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03-12-2022, 08:52 PM   #1
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Best vintage wideangle lens to adapt?

Hi everyone, what's the best vintage ultra wide angle, lens to adapt to a mirrorless Sony A7Riii. I'm looking for something with good color rendition, micro-contrast, no field curvature, and no corner softness at F/8, F/11. It would be nice if it produced nice sunstars. Bokeh doesn't matter as I'll be shooting it stopped down to the apertures I mentioned already I'd like to use it for landscape purposes. I've thought of the Carl Zeiss Jena 20mm Flektogon F/4 Zebra, but I would like to see if there's better options out there.


Last edited by Prince Harbinger; 03-12-2022 at 09:14 PM.
03-12-2022, 08:58 PM - 1 Like   #2
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28/3.5 K is well liked. See Phillip Reeve review.

20 is to my mind, not wide but ultra wide. So perhaps I misunderstand your goals.
03-12-2022, 09:12 PM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by UncleVanya Quote
28/3.5 K is well liked. See Phillip Reeve review.

20 is to my mind, not wide but ultra wide. So perhaps I misunderstand your goals.
Thanks, which version of this Pentax lens are you talking about? I have a 35mm already, so I wanted something wider that would compliment it.
03-12-2022, 10:14 PM - 1 Like   #4
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SMC Pentax 20mm F4 Reviews - K Prime Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

Read the reviews of this one.An oldy but a goldy.

03-12-2022, 10:20 PM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by surfar Quote
Not seeing a review just gear.
03-12-2022, 10:37 PM - 1 Like   #6
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Review: Pentax K SMC 28mm 1:3.5 - phillipreeve.net

https://www.apalapse.org/blog/review-pentax-k-smc-28mm-f35

Credit for these links goes to @joepenmx.
03-13-2022, 12:47 AM - 1 Like   #7
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If 28mm is wide enough, you might consider an Orion-15 6/28 rangefinder lens in Russian L39 mount. It's superb for landscape and architectural photography - and properly vintage, with the first versions dating back to the 1940s. Of all my Soviet lenses, it's one of my favourites. Small, very nicely built, and optically excellent, especially considering its age.

According to allphotolenses.com:

QuoteQuote:
The Orion-15 28 mm f/ 6 (Russian: "Орион") is an interchangeable wide-angle lens for rangefinder cameras. It was designed on the basis of the Topogon optical scheme.

It is equipped with an iris aperture. The lens is coated (single-layer chemical coating).

The Orion-15 28 mm f/ 6 lens is remarkable for its high resolution and large depth of field.

It is recommended for panoramic photography, for shooting multistory buildings, especially facing narrow streets, for group photography in a small room, etc.

In 1959 the lens was awarded the 2nd degree diploma of the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy of the USSR.


03-13-2022, 12:55 AM   #8
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Is the adaptation process reversible?

It would be a shame to think that Pentax alone has kept their mount consistent for nearly 50 years and even still supports m42, yet all the old pentax glass may be irreversibly converted off brand. 🥺
03-13-2022, 01:54 AM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by BigMackCam Quote
If 28mm is wide enough, you might consider an Orion-15 6/28 rangefinder lens in Russian L39 mount. It's superb for landscape and architectural photography - and properly vintage, with the first versions dating back to the 1940s. Of all my Soviet lenses, it's one of my favourites. Small, very nicely built, and optically excellent, especially considering its age.

According to allphotolenses.com:
Thanks for the recommendation. Although with the current situation I don't think that will be an option for a very long time.

---------- Post added 03-13-22 at 01:56 AM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by calsan Quote
Is the adaptation process reversible?

