Wide angle options for NEX?

[richardhkirkando]

I have a NEX-3 and M adapter on the way. I'm planning on my 35mm M/LTM lenses as normal lenses on this body, and I'm thinking of picking up a Canon or NIkon 24/2 to fit the 35mm FOV.

I'm curious to see what others are using in the ultra-wide range. Is the 16mm pancake the way to go, or are there any manual focus SLR/RF primes that work well? Or even anything C-mount that actually covers the sensor?

 

[dexdog]

I have used the CV 15mm Heliar and 21m Color Skopar on the NEX 5, and think that they are a good fit.

 

[Dante_Stella]

16mm is cheap, easy, autofocuses, and is good enough...

16mm is cheap, easy, autofocuses, and is good enough...

...for most purposes. The 16mm has a "soft" rap, but it only adds $100 to the zoom kit price, is calibrated in Lightroom, is as light as a feather, focuses quickly, and produces a field of view that you can either use or crop (keep people at the center). You might find it a bit challenging to focus an SLR wideangle with this camera without resorting to the 7x magnifier function.

Dante

 

[douglasf13]

I think the 16mm is a good performer, considering the size. I often just crop the corners out slightly, giving myself an approximate 27mm equivalent field of view, and things look pretty good.

 

[uhoh7]

The 16 is very worthwhile as stated above.

I went over the top and bought this in alpha mount for the nex

the sigma 8-16mm designed for APS-C, about 650USD

I know, I know, it's huge, but the nex controls aperture via LAEA-1 and focus is not such a huge issue with something this wide.

Personally I have no problem with big lenses on the nex if I am hunting something special, otherwise I go into RF mode with the 16, M and LTM glass.

BTW, there is some thought that "legacy glass" cannot resolve on modern sensors. This sigma has quite good reviews, and I find it just fine, but I have a number of legacy lenses which out reslove it easily, e.g.: nFD 20 F/2.8, nFD 24 f/2 (far better than Nikon 24 2), Nikon 28 F/2 AI, Nikon 55 micro AIS (incredibly sharp all the way out--I think it can hold it's own against almost anything), Bokina, Kiron 105, Nikon 135 f/2.8 AIS, and Nikon 180 AIS ED, all have very very high resolution on the nex aps-c, superior to all e-mounts, including 18-200, the best of them, which I also have. No, I'm not rich, just obsessed.

Now, I admit the 35mm sony SAM "easy choice" f/1.8 CAN keep up with those old dogs, but it may as well be MF, and does not offer live aperture view in the nex.

The trick is to pick your legacy glass carefully. Sure there are some modern primes, and some really high-end zooms which will beat nearly any legacy lens, but they cost thousands. A 55 micro goes for 75USD. All the Primes above can be had, with patience, for less than 250USD.

By any measure, one of the great 24mms of all time.

ref:
http://home.comcast.net/~starka/24mm/24mmIntro.htm
"Based on my own findings and results from a couple of independent websites and people who have tested these lenses I can comfortably say that the nFD 24mm f2.0 is probably the best lens of the Canon FD series"

i.e. the best FD mount lens ever made.

I found this one, like new, in Austria for 250USD+20 shipping to USA.

With FD adapter it is about 8mm longer than the 18-55 kit collapsed, but 12mm shorter than the kit extended, with a nearly identical diameter. It's heavier, but that's partly due to the fact we don't yet have ultra light adpaters.

Trivia: what sharp, fast, normal prime, is smaller than the kit zoom with adapter by alot, and can be had for less than 50USD?

 

[gekopaca]

I have an Epson R-D1 (same size APS-C sensor) and I use a LTM Voigtlander Ultra-Wide Heliar 12mm (eq. 18mm FF).
It's my favorite lens on the R-D1, the pictures are great.

 

[Ronald_H]

In the same boat here, NEX-3 with Leica M and Nikon F adapter. I use a CV 25mm f4 Skopar as my 'almost 35mm' equivalent on the NEX. Very small, very sharp.

Wide angles are an issue with these APS-C cams, I cannot go wider than 28-30mm equivalent at the moment. I own a Sigma 20mm f1.8 for Nikon, wich is a poorly performing monster of a lens. I have been contemplating the 15mm Heliar though.

 

[uhoh7]

In the same boat here, NEX-3 with Leica M and Nikon F adapter. I use a CV 25mm f4 Skopar as my 'almost 35mm' equivalent on the NEX. Very small, very sharp.

Wide angles are an issue with these APS-C cams, I cannot go wider than 28-30mm equivalent at the moment. I own a Sigma 20mm f1.8 for Nikon, wich is a poorly performing monster of a lens. I have been contemplating the 15mm Heliar though.

Fantastic looking little wide.

