Inexpensive but compact all-purpose lens for NEX?

CuriousOne · Joined: 31 Dec 2013 Posts: 669 Location: Home

Inexpensive - I mean bargain ,old school, one that can be found at pawn shop and so on. Less than $50. Preferably, better than $10 Smile

For "serious" shooting, I have native lens, so I'm looking for tiny, inexpensive, trashy lens.

Oldhand · Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2014 11:43 am Post subject:

philslizzy · Joined: 07 Aug 2012 Posts: 4748 Location: Cheshire, England

Kit lens.

CuriousOne · Joined: 31 Dec 2013 Posts: 669 Location: Home

Kit lens is not in under $50 range and it is not compact.

Boris_Akunin · Joined: 22 Aug 2013 Posts: 393 Location: Bremen, Germany

fermy · Joined: 17 Feb 2012 Posts: 2877

Collapsible Industar-22 from my avatar. http://forum.mflenses.com/industar-22-t48796.html

Pentax/Cosmicar 50mm f2.8

This one is really tiny, the height is about the same as 16mm pancake, while the diameter is about 1/3 of that. Yes, you will have dark corners on NEX, but not too dramatic.
Size comparison.

Uncropped NEX image to show coverage.

Cosmicar 50mm f1.4 This one is more expensive than your $50 budget limit, but not dramatically so. It has even better coverage than 50mm f2.8 Cosmicar. Of course, it's slightly bigger too. I still have this one for sale.

Lens itself.

Uncropped picture on NEX to show coverage.

Sampe shots:

CuriousOne · Joined: 31 Dec 2013 Posts: 669 Location: Home

Thanks a lot, I'll have look for Industar and Pentax 110 lens.

For the cosmicar, I don't need that fast lens, since I already have "Cine-Pancolar" 50mm F1.2 adapted to NEX.

enzodm · Joined: 11 Sep 2010 Posts: 350 Location: Italy

My "travel kit" is Nex + either Industar 69 or Industar 22 (pictures for length comparison). Pentax 110 lenses, while tiny, do not have aperture control.
Anyway, if you are able to build adapters, you can obtain a cheap pancake by adapting the lens of an old compact camera (even a disposable one). I tried with a disposable camera lens and worked, but I'm not able to build nice adapters, thus I never finished the work (or: not yet Wink

). I also have a Kodak Advantix with a 25/6.3 available for that. However, the result could be like the Body Cap Lens by Olympus, which incidentally can be adapted to Nex too (something more than your budget).

AstroZon · Joined: 13 Jul 2014 Posts: 172 Location: Colorado Springs

I agree with Enzodm above. The most compact lens for an NEX will be an M39 mount as the adaptor is thinner than all others.

There were a lot of LSM (M39) lenses made in Japan in the 50s and early 60s. Canon/Serenar, Minolta/Rokkor/Chiyoko, Toyo Optics (5 Star and other names), Komura, Kowa, etc..

These used to be cheap in the days before mirrorless digital cameras and plentiful adapters. Now however, any LSM lens can be pricey.

Here's a nice list of LSM / M39 lens makers from Camerapedia:
http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/39mm_screw_lenses

CuriousOne · Joined: 31 Dec 2013 Posts: 669 Location: Home

OK, Got Industar 22 already, not bad, but dislikes side light quite much - looses contrast. Also mounted Companon 28/4 into adapter, also works fine, shots will follow tomorrow.

CuriousOne · Joined: 31 Dec 2013 Posts: 669 Location: Home

Companon 28/4 sample:

http://i.imgur.com/6hft6b8.jpg

No post processing at all, just downsized. This lens is amasingly sharp at center at F4 even.

