This is Why Adapting Vintage Lenses on a PHONE is A TERRIBLE IDEA!!
80,982
Published 2020-05-19
THE Ulanzi DOF is an adapter that lets you use vintage lenses on your smartphone.
the main interest of this adapter it to let you have the shallow depth of field and the bokeh of fast lenses on a regular smartphone.
How does it work?
the Light is focused on a tiny focusing screen inside the adapter, the smartphone camera records this focusing screen only.
Bokeh
The first thing that shocked me after 5 min of tests is that the out of focus bokeh balls that you can see out of the adapter are extremely boring.
IF you compare it to the same lens adapted to a real full-frame camera, the gap is huge.
the comparison speaks for itself ... by using the adapter you are losing all the character of each lens, and that's a massive problem.
Dirt
As the smartphone focuses on the screen and not using the back of the lens, you will get all the details of the focusing screen surface even wide open, meaning that if there is even tiny dust on your screen you will see it on your final video.
Crop factor
After playing around with different lenses, i discovered that there is a crop using the adapter.
in this footage, i shot with the same lens at the same distance but i had to move back the tripod using the adapter to match the framing of the A7III.
Usability
Using the phone as a camera without a rotating screen is pretty annoying and it forces you to be always at the same height of the subject to check what you are doing.
Conclusion
I must say I am pretty disappointed by this product.
Losing the lenses character is a big issue for a bokeh addict like me, So if you have a very low budget, and you don't mind getting grainy and dirty images without any real character this adapter is maybe a first step in the world of vintage lenses.
if you are not a beginner then I would advise sticking to mirrorless cameras.
#Vintagelens #mobilephotography
► Instagram : www.instagram.com/mathieustern/
#photoshop #Lensfilter #Beauty
► M U S I C ♫
Here are my best choices for finding great music for monetizing your videos.
* MUSICBED is great for high quality emotional music
Get a 30-day free trial
share.mscbd.fm/mathieustern
* Epidemic Sound is perfect for cinematic soundtracks
share.epidemicsound.com/rFnt2
* Artlist is great for finding the right track for your project if you have not time to look for hours on other sites.
tinyurl.com/yg8t2lu3
► Connect with Mathieu: www.instagram.com/mathieustern/
*****************
If you like what I’m doing and would like to help me upload more frequently, you can support me on PATREON : www.patreon.com/mathieustern
***************** Epidemic sound : share.epidemicsound.com/rFnt2
All Comments (21)
-
At $140US, I'm pretty sure you could get a used mirrorless and cheap adapter that would do at least as well, with better bokeh. Ulanzi are presumably just going after the people who were smitten by the "shot on iPhone" ads.
-
A Few things,: 1. "Tiny" Focusing screen is actually a Full frame Equivalent so I wouldn't call it tiny. 2. The Bokeh Balls are less exciting for two reasons: Less DoF and the focusing screen not being glass like on a real sensor. 3. Treat the focusing screen of your DoF Adapter like the sensor of a real camera which means you have to clean it. 4. The image doesn't look bad but for it to work you need lots of light and a clean focusing screen. I use Vintage glass on my Smartphones all the time and They seem to work pretty nice. 5. Set your Back focus on the Filmic App first and lock that in. That is the focus for the Focusing screen. Then you can adjust your Focus accordingly with the lens. That takes out the guess work. 6. To address the texture on the focusing screen showing up on your final image. Shoot outside or in well lit areas. This will help in the overall image quality and limit the texture you are receiving. 7. This isn't meant to be a Mirrorless or DSLR Replacement so please don't expect DSLR Quality videos and shots, In my use cases it gets damn close to it. 8. With using regular lenses the Texture on the screen gives my whole shot a Unique Film look something I Really like and definitely adds character to the final shot. And finally, do not treat this like a DSLR Replacement. Its fun in its own right and you gotta go out and try it in different scenarios and enjoy the little quirks that it has. I for one am trying it out shooting 8K on my Mi 10 Pro and LG V60 and the results are very,. VERY interesting. And being able to upload my quirky shots straight to Instagram and my Photography groups online is a major PLUS. Thanks for reading
-
Comparing with an AIII isn't fair though. We all know that AIII takes better photos than iphone 8+. You should compare phone's footage with and without the lens to see if it's improves or worsen things. To a photographer it's obviously a silly idea to use a lens with a phone but if you are a casual and have a lens lying around, it doesn't hurt to experiment I guess.
-
I want this thing for only one reason: to see how FUN it will look with Tair-3 or some other big tele-senses.
-
Phone cameras use a lot of software to enhance the images, I wonder what it's like when it's turned off (somehow). My guess is that the bokeh would look similar but that the rest of the image would end up very soft and noisy. Interestingly I've seen a review of the Zeiss lenses that were made to be adapted to phones and they actually looked good. But if you're paying Zeiss money you might as well spend it on mirrorless camera gear.
-
This is for that one guy in the group who still buggs the community for vintage to phone adapter :))
-
I would ditch the premium phone and get a decent camera in first place. A cheap digital camera plus adapter will most probably cost less, but still deliver way better images.
-
I removed the lens of a smartphone and "mounted" a lens for 8mm to it. The first test images looked pretty good, but its not very reliable, as the camera won't start sometimes. And its also pretty annoying to tear it apart everytime it fails. Maybe i'll get it to work someday.
-
i just need that non-digital zoom bruh; digital zoom on a phone just makes small blur big blur.
-
I mistakenly bought an om to nex adapter instead of a pk to nex and I would like you to recommend some olympus lens so I don't have to return it and if it is a full frame better 👍🏼
-
Your pictures reminds me of the pages of the Sears catalog, especially the toy section in the 80s
-
i have this brother but my problem using my iphone 7 with the ulanzi adaptor and sony lens the problem is reverse image display that my problem .. do i need use any app
-
Was tempted but thanks for answering!
-
It's OK for Samsung or Huawei ? Or it's an exclusivity of iPhone ? Thanks
-
Just try to read the comments with Matieus accent haha. Makes them much more charming
-
isn't any way to take that focusing screen out ? i dk if the phone can achieve focus, and also it will be a more than 10 times crop :O
-
Using a very tiny crop from a lens designed to render a bigger image is never a good option. I keep telling that to people using large format lenses on their APSC cameras, but they don't listen :P
-
Where can I find that adaptor?
-
TY 4 this video. Well done!
-
Bro could you explain: mobile 2x(60mm) lens gives blur as dslr 35/50mm lens?
