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Considering the NEX system, looking for a specific lens
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Home Digital Rangefinder / Viewfinder Cameras  Sony-NEX
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 7:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Anacondo wrote:

Ah, I knew about the Jupiter-12. Unfortunately, it isn't fit for the NEX cameras because the rear element is so recessed it could damage the sensor Smile

Thanks everyone, by the way, for the help! Any more ideas?


The J-12 can't damage a NEX - it simply does not fit, the rear element is too big to reach inside the sensor protection frame. If any you'll damage the rear element of the lens if you try.

Most of the Cosina Voigtländer LTM, M and Contax/Nikkor RF mount lenses do fit - while not exactly cheap, they are modern, excellent and much more affordable than comparable Leica lenses.


PostPosted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 9:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Anacondo wrote:
Unfortunately, from what I've seen, M42 lenses stop being compact on the NEX once you attach them to the adapter, as seen here:

http://no.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2011/08/ultron-40mm-f2-.html

It's just not compact anymore Smile


I suppose that's going to be true to some extent for all lenses not specifically designed for the small sensor . . . the extension tube unavoidably adds to the length.

The Pentax SMC-M 40mm f2.8 is perhaps the "thinest" K mount lens you'll find, and it seems to sell for a lot less than the AF version. And it's sharp, and on the small sensor you probably won't see any fall-off at all.

The easy way to get over the close focus problem is to buy a good quality supplementary lens - +1 or +2 diopter should do what you want. If you look around, you can find achromatic ones on eBay quite often. They will minimize any loss of quality. Again, the small sensor means edge fall- off won't be apparent.


PostPosted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 1:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
scsambrook wrote:
Anacondo wrote:


Unfortunately, from what I've seen, M42 lenses stop being compact on the NEX once you attach them to the adapter, as seen here:

http://no.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2011/08/ultron-40mm-f2-.html

It's just not compact anymore Smile


I suppose that's going to be true to some extent for all lenses not specifically designed for the small sensor . . . the extension tube unavoidably adds to the length.

The Pentax SMC-M 40mm f2.8 is perhaps the "thinest" K mount lens you'll find, and it seems to sell for a lot less than the AF version. And it's sharp, and on the small sensor you probably won't see any fall-off at all.

The easy way to get over the close focus problem is to buy a good quality supplementary lens - +1 or +2 diopter should do what you want. If you look around, you can find achromatic ones on eBay quite often. They will minimize any loss of quality. Again, the small sensor means edge fall- off won't be apparent.

The diopter is not a bad idea at all... I used to have a Canon 500D for my Nikkor 18-200mm VR and it worked pretty good! And they should be cheap because of the small diameter of these lenses.

I'll look into the Pentax 40/2.8, thank you for the advice!


PostPosted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 1:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Sevo wrote:
Anacondo wrote:

Ah, I knew about the Jupiter-12. Unfortunately, it isn't fit for the NEX cameras because the rear element is so recessed it could damage the sensor Smile

Thanks everyone, by the way, for the help! Any more ideas?


The J-12 can't damage a NEX - it simply does not fit, the rear element is too big to reach inside the sensor protection frame. If any you'll damage the rear element of the lens if you try.

Most of the Cosina Voigtländer LTM, M and Contax/Nikkor RF mount lenses do fit - while not exactly cheap, they are modern, excellent and much more affordable than comparable Leica lenses.

My bad Smile But I was certain it could not be used.

I've been looking at the Nikon and Canon RF lenses. There are some sweet ones, like the 35/1.8 and 50/1.8 Canons, but they're still pretty expensive for me. The Contax G lenses look amazing, but also too pricey. I'll keep searching...


PostPosted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 1:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
If you like to use diopters, don't buy any cheap stuff, ONLY achromats to avoid color fringing!! The Canon 500D is one, Minolta made a set of three years ago (I have them all, excellent!) and also Nikon and others made some (discontinued).

Here is a list: http://fuzzcraft.com/achromats.html

Last edited by kds315* on Tue Oct 04, 2011 1:57 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 1:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
kds315* wrote:
If you like to use diopters, don't buy any cheap stuff, ONLY achromats to avoid color fringing!! The Canon 500D is one, Minolta made a set of three years ago (I have them all, excellent!) and also Nikon and others made some (discontinued).