It would be a shame to think that Pentax alone has kept their mount consistent for nearly 50 years and even still supports m42, yet all the old pentax glass may be irreversibly converted off brand. 🥺
Using a dumb adapter doesn't harm any lens.
03-13-2022, 02:01 AM - 1 Like   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by Prince Harbinger Quote
Hi everyone, what's the best vintage ultra wide angle, lens to adapt to a mirrorless Sony A7Riii. I'm looking for something with good color rendition, micro-contrast, no field curvature, and no corner softness at F/8, F/11. It would be nice if it produced nice sunstars. Bokeh doesn't matter as I'll be shooting it stopped down to the apertures I mentioned already I'd like to use it for landscape purposes. I've thought of the Carl Zeiss Jena 20mm Flektogon F/4 Zebra, but I would like to see if there's better options out there.
Are you sure you want a vintage lens? Vintage UWA lenses are often rare and can be expensive.
An adavantage of the shorter register distance of E-mount is that UWA lenses do not have to be as complex design as lenses designed for SLR.

There are some nice UWA lenses for E-mount that may cost less than old vintage UWA.

Tamron 20/2.8 is often is sold at below $300. (B&H has it for $249 right now) It also has some interesting features with 1:2 Macro and weather sealing.
Review Tamron 20mm F/2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 (Model F050) for Sony FE - CameraStuff Review
03-13-2022, 02:37 AM - 2 Likes   #11
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Another vote for the Orion-15 … one of the (few) reasons I also use a mirrorless system
The 20mm Russar MP-2 worked well, but collector prices finally tempted me to sell it!
The Fujinon 19mm f/3.5 was highly rated in it's day … mine is in M42 and I'm hanging on to it
The Sigma 21-35mm was also well rated, again mine is the original, with the built-in lens hood, in M42!
03-13-2022, 02:54 AM - 1 Like   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Prince Harbinger Quote
Thanks for the recommendation. Although with the current situation I don't think that will be an option for a very long time.
A quick look on eBay shows numerous examples in Poland, Czech Republic, Latvia, Italy, the USA and even Japan... but, my, the prices have shot up 100%+ since I bought mine I paid GBP £130 including shipping a few years back for a mint, allegedly unused example, and I deliberated for quite a while even at that price - though in retrospect I'd say it was worth it. Now, though, it seems sellers are asking "collector" money for them It's a very good lens, but you can probably do just as well with something else and spend a lot less...

Last edited by BigMackCam; 03-13-2022 at 05:50 AM.
03-13-2022, 03:01 AM - 1 Like   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by kypfer Quote
Another vote for the Orion-15 … one of the (few) reasons I also use a mirrorless system
The 20mm Russar MP-2 worked well, but collector prices finally tempted me to sell it!
I have the reissued Russar+ MP-2 and it's a lovely lens (not the sharpest, and it vignettes like crazy, but it's very nice all the same), but on my A7 MkII it tends to produce magenta colour shifting in the borders and corners - due to the interaction between the sensor and the angle of light from that bulbous rear element I've seen the same effect on Leica digital photos posted online. It's fine for B&W, but rather limiting otherwise. I keep meaning to try it on a good film rangefinder. I'm sure it would be wonderful...

Last edited by BigMackCam; 03-13-2022 at 04:39 AM.
03-13-2022, 04:48 AM - 1 Like   #14
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Define vintage. What does that mean to you? Price, image look, …
Zeiss 21 will do the job. Available for Contax mount and in newer mounts.
There are many threads about image drawing capabilities of older lenses - sharp from edge to edge is a fairly new criterion. Flektogon was old 20 years ago, no 30 years ago, will it be sharp edge to edge on digital, I doubt it.
Voigtländer has some nice vintage looking lenses for E-mount.
03-13-2022, 04:52 AM - 1 Like   #15
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You specify vintage wide angle, however, if you want to consider current lenses, I've got the Zeiss Loxia 21mm F2.8 and it partners with the Sony A7 series incredibly well. (I also have the Loxia 50 f2.0, and plan to buy the 85 f2.4. My body is the original A7.) There is a Loxia 24mm if the 21 is a little too wide for you. However used Loxia's can be pricey.
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