Jonathon Delacour
Subscriber Member
+1it won't give you the small size of a rangefinder lens but any slr 24mm will work with no optical issues on NEX. most of them end up being the same size as the kit zoom even with the adapter - nowhere near pocketable but functionally not much larger than any of the of the 24-25mm rangefinder lenses and they can focus much closer. there are 24mm f/2 lenses in nikon F, canon FD, and olympus OM mounts all of which are well respected lenses and most (not the olympus) can be found at quite reasonable prices. if you don't need the speed there are a ton of f/2.8 or slower 24mm slr lenses. the best fit of these is probably the olympus OM 24mm f/2.8 - it is reputed to be an extremely good performing lens and is quite small. right now i am using a rokkor MD 24mm f/2.8 that i am quite happy with (except for the speed) while i wait for sony to release a lens roadmap. i'm hoping for a zeiss 24mm f/2 - but i doubt i'll see one anytime soon.
You might also try looking for a Vivitar 24/2 or 24/2.8. The Komine-made versions (with serial numbers starting with 28) are generally regarded as the best.
Regarding the size advantage of the Leica M lenses, this post by Douglas Ferling in the Fun with the NEX cameras thread provides a useful perspective from someone who has used a Leica M and a Sony SLR lens on his NEX-5:
Oddly enough, I kind of like the ergonomics of my 50mm with the Alpha adapter better than my little M lens, because it sits nicely in the hand, and the focusing ring is in a good place. I may get the new cheapie Sony 35/1.8 for when being as small as possible isn't a priority.