Not really, but if I find the perfect lens and it only focuses to 1m, I'll certainly consider them. How much did you pay for your Minoltas? The 500D was 100€, but it was 72mm.


PostPosted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 2:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
about EUR40 each, if I remember correctly (used but in like new condition)


PostPosted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 3:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
[quote="Anacondo"][quote="Sevo"]
Anacondo wrote:

...The Contax G lenses look amazing, but also too pricey. I'll keep searching...


The Contax G look perfect for NEX, any one out there using them?


PostPosted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 6:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I still have them and use them Wink
Well not on nex any more but still.. they are very good.

Quote:
The Contax G look perfect for NEX, any one out there using them?


PostPosted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 7:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I was reluctant since it was about the NEX, but yes I use the 90mm Sonnar on my Lumix GH1/2 - not shabby at all.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kds315/sets/72157625495397314/







wonderful Sonnar sharpness and very creamy bokeh.


PostPosted: Mon Oct 24, 2011 9:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I just got a new black NEX-C3 for little more than a new NEX-3 in eBay Cool I also got a Fujian 35/1.7 to have something to play with in the meantime. I'm considering the Voigtlander 40/1.4 and Olympus Pen F 38/1.8 at the moment. A little over my budget, but worth the price from what I have seen. Can't wait to start playing with this thing! Very Happy


PostPosted: Mon Oct 24, 2011 2:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Anacondo wrote:
I just got a new black NEX-C3 for little more than a new NEX-3 in eBay Cool I also got a Fujian 35/1.7 to have something to play with in the meantime. I'm considering the Voigtlander 40/1.4 and Olympus Pen F 38/1.8 at the moment. A little over my budget, but worth the price from what I have seen. Can't wait to start playing with this thing! Very Happy


Congrats!! I look forward your shoots!


PostPosted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 11:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Attila wrote:
Anacondo wrote:
I just got a new black NEX-C3 for little more than a new NEX-3 in eBay Cool I also got a Fujian 35/1.7 to have something to play with in the meantime. I'm considering the Voigtlander 40/1.4 and Olympus Pen F 38/1.8 at the moment. A little over my budget, but worth the price from what I have seen. Can't wait to start playing with this thing! Very Happy


Congrats!! I look forward your shoots!

Thank you Attila Smile

I finally received the NEX and played a bit with the broken Fujian 35mm. What a blurry, distorted mess of a lens))) I know it is supposed to have bad corners, but I saw it is sharp in the center, even wide open. Not my copy. It looks as if someone had decided to clean his ears with the front element, and then covered it with a piece of nylon. I dared to disassemble the lens and indeed someone had opened it before, tried to relube the thing and then forgot how to put it back. What a sticky mess. There were oil leaks everywhere! The blades are so oily I'm surprised they can open. So I'm waiting for my new copy before I pass any judgment Smile

The camera itself is a joy to use. Focus peeking looked really cool, but the damn lens was so soft that I had to stop to f/5.6-8 to get some sharp edges and see it in action! Quite humorous stuff Rolling Eyes I can't wait to get a real lens and start learning how to use it and get serious with it.

In other news, a relative contacted me because someone may have a Pen-f camera to sell to me, with a lens. I don't know which one, but I'm guessing one of the 40mm or 38mm. He told me it was bought for medical use, which at first I didn't understand, but then I googled a bit and indeed there seems to be a medical Pen-f model with some alterations. I couldn't find much information about it, just some mentions on the web and some Flickr pictures. Do you know what those differences between the regular and the medical model are? Is the lens also altered in a medical model, too, or could I use it with a regular Pen-F adapter on the NEX?

Thanks guys Smile


PostPosted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 5:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Anacondo wrote:
Do you know what those differences between the regular and the medical model are? Is the lens also altered in a medical model, too, or could I use it with a regular Pen-F adapter on the NEX?
Thanks guys Smile

The lenses that fit the medical model were the same Zuiko's made for the regular Pen F models. There were many, but they will all work on a Nex with the Pen F adapter.


PostPosted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 10:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
aspen wrote:
Anacondo wrote:
Do you know what those differences between the regular and the medical model are? Is the lens also altered in a medical model, too, or could I use it with a regular Pen-F adapter on the NEX?
Thanks guys Smile

The lenses that fit the medical model were the same Zuiko's made for the regular Pen F models. There were many, but they will all work on a Nex with the Pen F adapter.

