Quality Primes between 20mm and 35mm Lens (Budget)

[Hakura]

Hi there,

I am shooting interviews/ Docos with the natural/available light and I seem to be limited by my lens collection.

At the moment I am using Panny 14mm as the main lens and it's not the best in the low light. I have a 14-140 and 14-42 as well but I am looking for more substantial look.

I have a Minolta Rokker 58mm and Helios 50mm as well but based on the distance where I am sitting looks like I need a lens between 25-35mm length.

Could you recommend any vintage lens on a small budget please.

Many Thanks,
Hakura

[Chris Mann]

You won't find low-priced fast wide primes in older MF lens fits, as before computer-aided lens design came along it was expensive to make a fast wide-angle. Still is, to a large extent.

The Panasonic 20mm F1.7 is a good lens for Micro Four Thirds, and not outrageously expensive (sells for about £289 in the UK). It's the equivalent angle of view to a 40mm lens on full-frame cameras, so should work well for you.

[Hakura]

Thanks Chris. I thought of that as well but it's a bit pricey for my budget at the moment. I was hoping for a sub £100 lens.

Also, 14mm or 20mm wouldn't make a lot of difference so I changed to 25mm, 28m or 35mm lens.

I heard a lot about Nikon 28mm F2 but seem to be out on ebay. I also have a Michael Lens 35mm f1.7 (ebay: which is the same as CCTV or SLR Magic 35mm Lens) not sure about the quality to use it for a documentary.

Back to square one or use my panny 14-140mm.

[Sara]

Browse KEH.com - largest collection of under $100 primes in the world.  Great deals on Pentax and Nikon glass right now.