pvdhaar
Peter
No, you're absolutely right; that's not the point, and maybe I should have elaborated on that 35-70 remark..Of course there are other pragmatic options. That's not the point. This is an interesting alternative for the target audience.
Most who I'm sure already have a kit zoom lens.
FYI from what I've seen, that zoom (if it is the Nikon) now can suffer from severe out gassing/hazing as well as other functional issues due to age (not being able to AF at 35mm due to a metal plate which breaks w age). Which is why I skipped it.
But really, recommending an old zoom lens over the Neptune is completely missing the point. It's like saying don't buy a manual transmission Miata. Buy this used Lexus 400 instead. It is bigger, faster, more comfortable. Sure they both get you from point A to point B, but that's not the point now is it?
Having owned Holga's, and with a Lensbaby slapped on an SLR lying around, I do understand the lure of lo-fi cameras and of weird lenses. But to me that $599 sounds like serious money, it's definitely not Holga territory. For that money, the performance shown in the samples isn't special.. the apertures are limiting in ability to isolate your subject, and the character that you'd get with other alternatives (e.g. the Petzval) isn't there either. By that reckoning, the Neptune lens set doesn't seem the equivalent of a Miata..