[CuriousOne: Your pic is too big for this forum (max. 1024 px wide) and I've changed it to a link. If you want to post large images
without resizing, either post in the Oversize Gallery or use the Picture Upload button which will resize for you. Thanks, peterqd]

memetph · Joined: 01 Dec 2013 Posts: 942 Location: Poland

The Sigma 30mm seems to be a very good idea

CuriousOne · Joined: 31 Dec 2013 Posts: 669 Location: Home

Yes, except the "low" price it has.

philslizzy · Joined: 07 Aug 2012 Posts: 4748 Location: Cheshire, England

I agree about the kit lens, if you dont have one a new one will be expensive. I use an adapted lens from a Konica rangefinder that was broken. Its incredibly sharp and is no bigger than many of the samples shown here, another good lens to convert would be the Contax Minotar/Minoxar lens from a CL or similar. Full focusing and aperture control and very easy to adapt.. Its 35mm so a little long for MFT but very usable on the NEX. I use a reversing ring for my conversions, its the thinnest adapter you can get. I cut a circle of MDF and fixed the lens to it and sanded the back of the MDF down until I got infinity focus. Simple really and needing no specialist tools other than a screwdriver, scissors, hole saw and a file. Plus glue and a bit of sandpaper.

Some pics taken last year, the diamond aperture has a distinctive bokeh about f4 to see the shape of the aperture

edit: It actually sticks out as far as the Sony SEL16-50 kit lens.

IAZA · Joined: 16 Apr 2010 Posts: 2587 Location: Indonesia

Componon 28/4 is nice enlarger lens. I have Rodenstock Rodagon 28/4, it's my fave lens to be travel kit. for compactness, and sharp.
SAMPLES HERE

CuriousOne · Joined: 31 Dec 2013 Posts: 669 Location: Home

Took additional photos with that 28/4 lens.

It has quite strange behavior: It is super sharp in center at F4, and not so good at corners, but when stopped down, instead of corners improving, center gets worse, so at F8, whole image is equally bad.

harry tibi · Joined: 11 Nov 2011 Posts: 58 Location: nl

Of course the Minox Minotar/Minoxar (has nothing to do with Contax!) is the lens to go with. Find a broken Minox 35 (there are lots of them, most of them have problems with the electric contacts), take off the lens, glue the shutter wide open, remove all non-necessary parts and adapt it on a C-mount adapter. You won't need machining skills, and you'll be surprised by the results.

calvin83 · Joined: 12 Apr 2009 Posts: 7553 Location: Hong Kong

Get a broken Contax T2 and strip the Sonnar T* 2.8/38.

kuuan · Expire: 2014-12-26

I had adapted a Minotar to Leica M so that I can use it on both my mirrorless cams ( Ricoh GXR M and NEX5n )
I was really taken aback by the strong contrast loss and easy flare when used against light. Later learned that earlier Minox cameras like the 'EL' I had used as donor cam had used single coated, later models multi coated lenses. So anyone who wants to adapt this lens I'd advice to get a late model

harry tibi · Joined: 11 Nov 2011 Posts: 58 Location: nl

I was really taken aback by the strong contrast loss and easy flare when used against light.

Well, you can't have it all, can you? Shooting against light is tricky with almost any lens, only top league players are satisfactory in that respect, I'm afraid... In the meantime, enhancing contrast is easy in PP, and flare can be used artistically Smile

philslizzy · Joined: 07 Aug 2012 Posts: 4748 Location: Cheshire, England

My Minotar shots were a little flat, auto contrast sorted that out nicely as you can see. And its a remarkably sharp lens. The great thing with this lens is its so easy to adapt as the aperture is separate from the shutter, many arent.

I bought a lens hood for it - what a waste of time. A pathetic afterthought that fits but comes off every time you focus.

CuriousOne · Joined: 31 Dec 2013 Posts: 669 Location: Home

Joke about T2 was especially nice, considering cameras start $250 average on ebay Very Happy

calvin83 · Joined: 12 Apr 2009 Posts: 7553 Location: Hong Kong

CuriousOne · Joined: 31 Dec 2013 Posts: 669 Location: Home

Sure, auctions can show wonders, but when you need something right now, you have to stick to "buy it now".

calvin83 · Joined: 12 Apr 2009 Posts: 7553 Location: Hong Kong

Sure. Inexpensive things does not show up if you are in a hurry.