"cheap" (manual?) lens with fun factor

tomstall · Mar 11, 2013

Hello everybody,

i currently have oly e-pl5 with kit lens 14-42 and i´m pretty happy with it (i came from Sony SLT due to its size). I do plan to buy Pana-Leica 25mm, but it waits..

For now i´m looking for fast lens with fun factor as i had with my od pentax k100d + pentacon 50 1.8 over adapter. I need something similar for my E-PL5. Here are my specs:

- i don´t mind using adapter (but as i looked at m42->micro4/3 adapter is quite large)

- i prefer 35-55 mm before crop factor

- i prefer fast lens, max up to f2.0

- it doesn´t have to be crazy sharp wide open, I prefer nice bokeh

- obviously it has to be cheap, small (200€ max with adapter) and not weigh tons..

Do you have any tips for lens like this? Thank very much..

Alumna Gorp · Mar 11, 2013

tomstall said:
tomstall wrote:

Hello everybody,

i currently have oly e-pl5 with kit lens 14-42 and i´m pretty happy with it (i came from Sony SLT due to its size). I do plan to buy Pana-Leica 25mm, but it waits..

For now i´m looking for fast lens with fun factor as i had with my od pentax k100d + pentacon 50 1.8 over adapter. I need something similar for my E-PL5. Here are my specs:

- i don´t mind using adapter (but as i looked at m42->micro4/3 adapter is quite large)

- i prefer 35-55 mm before crop factor

- i prefer fast lens, max up to f2.0

- it doesn´t have to be crazy sharp wide open, I prefer nice bokeh

- obviously it has to be cheap, small (200€ max with adapter) and not weigh tons..

Do you have any tips for lens like this? Thank very much..

Zuiko 50mm + adapter, f1.4 or f1.8, though the f1.4 will be two or three times the price of the f1.8.

tomstall · Mar 11, 2013

Yeah Zuiko 1.4 has my attention. Any tip for solid adapter?

LincolnB · Mar 11, 2013

If I owned mostly native lenses, the manual focus I'd be most likely to get as a complement would be a 50mm macro.

tedolf · Mar 11, 2013

tomstall said:
tomstall wrote:

Hello everybody,

i currently have oly e-pl5 with kit lens 14-42 and i´m pretty happy with it (i came from Sony SLT due to its size). I do plan to buy Pana-Leica 25mm, but it waits..

For now i´m looking for fast lens with fun factor as i had with my od pentax k100d + pentacon 50 1.8 over adapter. I need something similar for my E-PL5. Here are my specs:

- i don´t mind using adapter (but as i looked at m42->micro4/3 adapter is quite large)

- i prefer 35-55 mm before crop factor

- i prefer fast lens, max up to f2.0

- it doesn´t have to be crazy sharp wide open, I prefer nice bokeh

- obviously it has to be cheap, small (200€ max with adapter) and not weigh tons..

Do you have any tips for lens like this? Thank very much..

take a look at a Jupiter 8:

http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Jupiter-8

or an Idustar 61 ld 52mm f/2.8.

The Jupiter is probably the better lens.

Both less than $40.00 in M39 mount so adapter is only about 9mm long.

Stopped down to f/5.6 the Industar is as good as my 40m Rokkor M mount f/2.0.

It does need a hood outdoors.

The Industar is radioactive!

Tedolph

mgibbs · Mar 11, 2013

I have a Konica Hexanon 40mm f 1.8, with a cheap fotasy adapter. Lens is availble frequently at KEH.com, adapters at amazon. I think mine took me $75 tops (twas a gift, so am not sure)

Here's a pic from it - I love it! Even wide open, its sharp enough to focus quite easily and accurately using my panny G5's magnification feature:

5 minutes worth of post processing.....

I had a canon fd 50mm 1.8, but for indoor use, i prefer the konica's 40mm focal length, and find it sharper (and thus easier to focus as well). The canon collect dust, while I use the Konica every chance I get. Highly recommended!

Ron Evers · Mar 11, 2013

tedolf said:
tedolf wrote:

tedolf said:

tomstall wrote:

Hello everybody,

i currently have oly e-pl5 with kit lens 14-42 and i´m pretty happy with it (i came from Sony SLT due to its size). I do plan to buy Pana-Leica 25mm, but it waits..

For now i´m looking for fast lens with fun factor as i had with my od pentax k100d + pentacon 50 1.8 over adapter. I need something similar for my E-PL5. Here are my specs:

- i don´t mind using adapter (but as i looked at m42->micro4/3 adapter is quite large)

- i prefer 35-55 mm before crop factor

- i prefer fast lens, max up to f2.0

- it doesn´t have to be crazy sharp wide open, I prefer nice bokeh

- obviously it has to be cheap, small (200€ max with adapter) and not weigh tons..

Do you have any tips for lens like this? Thank very much..

