Autumn Photography with M42 Lenses

M42 screw mount lenses are some of the cheapest and most numerous vintage lenses on the planet. They're also easy to adapt to modern digital cameras, and there are some solid lenses out there for you to try, lenses with looks you can't get anywhere else. This October I adapted three M42 lenses to various mirrorless cameras to create autumn and Halloween-themed photos with unique lens flare and bokeh.

1. Mamiya/Sekor 55mm f/1.4

The Mamiya/Sekor 55mm f/1.4 lens is a bokeh beast! When focusing the lens up close and set to f/1.4, the bokeh you get in the background has a pleasing organic look to it. I adapted this lens to a full frame Sigma fp L-mount camera with our new Fotodiox M42 to L-mount adapter.

Lens flare is also wild on this lens. Shooting with the lens set to f/1.4 and pointed at a bright source of light creates multiple oval lens flares and sometimes fills the whole frame with a halo rainbow flare.

Even wide open, the Mamiya/Sekor 55mm f/1.4 creates vibrant, sharp images with a good amount of 3D pop. It's one of my favorite lenses to adapt.

2. Helios 44-2 58mm f/2

What's left to be said about this gem of a lens? The Helios 44-2 is a go-to for creative photographers and filmmakers seeking a soft-edged, retro look. Set to f/2, the lens has spectacularly soft edges, giving you tons of swirly bokeh goodness. I adapted my Helios 44-2 to my Sony full frame camera with a Fotodiox M42 to Sony E adapter.

Close focus photos at f/2 create pleasing circular bokeh, plus the lens is low-contrast for that faded retro look, though you can always add a little contrast back in post.

The Helios 44-2 creates dream-like images, perfect for this spooky time of year.

3. Industar 50-2 50mm f/3.5

Though not as fast or as bokehlicious as the other two lenses in this article, the Industar 50-2 50mm f/3.5 lens brings its own qualities to the table. It's a wonderfully tiny and compact lens, and in the right conditions, the Industar 50-2 can create strikingly sharp images while not losing that swirly bokeh look at the edges. Like the Helios, I adapted this lens to my Sony full frame camera with a Fotodiox M42 to Sony E adapter.

One downside to this lens is its flaring. Unlike the lens flare of the Mamiya/Sekor and Helios, this flare is less pleasing and has more of a cheap, washed out look to it. Though in certain situations it can give your image exactly the retro look you want.

The Industar 50-2 is the most conservative of the three lenses I used this October, but it still helped me add a nice vintage feel to my images. If you're at all interested in adapting vintage lenses to your camera, M42 lenses and adapters are one of the most fun and easy places to start.