I can't find any of these with 1:3.5 here in Europe, while a very similar looking 1:4 is readily available (the 1:4.5 is completely different, being a one-touch). Does anybody know if they are comparable in quality and handling?

I'd like to second the opinions about Minolta MD 28 f2.8 posted earlier in this thread. It is very sharp and good contrast. The only thing that I do not always like about it is the somewhat harsh bokeh at full aperture. But for this there is inexpensive cure, Minolta MD 45 f2. One full aperture brighter image with similar sharpness and really nice and smooth bokeh. A cinematic lens.

If you wanted a lens that is sharp at wide open aperture, close focus lenses often behave like that. One macro lens was already mentioned in this topic, but I would add Minolta Macro Rokkor 50 mm f3.5, which can focus down to 1:2 ratio. With the supplied adapter goes to 1:1. It is very sharp at full aperture f3.5. These lenses are already a bit harder to come by.

And one more "sleeper" could be the Tokina 17 mm f3.5. It is an old design but the image is nicer and more "organic" than for example Lumix 14 mm. According to Ken Rockwell this lens has low contrast at full aperture, but I have found that using a proper hood helps. The front element is very close to the front edge of the lens and being extra wide gathers a lot of light from wide sector.

@aki_hartikainen Take a look at the Tokina 28-70 2.6-2.8 Japanese Version. The newer ones are not great but the older one that has that variable iris, seems to be the best. Honestly, I can't see the 2.6-2.8 shift when I zoom and it's an awesome lens. Internal zooming and I got one with a broken autofocus for nikon from Adarama for $150. I mixed it with Rokinon 35mm footage and it's dame close.

@vicharris There were a number of variants of the Tokina 28-70mm ATX Pro. The one I have looks exactly like the f2.6-2.8 with the screw-on 77mm hood, except that it's labeled f2.8. Here's the best write-up I've found on them:

http://nikonglass.blogspot.com/2009/11/tokina-at-x-pro-28-70mm-f26-28.html

@MattRobertson that sounds unusual, because I have been delighted to find that all Tokinas I have used have had good sharpness even at aperture wide open. These include several manual AT-X zoom lenses, as well as RMC 17, 24 and 28 prime lenses. All are good, if not great, aperture wide open but contrast is improved using as tight hood as the angle permits and with reflection absorbing padding on the inside.

Edit: actually, I have to mention a Tokina built Vivitar 35-105 f3.5 close focusing zoom lens that is a bit soft at full aperture. But there are reports on the Internet that the same design branded as Tokina is a newer and improved version with decent sharpness even at aperture wide open. This is a rather heavy lens with internal zoom.

The Pentacon 30 mm f3.5 could be, though. I was aware of the filmic quality of the Pentacon 135 mm f2.8, so I was not surprised to get very fine images from it. But I did not know about the Meyer Lydith design 30 mm being so highly regarded by many. And it can be had for a few tenners.

Supposedly the Pentacon 50 mm is not in the same league.

Pentacon lenses were made in East Germany in the lens factories that remained on that side of the border using often the same tools and designs that they had used originally.

I just bought a Hexanon 80-200/3.5 .. I have found one available adapter, a kipon (bower). Is anybody aware of any others before I purchase?

I owned the Kiron version which was a rebranded Vivitar.

Yep, just in reverse, as I know.
Vivitar never made lenses themselfs, they even did not make designs for most lenses.

Try to get a Jupiter 3 these days! It's not a hidden gem any more, you pay premium for any decent sample.

Plus, BTW, I wouldn't call it "stealing", it was openly taken as compensation for war damage. Russian mathematicians improved on German formulas and even at the height of the cold war Soviet lenses won a grand price at Brussels world expo.

Unfortunately, quality control was lacking. For some lenses you need to buy (=hunt down) 3 or 4 samples to get one that's fine. BTW, beware of any early nineties samples. After the end of SU, quality control got too bad. Some lenses are still in production today and got back on track again.

More recommendations...

M42 screwmount SLR lenses:

• Helios 44-2, Russian 58mm/f2 M42, can be found on flea markets for $10-20. Renders beautiful images, a cult lens.

• Pentacon 200mm/f4 (=Meyer Görlitz 200mm/f4). Excellent super tele lens that can be found cheaply second hand.

C-mount lenses:

• Cosmicar (=Pentax) 25mm/f1.4, the ultra-cheap alternative to the Panasonic 20mm or 25mm lenses. Hardly vignettes on the GH2. Even better, but more expensive: Schneider Cine-Xenon 25mm/1.4, delivers beautiful images, reaches infinity focus.

• Fujian 35mm/f1.7, this Chinese c-mount lens can be had on Ebay new for $20 and even covers the APS-C-size sensors (also available with SLR Magic rebranding for more than $100), reaches infinity focus;

• more from Cosmicar: 75mm/f1.4, the $100 Ebay alternative to the $700 Olympus 75mm/1.8. Sharp, no vignetting, good contrast, reaches infinity focus.

• Cosmicar 22.5-90mm/f1.5 zoom, least vignetting of a c-mount zoom on GH1/GH2 without ETC, reaches infinity focus, example on

• Ernitec 6.5mm/f1.8, vignettes but still beautiful as an extreme wide angle lens - fantastic sharp images with gorgeous colorful flares [used for most of this video:

  ]

C-mount lenses to be used in ETC mode:

• Tamron 4.0-12mm/f1.2 [equivalent to a 10-30mm Micro Four Thirds lens], excellent super wide angle zoom, costs ca. $120; infinity focus with thin adapters.

• Cosmicar 8-48mm/f1.0-1.2 [equiv. to 20-120mm M4/3rds], fastest zoom lens ever, can be found cheaply for around $120.

(Second the opinion on the Jupiter-3 50mm/f1.5. Great lens for the GH2 because of its compact size and stepless aperture. The Jupiter-9 85mm/f2 is great, too, and has a stepless aperture ring as well.)

I went through a box where I had put 'junk maybe gem' lenses, that I acquired from ebay and local stores just before I bought my GH2. I was still tossing up between canon and panasonic.

I think I may have found one, it's a 'Soligor Auto Zoom 75-260mm f4.5' it is a T4 mount, and was according to research manufactured by Tokina in about 1969, also branded as Vivitar.

The front element rotates when focusing.
The barrel lengthens slightly when zooming.
It has a rotating tripod mount.
I haven't shot charts yet - it's looks really sharp at f8 on my DP6
It's parfocal .. I assume that is what they mean by 'Auto Zoom'

Here is a wiki entry:
http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Vivitar_T-4_75-260mm_f/4.5_Tele-Zoom

Search for 'soligor auto zoom 75-260 review' and you'll find some write ups and sample stills.

The T4 mount adapter are problematic because of scarcity.
Mine came with a Nikon adapter, and I scoured the planet and purchased both a Canon adapter and a Minolta MD adapter.

I don't know enough about Nikon and Canon mounts to identify what mount they are. I think they are FD canon and F Nikon.

I'll add this .. If anybody is Nikon based and want's to try T4 lenses I'll sell the Nikon for $20 plus postage

Yashica ML 35-70 f3.5-4.8 appears to be nearly perfect zoom on the GH1 and focuses close also. Lens body is plastic but otherwise well made. This lens renders nothing but beautiful and zeiss-like images. Anything that is not in the sharp focus is rendered nicely. I can not say the same for all lenses. Perhaps not a hidden gem, but a gem nonetheless. Also, contrast is slightly less than the very contrasty ML prime lenses, perfect on digital with a little less dynamic range.