The Canon FD 2.8/135 is a lightweight and affordable lens. On my Sony a7 it performs very well as a portrait and landscape lens.
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Review: Canon FD 2.8/135
Review: Carl Zeiss Contarex Planar f=50mm 1:2
The Zeiss Contarex line was Zeiss’ last attempt to produce a competitive camera system in Germany; after that production moved to Japan. Zeiss put a lot of effort into those lenses and cameras. You can read on the internet that they created a line of lenses which is considered by some “the best ever, optically and mechanically“.
So I was curious and bought a Carl Zeiss Contarex f=50mm 1:2 to see whether this assessment checks out. Today the Planar 2/50 is the cheapest of the Contarex lineup but it is still quite expensive at around 300€. I will review it as I would review any other lens, and see if the hype about this lens is justified.
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Continue reading Review: Carl Zeiss Contarex Planar f=50mm 1:2
Review: Canon new FD 35mm 1:2.8
The Canon nFD 2.8/35 offers really good image quality for very little money. I think it is a very good solution for most budget oriented Sony Alpha 7 users.
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Continue reading Review: Canon new FD 35mm 1:2.8
Affordable manual lenses for the Sony Alpha 7,7r,7ii,7rii and 7s
This is a collection of good manual lenses which are available for less than $100, it is meant as a resource for photographers who own a Sony a7/ a7r/ a7ii/ a7rII and want to discover the world of manual lenses without breaking the bank.
To learn more about a lens please check one of my reviews or follow the linked test. You will find the average price for a copy in good condition in the description for each lens.
All links market with a * are affiliate links. If you use them I will receive a small commission on your purchase without any additional cost to you. So if you found this article helpful using them is a great way to show your support. Thanks!
You can find this article in German on phillipreeve.de.
Wideangle lenses
Canon nFD 2.8/24
This would be my suggestion for someone looking for a small, sharp and affordable wideangle lens to take landscape images.
Weaknesses are mustache distortion and mediocre built quality.
240g | $85 | my Review | sample images
buy from ebay* | adapters on amazon*
Continue reading Affordable manual lenses for the Sony Alpha 7,7r,7ii,7rii and 7s
Review: Canon new FD 24mm 1:2.8 on Sony a7
There are many manual lenses above 28mm which work quite well on modern cameras like the Alpha 7 but not that many wide angle lenses perform good enough on modern cameras.
The Canon nFD 2.8/24 is one of the sharpest, affordable wide angle lenses and I think it can be a good solution for budget-oriented Sony Alpha 7 users.
A German version of this review can be found on phillipreeve.de.
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