Good primes

Don't you want primes with different focal lengths for different applications?

 

I've had very interesting answers to that question centered around the 24-28mm range here : https://www.mu-43.com/f40/recommendation-cheap-fast-legacy-lens-24-28mm-range-4751/

I've also seen absolutely wonderful shots of flowers by a forum member named Alf, who seems to own a nice series of Hexanon primes : Micro Four Thirds User Forum - Here it is

Also, I bought for €60 a superb 50mm f1.4 Carl Zeiss planar in PK mount ; but from what I'm investigating, the best "bang for anybody's bucks" seems to be with those Hexanons.

 

Canon FD 50/1.4 and OM 50/1.8 MIJ are among the cheapest you can find, S-M-C Takumar 50/1.4 is probably more expensive. The other ones that are cheaper are Konica 40/1.8, 50/1.4, as well as Minolta MC/MD 50/1.4. You might also want to try some other focal length, though a little slower than 50s, such as OM 28/3.5, S-M-C Tak 35/3.5, etc.

 

The Pentax 40/2 may be better built and sharper than the Konica 40/1.8, Although I had this lens on Konica Compact SLR, it is a sharp lens. And Swirly bokeh can make a very interesting background with nature images
My 2c worth

 

Lenses for flowers

The Yashica 28mm f/2.8 does flowers well. But don't take my opinion. Search Flickr. The lens was made for the Contax/Yashica bayonet mount. The focus ring goes down to 0.3 meter, but I haven't tried it that close.

I also use a Zeiss Planar 50mm for flowers, in the same mount.

 

how is the minolta f2.0?

 

Hi -

I am a big fan of legacy lenses on either 4/3 or m4/3.

Let's see:

Leica 100mm f4 on bellows for serious macro work, lens out-resolves the sensor
Leica 180 f3.4 APO lens (this lens is probably the sharpest ever made for any 35mm camera, designed for extremely high resolution for the US Navy to be used to take pictures of ships during the Cold War, and handily out-resolves the sensor, and because of the APO design, no color fringing whatsoever!)

Nikon 85mm f2
Nikon 200mm f4

Olympus 50mm f1.4
Olympus 180mm f2.8

They all work wonderfully for certain situations. I use the Leica lenses for watch photography and very large-scale panoramas using the gigapan robotic panorama head; the 85 lens has wonderful bokeh for portrait work; the 200 f4 is a nice solid performer (which I will admit doesn't get much use given the outstanding 180 APO lens), the 50 is great for portraits under low-light conditions as well, and I use the 180 f2.8 for taking pictures of my daughter when she is on the stage (she is in a local theater group).

JohnF

 

Thanks for mentioning applcation per favorite lens, that gives at least me a more clear picture. By the way, very nice set of lenses.

 

One of my favorites is Voigtlander 50mm f3.5 Heliar. However, it is tricky. If you adjust the aperture after focusing, you may shift the focus. It was designed for rangefinder cameras that did not focus through the lens so apertures were set independently of focusing. It is not a fast lens at f3.5 so I use it primarily for outdoors work. So it requires a bit of skill. But it repays that effort with images that, to my eye, are what photography is all about. They look like you are looking at the original scene through a photographic clean, clear window.