Let's see, how to rationalize 450.00?????

OK, well the the 16 e-mount is 250, right? So if you don't get the sony, you are saving 250. That's means the Heliar is only 200.00!!!

right, right???

well here's one that might go for much less than 450:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Voigtlander-15mm-Super-Wide-Heliar-Leica-LTM-M39-/270698502017#vi-desc

looks very very sexy on the nex:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/minami/4807650349/

here's the 12:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/at_sushi_01/4891053255/in/photostream/

On the fisheye front is the Samyang 8mm, which could be bought in either nikon or alpha mount and used via adapter--the aperturre and focus is manual. If bought with nikon mount it could be used with tilt adapter.

it's 391g, about 25% smaller all round than my mammoth sigma. I think these can be found new in one of the iterations for about 270USD.

It does offer better sharpness than the sony fisheye adapters, according to various reports:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1042&thread=37577775

 

[richardhkirkando]

Thanks, some good ideas here. I did order a Canon 24/2, which should cover my 35-eq FOV needs nicely. Sounds like the 16mm is worth getting, though I do kinda like the thought of something that can perform double duty on a film camera. Those CV 12 and 15s have been tempting, now maybe even moreso.

 

[ampguy]

Both the CV 15 and the Sony kit 16 are great. The CV to my eyes has a bit less distortion than the Sony, but the Sony has AF, focuses closer, and is faster at 2.8 vs 4.5, and is lighter.

Sony sells a WA adapter for the kit 16 that makes it a 12 (18 effective?), but I have no idea how well it works or what it costs.

My single grab and go kit is pretty much with the kit 16, or or the CV 21 in a Sony (thick) p&s pocket bag. For a 2 kit setup, with a 15, 16, or 21, and a 50 lux or J3, I use my squarish Case logic bag that used to fit one M body and one lens, not too long.

For the NEX with 2 or 3 addl. lenses, I use the Lowepro AW 110, that used to hold an M body and 1 extra lens.

I can now use my Domke F5xb's, and J3s for overnight bags 😉

 

[pvdhaar]

The NEX's own 16mm is not bad at all. You might come to think otherwise if you read about it on the net; it's got a reputation of being soft and riddled with CA. So when I started out with the NEX, I anticipated using the CV25/4 a lot on it to cover the wide range with better IQ. But after a while now, I find I'm having so much fun with the 16, that I rarely take it off.. Sure the 16 likes to be stopped down a bit for better results, but what lens doesn't?

I really should do some serious brick wall shooting comparing the 16 and CV25/4, otherwise I'm going to spend the rest of my days just shooting nice images with a bad lens.. 😀

 

[beyond]

Tried the CV 15 yesterday on the NEX 5. Excellent for outings.

 

[saxshooter]

The 16mm NEX lens is my go to wide lens for its size, speed, AF, and cost (well, my NEX-5 came with it). It really is in a class of its own. I'm satisfied with its quality too.

I've got various Leica M, m39, Pen F, and EOS lenses for everything else.

 

[Kent]

The 16mm NEX lens is my go to wide lens for its size, speed, AF, and cost (well, my NEX-5 came with it). It really is in a class of its own. I'm satisfied with its quality too.

+1

And for the rest I use adapted lenses (ATM: M39, C-mount, Robot, Adaptall-2).

 

[uhoh7]

16mm in action:

 

[saxshooter]

looks good to me. don't really understand all the bashing of this lens. "pancake size", fast aperture, autofocus, and great price. it's in a class of its own.

 

[uhoh7]

looks good to me. don't really understand all the bashing of this lens. "pancake size", fast aperture, autofocus, and great price. it's in a class of its own.

Those are just jpegs straight out of camera.

For my "rangerfinder mode" I have a hole between 16 and 28. Obviously the CVs are sweet, but a bit dear.

suggestions for "bargin" RF lenses in there?

 

[FPjohn]

19mm f3.8 Vivitar

19mm f3.8 Vivitar

Those are just jpegs straight out of camera.

For my "rangerfinder mode" I have a hole between 16 and 28. Obviously the CVs are sweet, but a bit dear.

suggestions for "bargin" RF lenses in there?

The Vivitar 19mm f3.8 is a passable "bargin", ~$100, retrofocus choice.

yours
FPJ

 

[ampguy]

can't really think of anything

can't really think of anything

except the cv 21/4 in that range, which works very well, if the f4 is fast enough. great landscape and travel lens.

Those are just jpegs straight out of camera.

For my "rangerfinder mode" I have a hole between 16 and 28. Obviously the CVs are sweet, but a bit dear.

suggestions for "bargin" RF lenses in there?

 

[uhoh7]

nFD 24mm straight out of camera: