This is a collection of good manual lenses which are available for less than $100, it is meant as a resource for photographers who own a Sony a7/ a7r/ a7ii/ a7rII and want to discover the world of manual lenses without breaking the bank.

To learn more about a lens please check one of my reviews or follow the linked test. You will find the average price for a copy in good condition in the description for each lens.

All links market with a * are affiliate links. If you use them I will receive a small commission on your purchase without any additional cost to you. So if you found this article helpful using them is a great way to show your support. Thanks!

You can find this article in German on phillipreeve.de.

Wideangle lenses

Canon nFD 2.8/24

This would be my suggestion for someone looking for a small, sharp and affordable wideangle lens to take landscape images.

Weaknesses are mustache distortion and mediocre built quality.

240g | $85 | my Review | sample images

buy from ebay* | adapters on amazon*

Olympus OM 3.5/28

I haven’t used this lens myself (yet) but going by other photographers results it delivers a very even sharpness across the frame. It is also small and very affordable.

180g | $35 | MTF Measurements | another test | sample images

buy from ebay* | adapters on amazon*

Minolta MD 2.8/35

This is a very sharp lens which also happens to be very small and affordable. It has quite a bit of field curvature.

170g | $60 | my review | sample images

buy from ebay* | adapters on amazon*

Canon nFD 2.8/35

This is a very sharp lens which also happens to be very small and affordable. Downsides are average build quality and only 5 aperture blades.

165g | $50 | sample images

buy from ebay* | adapters on amazon*

Normal Lenses

Canon new FD 1.4/50

At f/1.4 it is the sharpest ~50mm lens I have used so far. I think it is a very good lens to get started with. The field of view is handy for many applications and the fast aperture allows you to create images with very little depth of field. Bokeh is okay but not great and you need to stop down to f/5.6 for very good corner sharpness.

235g | $50 | my Review | sample images

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Minolta MC/MD Rokkor 1.4/50

Not as sharp as the Canon at f/1.4 but I think it has nicer bokeh at f/2. The older MC version is heavier and feels more solid than the younger MD versions. There are three optically different versions but the differences are not big enough to worry about them. Weaknesses are only six aperture blades and you need to stop the down to f/5.6 or better f/8 for very good corners.

245g | $60 | my unfinished Review | sample images

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Minolta MD 2/50

I haven’t used an affordable 50mm lens with more even sharpness than this, the corners at faster apertures are much better than with other versions. My choice for a hinking lens when a small size and good sharpness matter. Built quality and bokeh are okay but not great.

150g | $25 | my Review | sample images

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Sigma 2.8/50 Macro

About any manufacturer like Minolta, Canon or Olympus sold a 3.5/50 Macro back in the day and any of those is a good buy. The Sigma is in the same league optically but it is a bit faster and most importantly it does 1:1, not 1:2 like all the other macros. The build quality is clearly worse than that of the major brands.

310g | $45 |sample images

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Minolta MC Rokkor 1.7/55

Not the sharpest lens but sharp enough and it has very nice character and build quality. My choice when I want a small normal lens with good bokeh.

230g | $20 | my Review | sample images

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Tele Lenses

Minolta MC Rokkor 2.5/100

Great bokeh and good sharpness at f/2.5 make this a very enjoyable portrait lens. Built quality is great and it isn’t too large. The only real weakness of this lens is that it is very sensitive to flare.

410g | $90 | my Review | sample images

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Minolta MD Rokkor 2.8/135

It doesn’t set any records but it is a solid lens very well suited for portraits.

535g | $60 | sample images

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Canon FD 2.8/135

If you are looking for a very affordable portrait lens this is a good choice, bokeh and sharpness are good (but not great). Built quality isn’t great but good enough.

395g | $50 | sample images

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Minolta MC Rokkor 4/200

I was surprised how sharp this lens is across the frame from f/4, a great solution for landscape photography. The lens feels very solid but the rather stiff focusing ring makes it less ideal for moving subjects. I also don’t care for the very obvious CA outside of the focal plane and it’s proneness to flare.

520g | $35 | sample images

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Zoom lenses

Minolta MD 3.5/35-70 Macro

A useful focal range and a handy 1:4 macro-mode make this a very vesatile lens. In the 40-70mm range it is as sharp as a good prime lens at f/8, only at 35mm the corners are a bit soft. Contrast and bokeh benefit noticeably from stopping down to f/5.6 and distortion at 35mm is a bit high.

365g | $60| my Review | sample images

buy from ebay* | adapters on amazon*

Minolta MD 4/75-150

A small tele-zoom which is as sharp as the corresponding primes, only at 150mm it get a little softer towards the corners. Weaknesses are some distortion and CA outside of the focal plane.

445g | $30 | sample images

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How a lens gets onto this list

To make it into this list I must have either personally used a lens or someone else must have published a well done test and some full resolution images.

I will only add lenses which meet my subjective criteria for a good lens and I want to avoid having too many very similar lenses in this selection.

If you think I have missed a lens please tell me about it! But don’t forget to link to meaningful tests and full resolution sample images.