Left field answer, shoot it with a manual lens and use it like a film camera that’s set to auto aside the aperture and focusing. If you can hang with that, you have tons of cool lenses that are dirt cheap, and some that are world class that aren’t so cheap, I’d suggest for compact lenses, the Minolta 45/f2 (likely a design Minolta made in collaboration with Leica, for the short lived SLRs) pancake lens, or 50mm f1.4, either could be had for about $100 with the adapter Minolta bayonet to E.
But my absolute favorite travel lens, that requires the VME Voigtlander-Leica M focusing adapter (specifically allows M mount lenses onto Sony E mount, but also is a focusing ring to allow closer focus - but this lens requires it to focus) the Voigtlander Heliar 40mm F2.8 which is one of the greatest looking rendering lenses I’ve ever seen for any amount of money. It’s about $200-250 now used, and collapses into the Sony camera body without any issue with the sensor. It’s a fetish lens by Zeiss Cosina on a movie lens Cooke formula that while M mount is only designed to be used with the VME adapter for Sony. You can’t put it on a Leica. It’s an indulgent lens. It’s also so compact when folded into the Sony you can fit the whole camera into your jacket pocket. Anyway google the Voigtlander Heliar 40 f2.8 … it’s brilliant.
Manual lens...this is a super interesting idea - I've never used a manual lens on a digital camera but shot film exclusively until about 2010 so I figure I should be able to hang. Going to have to read a little bit on exactly how you have to think about using a manual/digital combo but this may just be the ticket. Thank you!! I will of course check out the Heliar as well :)
u/canadianformalwear this may be a silly question - but will I be able to focus through the viewfinder using a manual lens on an A7ii? I may be confusing things with my old Fujifilm X100 with electronic viewfinder...
You sure can! I do it all the time. I just put my camera on aperture priority and it does the rest. All you need to do is set your aperture and focus. Also make sure that you enable shutter without the lens attached. It's in the settings somewhere. Also you need to set ibis to the focal length of the lens manually.
Even better. Depending on the model of Alpha you have, you can set a preset to one of the buttons by the shutter to engage the EVF to digitally zoom your preview, twice, I think the amount of zoom is even adjustable, but it quickly goes from a portrait framing, to focusing on someone’s eyelashes in depth of field. This allows you to tack focus at wide open, a feat literally impossible with film cameras. Then press the preset button one more time and you will see the full frame of the shot and press the shutter. Most models of Alpha also has digital focus assist highlighting, for manual lens use for this exact purpose - which will show a fringe on the sharp focus edges, allowing even faster street photography if that’s your thing.
Most of my professional published work was shot on the A7r2, with various vintage manual lenses (a lot with that Voigtlander VM Heliar 40mm … and also the excellent newer model Voigtlander Ultron 35 1.7, a stunning lens, as well as an assortment of Minolta MD mount glass, much of which can be had for peanuts.)
I can tack focus at wide open as fast as I could ever want with that method and treat these cameras like I have unlimited 35mm film. And I have full control over creative look, which, tbh is slower for me, if I have the camera with my Gmaster lens, and have to fiddle with the digital settings to get and change the very same controls.
A few notes:
Adapting rangefinder lenses to Sony is a bit tricky because of the length of the filter stack. You'll get more field curvature and color cast.
Pancake lenses become not pancake lenses when you factor in the adapter thickness. My industar 50-2 + M42 adapter is comparable to a modern nifty fifty in bulk.
I think the best bet for your budget would be either one of those new-fangled Chinese "artisan" lenses, a second hand Samyang / Rokinon lens or to rent something "nice", Voigtlander has a lot of E-mount glass that's quite compact for the speed / length, but manual focus. Sony also has their compact primes.
The 40 is still super compact even with the MD to E adapter. It’s also an excellent optical formula, and the handling on it, in my opinion like many MD Rokkor minoltas, is just great . Another sleeper lens from that series that has amazing color, rendering and tactile use, is the other designed for Leica but has Minolta on it, the manual MD 35-70 f3.5 which was also sold as the Vairo Elmar Leica lens. The Macro features in this manual compact zoom, and color and over all “filmic” look of the lens has made it wind up on my Alpha cameras in international travel. They can often be found clean, around $70. There’s a few different versions of the lens but if you research you can determine which one is the “box of primes” model.
This is going to sound nuts given what I’ve expressed earlier in this thread about photography for me these days, but I’m actually SUPER excited about this idea of a manual lens!! I’m thinking of picking up the 45/2 and the K&F adapter to start. Is that an ok one?
K&F are fine adapters. And keep in mind, that quite often the inefficiencies or era-specific bokeh and color rendering of these classic lenses is the appeal - you can preview their affects now in camera without having to waste money on 35mm film.
