fast and small 50mm portrait lens which to buy?

compositor20 · Oct 27, 2010

hello im looking for a portrait lens of manual focus

i will buy the dandelion AF confirmation chip to glue to an adapter so im looking for a lens that is good in:

1: contrasty at f1.4 (might be soft in micro detail but needs to have good contrast without ghosting, halos, glooming) it will be used for video at this aperture with my e-pl1, so multicoated please

2: sharp in microdetail at f2 for stills

3: the smallest possible with the adapter (if it has a large barrel then i would like it to be small in lenght from teh camera to the front lens, if it is small in barrel diameter it could be long)

4: about 100 euros (the other money would be to the dandelion AF chip and for the adapter to micro 4/3)

help me please there are many threads like this but there are so many adapters

i know olympus would release a macro that probably will be f2 at best and f2.8 at worse but it will cost at least 500 euros i believe and it would be used only in concerts and some portrait sessions and thats it

if it has good macro ability i would it too and if it is not too heavy less than 300g is mandatory

still thinking about the nikon 50mm f1.8 AF-D so that i can use it one day if i or GF buys a nikon camera and it will autofocus...

thanks

Bizzarrini · Oct 27, 2010

I think there is a post on this forum somewhere about the AF confirmation chips not working properly with m4/3, try a search before you buy!

compositor20 · Oct 27, 2010

i have read that they dont work in gh-1 but work good in e-p1

RomanB · Oct 27, 2010

compositor20 said:
1: contrasty at f1.4
2: sharp in microdetail at f2 for stills
3: the smallest possible with the adapter
4: about 100 euros

3 and #4 kind of point a 50-ish/1.4, but #1 could be a problem (it's subjective BTW). #1 may mean a 50/1.2, but good ones don't fit into #4 and are bigger.

Research some legacy 50/1.4, as well as 57, 58...

I chose Konica 57/1.4 because bokeh was my priority, but it's not that contrasty wide open and large for 1.4.

compositor20 said:
still thinking about the nikon 50mm f1.8 AF-D so that i can use it one day if i or GF buys a nikon camera and it will autofocus...

Doesn't it miss pretty much all your requirements, maybe except #2?

--
Roman
http://www.barshay.org/photo
http://public.fotki.com/rbarshay

API75 · Oct 27, 2010

Olympus OM 50mm f1.4 best match in my opinion

compositor20 said:
hello im looking for a portrait lens of manual focus

i will buy the dandelion AF confirmation chip to glue to an adapter so im looking for a lens that is good in:

1: contrasty at f1.4 (might be soft in micro detail but needs to have good contrast without ghosting, halos, glooming) it will be used for video at this aperture with my e-pl1, so multicoated please

Ok for latest version

compositor20 said:
2: sharp in microdetail at f2 for stills

Ok

compositor20 said:
3: the smallest possible with the adapter (if it has a large barrel then i would like it to be small in lenght from teh camera to the front lens, if it is small in barrel diameter it could be long)

Not so small because of the adapter

compositor20 said:
4: about 100 euros (the other money would be to the dandelion AF chip and for the adapter to micro 4/3)

Ok

compositor20 said:
help me please there are many threads like this but there are so many adapters

i know olympus would release a macro that probably will be f2 at best and f2.8 at worse but it will cost at least 500 euros i believe and it would be used only in concerts and some portrait sessions and thats it

my guess: 450 if 2.8, 650 if 2

compositor20 said:
if it has good macro ability i would it too and if it is not too heavy less than 300g is mandatory

not a macro lens but light

compositor20 said:
still thinking about the nikon 50mm f1.8 AF-D so that i can use it one day if i or GF buys a nikon camera and it will autofocus...

thanks

G1Houston · Oct 27, 2010

compositor20 said:
hello im looking for a portrait lens of manual focus

still thinking about the nikon 50mm f1.8 AF-D so that i can use it one day if i or GF buys a nikon camera and it will autofocus...

Yes, just go for it. The bokeh of this Nikon lens is not the best but it is cheap, light, and contrasy. Don't waste too much time/money on a MF 50mm lens as (1) they are all more or less the same as a general purpose lens, in the price range that you specify, and (2) MF may get tiring quickly for still photography.

tyampel · Oct 27, 2010

compositor20 said:
hello im looking for a portrait lens of manual focus

i will buy the dandelion AF confirmation chip to glue to an adapter so im looking for a lens that is good in:

Don't waste your money on such chips. They can't possibly work on contrast detection cameras. On such cameras the lens has to move the focal point back and forth for the software to detect which position results in the highest contrast.

