MODERN Manual lenses for canon

[Yeasman]

I'm looking to buy some cheap manual glass for my 1200d, however i am not interested in any vintage lenses. Are there any lenses like the ones rokinon, fujinon and samyang are producing but for a low price and for aps-c sized sensors ?

 

[ImpulseRez]

there's not really a market for this, as people either want autofocus (so get one of those lenses), or are happy to get an older manual lens.

 

What's wrong with older lenses? They can still be really good (it's still glass...)

[d3sl91]

With MODERN manual glass you generally have two options - cheap stuff like Rokinon, or super expensive stuff. 

 

Depending on what you need manual glass for - may be better off looking at the used market for normal autofocus lenses, and just turning off autofocus. Probably can get better glass for cheaper that way.

 

 

 

 

[historicalpoultry]

There is a lot of great vintage glass around. In terms of new lenses that fit your needs, I don't think you'll get any cheaper than what Samyang and Co. offer without massive loss in image- and build quality. I'm sure there is chinese manufacturers that offer ultra cheap stuff, but I wouldn't recommend it. 

 

I'd look at old Nikon glass. Should be one of the easier mounts to adapt to Canon dslrs

[cc143]

I'm assuming your issue with purchasing AF lenses is the price? I don;t think there's anything cheaper than rokinon/samyang as far as glass is concerned that isn't completely crap tbh. Sure there's some obscure companies that make a gem once in a while, but they are not well known enough to keep an eye out for, so you only hear them if someone prominent reviews or recommends them. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/user/christopherfrost

 

If you scroll below Tamron lenses, there's a playlist with such obscure glass, that will be very cheap for the focal/aperture combination, but I'm not sure if a) its cheap enough for what you want and b) if its actually good or good for the price (i.e. if a 50mm f/1.0 prime from company x is really soft etc. but only costs ~$200, its a bargain in comparison to the EF 50mm f/1.0L, which costs $4,000 now (not made anymore), even though its not particularly sharp.) 

 

Honestly, the best thing for you would be if you had a nikon because they have loads of vintage glass that is pretty good and cheap because its not AF, but...its still vintage. 

 

Keep in mind though that anything cheaper than what samyang does is probably waaaay too crap anyway, an average soviet lens from the 60s will probably be sharper in comparison. 

[Rootzy]

Look for CCTV C-mount lenses. They are produced today so can be bought new off Ebay. They are dirt cheap, around $20 and can produce some really interesting cinematic footage.

 

Here is a video explaining them - They might work with Canon APS-C sensors with the right adapter (but you might have to crop a slight bit in post to reduce the vignetting).

 

Another option is searching for Canon lenses that have broken autofocus(MF only) are cheaper.