This reminds me of the samsung pancake 30mm f2 in size (the samsung is I think smaller but also flange distance is bigger), about same price used too, but that one is sharp corner to corner. Not sure there are any adapters for e mount however (I think the distance would permit but not sure anyone made any).
Joshua025 wrote:
That's interesting. I thought the smaller lens would balance better.
It balances well in that it basically isn't there (it's so small), but there is almost nothing to grab onto. Wouldn't matter so much on an AF lens, but with manual aperture and focus, I'm not enjoying it.
I have a lens turbo on the way, and I'm prob going to buy a Nikon 35/2.0 AIS. That's at least 3x the length, and several times the weight, but it will handle well.
I'll prob be selling this once that all comes in, might hold onto it just because it's so small.
zipcode wrote:
This reminds me of the samsung pancake 30mm f2 in size (the samsung is I think smaller but also flange distance is bigger), about same price used too, but that one is sharp corner to corner. Not sure there are any adapters for e mount however (I think the distance would permit but not sure anyone made any).
Is the Samsung focus-by-wire, like every other contemporary mirrorless lens? Does it have an aperture ring?
Those are two reasons I can think of to not adapt it.
Yes, focus by wire, no aperture ring (there's not space for such a thing anyway), the lens is 2cm.
I assume it could be adapted with a smart adapter, like they did for canon but there's no one interested in doing it since there's no demand. Shame about all that quality glass becoming museum pieces in a few years.
UPDATE-
Today the lens had a catastrophic failure. I can only POSSIBLY attribute it to the most insignificant bump when the camera literally fell forward on the table it was sitting on (it was sitting on the base then was bumped and fell forward under its own weight). After that, the focus no longer stopped on either end of the range, and the entire optical group was loose in the barrel. Got with the seller, they are letting me return it.
This small "bump" wouldn't have harmed any other lens I've ever used, so i dont know how it could have hurt this thing so badly.
That's disappointing. Mine arrived at my post office earlier today. I should be getting it tomorrow sometime. Fingers crossed nothing happened in transit.
ISO1600 wrote:
UPDATE-
Today the lens had a catastrophic failure. I can only POSSIBLY attribute it to the most insignificant bump when the camera literally fell forward on the table it was sitting on (it was sitting on the base then was bumped and fell forward under its own weight).
I was excited by the possibility of getting a tiny 35-40mm ish lens for my X-E2 until I read this post. If the build quality is so bad, I wonder if it's even worth the $130. I'll wait for other reports on it before pulling the trigger.
Yeah I'm pretty disheartened by the whole experience myself. I am now the proud owner of a tab from lenstab.com that i think would fit on this lens. I haven't sent the lens off yet, so i guess i could test-fit it.
I've since gotten another Lens Turbo, and have a cheap ($50) Nikkor-O 35/2 on the way.
Much larger, and won't be as nice with flare control, but will at least be rugged.
I found my nikkor 35mm f2 ai works well but the adapter really makes it feel like a zoom lens on it by the size. It's built like a tank though.
My zonlai arrived today. It balances well on the xe1. The metal on the body is heavier than I thought it would be. Also didn't know it had 12 aperture blades. I'll report back once i've shot with it some.
Edit: Walked around and noticed it is sharp to the edges at 1.8. I have noticed my copy's distance scale is off. Infinity occurs at around 7ft. Doesn't affect anything but something to know if you're street shooting.
My distance scale was off too. Infinity was at least at the last marked distance before inf, if not before.
It did focus REALLY close though, allowing for some nice quasi-macros
They'll be on ebay until the cows come home. I'd wait until more people can chime in about if your lens failure was a fluke or not. One more from earlier. Trying to find a processing style i like for those nasty lights we have at night here.
I'll get another when the supply in USA is better. I don't want to have to do return shipping to China again, and would prefer to have it within a week of buying.
Or better yet, I can try to buy one locally in HK or Shanghai when I visit in a few months haha.
I'm loving this lens paired with my X-Pro1. I've read the reviews and I was initially concerned about it's sharpness but as a fun all manual set up, it performed very well and it's a lot sharper than I was expecting. This is perfect as I was looking for a fast, tiny, 35mm equivalent and didn't want to spend a fortune. It's so good, that I got rid of my 35mm Voigtlander 1.4 that I used between my A7II and my Fuji but the Zonlai 25mm is glued to the X-pro1 now and the Zeiss 55 stays on the Sony. I'm thinking about getting the Zonlai 35mm too just so I can have a 35 and 50mm equivalent on the Fuji. Overall, VERY impressed with this lens, just wish it had a clicking aperture though.
Any one else using this lens? Any other issues with loose elements/optical block? I've been using my NEX-5R recently, miss having a camera small and light enough that I can stuff it into my back pocket. NEX + Zonlai 25mm = a poor man's X100 with usable manual focus.
EDIT: It looks like this lens is also being sold in an unbranded version. Anyone know of any differences between the Zonlai and unbranded versions? The unbranded (sometimes called Kenro, but doesn't say Kenro on the lens) version is often cheaper - a bunch on eBay for $75.
