AbramG wrote:
What are your favorite type of lenses to adapt to these cameras? I only have the GF1 at the moment but I plan to get the GH2 when I can. I'm looking for a solid 40-50mm lens that isn't humongous. Ideally it wouldn't be expensive either. (That CV 40mm Nokton is tempting though)
Is the Rokkor 45mm f/2 any good?
yes the rokkor 45/2 is good, not as good as the other rokkor normals though. it definitely wins the bang for your buck prize (mine cost $5) but my 50/1.4 and 50/1.7 are sharper at f/2 and stopped way down. the pen f 38/1.8 is even smaller, very sharp, has a much smaller adapter, and a closer mfd. you should be able to find one for around $100, rokkor 45mm has much better bokeh than the pen though (unless you like it's particular brand of funkiness).
another idea might be jupiter-8 - 50mm f/2 m39 rangefinder lens. are very cheap and are supposed to have good bokeh and be sharp stopped down. the only problem is that there is a lot of sample variation so it's kind of a lottery. for around $150 you could get the jupiter-3 too f/1.5 instead of f/2.
pretty much every manufacturer made a solid 50mm f/1.7 or f/1.8 lens that was sharp and compact and can be gotten cheaply.
nearly forgot, the konica hexanon 40/1.8 is extremely sharp (easily beats the rokkor 45 and most other lenses at every aperture), a pancake, cheap, and has a smaller adapter than most slr lenses. the bokeh is a little funky though. i posted some samples from it on 4/3 a while ago in this thread: https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/964766/0#9133817
AbramG wrote:
I had looked at the Olympus Pen lenses. It does seem to be the obvious choice for these cameras. But collectors are driving the prices way way up!
I'll look further into the Konica 40. I started checking it out before then lost interest based on some feedback I was hearing.
between the konica 40 and the minolta 45 i would choose the konica for sharpness and micro contrast and the minolta for color and bokeh. those two in favor of the minolta are subjective though, so i would look at some pictures to decide.
AbramG wrote:
What are your favorite type of lenses to adapt to these cameras?
I bought my Pany G1 and NEX-5 mainly for use with my old FD lens and now that I was able to find an unmodified Rokkor 58 it will see a lot of use.
Being mirrorless I also like to take advantage of adapters and using any of my lenses on these cameras. I don't view my use of them as small compact cameras so I won't limit myself to only pancake lenses I view them as just a couple of additional tools to take pictures with. So I'll use them with a whole range of lenses whatever lens works best for the shot.
Ideally I just want something no bigger than the Panasonic 45mm f/2.8. I'd like to round off my kit with a 40-50mm lens for the times that the 20mm just isn't close enough.
I'm looking into the Konica lenses at the moment, in particular the 40mm f/1.8 and the 50mm f/1.7 any preference between the two?
AbramG wrote:
Ideally I just want something no bigger than the Panasonic 45mm f/2.8. I'd like to round off my kit with a 40-50mm lens for the times that the 20mm just isn't close enough.
I'm looking into the Konica lenses at the moment, in particular the 40mm f/1.8 and the 50mm f/1.7 any preference between the two?
The konica 40 1.8 is a gem. I had one and it was tack sharp. I am not sure if there is distinct sample variation though.
