You might have noticed that my lenses are mostly from the 70’s. That’s because they’re so cheap. I got a 50mm f/1.4 lens on eBay for $80. If I tried to buy a modern lens with those specifications and of similar quality, it would cost upwards of $350. There is, of course, a drawback. The old lenses that I use are manual focus only. Yes, manual focus only. That means I have to turn the lens barrel until the picture looks just right. It’s not as hard as it sounds, though, once you get used to it. It’s also way better for shooting video since the camera I use can’t autofocus while shooting video. These older lenses are—unlike the modern autofocus lenses—specifically designed for precision manual focusing.
If you want to start using manual focus lenses, I suggest you start with mflenses.com. It’s a great community of people who love manual focus lenses. Doing some reading there can get you started. Then you just have to pick a lens you like and an adapter that will work with it. You could get a lens and adapter for less than $45 on eBay.