Click to expand...

take a look at a Jupiter 8:

http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Jupiter-8

or an Idustar 61 ld 52mm f/2.8.

The Jupiter is probably the better lens.

Both less than $40.00 in M39 mount so adapter is only about 9mm long.

Stopped down to f/5.6 the Industar is as good as my 40m Rokkor M mount f/2.0.

It does need a hood outdoors.

The Industar is radioactive!

Tedolph

The Industar is good but I would recommend a Helios 44-2 (58/2) over it & in the same price range.

Here is a sample shot:

--
The wood is clear between the knots.

Jon Schick · Mar 11, 2013

For the money you're suggesting, you should be able to get some nice lenses - and of course you could use the Pentacon you already had, or some lovely old Pentax glass (a 50/1.4 Super Takumar could be nice).

The two legacy lenses I use frequently and which could both be purchased for your price limit are a Vivitar 55/2.8 1:1 macro lens and Yashica 50/1.8 ML standard lens. I get really nice results from both, and the Yashica in particular was an absolute bargain.

If you're into it, macro is a nice option for legacy lenses, as autofocus doesn't help terribly much in any case. With m43, all the old 50mm 1:2 "macro" lenses are worth considering, are compact and can be picked up quite cheap compared to a modern macro lens. I had a Pentax SMCM 50/4 lens at one point, which is worth tracking down. I think Olympus made a similarly good Zuiko.

s_grins · Mar 11, 2013

[No message]

s_grins · Mar 11, 2013

Adapters for rangefinder lenses are shorter.

tedolf · Mar 11, 2013

Ron Evers said:
Ron Evers wrote:

Ron Evers said:

tedolf wrote:

Ron Evers said:

tomstall wrote:

Hello everybody,

i currently have oly e-pl5 with kit lens 14-42 and i´m pretty happy with it (i came from Sony SLT due to its size). I do plan to buy Pana-Leica 25mm, but it waits..

For now i´m looking for fast lens with fun factor as i had with my od pentax k100d + pentacon 50 1.8 over adapter. I need something similar for my E-PL5. Here are my specs:

- i don´t mind using adapter (but as i looked at m42->micro4/3 adapter is quite large)

- i prefer 35-55 mm before crop factor

- i prefer fast lens, max up to f2.0

- it doesn´t have to be crazy sharp wide open, I prefer nice bokeh

- obviously it has to be cheap, small (200€ max with adapter) and not weigh tons..

Do you have any tips for lens like this? Thank very much..

Click to expand...

take a look at a Jupiter 8:

http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Jupiter-8

or an Idustar 61 ld 52mm f/2.8.

The Jupiter is probably the better lens.

Both less than $40.00 in M39 mount so adapter is only about 9mm long.

Stopped down to f/5.6 the Industar is as good as my 40m Rokkor M mount f/2.0.

It does need a hood outdoors.

The Industar is radioactive!

Tedolph

Click to expand...

The Industar is good but I would recommend a Helios 44-2 (58/2) over it & in the same price range.

Here is a sample shot:

--
The wood is clear between the knots.

Yes, the Helios is the better lens.

But, it is not radioactive!

tEeolph

tedolf · Mar 11, 2013

mgibbs said:
mgibbs wrote:

I have a Konica Hexanon 40mm f 1.8, with a cheap fotasy adapter. Lens is availble frequently at KEH.com, adapters at amazon. I think mine took me $75 tops (twas a gift, so am not sure)

Here's a pic from it - I love it! Even wide open, its sharp enough to focus quite easily and accurately using my panny G5's magnification feature:

5 minutes worth of post processing.....

I had a canon fd 50mm 1.8, but for indoor use, i prefer the konica's 40mm focal length, and find it sharper (and thus easier to focus as well). The canon collect dust, while I use the Konica every chance I get. Highly recommended!

you are out of his price range!

Or, I would recomend my Rokkor M 40mm, f/2.0:

Tedolph

baxters · Mar 11, 2013

tomstall said:
tomstall wrote:..

For now i´m looking for fast lens with fun factor as i had with my od pentax k100d + pentacon 50 1.8 over adapter. I need something similar for my E-PL5. Here are my specs:

- obviously it has to be cheap, small (200€ max with adapter) and not weigh tons..

Huh. Cheap in Europe seems pretty rich to me.

For that kind of money you can get a Samyang 7.5m fisheye, around 185€

tedolf · Mar 11, 2013

s_grins said:
s_grins wrote:

Adapters for rangefinder lenses are shorter.

s_grins said:
--
Looking for equilibrium...

Tedolph

DmitryDzhus · Mar 11, 2013

Fujian 35mm f1.7 is available for around 25$ off eBay together with a C-mount to m43 adapter.

It's a really fun lens, dof is very shallow and the image is only sharp in the central area, with swirly bokeh around it. Lens is very small yet sturdy for its price.

