm f2.8 Domiplan lens — it’s 50+ years-old to be precise! He used to pair it with a Praktica Super TL, which was his first camera. After nearly 30 years of not using it, he was finally able to shoot with it again. This time, he paired it with a Panasonic Lumix S5 using a cheap M42 adapter.

While there’s nothing particularly remarkable about this lens, Day explains why it’s still a perfect vintage lens to experiment with if you’re new to adapting one for your digital camera. At a price of around $30 in the used market, you can’t go wrong with it!

Want to know more about adapting vintage lenses to your digital camera? Join the Photofocus Community today if you haven’t yet, and chat with your fellow photographers to satisfy your curiosity!