I know this sounds like a silly topic as I'm sure most people would agree that a perfect lens for me would probably not be perfect for the next guy.. It all depends on what applications the lens will be used for.

I'm asking here since I haven't got any 50mm lenses myself, but I know I'm gonna buy one for my soon to arrive(crossed fingers!) E-P1.
Is there a lens that would be better suited for portraits than the Olympus 50mm f2 4/3's macro? If I cannot find a lens+adapter ring combo that would be better(or close but much less pricey) then I'm probably gonna get the 50mm macro + mmf-1. So lets set the $$ roof at $650.

GO!

Lets see some responses from you guys who have used the E-P1 with 50mm MF lenses and/or the 4/3's macro

http://cgi.ebay.com/M42-lens-to-Panasonic-G1-GH1-OM-E-P1-micro-4-3-adapter_W0QQitemZ250462479436QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLens_Accessories?hash=item3a50ba244c&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

http://cgi.ebay.com/Asahi-Pentax-SMC-Takumar-50mm-f1-4-M42-Fit-Lens_W0QQitemZ380142748084QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CamerasPhoto_CameraAccessories_CameraLensesFilters_JN?hash=item58824601b4&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14


you might wanna get a m42 mount to micro 4/3
since you dont have any 50mm lens before you can start with a good but cheap one
when you wanna get more lenes.. carl zeiss made lots of legendary m42 mount lenses..
like the f1.5 75mm


ever see a bokeh that spins? ( this is not photoshoped at all the lens is famous for creating spins like this)

this is what the 75mm f1.5 can do

but for now you can just get the ASAHI PENTAX SUPER MULTI COATED TAKUMAR 50mm f1.4 LENS
i have one myself its with my brother in england now. but im sure that the quality is good
i donno about this auction. but the lens itself (with not problem) is very sharp and clean

http://captjack.exaktaphile.com/Zeiss%20page.htm
check these lens out m42 mounts

if you are on a budget this is what i recommend..
quite a good combination.. i think
you can get alot of m42 mount.. they are usually cheap.. and lots of company made them before.

Well I had been searching for the "perfect" add on to my 14-42 E-P1 kit for telephoto work.. decided I thin is getting a MFT adapter for my M lenses in the mean time... given that I have a 50, 90 and 135 LM lenses I am well situated IMO. Given that I prefer wide-angle shots... so the 9-18 or or 11-22 is in my future I think...

For MF, I really like my CV Nokton 50/1.5 Asph (LTM/L39SM). It is a very good performer on m4/3 (not all adapted lenses can say that). It can hold its own against Leica and Zeiss 50's. The current gen Leica 50/1.4 Summilux may be sharper, but its bokeh is edgier too.

For (mediocre) AF, the Oly 4/3 ZD 50/2 macro is just an amazing lens.

It depends on what you want to do. If you want manual focus, nothing beats the feel of a real MF lens -- the focus by wire just doesn't feel right. If you want to do macro, want (mediocre) AF capability, and ultimate sharpness, the ZD 50/2 macro can't be beat.

I do find the 50mm ZD really tempting as I'm already used to MF'ing on my (now waterdamaged and dead) 30D. The reason this lens is tempting is because assisted MF will work since it's electronically connected to the E-P1. So the slow and jerky AF won't be used anyways. Going into x7 magnification automatically when using the focus ring is so nice. Hmm.. this is gonna be a hard choice the ultimate sharpness is also really tempting..

Yeah, Leica R lenses perform very well on m4/3 -- better than Leica M lenses, especially for wide-angle. But the Leica R lenses are SLR lenses, and therefore bigger and heavier, so you lose the size advantage of M-mount/LTM-mount rangefinder glass. Might as well go for Zeiss ZF (Nikon mount) SLR lenses if you're not concerned about size. The Zeiss ZF Distagon 35/2, 50/2 Makro-Planar, and 100/2 Makro-Planar are three of the best lenses money can buy on the Nikon mount.

Speaking of Zeiss lenses, the ZF 25/2.8 works very well on m4/3 for such a "wide" lens (wide for SLRs). Problem is that it is big and heavy. Almost twice the weight of the ZM Biogon 25/2.8 for Leica mount.

I actually just ordered the Nikon-F/mFT adapter so that I can use my 50/1.8D and 50/1.8 E-series (mk2) on my E-P1.  both lenses have very strong center performances, even wide-open.  I'm betting they will perform very well on the E-P1.  I love the handling of the E-series (I use it on an FE-10) lens so it should be a joy to use on the E-P1.

The Canon might perform decently on the E-P1, but the handling (even on an EOS camera) is garbage in MF-mode.  They use the worlds hardest, cheapest plastic for the tiny MF ring and they don't bother dampening it at all.  In fact every Canon nifty-fifty I've tried feels very sloppy in that regard.  They also seem to have pretty poor wide-open contrast performance, though they seem to show good resolution in general.

I've been doing a little research in getting a CV 50/1.5 to use with the e-p1. Being a Leica Screw Mount lens, would i need to purchase a LTM to M mount adapter along with a M to M4/3 adapter?
My only worry with all these adapters is the overall size on the E-P1

All you need is a screw mount to M43 adapter ($51 on ebay). My 50/1.5 should be here today so I'll let you know how it is.

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All you need is a screw mount to M43 adapter ($51 on ebay). My 50/1.5 should be here today so I'll let you know how it is.

That's a good point, jwardell. They have LTM to m4/3 adapters now (i forgot about that, as they only used to have M-mount to m4/3 for a while). It's easier than stacking two adapters together, although whether it's a better overall solution in the grand scheme of things depends if you have M-mount lenses or intend to get M-mount lenses in the future (in which case, it might be better just to buy an M-mount to m4/3 adapter and use the LTM to M-mount adapter ring when you use an LTM lens).

Thanks  jwardell, do let us know how you get on with the lens and adapter.

I also was thinking of going down the LTM to M-Mount route then M to m4/3 just because i plan to pick up a few M mount lens.