There's 25mm f1.4 version as well with similar features, though it will produce slight vignette on m43.

I think one of these el cheapo CCTV lenses might be a great introduction to C-mount legacy glass.

Ron Evers · Mar 11, 2013

tedolf said:
tedolf wrote:

tedolf said:

Ron Evers wrote:

tedolf said:

tedolf wrote:

tedolf said:

tomstall wrote:

Hello everybody,

i currently have oly e-pl5 with kit lens 14-42 and i´m pretty happy with it (i came from Sony SLT due to its size). I do plan to buy Pana-Leica 25mm, but it waits..

For now i´m looking for fast lens with fun factor as i had with my od pentax k100d + pentacon 50 1.8 over adapter. I need something similar for my E-PL5. Here are my specs:

- i don´t mind using adapter (but as i looked at m42->micro4/3 adapter is quite large)

- i prefer 35-55 mm before crop factor

- i prefer fast lens, max up to f2.0

- it doesn´t have to be crazy sharp wide open, I prefer nice bokeh

- obviously it has to be cheap, small (200€ max with adapter) and not weigh tons..

Do you have any tips for lens like this? Thank very much..

Click to expand...

take a look at a Jupiter 8:

http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Jupiter-8

or an Idustar 61 ld 52mm f/2.8.

The Jupiter is probably the better lens.

Both less than $40.00 in M39 mount so adapter is only about 9mm long.

Stopped down to f/5.6 the Industar is as good as my 40m Rokkor M mount f/2.0.

It does need a hood outdoors.

The Industar is radioactive!

Tedolph

Click to expand...

The Industar is good but I would recommend a Helios 44-2 (58/2) over it & in the same price range.

Here is a sample shot:

--
The wood is clear between the knots.

Click to expand...

Yes, the Helios is the better lens.

But, it is not radioactive!

tEeolph

RA eh?

Here is a shot with the Industar 61-LD:

It is also very sharp.

--
The wood is clear between the knots.

mgibbs · Mar 11, 2013

Did I go over price? Sorry, never used a Euro! However, seeing as my $75 USD lens/adapter combo is about 1/5 the cost of the oly 45mm 1.8, my lense's closest native analogue, I feel pretty confident that I lived up to the "cheap" part of his request

. And with good results, too - love this lens!

tedolf · Mar 11, 2013

mgibbs said:
mgibbs wrote:

Did I go over price?

No, I misread his price.

You are still within budget, but I am not!

mgibbs said:
Sorry, never used a Euro! However, seeing as my $75 USD lens/adapter combo is about 1/5 the cost of the oly 45mm 1.8, my lense's closest native analogue, I feel pretty confident that I lived up to the "cheap" part of his request . And with good results, too - love this lens!

Tedolph

tedolf · Mar 11, 2013

Ron Evers said:
Ron Evers wrote:

Ron Evers said:

tedolf wrote:

Ron Evers said:

Ron Evers wrote:

Ron Evers said:

tedolf wrote:

Ron Evers said:

tomstall wrote:

Hello everybody,

i currently have oly e-pl5 with kit lens 14-42 and i´m pretty happy with it (i came from Sony SLT due to its size). I do plan to buy Pana-Leica 25mm, but it waits..

For now i´m looking for fast lens with fun factor as i had with my od pentax k100d + pentacon 50 1.8 over adapter. I need something similar for my E-PL5. Here are my specs:

- i don´t mind using adapter (but as i looked at m42->micro4/3 adapter is quite large)

- i prefer 35-55 mm before crop factor

- i prefer fast lens, max up to f2.0

- it doesn´t have to be crazy sharp wide open, I prefer nice bokeh

- obviously it has to be cheap, small (200€ max with adapter) and not weigh tons..

Do you have any tips for lens like this? Thank very much..

Click to expand...

take a look at a Jupiter 8:

http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Jupiter-8

or an Idustar 61 ld 52mm f/2.8.

The Jupiter is probably the better lens.

Both less than $40.00 in M39 mount so adapter is only about 9mm long.

Stopped down to f/5.6 the Industar is as good as my 40m Rokkor M mount f/2.0.

It does need a hood outdoors.

The Industar is radioactive!

Tedolph

Click to expand...

The Industar is good but I would recommend a Helios 44-2 (58/2) over it & in the same price range.

Here is a sample shot:

--
The wood is clear between the knots.

Click to expand...

Yes, the Helios is the better lens.

But, it is not radioactive!

tEeolph

Click to expand...

RA eh?

Yep, the "L" stands for Lanthium.

Ron Evers said:
Here is a shot with the Industar 61-LD:

It is also very sharp.

Yours is better than mine.

Just don't store it in your pants pocket!

Ron Evers said:
--
The wood is clear between the knots.

Tedolph

jeffharris · Mar 11, 2013

"cheap" (manual?) lens with fun factor

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