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A list of lenses that have been tested on the NEX--good and bad!

tom in mpls

Active member
Ok, I admit that I've gotten completely confused about the comments on "other" lenses used on the NEX.

I would like this thread to be a list of lenses that have been tried. If you have been able to draw conclusions, let us know. Include pertinent info such as quality of infinity focus, center and edge sharpness, ease of use, comments on adapters, or other info as you deem important.

Please post your conclusions, pro or con.
 
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Eoin

Member
I know they are not popular lenses around here but if someone has the Zeiss ZM 50 Sonnar 1.5 and the ZM 85 Sonnar I'd appreciate image samples.
 

roweraay

New member
I know that all of the A-mount lenses I own, work superbly with the NEX (manual focus only, till date). The only downside is due to the fact that the adapter is around an inch thick, since these are dSLR lenses, which makes even a small lens like the Sony 50mm f/2.8 Macro look big.

As soon as my Metabones (M-mount) adapter gets here, I plan to visit a few local camera stores and try out the M-mount lenses, and download the images to check out how they perform.
 

sebboh

New member
I know they are not popular lenses around here but if someone has the Zeiss ZM 50 Sonnar 1.5 and the ZM 85 Sonnar I'd appreciate image samples.
i don't think there should be any problem with either of those lenses as neither of them has any problem on µ4/3, the problems only seem to pop up on lenses 35mm or wider.
 

Cindy Flood

Super Moderator
I have tried Carl Zeiss Contax G 35 f/2, 45 f/2, 90 f/2.8. All work great.

I also tried Zeiss 25 f/2.8. There is some magenta on the sides in many of the photos. It can be removed in post, but that is a PITA.

Leica 75 f/1.4 is heavy on the NEX, but works as expected (very nice).

Leica 90 Elmar f/4 is good. Used with OUFRO (16469Y) macro adapter, it makes a nice, small/light psuedo-macro solution for hand holding.

Minolta MD 100 f/3.5 macro is a good performer (with tube, too), but very big and heavy. MD adapter (RJ) has a tripod mount, so size and weight are not an issue when mounted on the tripod.
 

barjohn

New member
I have used the Leica/Minolta Rokkor 40/2 and it works well at every test I have tried. Very sharp on the NEX and much better than it performed on the m4/3s that I tried.
 

Jonathon Delacour

Subscriber Member
I have tried Carl Zeiss Contax G 35 f/2, 45 f/2, 90 f/2.8. All work great.

I also tried Zeiss 25 f/2.8. There is some magenta on the sides in many of the photos. It can be removed in post, but that is a PITA.

Leica 75 f/1.4 is heavy on the NEX, but works as expected (very nice).

Leica 90 Elmar f/4 is good. Used with OUFRO (16469Y) macro adapter, it makes a nice, small/light psuedo-macro solution for hand holding.

Minolta MD 100 f/3.5 macro is a good performer (with tube, too), but very big and heavy. MD adapter (RJ) has a tripod mount, so size and weight are not an issue when mounted on the tripod.
Cindy, have you tried any Pen-F lenses on the NEX?
 

Cindy Flood

Super Moderator
Cindy, have you tried any Pen-F lenses on the NEX?
Jonathon, I only had my Pen-F adapter for a day or two and then I sent it to Monza so that he could test his lenses. In the time that I had it, I found that my 20 vignetted, but not bad. My 38 f/1.8, 50-70 zoom and 150 f/4 are all OK. Sebboh has my 42 f/1.2 now, and his photos look very good. I'll test my 20mm some more when I get my adapter back this week. I'll report back.
 

HansenTsang

New member
So far I have tried a Voigtlander 40mm f1.4 Leica M mount, Canon FD 50mm f1.2, Canon FD 24mm f2.8, Contax G 45 f2, Nikkor 35mm f1.4, Tamron 17mm f3.5 SP adaptall 2. They all worked fine. I just can't get the focusing down as well as my Pany G1. The EVF on the G1 is definitely a lot better than the LCD screen on the Sony.
 

sebboh

New member
Sebboh has my 42 f/1.2 now, and his photos look very good.
the pen f 42mm f/1.2 seems to perform quite well on the NEX. there is some vignetting wide open but no more than is usual for an f/1.2 lens on FF (for my shooting i usually end up adding vignetting rather than reducing it). sharpness is surprisingly good even wide open. bokeh can be swirly and there is a bit of barrel distortion, but those are just part of the lenses character - nothing to do with the NEX sensor in particular.
 

Jonathon Delacour

Subscriber Member
Jonathon, I only had my Pen-F adapter for a day or two and then I sent it to Monza so that he could test his lenses. In the time that I had it, I found that my 20 vignetted, but not bad. My 38 f/1.8, 50-70 zoom and 150 f/4 are all OK. Sebboh has my 42 f/1.2 now, and his photos look very good. I'll test my 20mm some more when I get my adapter back this week. I'll report back.
the pen f 42mm f/1.2 seems to perform quite well on the NEX. there is some vignetting wide open but no more than is usual for an f/1.2 lens on FF (for my shooting i usually end up adding vignetting rather than reducing it). sharpness is surprisingly good even wide open. bokeh can be swirly and there is a bit of barrel distortion, but those are just part of the lenses character - nothing to do with the NEX sensor in particular.
Many thanks! I'll be interested to learn more about how the 20mm performs. I'd mainly want to use the 38/3.5 Macro, 40/1.4, 42/1.2, and 60/1.5 lenses and, from what you've already reported, it seems as though those focal lengths will be OK.
 

Cindy Flood

Super Moderator
*EDITED*
LUX 50/1.4 ASPH is having a problem at Infinity.!!
very soft at infinty




move the focus ring to the left a bit :
Andre,
I think that the problem that you are having is probably with your adapter and not your lens. You can't just use the lenses infinity mark and assume that that is infinity. You have to focus till you hit infinity.
The adapter can be shimmed so that infinity mark is really infinity, or you can just use it like it is and know that the scale is not correct and you will have to actually focus and not rely on the scale.
 
B

bruin

Guest
Hi all... long time lurker, first time poster here! But this talk of adapted lenses on the NEX has drawn me out :D

I've tested my CV 28mm F2 Ultron on an RJ adapter, manually focused to actual infinity, at f2-16. I've only checked the magnified corner views on the LCD, but so far I haven't seen any smearing. When I download the raw files I'll check them again in Bibble and try to post crops here.

I'm pretty excited about the Ultron because it becomes a 42mm F2, which is a perfect normal lens for me. I've shot 40mm for a long time and F2 is fast enough for me; I go up to 3200 ISO on the NEX-5 without hesitation. Actual infinity seems to be at the left edge of the "infinity" symbol on the lens. My M-Hex 50mm F2 also works great, though I noticed a bit of CA wide open.

Adapted lenses gives me a nice kit with the 16mm pancake: 24-42 for two lens, add a 75 if I feel like it. And the whole thing is smaller and lighter than my RF kit :thumbup:
 

jonoslack

Active member
Hi Bruin and Welcome
hi Terry - I hope you're having a grand time.

I've been playing with:

Leica:
16-18-21 tri-elmar
35 f1.4 asph lux (new version)
50 f1.4 asph lux
75 f2 asph cron
135 f1.8 Zeiss (A mount)
they all seem fine - even wide open
 
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