Nex 5 vs (any) Micro 4/3 camera with classic lenses?

[ampguy]

do you use wides, or stopped down (> f4/5.6) apertures?

do you use wides, or stopped down (> f4/5.6) apertures?

If not, u4/3 may be great for you.

If you do use wides, and want to be able to stop down a bit, or have better low light options and have your wides stay wider, then a NEX or Epson would be a more viable solution.

Of course there will be better stuff in a year.

I understand what a lot of you are saying, but my problem is I have a way more valuable and extensive lens collection than I have camera bodies. I love the simplicity and forgiving nature of digital just as much as I love the skill and patience needed when using old rangefinders or SLR's. I do not however want to spend a ton of money on different lenses for different cameras.

I have my Nikon F3, a couple Exakta's, and an old Contax for using most of my lenses with film, but then, if I want to go digital but don't want to lug around a huge Nikon DSLR my choices are quite limited. I would love a Leica M8.2 or M9, but there is no way I am going to be able to afford that. That basically leaves me with Micro 4/3 or NEX (sorry, the Epson is a little dated for my tastes). I picked up a refurbished GF1 with the 20mm for $650 back at the beginning of the year, and I have been extremely happy with it.

Recently I ordered a few adapters for it, the Nikon one I received is defective and leaks light so I am sending that back, the Exakta one has not come in yet, and the Contax rangefinder adapter is not currently available from the only guy I can find who makes them. I am worried though, the more I read into it, that the GF1 (or any Micro 4/3 camera for that matter) may not be the right camera to be able to fully appreciate these lenses. To me it seems that even the NEX camera's are not fully acceptable yet, and I may need to wait a year or two to see what developments are made in those formats and what else comes out.

 

[cnewhall]

Acceptable according to what criteria? I've used micro 4/3 since the fall of '08 and they've been *more* than acceptable with adapted lenses.

Acceptable to me, I was talking about the NEX there because, although it has a larger sensor and would be better in that aspect, I hate the controls, or lack thereof, compared to my GF1 or an EP1/EP2.

 

[splitimageview]

I haven't found the NEX controls to be difficult to learn or use.

 

[cnewhall]

If not, u4/3 may be great for you.

If you do use wides, and want to be able to stop down a bit, or have better low light options and have your wides stay wider, then a NEX or Epson would be a more viable solution.

I have mostly 50's. I do have a couple wider one's I would love to use though, mainly a 30mm 2.8 Rodenstock-Eurygon, but that being an Exakta SLR mount has a larger adapter and therefore greater distance from the sensor, if that makes much of a difference. I know that I can't use most Contax rangefinder lenses wider than 50mm because they would hit the sensor.

 

[cnewhall]

I haven't found the NEX controls to be difficult to learn or use.

They aren't difficult to learn, but there just aren't enough of them for me. I love the controls on my GF1.

 

[cnewhall]

Are you looking for an internal or external mount adapter?

I did not realize there were different options. I've been searching around online the last couple of days for the Contax rangefinder adapter, I saw plenty of G and C/Y mount adapters, but nothing for rangefinders, a few people said that Nikon S adapters would work, but they would not focus to infinity. Finally I found people talking about this guy on ebay who makes them:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130402371713
But he doesn't have any up right now.