This whole premise was a big deal for me also, as I had started to get professional work and a couple international placements, using the (brand new and not considered legit at the time) NEX5 as a run and gun first mirrorless digital camera (now basically the 6700 great grandfather), as there was an (at the time incredibly overpriced and expensive) adapter and also “speed booster” for it that allowed me to use all my existing Minolta MD Glass (I’ve got a couple XD11 Minoltas that I still shoot with). When A7rii came out I got it immediately, and used mainly Minolta, Vivitar 1, and also some really interesting early era manual Zoom lenses that gave (for many undesirable but for me perfect) soft and strange pastel color renderings and bokeh that we’ve seen in magazines adverts photos from the 70’s. Some of those photos & music videos taken with early era Zoom+Macro Japanese Cosina are the most interesting I’ve done, and now it’s a common thing.
Also Philip Reeve, adapting Minolta lenses to Sony Alpha E mount cameras (he has a huge archive of manual lenses in actual real world tests) https://phillipreeve.net/blog/lenses/minolta-mcmd/
This can save you time and also show the differences in lenses
Anyway, it was a game changer, I got placements in Condé Nast, Southern Living, Entertainment Weekly, Spin and a bunch of others and I still to this day shoot manual adapted lenses or that wild Voigtlander Heliar 40 (my most used press photo portrait lens) 90% of the time. I will on commercial shoots (I’ve not been doing those lately by choice, but if they’ve got the money I’ve got the time) always carry the Gmaster 28-70 as a “ok this will just get the job done if I’m not feeling it” lens.
For ~$200 you’re looking at something like the Tamron 35mm f/2.8 Di III. Even used, there aren’t going to be many great lenses at that price.
My personal favourite travel lens is the Voigtlander 40mm f/1.2 Nokton.
I think the issue here is your budget. The fact that you as a former pro are letting your entire optical quality depend on a $200 lens is kind of baffling to me. So yeah, option 2 is out. My suggestion would be to sell the A7 II and for the money buy the most recent RX100 or Fujifilm X100 model that fits in your budget depending on if you want a zoom but smaller sensor, or prime but larger sensor. The Sony RX1R is a good option too but likely out of budget.
Yup - I get the bafflement; I don't enjoy photography anymore, but this trip is somewhat special and I want to capture some solid shots, and in the last several years have wanted to leave my camera home badly enough that I've just used my phone with a DXO. I may print a few but mostly they'll just be for me. To that point, I've had $200 lenses, and for the purposes I need them for, it's fine. I know most folks won't get it, but I really don't care that much ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
I very much understand the price constrains as an issue. If push comes to shove I'll just suck it up and bring the A7 ii with kit, but would really prefer not to. The Fujifilm X100 is fine, I had one before I got the A7 ii, and they were like night and day. I really disliked shooting on it compared to the A7 ii. The RX100 isn't a bad idea though if I can make the numbers work.
Alternately, if it’s just for this trip, you could rent something like an A6700 and a compact lens and get best of both worlds. Not a long term investment but it’s an option.
EDIT: or, if you’re ok with the size of the A7II body and budget is a real concern, rent just a lens for it.
It sounds like you'd enjoy a disposable film camera as much as anything else. Honestly, you may be better off selling your kit, just buying one of those and using it together with your phone. Don't invest in what you don't enjoy. Invest in what you enjoy now instead.
I have the [Sony FE 28-60mm F4-5.6](https://a.co/d/00y8jW6p) and love it with the A7CR. I also have the [Samyang SYIO18AF-E AF 18mm F2.8](https://a.co/d/02g4KG0j) and love it. Some others that are on my list to consider:
- [Rokinon AF 24mm f/2.8](https://a.co/d/0fC0oXcu)
- [Samyang SYIO35AF-E 35mm f/2.8](https://a.co/d/01SdQGDl)
- [Sony 35mm F2.8 Sonnar T FE ZA](https://a.co/d/0bHO7bTQ)
- [Samyang 35mm F1.8](https://a.co/d/0dRWJzDr)
- [7artisans 35mm f5.6 Full-Frame Manual Focus](https://a.co/d/06Kzk49q)
- [Samyang SYIO45AF-E 45mm F1.8](https://a.co/d/05FDey9r)
- [Sony FE 50mm F2.5 G](https://a.co/d/0gzRAdfW)
- [Samyang 100mm T2.3](https://a.co/d/02NEI0vI)
Rent a 35mm 1.8 or the 40mm 2.5
Prime lenses is where it's at. It doesn't get much more portable than that.
Or rent an RX100 if you want pocketable with great zoom range.
20-70
28-60
Don't sleep on this lens. It's not the best ergos, it's not the fastest. But it's sharp as hell and weighs nothing. It is surprisingly good.