This in turn requires that the camera controls the focusing of the lens - something that is not possible with third party lenses, unless they are made for the 4/3 or m4/3 systems.

Good luck with your lens choice.

compositor20 · Oct 27, 2010

forgot to tell that i prefer 58mm threads because i have a hoya HD polarizer 58mm filter for my 14-150mm lens

humm the nikon or a canon FD lens?problem is nikon doesnt have motors in their cheapest cameras which could be the ones but i believe its quite sharp at f1.8 and good at f2

does the OM mount is smaller than the nikon right?

any with aspherical glass?

thanks for suggestions

tyampel · Oct 27, 2010

The filter thread size should be the least of your concerns as step-up rings are very inexpensive.

The lenses you are looking for will most likely come with a 49 or 52 mm filter thread.

Good luck.
--
Tod Yampel

Duck Club member

novice7 · Oct 27, 2010

compositor20 said:
i have read that they dont work in gh-1 but work good in e-p1

Hm.... it work 50% of the time on the e-p1 indoor . Outdoor, the metering is completely fxxxxx up.

Jonas B · Oct 27, 2010

compositor20 said:
1: contrasty at f1.4 (might be soft in micro detail but needs to have good contrast without ghosting, halos, glooming) it will be used for video at this aperture with my e-pl1, so multicoated please

2: sharp in microdetail at f2 for stills

3: the smallest possible with the adapter (if it has a large barrel then i would like it to be small in lenght from teh camera to the front lens, if it is small in barrel diameter it could be long)

4: about 100 euros (the other money would be to the dandelion AF chip and for the adapter to micro 4/3)

I don't think there is a lens answering to all your requirements.

I noticed the OM50/1.4 (latest model) was mentioned. That lens is however neither smallest possible or free from halos/ghosting and blooming.

One candidate may be the Voigtländer 50/1.5. It is sharp and contrasty and small. It costs more than EUR 100 though and there is some fringe at high contrast edges wide open (for a critical eye, it works very well). The build quality is high and it works fine for a manual lens. The LTM -> µ4/3 adapter is cheap.

Jonas

Godfrey · Oct 27, 2010

So let me get this straight:

You want a top-notch, modern multicoated 45-50mm lens that's fabulous wide-open, optimized for maximum resolution at f/2, small, light, and costs less than €100. Well, blimey, I'd like one too. When you find one, let me know. ;-)

BTW, the Dandelion thing will do nothing for you on Micro-FourThirds. Waste of money, imo.
--
Godfrey
http://godfreydigiorgi.posterous.com

G1Houston · Oct 27, 2010

compositor20 said:
forgot to tell that i prefer 58mm threads because i have a hoya HD polarizer 58mm filter for my 14-150mm lens

humm the nikon or a canon FD lens?problem is nikon doesnt have motors in their cheapest cameras which could be the ones but i believe its quite sharp at f1.8 and good at f2

does the OM mount is smaller than the nikon right?

The new Nikon AFS 50/1.4 is an outstanding lens for about $450. It does not have an aperture ring, however, so you need to find an adapter that allows you to open and close the aperture.

The OM is smaller, a 50/1.4 is about the size of Nikon's 50/1.8. I have one and like it. The filter size is 49mm.

Derek Bach · Oct 27, 2010

Hi there is only one:

Olympus 50mm f2.0 macro unfortunately its 450 Euros! and does not require a chipped adapter to give you everything you want including AF (albeit slowly) on the three Olympus and the latest three Panasonic cameras.

However, Olympus are promising a M4/3 version for 2011 or you can also think about the PanLeica M4/3 45mm macro.

"Any problem that can be fixed with money is not a real problem"!
Derek

compositor20 · Oct 27, 2010

when i said taht i want it to be sharp at f2 i meant usable (i have a 20mm f17 lumix lens and it is outstanding at f2.2... if i can have the same performance the lens has at f1,7 at f2 i would be happy

but at f1.4 it can be soft but i dont like the film look of low contrast with veiling haze (at those apertures i would only use it in dark places)

i want the lens to be very sharp at f2.8 or f4 becaue that is what i find acceptable for DOF for portraits (both eyes in focus)

i have been thinking in the olympus macro but i cant find videos of it autofocusing in normal conditions (e-pl1 with face detection)

i have heard that the dandelion can focus 95% of the times but you have to practice and stop moving exactly when it beeps

so all those 50 f1.4 lens have the same design right? so that means all are low contrast except zeiss and leica (the ones i dont have money to buy)

i would only use f1.4 for video and want acceptable results in the center at f2 so that is not very difficult to have...

about those hexanon and konica minolta lens that are f1.2 at 57mm are there usable at f1.2?

to people that have the vf-2 can you manual focus at f2.8 without magnification and the subject pops in focus easy (seeing aliasing and moiré has signs of good focusing)?

