p.1 #1 · Compact manual 50mm lens for street/travel?
What is your favourite compact manual 50mm-ish lens to use on e-mount?
I shoot with an a7cii and currently use the CV 40/1.2 e-mount, which I love but I always wish it was a little smaller when I'm out wandering around the city. I am happy to adapt a lens if I don't lose too much from it, and I can spend Voigtlander money if need be but I'll happily take lower.
p.1 #2 · Compact manual 50mm lens for street/travel?
The 55mm zeiss is a gem , It also balance really well on my a7c . I feel like there is a real benefit to lenses that are less then 300g with this camera. dylanrichards wrote:
What is your favourite compact manual 50mm-ish lens to use on e-mount?
I shoot with an a7cii and currently use the CV 40/1.2 e-mount, which I love but I always wish it was a little smaller when I'm out wandering around the city. I am happy to adapt a lens if I don't lose too much from it, and I can spend Voigtlander money if need be but I'll happily take lower.
p.1 #3 · Compact manual 50mm lens for street/travel?
You might want to look at the very small and light Voigtlander 50/2.2 that came out about a year ago. Fred had this to say about using it on a Sony camera on page 14 of the thread below:
"When it comes to adapters for the E-mount, I'm currently using the TTArtisan 6-bit Adapter V2. Weighing only 40 grams, this adapter allows you to select the aperture in-camera and the focal length using a dial on the adapter for the EXIF data, which enables auto IBIS. If you 6-bit code the lens, it automatically records the correct focal length from its built-in 6-bit reader, similar to the Leica M to L adapter.
Also, you can fine-tune the infinity focus by removing one or two shims from the back of the adapter. In my case, the infinity focus is perfectly aligned, with no signs of tilt, which indicates good production tolerance."
p.1 #4 · Compact manual 50mm lens for street/travel?
The CA was a deal breaker for me on the 55mm Zeiss because I shot wide open a fair amount. Only usable in B&W wide open for me. Other than that it's an amazing lens. I tried the 40mm f/2.5 G and it's a nice little lens but I found myself wanting the 50mm so I sold it. Haven't had a chance to try the 50mm yet because I've been using the 24-50mm f/2.8 G so much. The Sigma 45mm f/2.8 is highly regarded and would be a good place to start. The Sigma 50mm f/2 is probably borderline too big for you, no?
What are you shooting? How fast of a lens do you want? Does the autofocus need to be average or excellent?
p.1 #11 · Compact manual 50mm lens for street/travel?
CV 50mm 2.2 on A7C kolari mod:
mfd is 50cm / 19.7", which is good for a m lens...
mudlake wrote:
You might want to look at the very small and light Voigtlander 50/2.2 that came out about a year ago. Fred had this to say about using it on a Sony camera on page 14 of the thread below:
"When it comes to adapters for the E-mount, I'm currently using the TTArtisan 6-bit Adapter V2. Weighing only 40 grams, this adapter allows you to select the aperture in-camera and the focal length using a dial on the adapter for the EXIF data, which enables auto IBIS. If you 6-bit code the lens, it automatically records the correct focal length from its built-in 6-bit reader, similar to the Leica M to L adapter.
Also, you can fine-tune the infinity focus by removing one or two shims from the back of the adapter. In my case, the infinity focus is perfectly aligned, with no signs of tilt, which indicates good production tolerance."
p.1 #12 · Compact manual 50mm lens for street/travel?
A few from the M-mount Simera 50/1.4 (on Kolari Sony body). MFD 0.45m, 280g, 14 blade aperture, correction mostly uses HRI glass. Dreamy bokeh, close focus optimization (portrait distances), warm palette. Hopefully Thypoch makes an E-mount version soon.
p.1 #13 · Compact manual 50mm lens for street/travel?
I have a thing for Minolta.
My favorite is the MC Rokkor 50/1.4 PG. It has the same lens configuration as the 58/1.2, but is far better corrected and does significantly better wide open.
