Some adapted lens thoughts

I use my NEX with adapted lenses (almost exclusively). In doing that I have tried a number of adapted lenses so far and have found that each has their strengths and weaknesses I do like some more than others. My current favorites are the Konica Hexanon 24/2.8 and Vivitar 28/2 Close Focus (MD mount). They both close focus to about eight inches, have terrific sharpness and lovely bokeh (the Hexanon a bit better on both counts). I like the action on the Vivtar a bit more as the aperture ring on the Hexanon (all of my Hexanons in fact) seems more difficult than it needs to be.

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Vivitar 28/2 Close Focus

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Hexanon 24/2.8

Next up is the Olympus Pen-F 38/1.8. It's a very compact lens and attached the NEX it really is pretty close to being pocketable. It has lovely color and while it isn't quite as sharp as the Vivitar or Hexanon it's still quite nice and the front mounted aperture ring makes for a very easy to use legacy lens.

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Pen-F 38/1.8

The lenses I use the least are my Konica 50/1.4, Super Takumar 50/1.4 and Helios 44M. They're all good lenses but I don't find myself grabbing for them that often. I have gotten spoiled by the close focus ability of the Hexanon 24, Vivtar 28 and Pen-F 38 so the more "normal" close focus distance of these lenses feels like it's about a mile long. Of these three I would say the Super Takumar is my favorite by a nose. It's not quite as sharp as the Hexanon (although close) but is has the most wonderful feel in hand and the best build quality of lenses at this price.

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Super Takumar 50/1.4

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Super Takumar 50/1.4

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Konica 50/1.4

 

When I crop or go monochrome it's usually because I am going for a certain look. Instead of shooting in BW I tend to shoot in color and use Silver Efex Pro 2. I have use that few times to hide a problem with the image but in each case it was some flaring by the lens. for instance the shot of the girl at sunset had some flaring at the lower right edge. Of course I knew it would when I shot it as I was facing right into the sun (and had left my hood at home) so I wouldn't say that it was really an issue with the lens.

Ini the 30-35 range...do you mean taking the NEX 1.5x crop factor into account? If so, I'd say the Nikkor 24/2.8, Olympus OM 24/2.8 or Hexanon 24/2.8. They're affordable and give you 36/2.8 on the NEX. The Olympus is particualrly nice as it is very compact. If you're looking for a 35mm lens...I'd say pretty much everyone made a really respectable 35. I also like the Konica 40/1.8 (although a bit soft wide open) and the Pen-F 38/1.8 and 40/1.4 but I realize those might be a bit long.

 

No, but I could set that up. Let me see what I can do.

 

You know, folks tell me the same thing about how IQ on the NEX is only slightly better than m43 but I see it and to me it is significant enough to justify having two systems. As to legacy lens selections. I am finding that there's a lot of really nice lenses out there for not a lot of money so you can avoid the bread line a bit longer. I myself have neve been a huge fan of FD lenses. I like the the 50/1.4 (super sharp) And I will say that FD lenses are a good buy (by virtue of their being a lot of them put there) but I have always found myself more satisfied with other lenses. Which you choose depends on what you are looking for. In my experience for instance, Konicas tend to emphasize sharpness and Minoltas tend to emphasize bokeh. That's not to say that Konicas don't have nice bokeh...my 24/2.8 has lovely bokeh but for the most part Konicas are all about sharpness. Their 50/1.7 for instance almost too sharp. So, you just need to play around a bit with some lenses and see what you like the look of. Despite my preference for Konica lenses I think Olympus OM and Pen-F lenses are superb. The OM lenses are compact, well made and the nose mounted aperture ring makes them really nice to use. None of these lenses are Zeiss lenses but they aren't as speedy either. I think the best way to describe them is a really good value.

The Pen-F lenses are a bit pricier but they are really small and deliver excellent performance. I used to have a Pen-F 40/1.4 that I would say compared well to a Summicron 40/2. I still regret selling that lens. there are also Russian lenses like the Helios44 which is a clone of the Zeiss Biotar or the Jupiter-8 that is a Tessa's clone. They suffer from pretty spotty quality control but they are super cheap and if you get a good one they can be pretty spectacular.

Welcome to the madhouse.