It’s not a lens that you’ll be using on a day to day basis but it’s definitely something you’ll want to have in your arsenal of gear for extreme close ups and some sexy macro shots. They can be found in flea markets, second-hand stores or on Ebay for as little as $15. One of the most common “Adaptall 2” lenses on the market is the Tamron 80-200 CF Tele Macro lens. The wondrous thing about the Adaptall 2 is that it offers one of the cheapest vintage lenses on the market. The Adaptall 2 lens mount can be adapted to a whole host of different modern camera mounts such as M43, EF, E etc. That previous success meant that these vintage lenses can be found abundantly in flea markets and on markets online. Due to the Adaptall 2 lenses being better quality and compatible with more cameras that were on the market at the time, the Adaptall 2 lenses reached a high level of success. The Adaptall 2 lens mount was brought to market in the late 70’s as an improvement upon the original Adaptall lenses Tamron had previously released. I have personally seen the Helios-2 44mm F2 sell for £10 on Ebay before. You can pick this set up for under $150 and if you’re really lucky (or a skilled bargain hunter with the patience of a ninja) you can find them under $100. If you’re after a set of 3 lenses that are affordable to acquire and have a vintage character with lovely flares, sweet bokeh and a low contrast look then keep your eyes out for these: One of the best affordable and vintage lenses is the Dream Starter lens kit. Sometimes there can be fungus growing inside the lens, or the focus ring may not work properly, so it is worth taking your time verifying these things. Some of these lenses won’t cost you more than $10-20 but always make sure that you’re not over-paying for them (do a quick ebay search) and also verify the condition of the lens. You may already know some affordable vintage lens brands such as Helios (44-2 58mm F2 is a popular one… and easy to find… Ebay), but here’s a list of some other known and lesser known brands that have affordable vintage lenses on the market that you can look out for: Different people are looking for different things and it is on you to do your research to make sure that the lens will work with your camera and will give you the features you want. Alternatively, you might just be looking to grow your lens collection on the cheap - either way, we thought it would be a good idea to build a guide of the best affordable and vintage lenses.ĭisclaimer: we do ask anyone using this guide to also carry out their own research before purchasing. By the time you’ve bought your camera and all the other fancy bits and bobs that go with it, you might find you’ve not got enough of a budget to buy a few necessary lenses.

Swirling bokeh lens