Good to know, thanks!


PostPosted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 3:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have the Voigtländer Nokton 1.4/40 and the Konica Hexanon 1.8/40 on the NEX, I can recommend both of them. The Nokton has the better bokeh and build quality is awesome, the Hexanon on the other side is much cheaper to get.

If you plan to get more than one lens for your NEX, I would recommend the Hexanon.


PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 9:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Tedat wrote:
I have the Voigtländer Nokton 1.4/40 and the Konica Hexanon 1.8/40 on the NEX, I can recommend both of them. The Nokton has the better bokeh and build quality is awesome, the Hexanon on the other side is much cheaper to get.

If you plan to get more than one lens for your NEX, I would recommend the Hexanon.

Thanks, Tedat, but I finally got myself an Olympus Zuiko 38mm f/1.8 Very Happy Pictures will come soon Smile If I get another lens, it would probably be the 16mm kit lens, for wide stuff. Thanks!


PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 12:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
So yeah, after 2 months of scouting the internet, eBay and my close ones for a NEX body and some decent piece of vintage glass, I finally found what I wanted Very Happy

First, the camera. I got a NEX-C3 because of the improved sensor and battery life over the NEX-3. It looks very good, also, and it's the smallest APS-C camera in the world, so that helps too Smile I think the NEX-5 grip is better for my hand, but once you start holding the camera from the lens, it's a non issue. I find it very easy to use, focus peaking works great most of the time, but you have to be really careful at wide apertures, of course. I miss the viewfinder sometimes, but it's great to shoot from the hip, as if with a view camera. All in all, I'd say it is a great buy and a good investment. I'm talking this camera everywhere with me, it weighs basically nothing next to my Nikon D90, it's small and inconspicuous and lets you have fun with photography in a more calmed, relaxed and old-fashioned way. What I like best is the ability to forget about ISO, shutter speed and all the mechanics of this business and just take pictures, focus on composition, choose an aperture, focus and shoot. Just shoot. For me it's like a point and shoot camera with DSLR quality and DoF control Very Happy The bad: battery life. I took it for a 2 hour test and managed to drain it close to 50%, so I might need another battery for whole-day outings. But I have no problem buying a spare battery if the trade off is having something so small and fun to use!

Second, the lens. I was lucky enough to find a Zuiko 38mm f/1.8 in decent shape for a killer price, with body. The only problem is that the iris has some oil, and it's somewhat sluggish when you stop it down in the Pen body. I guess it might be a real problem if I planned to actually use the Pen, with the fastest shutter speeds. However, with the NEX I will be using it in a preset-aperture fashion, so it's not an issue at all. I might keep the body or sell it to get some money back, I'll see. About its optical qualities, I really don't want to extend myself a lot because prices are already quite inflated as they are. Some folks are asking 300€ for one of this lenses, and people are cashing in. For 300€ you can get a new Sigma 30mm f/1.4 HSM, which is one of the best autofocus primes money can buy for DX, but that's missing the point of course. All in all, the Zuiko is great, it's sharp enough from f/1.8 and has its own character and bokeh. I'm sure some will love the way it renders a scene, and some will hate it Smile I'll let the pictures do the talking:









So, in conclusion, a really good combo and nice value for money, specially if you like to carry your camera with you everywhere but don't feel like lugging 1-2Kg of equipment around all day. And, last but not least, with the best picture quality available today in this sensor size (I believe we're talking about the same sensor as the Nikon D7000/Pentax-K5, so expect great dynamic range and great noise handling up to ISO 3200) and the ability to produce creamy bokeh, which is one of the reasons I can't like compacts. Hope you enjoy the pictures!


PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 7:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
congrats.. seems you found your lens!

The pictures are looking very good, may I ask for one with the Zuiko mounted on the NEX?


PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 9:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Tedat wrote:
congrats.. seems you found your lens!

The pictures are looking very good, may I ask for one with the Zuiko mounted on the NEX?


