4 Reasons to Adapt to your Full-Frame Camera

Photography's long history of innovation has left us with an overwhelming number of lenses and cameras from throughout the decades. Many of these camera systems are still operational, a testament of their engineering. However, lenses have outlived the very cameras they were designed to mount to and there will always be more lenses than cameras in circulation. The world would not have a need for these lenses if it weren't for lens adapters.

Although lens adapting is not a new concept, it was slowly losing relevance as brands like Canon and Nikon offered the biggest lens ecosystems in history. In the early 2000s and early 2010s, the need for adapting lenses revolved around 35mm film photography systems stemmed the transition from film cameras to DSLRs. But this came with a cost: DSLRs often have similar focal flange distances as their film counterparts. An optic was required for these lens adapters to work, and it would alter the magnification of the lens. When mirrorless camera technology was introduced, the world of lens adapting was revolutionized. Mirrorless camera systems featured smaller focal flange distances and introduced photographers to the electronic viewfinder (EVF). Having a smaller focal flange distance eliminated the need for optics in lens adapters while an EVF assisted heavily in manual focusing.

In 2025, it has never been easier to adapt lenses to your full-frame mirrorless camera. Depending on your brand of mirrorless camera, you can adapt most modern-day DSLR lenses and virtually all 35mm SLR lenses. Whether you're new to adapting lenses or a seasoned user, here are some reasons why you should try adapting vintage 35mm film lenses to your full-frame mirrorless camera.

Focal Length and Frame Size

Lenses made for 35mm film SLRs share the same frame size as a full-frame digital sensor. This means there are no crop factors, and you can enjoy the full optical properties of the lens being adapted. For film users, you can adapt your favorite lens to your mirrorless camera to see how it performs in real time.

Imperfections

The 'vintage look' everyone talks about when referring to adapting comes from the imperfections of the lens you're using. These are creative opportunities you can incorporate into your process. Some popular imperfections include lens flaring, soft or out-of-focus edges, color fringing, softness at wide apertures, and more. One of the most iconic lens imperfections is the swirly bokeh you get from lenses such as the Helios 44-2.

Low Contrast

Vintage lenses often suffer from low contrast due to lens design, material, and coatings. Even Carl Zeiss lenses, known for their superb optics, run into these problems. Contrast and tones were based on the film stock you used as well as the darkroom development. You can use the low contrast properties of vintage lenses to apply custom LUTs or picture profiles in camera or through the editing process. Mirrorless camera brands such as Canon, Sony, Panasonic, Blackmagic, and Nikon offer this feature in their own form. It's important to note that each brand does it different but it's a good way of getting the aesthetic you want from your image. With some refinement, you can benefit from this property.

For the Fun of It

Like most things in life, sometimes you need to try something new for the fun of it. Vintage lens adapting is what you make it out to be. Lens adapting slows you down by stripping the camera of its most advanced controls and putting you in the driver's seat. Some might argue that by adapting lenses to your mirrorless camera it functions like a film SLR since you're in control of the focus and aperture. Think of it as a rite of passage in your skill mastery!

Things to Note Before Lens Adapting

Before you try lens adapting, it's important to first identify the mount of your lens. You can do this by sending us a photo of the front and back of the lens or using a lens identification guide online. After doing this, you'll want to check the manual focus and aperture control mechanism on your lens. Make sure the focus barrel can rotated smoothly as many vintage lenses tend to seize up if in bad condition. As for the aperture control, most vintage lenses have a dial on them with a f-stop markings. You'll want to make sure that the aperture blades properly close as you change the f-stop on the dial. If the aperture does not change, check your lens for a switch labeled “A” or “Automatic” and turn it off. Depending on the brand, you'll either need to switch it to “M” or simply select an f-stop on the dial. If these two conditions aren't meant, then adapting your vintage lens will limit it you severely.

When using an adapter on your camera, you'll need to use M, AV, or TV mode to get the right exposure. You'll also want to make sure your camera has “shoot without lens” enabled to get the shutter to work without a native lens. Some cameras even allow you to program the focal length that is being adapted to improve features such as IBIS. With full frame mirrorless, you can virtually adapt all vintage lens mounts and DSLR lenses from the last 20 years.

Lens Adapting Made Easy

In 2025, its never been easier to get into lens adapting with industry leaders such as Fotodiox offering the largest catalog of lens adapters in the market. If reading this has inspired you to try it please check out our web catalog here to see what possibilities await!