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Lenses
| Name | Make | Focal Length | Max Aperture | Mount | Type | Format Coverage | ↑ Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS | Sony | 28-70mm | f/3.5-5.6 | Sony E | Zoom | Full Frame | Good to Excellent |
| 1 Nikkor 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 VR | Nikon | 10-30mm | f/3.5-5.6 | Nikon 1 | Zoom | 1-inch (CX) | Good to Excellent |
| Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 | Olympus | 14-45mm | f/3.5-5.6 | Four Thirds | Zoom | Four Thirds | Good to Excellent |
| Prakticar 50mm f/2.4 MC | Pentacon | 50mm | f/2.4 | Praktica B | Prime | 35mm Full Frame | Good to Excellent |
| Miranda 35-135mm f/3.5-4.5 MC Macro | Miranda | 35-135mm | f/3.5-4.5 | Pentax K | Zoom | 35mm Full Frame | Good to Excellent |
| Takumar-A Zoom 28-80mm f/3.5-4.5 | Asahi Pentax | 28-80mm | f/3.5-4.5 | Pentax K | Zoom | 35mm Full Frame | Good to Excellent |
| Tokina SD 70-210mm f/4-5.6 | Tokina | 70-210mm | f/4-5.6 | Pentax K | Zoom | 35mm Full Frame | Good to Excellent |
| smc Pentax-M Zoom 28-50mm f/3.5-4.5 | Pentax | 28-50mm | f/3.5-4.5 | Pentax K | Zoom | 35mm Full Frame | Good to Excellent |
| SMC Takumar 55mm f/1.8 | Asahi Pentax | 55mm | f/1.8 | M42 | Prime | 35mm Full Frame | Good to Excellent |
| Takumar (Bayonet) 55mm f/1.8 | Asahi Pentax | 55mm | f/1.8 | Pentax K | Prime | 35mm Full Frame | Good to Excellent |
| Samsung Schneider D-Xenon 50-200mm f/4-5.6 ED | Samsung / Schneider-Kreuznach | 50-200mm | f/4-5.6 | Pentax K | Zoom | APS-C | Good to Excellent |
| smc Pentax-DA L 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL WR (White) | Pentax | 18-55mm | f/3.5-5.6 | Pentax K | Zoom | APS-C | Good to Excellent |
| smc Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7 | Pentax | 50mm | f/1.7 | Pentax K | Prime | 35mm Full Frame | Good to Excellent |
| Olympus 17.5-45mm Four Thirds | Olympus | 17.5-45mm | f/3.5-5.6 | Four Thirds | Zoom | Micro Four Thirds | Good |
| Olympus 17mm f/2.8 | Olympus | 17mm | f/2.8 | M4/3 | Prime | Micro Four Thirds | Good |
| TTArtisan 35mm f/1.4 | TTArtisan | 35mm | f/1.4 | M4/3 | Prime | Micro Four Thirds | Good |
| Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-42mm | Panasonic | 14-42mm | f/3.5-5.6 | M4/3 | Zoom | Micro Four Thirds | Good |
| Industar (M42) | Industar | TBC | TBC | M42 | Prime | 35mm Full Frame | Good |
| Helios (M42) | Helios | TBC | TBC | M42 | Prime | 35mm Full Frame | Good |
| Canon 35-80mm | Canon | 35-80mm | f/4-5.6 | Canon EF | Zoom | Full Frame | Good |
| Canon 18-35mm | Canon | 18-35mm | f/3.5-4.5 | Canon EF | Zoom | Full Frame | Good |
| Canon 90-300mm EF-S | Canon | 90-300mm | f/4.5-5.6 | Canon EF-S | Zoom | APS-C | Good |
| Canon 50mm STM | Canon | 50mm | f/1.8 | Canon EF | Prime | Full Frame | Good |
| Olympus 60mm Macro | Olympus | 60mm | f/2.8 | M4/3 | Macro | Micro Four Thirds | Good |
| Olympus 40-150mm | Olympus | 40-150mm | f/4-5.6 | M4/3 | Zoom | Micro Four Thirds | Good |
| Olympus 14-42mm | Olympus | 14-42mm | f/3.5-5.6 | M4/3 | Zoom | Micro Four Thirds | Good |
Olympus / M4/3 Lenses
The Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 is the standard kit zoom that shipped with many Olympus Micro Four Thirds cameras. Covering a useful 28-84mm equivalent range, it is a compact and lightweight everyday lens. While not the most exciting optically, it is sharp across the frame at most focal lengths and makes an ideal general purpose walk-around lens. A solid foundation for the M4/3 system.