I don't know when I'll be able to take one, but you can find some in Google or Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/leemik/5741520409/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chadcullen/5018445941/
http://vintagetechobsessions.blogspot.com/2011/10/tale-of-two-cameras-50ish-years-of.html


PostPosted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 8:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
A couple pictures of the combo, for those who asked:





PostPosted: Thu Dec 22, 2011 1:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Anacondo wrote:
So yeah, after 2 months of scouting the internet, eBay and my close ones for a NEX body and some decent piece of vintage glass, I finally found what I wanted Very Happy

First, the camera. I got a NEX-C3 because of the improved sensor and battery life over the NEX-3. It looks very good, also, and it's the smallest APS-C camera in the world, so that helps too Smile I think the NEX-5 grip is better for my hand, but once you start holding the camera from the lens, it's a non issue. I find it very easy to use, focus peaking works great most of the time, but you have to be really careful at wide apertures, of course. I miss the viewfinder sometimes, but it's great to shoot from the hip, as if with a view camera. All in all, I'd say it is a great buy and a good investment. I'm talking this camera everywhere with me, it weighs basically nothing next to my Nikon D90, it's small and inconspicuous and lets you have fun with photography in a more calmed, relaxed and old-fashioned way. What I like best is the ability to forget about ISO, shutter speed and all the mechanics of this business and just take pictures, focus on composition, choose an aperture, focus and shoot. Just shoot. For me it's like a point and shoot camera with DSLR quality and DoF control Very Happy The bad: battery life. I took it for a 2 hour test and managed to drain it close to 50%, so I might need another battery for whole-day outings. But I have no problem buying a spare battery if the trade off is having something so small and fun to use!

Second, the lens. I was lucky enough to find a Zuiko 38mm f/1.8 in decent shape for a killer price, with body. The only problem is that the iris has some oil, and it's somewhat sluggish when you stop it down in the Pen body. I guess it might be a real problem if I planned to actually use the Pen, with the fastest shutter speeds. However, with the NEX I will be using it in a preset-aperture fashion, so it's not an issue at all. I might keep the body or sell it to get some money back, I'll see. About its optical qualities, I really don't want to extend myself a lot because prices are already quite inflated as they are. Some folks are asking 300€ for one of this lenses, and people are cashing in. For 300€ you can get a new Sigma 30mm f/1.4 HSM, which is one of the best autofocus primes money can buy for DX, but that's missing the point of course. All in all, the Zuiko is great, it's sharp enough from f/1.8 and has its own character and bokeh. I'm sure some will love the way it renders a scene, and some will hate it Smile I'll let the pictures do the talking:









So, in conclusion, a really good combo and nice value for money, specially if you like to carry your camera with you everywhere but don't feel like lugging 1-2Kg of equipment around all day. And, last but not least, with the best picture quality available today in this sensor size (I believe we're talking about the same sensor as the Nikon D7000/Pentax-K5, so expect great dynamic range and great noise handling up to ISO 3200) and the ability to produce creamy bokeh, which is one of the reasons I can't like compacts. Hope you enjoy the pictures!


I think there's a surge in manual focus lens in recent years since the mirror less camera pop up. However by diving into the market of used manual lens people forget about the digital counterpart... that sigma 30 1.4 is a prime example (no pun intended). For 300 bucks or so you can get a 30mm 1.4 AF, that's killer, that should be the reason why people should stop trying to buy fast normal manual lens, it makes no sense, the 30 1.4 is as good as it's gonna get, I haven't seen any 1.2 manual lens less than 300, and even so they're in the 50+mm range. I for sure never saw a wide fast prime in the range of f1.4 in the manual market, at least not comparable to the 30 1.4 for 300 bucks.


PostPosted: Thu Dec 22, 2011 9:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
clockwork247 wrote:
I think there's a surge in manual focus lens in recent years since the mirror less camera pop up. However by diving into the market of used manual lens people forget about the digital counterpart... that sigma 30 1.4 is a prime example (no pun intended). For 300 bucks or so you can get a 30mm 1.4 AF, that's killer, that should be the reason why people should stop trying to buy fast normal manual lens, it makes no sense, the 30 1.4 is as good as it's gonna get, I haven't seen any 1.2 manual lens less than 300, and even so they're in the 50+mm range. I for sure never saw a wide fast prime in the range of f1.4 in the manual market, at least not comparable to the 30 1.4 for 300 bucks.

I see your point. However, it makes all the sense in the world if you enjoy manual focusing (I kind of do) and don't want to lug around a bulky DSLR with a 1/2 Kg chunk of glass attached to it Wink
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