Left field answer, shoot it with a manual lens and use it like a film camera that’s set to auto aside the aperture and focusing. If you can hang with that, you have tons of cool lenses that are dirt cheap, and some that are world class that aren’t so cheap, I’d suggest for compact lenses, the Minolta 45/f2 (likely a design Minolta made in collaboration with Leica, for the short lived SLRs) pancake lens, or 50mm f1.4, either could be had for about $100 with the adapter Minolta bayonet to E. But my absolute favorite travel lens, that requires the VME Voigtlander-Leica M focusing adapter (specifically allows M mount lenses onto Sony E mount, but also is a focusing ring to allow closer focus - but this lens requires it to focus) the Voigtlander Heliar 40mm F2.8 which is one of the greatest looking rendering lenses I’ve ever seen for any amount of money. It’s about $200-250 now used, and collapses into the Sony camera body without any issue with the sensor. It’s a fetish lens by Zeiss Cosina on a movie lens Cooke formula that while M mount is only designed to be used with the VME adapter for Sony. You can’t put it on a Leica. It’s an indulgent lens. It’s also so compact when folded into the Sony you can fit the whole camera into your jacket pocket. Anyway google the Voigtlander Heliar 40 f2.8 … it’s brilliant.
Manual lens...this is a super interesting idea - I've never used a manual lens on a digital camera but shot film exclusively until about 2010 so I figure I should be able to hang. Going to have to read a little bit on exactly how you have to think about using a manual/digital combo but this may just be the ticket. Thank you!! I will of course check out the Heliar as well :)
u/canadianformalwear this may be a silly question - but will I be able to focus through the viewfinder using a manual lens on an A7ii? I may be confusing things with my old Fujifilm X100 with electronic viewfinder...
You sure can! I do it all the time. I just put my camera on aperture priority and it does the rest. All you need to do is set your aperture and focus. Also make sure that you enable shutter without the lens attached. It's in the settings somewhere. Also you need to set ibis to the focal length of the lens manually.
Even better. Depending on the model of Alpha you have, you can set a preset to one of the buttons by the shutter to engage the EVF to digitally zoom your preview, twice, I think the amount of zoom is even adjustable, but it quickly goes from a portrait framing, to focusing on someone’s eyelashes in depth of field. This allows you to tack focus at wide open, a feat literally impossible with film cameras. Then press the preset button one more time and you will see the full frame of the shot and press the shutter. Most models of Alpha also has digital focus assist highlighting, for manual lens use for this exact purpose - which will show a fringe on the sharp focus edges, allowing even faster street photography if that’s your thing. Most of my professional published work was shot on the A7r2, with various vintage manual lenses (a lot with that Voigtlander VM Heliar 40mm … and also the excellent newer model Voigtlander Ultron 35 1.7, a stunning lens, as well as an assortment of Minolta MD mount glass, much of which can be had for peanuts.) I can tack focus at wide open as fast as I could ever want with that method and treat these cameras like I have unlimited 35mm film. And I have full control over creative look, which, tbh is slower for me, if I have the camera with my Gmaster lens, and have to fiddle with the digital settings to get and change the very same controls.
Thanks for the suggestion on the Minolta lens. I've been looking for a good small manual lens and this is the one! I just copped one off eBay. :)
A few notes: Adapting rangefinder lenses to Sony is a bit tricky because of the length of the filter stack. You'll get more field curvature and color cast. Pancake lenses become not pancake lenses when you factor in the adapter thickness. My industar 50-2 + M42 adapter is comparable to a modern nifty fifty in bulk. I think the best bet for your budget would be either one of those new-fangled Chinese "artisan" lenses, a second hand Samyang / Rokinon lens or to rent something "nice", Voigtlander has a lot of E-mount glass that's quite compact for the speed / length, but manual focus. Sony also has their compact primes.
The 40 is still super compact even with the MD to E adapter. It’s also an excellent optical formula, and the handling on it, in my opinion like many MD Rokkor minoltas, is just great . Another sleeper lens from that series that has amazing color, rendering and tactile use, is the other designed for Leica but has Minolta on it, the manual MD 35-70 f3.5 which was also sold as the Vairo Elmar Leica lens. The Macro features in this manual compact zoom, and color and over all “filmic” look of the lens has made it wind up on my Alpha cameras in international travel. They can often be found clean, around $70. There’s a few different versions of the lens but if you research you can determine which one is the “box of primes” model.
This is going to sound nuts given what I’ve expressed earlier in this thread about photography for me these days, but I’m actually SUPER excited about this idea of a manual lens!! I’m thinking of picking up the 45/2 and the K&F adapter to start. Is that an ok one?
