New camera No lens

[NathanJD]

I have recently taken possession of a very fine Bessa R2A thanks to a very kind gesture from a generous guy on this forum. The only problem is that I have no lens for it and I’m not exactly ‘moneyed’ although I am selling off some little used gear on eBay over this next week or so to release a bit of equity.

What I want to know is what would be advisable for someone looking to get a nice 50mm or 35mm lens for this camera for somewhere in the £200-£300 (roughly $400-$600) mark?

Would I be best off getting a M mount to LTM adapter and saving a little there by going for an older lens as apposed to potentially spending more on an M mount lens? what are the dangers as far as fogging etc go?

Unlike my usual spending habits I’m not looking to max out my budget, at this stage I’m actually looking to get the best bang for my buck, and also a good investment that I will be loathed to part with in the future.

Looking forward to the advice on this one! many thanks in advance!!

Nathan.

EDIT: I have my eye on a Canon 50mm screw mount, am i likely to go far wrong with one of these?

[swoop]

My suggestion would be to get a LTM to M adapter. A 50 would be most useful later down the road in my opinion. But it doesn't matter which frameline version you get. You will be able to manually select them on the R2A. So all you need is one of any sort. They cost about $50. And then go to the fedka.com store and get yourself a Jupiter 12 35mm/f2.8 lens at $95 and a Jupiter 8 50mm/f2 lens at $59, and you're all set.

That's what I would do in your position. It's cheap, decent quality, nice results. And it works just fine.

[ruby.monkey]

Not sure if this is of interest to you, but ffordes (https://secure.ffordes.com/index.htm) have a single-coated Voigtlander 40/1.4 Nokton in their used section for £199. It's not an exact match for an R2A, but it is a lovely fast and compact lens (FWIW I have one for my R3A, and ain't nobody taking it away from me). I've also seen Voigtlander 35/1.7 LTM on eBay recently for £160-£180; that plus a second-hand adapter would fall well within your budget.

Will a J-12 mount on an R2A? I seem to recall that the rear element of mine fouled the front shutter of my R3A.

[swoop]

ooh. I'm not too sure on the clearance.

[NathanJD]

Thank you for your advice guys! i have just placed a bit for an LTM to M adapter and i actually have some threaded FSU lenses - a J-8, J-12 and an industar 26 but was looking for something further up the quality scale as i have aquired these lenses (with a fed and a zorki attached) for about £25 ($50) each.

thank you very much for that link ruby, i'll go check that out

[NathanJD]

Originally Posted by swoop

ooh. I'm not too sure on the clearance.

there seems to be a bit of conflicting evidence with the Jupiter 12s but from dismanteling mine and relubing it i noticed that the rear element actually moves a few mm and this may explain why some people have joy and others don't?

[vieri]

I highly recommend the Canon 1.4/50 LTM, a fantastic lens that can be found for 2-300 US and will last you a lifetime. I like the way it draws so much that I am selling my 50 Lux and keeping the Canon instead as my fast 50 (aside the Noctilux, but that's another story...)

[tbarker13]

If you really want to limit your expense, the canon 50/1.8 is an excellent lens as well. Can be had for $100 or so.
The CV 35/2.5 color also is a very nice lens if you can live with f/2.5. I've seen those sell for $200 or so.
And if you want to spend a bit more, you could get an older 50 summicron (the rigid or dual range would fit in your budget).