Inexpensive but compact all-purpose lens for NEX?

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

I really enjoy my NEX5 and like it very much, but I don't like that even simplest lens makes camera too bulky. Can someone suggest me a compact, inexpensive, old school lens, 28-50mm range will be OK, but with short register distance, so it won't protrund too far from camera body? Mount is irrelevant, I can machine adapter by myself. I see a lot of people using C mount lens, I've tried 12mm F1.4 c mount lens, but it only gives circular area in center of frame, not covering whole sensor.

Boris_Akunin · Joined: 22 Aug 2013 Posts: 392 Location: Bremen, Germany

Pentax Auto 110 20-40mm f/2.8: http://www.cs.mtu.edu/~shene/FORUM/Taiwan-Forum/Lens-Talk/20-Pentax-110-Lens/Pentax-Auto-110.html

Contax G 35-70mm f/3.5-5.6: http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1082473

The Contax is rare and expensive and the Pentax will vignette at 20mm and will only work wide open (it's fairly inexpensive, though).

I couldn't find any other normal(ish) zooms with a short flange distance that cover APS-C. There are two tele zooms for Olympus Pen F cameras (50-90/3.5 & 100-200/5) and one zoom-ish leica lens (28mm-35mm-50mm f/4 ASPH Tri-Elmar-M) and that's about it.

EDIT: Somehow my undercaffeinated brain took "28-50mm range" to mean that you were looking for a zoom...

RnR · Expire: 2019-08-29

Maybe Konica 40mm f1.8, but even that combo with an adapter sticks out a tad. Not sure on prices these days, but maybe a Jupiter 3 could fit into your budget?

leorimkus · Joined: 06 Dec 2013 Posts: 7

Industar 69 28/2.8 - if size is really important.
Nice little lens.
As for adapting - people often use L39 adapter for it and adapt the lens for infinity focus (it has a shorter register than L39). But I recomend filling the adapter - it would be more elegant and precise solution.

Boris_Akunin · Joined: 22 Aug 2013 Posts: 392 Location: Bremen, Germany

kuuan · Expire: 2014-12-26

short register and zoom almost exclude each other, Boris found some, the Pentax sounds intruiging.
if primes for little money instead than the mentioned Industar 69 paired with a Jupiter 8, or for a bit more Pen-F Zuiko 4/25 and 1.4/40

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

inexpensive, compact for NEX? Jupiter 50/2 LTM, Konica 40/1,8 is nice but bulkier.

Oldhand · Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2014 6:37 am Post subject:

Sears or Rikenon 50mm f2.
Comes in PK mount.
Cheap as chips, sharp as paint and tiny.
OH

kuuan · Expire: 2014-12-26

most compact 'all purpose' lens for NEX actually must be the 'new' 16-50mm ( 24-75mm equiv. ) kit lens:
https://www.google.com.vn/search?q=nex+16-50&client=firefox-a&hs=C0n&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&channel=sb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=JLFEVMCxF-S8mAXTw4HADA&ved=0CBwQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=657

Aanything · Expire: 2014-05-30

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

I haven't said zoom anywhere Smile

fixed focal length will be fine.

I've got at hands Schneider-Kreuznach Componon 1:4/28. It is very small, and when mounted on focusing helicoid, occupies almost same space as sony pancake. But it has an interesting feature - even set to F4, I can see that aperture is not opened fully, and by my guess, if opened fully, it can do F2.8 at least. Anyone tried to mod it? Also, I have no idea which mount it is. It has 25mm 0.5mm pitch threaded mount, so it won't fit into C mount.

LucisPictor · Expire: 2013-12-03

Sigma 2.8/30 DN

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

Price is very cheap, yea Very Happy

Oldhand · Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2014 10:03 am Post subject:

I think you will need to define "inexpensive" - as this seems to be a relative term.
I have suggested an Auto Sears 50mm f2 which I think is inexpensive at around $20+
I note that some other lenses eg Sigma 2.8/30 DN sell for around $120+
If we had a better idea of your budget it would help.
Regardless, I don't think the little Sears 2/50 can be beaten for value.
OH

Here is the lens I am referring to on a K-10D

LucisPictor · Expire: 2013-12-03

I wouldn't call a 50mm lens an "all-purpose" lens, though.

And if you want to have a really good lens with 35mm FL (or shorter), you cannot expect to find one for a fistful.
Either you pay €80,- for a decent manual focus lense or €100,- for a Sigma 2.8/30 DN (look for the old version, it's cheaper and equally good).

Compared to what that little Sigma offers you, it's quite cheap!

The Vivitar 28mm lenses are pretty good and rather cheap, but not really small.

Perhaps a 28mm Zuiko or Pentax would fit, if you can find them for a good price and in nice condition.

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: 4744 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: 392 Location: Bremen, Germany

fermy · Joined: 17 Feb 2012 Posts: 1974

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.