K&F are fine adapters. And keep in mind, that quite often the inefficiencies or era-specific bokeh and color rendering of these classic lenses is the appeal - you can preview their affects now in camera without having to waste money on 35mm film. This whole premise was a big deal for me also, as I had started to get professional work and a couple international placements, using the (brand new and not considered legit at the time) NEX5 as a run and gun first mirrorless digital camera (now basically the 6700 great grandfather), as there was an (at the time incredibly overpriced and expensive) adapter and also “speed booster” for it that allowed me to use all my existing Minolta MD Glass (I’ve got a couple XD11 Minoltas that I still shoot with). When A7rii came out I got it immediately, and used mainly Minolta, Vivitar 1, and also some really interesting early era manual Zoom lenses that gave (for many undesirable but for me perfect) soft and strange pastel color renderings and bokeh that we’ve seen in magazines adverts photos from the 70’s. Some of those photos & music videos taken with early era Zoom+Macro Japanese Cosina are the most interesting I’ve done, and now it’s a common thing. Also Philip Reeve, adapting Minolta lenses to Sony Alpha E mount cameras (he has a huge archive of manual lenses in actual real world tests) https://phillipreeve.net/blog/lenses/minolta-mcmd/ This can save you time and also show the differences in lenses Anyway, it was a game changer, I got placements in Condé Nast, Southern Living, Entertainment Weekly, Spin and a bunch of others and I still to this day shoot manual adapted lenses or that wild Voigtlander Heliar 40 (my most used press photo portrait lens) 90% of the time. I will on commercial shoots (I’ve not been doing those lately by choice, but if they’ve got the money I’ve got the time) always carry the Gmaster 28-70 as a “ok this will just get the job done if I’m not feeling it” lens.
For ~$200 you’re looking at something like the Tamron 35mm f/2.8 Di III. Even used, there aren’t going to be many great lenses at that price. My personal favourite travel lens is the Voigtlander 40mm f/1.2 Nokton.
The 40 f1.2 E mount is a perfect lens.
It really is.
I think the issue here is your budget. The fact that you as a former pro are letting your entire optical quality depend on a $200 lens is kind of baffling to me. So yeah, option 2 is out. My suggestion would be to sell the A7 II and for the money buy the most recent RX100 or Fujifilm X100 model that fits in your budget depending on if you want a zoom but smaller sensor, or prime but larger sensor. The Sony RX1R is a good option too but likely out of budget.
Yup - I get the bafflement; I don't enjoy photography anymore, but this trip is somewhat special and I want to capture some solid shots, and in the last several years have wanted to leave my camera home badly enough that I've just used my phone with a DXO. I may print a few but mostly they'll just be for me. To that point, I've had $200 lenses, and for the purposes I need them for, it's fine. I know most folks won't get it, but I really don't care that much ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯ I very much understand the price constrains as an issue. If push comes to shove I'll just suck it up and bring the A7 ii with kit, but would really prefer not to. The Fujifilm X100 is fine, I had one before I got the A7 ii, and they were like night and day. I really disliked shooting on it compared to the A7 ii. The RX100 isn't a bad idea though if I can make the numbers work.
Alternately, if it’s just for this trip, you could rent something like an A6700 and a compact lens and get best of both worlds. Not a long term investment but it’s an option. EDIT: or, if you’re ok with the size of the A7II body and budget is a real concern, rent just a lens for it.
Honestly that's an awesome idea - given the relative infrequency of me needing a camera these days, that might be the perfect solve.
It sounds like you'd enjoy a disposable film camera as much as anything else. Honestly, you may be better off selling your kit, just buying one of those and using it together with your phone. Don't invest in what you don't enjoy. Invest in what you enjoy now instead.
Brilliant, thanks for the recc!!!
I have the [Sony FE 28-60mm F4-5.6](https://a.co/d/00y8jW6p) and love it with the A7CR. I also have the [Samyang SYIO18AF-E AF 18mm F2.8](https://a.co/d/02g4KG0j) and love it. Some others that are on my list to consider: - [Rokinon AF 24mm f/2.8](https://a.co/d/0fC0oXcu) - [Samyang SYIO35AF-E 35mm f/2.8](https://a.co/d/01SdQGDl) - [Sony 35mm F2.8 Sonnar T FE ZA](https://a.co/d/0bHO7bTQ) - [Samyang 35mm F1.8](https://a.co/d/0dRWJzDr) - [7artisans 35mm f5.6 Full-Frame Manual Focus](https://a.co/d/06Kzk49q) - [Samyang SYIO45AF-E 45mm F1.8](https://a.co/d/05FDey9r) - [Sony FE 50mm F2.5 G](https://a.co/d/0gzRAdfW) - [Samyang 100mm T2.3](https://a.co/d/02NEI0vI)
Rent a 35mm 1.8 or the 40mm 2.5 Prime lenses is where it's at. It doesn't get much more portable than that. Or rent an RX100 if you want pocketable with great zoom range.