Activatedfx · Oct 27, 2010

I've been using a Hexanon 57mm f/1.2 for about a year, and I absolutely love it! For me, it brings a "film look" to the digital capture. It also focuses very closely (about 12inches/30cm) so it is useful as a semi-macro.

It is a little "dreamy" at f/1.2. At f/2 it is sharp and at f/2.8 it is tack-sharp!

I tried adding a "baffle" but, after a LOT of testing, I found it just makes the lens lose a stop of light and the image is no more contrasty than if I simply stop down 1 stop.

I posted a series of images to show sharpness and OOF rendering (bokeh) with the 57mm f/1.2. Images are labeled and have a 100% crop of the in-focus area.

compositor20 said:
about those hexanon and konica minolta lens that are f1.2 at 57mm are there usable at f1.2?

derdirk · Oct 27, 2010

compositor20 said:
i have been thinking in the olympus macro but i cant find videos of it autofocusing in normal conditions (e-pl1 with face detection)

I don't think that there is a 50mm f1.x Lens that does macro.

compositor20 said:
to people that have the vf-2 can you manual focus at f2.8 without magnification and the subject pops in focus easy (seeing aliasing and moiré has signs of good focusing)?

I use a Pentax SMC-M 50/1.7 and find it quite good, even wide open. I have a close up filter in case I ned to do some macro work, but I have never used it seriously. Focussing with the VF-2 is very good, but I always prefocus and then zoom in to adjust the final focus and shoot. I f you practice you will be very fast with manual focussing

I find the combination of the Pentax Lens and the Adapter acceptable small. The Lens is about 10mm shorter then my Zuiko 50/1.4 but I don't know the sixe of the OM-M4/3 Adapter.
--
dirk
http://www.essl.de/

Jonas B · Oct 27, 2010

compositor20 said:
when i said taht i want it to be sharp at f2 i meant usable (i have a 20mm f17 lumix lens and it is outstanding at f2.2... if i can have the same performance the lens has at f1,7 at f2 i would be happy

but at f1.4 it can be soft but i dont like the film look of low contrast with veiling haze (at those apertures i would only use it in dark places)

i want the lens to be very sharp at f2.8 or f4 becaue that is what i find acceptable for DOF for portraits (both eyes in focus)

i have been thinking in the olympus macro but i cant find videos of it autofocusing in normal conditions (e-pl1 with face detection)

There is a reason for that - the lens focuses slowly. It is also an f/2 lens only.

compositor20 said:
i have heard that the dandelion can focus 95% of the times but you have to practice and stop moving exactly when it beeps

so all those 50 f1.4 lens have the same design right? so that means all are low contrast except zeiss and leica (the ones i dont have money to buy)

No the aren't. I had another suggestion in a post above.

compositor20 said:
i would only use f1.4 for video and want acceptable results in the center at f2 so that is not very difficult to have...

about those hexanon and konica minolta lens that are f1.2 at 57mm are there usable at f1.2?

The Hexanon is not. Well, it is very usable but it doesn't meet your demands. It is soft and has a glow. The Minolta 58/1.2 is a great lens but suffers from significant focus shift. While sharp and nice wide open on a FF camera it is about OK only with 4/3 sensors. I sold mine despite being a good copy (there seem to be some sample variation with that lens).

Jonas

compositor20 · Oct 27, 2010

im thinking about the voigtlander nokton f1.5 the luminous landscape forum made it clear with samples that its almost hte same as a summilux f1.4 and that is certainly usable at f1.5 it is like my lumix pancake lens very good

that hexanon is good but my standards of contrast are like the ones i see in your picture at f1.8 its what im used with the lumix lens that is sharp and contrasty at f1.7

i dont have a vf-2 but do you think it is easy to manual focus with the screen?

so you need to magnify... i dont know maybe i dont buy

tarnumf · Oct 27, 2010

derdirk said:
I don't think that there is a 50mm f1.x Lens that does macro.

they all do if you mount them backward.
search google for "reverse macro ring"

fast and small 50mm portrait lens which to buy?

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