The Leica/Leitz Summicron-R 50/2 is a real winner. Beautiful falloff and the nicest mf feel for me. The dampening was just perfect.
The one I wished I could have bought was one I tried in a store once. Konika 50/1.2 M. Just a fabulous lens and made me wish Konica had made more lenses of that caliber.
The Olympus 50's are well regarded, but I have never used one. I really should try them.
p.1 #15 · Compact manual 50mm lens for street/travel?
These are the ones I own right now...
Minolta MD 50/2- small, sharp but smooth at wide apertures, decent CA correction, ultra-low distortion and nicely flat fielded, sweet with people but a nicely strong landscaper by f/5.6. Stopped down to f/4, it makes a sweet close-focuser on a helicoid adapter or tubes. The only downside is the six blade aperture. Otherwise, it's $30 I'd happily spend again.
Nikon AF 50/1.4D- pretty much everything I said about the Minolta, but add a stop and another aperture blade. This one only gets used on my F100 when I'm keeping it down to a lens or two, but it's every bit the sweetheart on digital. Like the Minolta, it's dependable, not mind-blowingly good.
Minolta MC Rokkor-X 58/1.2- I could wax poetic about this lens for longer than anyone would care to listen. I see it as absolute proof that sometimes the flaws are just as important as any objective measure of a lens. 24MP or 61MP; it doesn't matter. It's gorgeously smooth at wide apertures and rock solid stopped down. You're cheating yourself if you haven't tried it.
So that's me. If you don't like the idea of adapting, I'd look at the CV 50/1.2. It's generally a better behaved lens than the 40, so it's draw is a little more refined and sedate, but it is a resolution powerhouse of a fast fifty. It's certainly worth a try.
p.1 #17 · Compact manual 50mm lens for street/travel?
I’m a big fan of the Voigtlander 50 f/2 APO for e mount and the Zeiss Loxia 50 f/2, both are small, relatively light and fun to use with exceptional image quality.
p.1 #18 · Compact manual 50mm lens for street/travel?
If you want really compact but also fast that does relatively well on e-mount, I'd try a CV 50/1.5ii.
I am not sure what kind of draw you like--or what you consider small--either weight or dimensions. I tend to like more character glass. Some of the MS-Optics are RF glass is tiny compared to adapted SLR or native glass but how much character and what type of ergonomics and technical IQ do you want?
@freaklikeme I just picked up a Mino 58/1.2 again Brad
p.1 #19 · Compact manual 50mm lens for street/travel?
I have the Loxia 50/2 and like it a lot on my A7R3.
Used it can be found at a very reasonable price nowadays.
I believe it is a bit lighter than your CV 40/1.2, and diameter a bit smaller, but the length of the lens is the same so you wouldn't win much size wise.
This is a very nice review of the Loxia can be found in below link. Same person has a review of the CV 40/1.2, so may be usefull to get an idea on how they compare.
I'm starting to realy dislike the bigger lenses, the Loxia's learned me to appreciate the small size factor. It's such a joy to use a compact light high quality lens like this.
Jun 14, 2025 at 12:41 AM
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p.1 #20 · Compact manual 50mm lens for street/travel?
dylanrichards wrote:
What is your favourite compact manual 50mm-ish lens to use on e-mount?
I shoot with an a7cii and currently use the CV 40/1.2 e-mount, which I love but I always wish it was a little smaller when I'm out wandering around the city. I am happy to adapt a lens if I don't lose too much from it, and I can spend Voigtlander money if need be but I'll happily take lower.
Suggestions? (and thank you in advance!)
How wide an aperture do you want? If you don't need a wide aperture, the Voigtlander 50 f/3.5 APO is excellent and in Fred's review he reports no decrease in performance on a Sony camera.
Right now if you want notably smaller than the Voigtlander 40 f/1.2, you will have to pick between a narrower aperture lens like the Voigtlander 50 f/3.5 APO that has no decrease in performance or a faster aperture lens that will be affected by thicker Sony sensor cover glass.