I find that I use it quite a lot - it is a very useful range and good enough for most things unless you are after something specific.
The Olympus 40-150mm f/4-5.6 is a compact telephoto zoom covering an equivalent 80-300mm range on Micro Four Thirds. It is a capable and affordable telephoto option, useful for wildlife, sport and compressed perspective shots. Lightweight and compact, it pairs well with the E-M1 for a travel telephoto combination that fits easily in a small bag.
Again - really small and light - even does some macro.
The Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro is one of the finest lenses in the collection. It provides true 1:1 macro magnification with autofocus, making it exceptional for close-up work. The 60mm focal length gives a comfortable working distance for small subjects. Beyond macro, it doubles as an excellent portrait lens with beautiful bokeh and sharp rendering. The equivalent 120mm field of view on Micro Four Thirds makes it ideal for isolating subjects.
Great macro lens.
The Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH Mega OIS (H-FS14042) is a compact collapsible kit zoom for Micro Four Thirds. It collapses to a very slim profile when not in use, making it an excellent travel lens. The built-in Mega OIS optical image stabilisation works independently of any body IBIS, and combines with body stabilisation on compatible cameras. Covering a 28-84mm equivalent range, it is a practical everyday lens with good sharpness across the zoom range.
The TTArtisan 35mm f/1.4 is a fully manual focus prime lens for Micro Four Thirds. TTArtisan are a Chinese optical manufacturer producing affordable manual lenses with characterful rendering. The 35mm focal length gives an equivalent 70mm field of view on M4/3 — a classic short telephoto perspective ideal for portraits and street photography. Wide open at f/1.4 it produces pleasing soft backgrounds with smooth bokeh, stopping down to f/5.6 or f/8 delivers sharp results across the frame.
The Olympus 17mm f/2.8 is a compact pancake prime for Micro Four Thirds, providing a 34mm equivalent field of view — close to the classic 35mm perspective beloved by street and documentary photographers. Its slim profile makes it the ideal pairing with compact M4/3 bodies like the E-P1, creating a very pocketable combination. A useful everyday prime for candid and street shooting where discretion and portability matter.
Great little lens - maybe a tad slow on focus.
Canon EOS Lenses
The Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM is one of the best value lenses in photography — a sharp, fast prime at an accessible price point. The STM motor provides smooth, quiet autofocus. On the Canon 5D it provides a classic 50mm field of view ideal for street, documentary and everyday photography. The fast f/1.8 aperture allows shooting in low light and produces pleasing background separation. An essential lens for any Canon EF shooter.
I'm really happy with this on my 5D. I need to check how it works on M4/3 etc.
The Canon 90-300mm f/4.5-5.6 EF-S is a budget telephoto zoom designed for APS-C Canon bodies only — it cannot be used on full frame cameras like the 5D. It covers an equivalent 144-480mm range on APS-C, making it useful for distant subjects. While modest in optical quality compared to Canon's L series telephoto lenses, it provides useful reach at an affordable price point.
I have used this with my first ever DSLR - Canon EOS 350D (Rebel XT). Quite decent, especially for the price.
The Canon 35-80mm f/4-5.6 is a compact standard zoom for Canon EF mount cameras. On full frame it covers a classic 35mm to 80mm range — from moderate wide angle through to short telephoto. A lightweight everyday lens that covers the most commonly used focal lengths. While modest in specification, it is a practical and unobtrusive lens for general photography.
Really light and compact - good for general photography.
M42 Lenses
The Helios 44-2 is a legendary Soviet lens, produced in enormous quantities from the 1950s onwards at the KMZ factory. It is a copy of the pre-war Zeiss Biotar 58mm f/2 design and is famous for its distinctive swirly bokeh rendering, caused by the optical formula producing a characteristic out of focus pattern in backgrounds with fine detail. Sharp in the centre wide open, it has become hugely popular with portrait and creative photographers seeking a distinctive look.
Fun lens - a little strange - at least on mine - the f stop markings do the opposite of what you would normally think - put the red marker/label against F16 and that is the LARGEST aperture - i.e. F2 and vice versa - F2 = F16.
The Industar is a series of Soviet lenses based on pre-war Zeiss Tessar designs, produced at various Soviet optical factories from the 1940s onwards. The Tessar formula — four elements in three groups — was known as the “Eagle Eye” for its sharpness. Industar lenses are compact, well built and produce clean, sharp images with a slightly clinical rendering quite different from the Helios. An excellent lens for street and documentary photography.
