adanac
Veteran
- Location
- Vancouver, BC
Hey all,
I'm standing in line with others to pick up a NEX-7. The view is fine from the cheap seats until they charge the VISA card I figure. Anyway... one of the appealing features of the NEX (and a few other system cameras from others) is the ability to use legacy manual focus lenses. I imagine there are a lot of used Nikon and Canon lenses out there in decent shape, and probably not a few Olympus and Pentax. Fewer Contax/Yashica mount (I have a couple, maybe one of which I might want to use if I stayed with that mount).
If you wanted to build a collection of such lenses in useful focal lengths for the NEX / or any APS-C based camera, what might you consider choosing? Ideally with a common mount. I'm not fixated on C/Y lenses/mount at all and am open to all ideas.
I'd like to find some good performers that aren't necessarily on the hit parade but offer really good IQ and value. I don't mind spending several hundred dollars but don't want to spend thousands per lens. I'd also like to buy into a mount where there are known good choices for adapters for the NEX in particular. Any caveats I should think about - say fit or clearance and such?
I like something around 22 - 24mm on the APS-C sensor as my most often used lens; would like something around 50-55mm for portraiture. In both cases I do enjoy shooting wide open frequently but certainly not exclusively, so nice out of focus areas / bokeh is always good to have but also sharp and contrasty (the Contax / Zeiss experience I've had, even if bokeh isn't always terrific). No doubt I'd pick up something longer than a 55mm in medium (35mm terms) telephoto range as well, for occasional use.
I've not bought a 35mm lens is oh so very long - since when many of these legacy lenses people love to buy today were all brand new to the market - so I'm feeling a little lost. Also my exposure to Canon/Nikon/Oly/Pentax is pretty limited too.
Since I've always had a thing for primes that's what I'd like to stick with. Eventually I would like an AF E mount lens, mostly for video work, but am more interested in using old glass at the moment.
PS: For those of you already doing this on NEX bodies, regardless of lens how do you find manual focus in practice on the NEX? Is it close to the experience we used to have on manual focus film bodies? i.e. easy enough to accomplish, perhaps takes a smidge of practice at first?
Apologies in advance if this sort of question(s) has been asked before, I'm currently reading as many old threads as I can on related topics.
I'm standing in line with others to pick up a NEX-7. The view is fine from the cheap seats until they charge the VISA card I figure. Anyway... one of the appealing features of the NEX (and a few other system cameras from others) is the ability to use legacy manual focus lenses. I imagine there are a lot of used Nikon and Canon lenses out there in decent shape, and probably not a few Olympus and Pentax. Fewer Contax/Yashica mount (I have a couple, maybe one of which I might want to use if I stayed with that mount).
If you wanted to build a collection of such lenses in useful focal lengths for the NEX / or any APS-C based camera, what might you consider choosing? Ideally with a common mount. I'm not fixated on C/Y lenses/mount at all and am open to all ideas.
I'd like to find some good performers that aren't necessarily on the hit parade but offer really good IQ and value. I don't mind spending several hundred dollars but don't want to spend thousands per lens. I'd also like to buy into a mount where there are known good choices for adapters for the NEX in particular. Any caveats I should think about - say fit or clearance and such?
I like something around 22 - 24mm on the APS-C sensor as my most often used lens; would like something around 50-55mm for portraiture. In both cases I do enjoy shooting wide open frequently but certainly not exclusively, so nice out of focus areas / bokeh is always good to have but also sharp and contrasty (the Contax / Zeiss experience I've had, even if bokeh isn't always terrific). No doubt I'd pick up something longer than a 55mm in medium (35mm terms) telephoto range as well, for occasional use.
I've not bought a 35mm lens is oh so very long - since when many of these legacy lenses people love to buy today were all brand new to the market - so I'm feeling a little lost. Also my exposure to Canon/Nikon/Oly/Pentax is pretty limited too.
Since I've always had a thing for primes that's what I'd like to stick with. Eventually I would like an AF E mount lens, mostly for video work, but am more interested in using old glass at the moment.
PS: For those of you already doing this on NEX bodies, regardless of lens how do you find manual focus in practice on the NEX? Is it close to the experience we used to have on manual focus film bodies? i.e. easy enough to accomplish, perhaps takes a smidge of practice at first?
Apologies in advance if this sort of question(s) has been asked before, I'm currently reading as many old threads as I can on related topics.