- 1). Attach the lens to the digital camera. If it is the same brand with the same lens mount as the camera, the 50mm lens will mount the same way. If it is too old or from a different manufacturer, you will need to use a lens adapter. These are reasonably priced. Some of them have a lens element to correct the distance from the back of the lens to the charge-coupled device sensor that records the digital image. Others are metal rings that have the 50mm lens mount on one side and the camera mount on the other. If you are using an adapter, it is a good idea to mount the adapter to the lens first, then attach the combination to the digital camera.
- 2). Compensate for the magnification factor of the digital camera’s sensor. Unless you have a full-frame digital camera, the CCD multiplies the focal length of the lens. In most digital cameras, this is about 1.5 times the focal length, so a 50mm lens will become a 75mm lens on the digital camera. This decreases the field of view of the lens, meaning the areas that normally would be in the photograph at the sides, top and bottom will be diminished. The multiplication factor also turns the lens into a short telephoto or portrait lens.
- 3). Focus the lens manually. If the 50mm lens was designed for a film camera, especially a pre-autofocus camera, the autofocus feature on the digital camera will not work. This also will be true if the lens is from a different manufacturer than the camera. Some digital cameras help you by beeping when you get the lens into focus, but they will not lock the focus.
- 4). Manually set the aperture and shutter speed. The automatics of the digital camera may not work with an older 50mm lens. In most cases, pointing the camera at the subject gives you a reading for aperture and shutter speed, but you need to adjust the settings without further help from the camera’s computer.
- 5). Shoot some test images. To get a feel for the 50mm lens on the digital camera, the more test images, the better. Examine the digital images on the computer screen or as prints to determine what adjustments need to be made when next taking photos.
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