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The SMC Takumar 55mm f/1.8 is the multicoated version of Asahi's classic M42 screw-mount standard lens, typically sold with the Spotmatic F. With a Spotmatic F it supports open-aperture metering; on other bodies it works in stop-down mode via the Auto/Manual switch. Well regarded for its smooth rendering and build quality, it adapts easily to mirrorless cameras. Comes with the original Asahi metal hood.
Four Thirds Lenses
The Olympus 17.5-45mm f/3.5-5.6 is a standard kit zoom from the original Four Thirds system, covering a 35-90mm equivalent range. It requires the Four Thirds to M4/3 adapter to use on Micro Four Thirds bodies. Unlike most adapted lenses, Four Thirds lenses retain autofocus via the adapter, though at reduced speed compared to native M4/3 lenses. A useful standard zoom that makes good use of the Four Thirds to M4/3 adapter in the collection.
Came as part of E500. Nice lens - adapts really well to a OM-D-E-M1
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The Zuiko Digital 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 was the kit zoom for early Olympus Four Thirds DSLRs such as the E-500, covering a 28-90mm equivalent range. It is a little wider than the 17.5-45mm and well regarded for a kit lens. On Micro Four Thirds bodies it works through the Four Thirds to M4/3 adapter with autofocus retained.
Nikon 1 Lenses
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The 1 Nikkor 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 VR was the standard kit zoom for the Nikon 1 system, giving a 27-81mm equivalent range on the 1-inch CX sensor. It has optical Vibration Reduction and a compact retracting design.
Sony E Lenses
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The Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS is the standard full-frame kit zoom for the Alpha 7 series, covering wide to short-telephoto. It is light, has optical stabilisation, and focuses down to 0.3m. On the A7R IIIa it makes a compact everyday combination, although the 42MP sensor shows it is a kit lens rather than a premium optic.
Shown here on the Sony A7R IIIa.
Pentax K Lenses
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The smc Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7 is the compact standard lens from Pentax's late-1970s M series, made to match the smaller M-series bodies. It is manual focus with a full aperture ring and no “A” setting, so on Pentax DSLRs it works in stop-down/manual mode. Sharp, light and inexpensive, it is one of the most popular Pentax K primes and adapts easily to mirrorless bodies.
Shown here on the Pentax MZ-M.
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A white version of the weather-resistant Pentax DA L 18-55mm AL WR kit zoom, sold with the colour-option Pentax DSLRs of the K-x / K-r era. Optically it is the standard APS-C kit zoom (27-84mm equivalent), with no aperture ring and a lightweight plastic mount. Comes with its matching PENTAX petal hood. Usually paired with the K10D, whose weather sealing it matches.
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Samsung's GX-series DSLRs were built in partnership with Pentax and used the Pentax K mount, so this Schneider-Kreuznach branded D-Xenon 50-200mm is essentially the Pentax smc DA 50-200mm f/4-5.6 ED under another name. It gives a 76-300mm equivalent telephoto range on APS-C and works fully on Pentax bodies. No aperture ring. Supplied with its Samsung hood.
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Not to be confused with the earlier screw-mount Takumars, the “Takumar (Bayonet)” line was Pentax's budget K-mount range from around 1980, sold with entry-level bodies such as the MV and ME Super kits. It lacks the SMC multicoating of the main Pentax line and has no “A” setting, but the 55mm f/1.8 is optically a capable standard lens.
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A compact wide-to-standard zoom from Pentax's M series, covering 28-50mm with separate zoom and focus rings. Manual focus with a full aperture ring (no “A” setting). A handy walkaround lens for film, and on APS-C it becomes roughly 42-75mm equivalent.
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A 1980s third-party telephoto zoom from Tokina's SD (Super-low Dispersion) range. This copy is in Pentax KA mount, with an “A” setting on the aperture ring so aperture can be set from the camera on Pentax bodies. Manual focus with a depth-of-field scale for each focal length.
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Part of Pentax's budget Takumar-A line from the mid-1980s, this 28-80mm zoom has an “A” setting for automatic aperture control on Pentax bodies and a macro mode at the long end. A versatile general-purpose zoom for 35mm film.
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Miranda-branded lenses were Japanese-made third-party lenses sold in the UK (largely through Dixons) after the original Miranda camera company closed. This 35-135mm MC Macro is a one-touch zoom with a macro setting and 58mm filter thread. This copy is in Pentax K mount.
Praktica B Lenses
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The Pentacon Prakticar 50mm f/2.4 MC was the compact kit lens for the East German Praktica B-series bayonet cameras of the 1980s. Small and light, with multicoating. Here it is used on Fuji X via a K&F Concept PB-FX adapter.
gear/lenses.txt · Last modified: by dadm1n
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