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I just sent an email to a Pune based dealer with queries on availability and price of the X-E1 kit, 35mm F/1.4 and the 14mm F/2.8 lenses. Awaiting a reply. I'm considering the Fuji and Nikon 1 as alternatives to the Oly.

PS - This needs the approval of wifey and getting the go-ahead won't be easy.

Ok got a response from the dealer (Camshot):

Fujifilm X-E1 kit (with 18-55mm lens) - Rs 81K

Fujifilm XF 35mm F/1.4 R lens - Rs 31.5K

Fujifilm XF 14mm F/2.8 R lens - Rs 52K

Both lenses and the kit are available within a few days of a confirmed order.

So I spoke to wifey and the conversation went like this:

Me: Hey do you intend to use the Oly or is it ok if I take it with me on my trips
Wife: Sure depending on how many days (OOPS! I thought to myself)
Me: Since you said the Oly is yours is it ok if I buy a small camera for myself?
Wife: What?! Another camera?? You have tons of stuff already so give it a break!! (Tone of her voice told me she was bugged with me)
Me: No, I just want a small camera to carry with me.
Wife: Why did you buy the Nikons? Use them!! Or take the Sony (our old PnS)
Me: I will! I will! But this is for the times when I want to carry something smaller. You don't understand!
Wife: Forget about a new camera! You must be nuts! You can use the Oly whenever you wish. We can share the camera.
Me: Ok fine, we'll share the Oly for now. (Thinking to myself - Hmm, that does it then, this will require more persuasion)
Wife: Just remember what I said...NO MORE cameras! BYE!

And she hung up. :Frustrati

R2D2 you are a legend! Expect you to someday drop the true rangefinder (Leica) bomb.


By the way, came across this interesting prime lens available for the M4/3 & Sony Nex system. 34mm f1.8 optics (so maybe better suited for the Nex cameras as general purpose prime).

http://snapshooter.jackarlens.com/eng/pageOverview.php

At $189 sticker price, it looks quite interesting (compared to OEM lenses, e.g Sony 35mm is $500). Has anybody tried this lens here?

Legend, eh? I hope it means something positive, not nuts like my wifey thinks. lol:

No mate, I cannot go near a Leica. That's way beyond my reach and rangefinders are simply not my cup of tea. As I said before I don't intend keeping multiple systems. The Oly was mainly for my wife. Incidentally I think of Fuji's X range of cameras as a poor man's Leica :D

Don't think so. First time I heard of it was out only yesterday thanks to Google's ubiquitous ads. It's an unheard of Chinese 3rd party. So I will stay away till it's proven to be good. No reviews on Amazon or Adorama yet.

if you were happy with manual focus, a better choice would be to buy a nikon 35 mm F1.8 and get a 10$ nikon adapter. I use a minolta rokkor 50 mm F1.8 with an adapter and focusing for moving objects (kids) is a pain.

It would be better to look at the offerings by Samyang if available. Those guys actually make lenses so sharp that they give nikon and the likes a run for their money. For example, their 8mm fisheye can run rings around Sigma and Nikon offerings.

Here is the contact detail

Name: Anish George
Store: VideoLinks, Kannur
Phone: 09809764999


Not sure but the friend who got Fuji XE-1 told me lenses are available with same dealer he got a pancake ( 19mm I think)

B&H was running offer of Sigma 30mm and 19mm primes for NEX system for around 200$. Both the lenses are good and IMHO anyday much better then an unknown lens.

Yes but these wont have an aperture ring isint it?

The idea is to try something different. Learn manual focus. The pics they have put on that page really look awesome. I hope somebody would test that lens. I am not that particular about sharpness as I am unlikely to get my pics printed. But those dreamy looks in the pics taken by this lens (as from their website) are captivating, especially for portraits.

This lens is like a cheaper Voigtlander! I hope they make a 25mm version of it. I would get one for my OM-D just to have some fun.

IIRC I read a review of one of the similar lens a F0.95 Nocton alternative whcih was held in place by locktight instead of screws inside.

You can try following cheap lenses for fun and learning manual focus.

1. Russian lenses
MC Helios 44 55 mm F2. ( M 42 lens) easily available around 1800 - 2500 Rs
MC Volna 50 : Slightly costly and rarer as it is a macro lens.
Jupiter 9 : Again little bit on higher side due to demand and supply gap.

2. Pentax Takumar lenses ( available from 6K to 15 K depending on aperture value focal length, rarity and popularity value )

3. Canon SSC FD lenses : They are surprisingly good and cheap since DSLR users can not use them.

4. Minolta MD Rokkor :

4. Nikkor lenses : Old Nikkor lenses have oil on aperture problem but they are still good.

PS : Don't expect all old Manual Focus lenses to be cheap.

Example: I bought a 90mm Vivitar Series 1 and Tamron SP 90 F2.8 Di for nearly same price at same time. Tamron is now sold but series 1 will stay.

You can procure most of these locally from Camera repair shops.

Thanks Amit. It's also available at a local dealer (details given an earlier post) but for slightly more than what Anish charges. It may turn out to be very similar in pricing after paying for courier + Octroi charges applicable here.

The Fuji has to be postponed until I get a clearance from the Home/Finance Minister. Got away with an lecture only yesterday. :)

They have an 18mm-F2 pancake. That's probably the one he has and it's a great choice. The main idea of buying one of these MLCs is to keep it light.

If I ever buy another MLC it will be kitted very much like the Oly OMD i.e. about 3 or 4 good-to-great lenses including the kit lens. I have my eyes on the 35mm F/1.4 to begin with.

I also read somewhere that Fuji are scheduled to introduce more X series lenses this year. More choices ahead.

As mentioned below Fujifilm are set to introduce more lenses this year. Here's where I read about it some time back:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/06...18-55mm-F2-8-4

Hey thanks. This is wonderful. Very useful information. Many thanks.

I would love to acquire one of those Helios lenses and play with them. I saw some for as low as $50 on ebay! And a M42 to M4/3 adaptor is just $10-15. Not a bad setup for $60 or so. I'd try to get this instead. Thanks for sharing.

I don't know if this has already been said, but the Panasonic Lumix is a very evil camera. When you look at the picture in the view finder, you see a perfectly good image but as soon as you push the button to click the picture, it suddenly makes the image dark and you end up with a terrible picture. The least they could get it to do is show the image as it is expected to show up in the JPEG file. The camera is sitting in a storage closet somewhere right now, and is what I expect to take with me in dodgy areas where there's a possibility of getting mugged.

For those who want to play with manual Lens's you can also try the oly om manual lens. Quite cheap and I got a 50 mm 1.4 which is superb. Only issue is focusing on fast moving objects