Options
First Try Out: Olympus Digital 50mm f2 macro ED 4/3 Lens
e6filmuser
Registered Users Posts: 3,378 Major grins
For some time I have been aware of the reputation of this lens, both as a macro lens and as a portrait lens. I decided to check out reviews and was very impressed, just as one became available at well under £200. DP Review “Certainly in terms of the studio results, it's the nearest we've yet found to a technically perfect lens”.
I am very pleased with the manual performance of my Kiron 105mm but can see potential for an AF lens giving a different perspective e.g. for flowers. Also. I have some Olympus 4/3 lenses, TCs and adapters. So, as of yesterday, the lens is mine. I have spent only a few minutes with it.
Life is strange. Before I was persuaded to move into digital I was complaining that I would not be able to cope without full aperture focusing and exposure. Having worked exclusively with stopped down lenses, for macro, for several years, I now find full aperture is going to take some getting accustomed to.
First I set up some pot pourri with some varied textures and fine details. For that I used my standard macro of f16 and flash (aperture priority, rather than the usual manual mode).
The outdoor shots (aperture priority) were a mixture sun and cloudy, with a lot of air movement, especially for the poppy (last image). For the poppy, I found that if I got the lens focused (AF) and the flower then moved before I could press the shutter release, and if I waited for it to return, and pressed the shutter release, the AF got it sharp.
These images are just a quick test of unaccustomed AF and full aperture shooting.
The crosseye stereo, at f9 is a stop or two wider than my standard for these.
So, apart from selecting the aperture, I was not as in control of the lens as I would like to have been but the results are encouraging. I suppose I had better hang on to it, if only to keep it out of the hands of some wannabe portrait photographer.
EM-1, Olympus Digital 50mm 1:2 macro ED 4/3 Lens, (f16, f9, f9, f9, f11), hand-held.
Harold
I am very pleased with the manual performance of my Kiron 105mm but can see potential for an AF lens giving a different perspective e.g. for flowers. Also. I have some Olympus 4/3 lenses, TCs and adapters. So, as of yesterday, the lens is mine. I have spent only a few minutes with it.
Life is strange. Before I was persuaded to move into digital I was complaining that I would not be able to cope without full aperture focusing and exposure. Having worked exclusively with stopped down lenses, for macro, for several years, I now find full aperture is going to take some getting accustomed to.
First I set up some pot pourri with some varied textures and fine details. For that I used my standard macro of f16 and flash (aperture priority, rather than the usual manual mode).
The outdoor shots (aperture priority) were a mixture sun and cloudy, with a lot of air movement, especially for the poppy (last image). For the poppy, I found that if I got the lens focused (AF) and the flower then moved before I could press the shutter release, and if I waited for it to return, and pressed the shutter release, the AF got it sharp.
These images are just a quick test of unaccustomed AF and full aperture shooting.
The crosseye stereo, at f9 is a stop or two wider than my standard for these.
So, apart from selecting the aperture, I was not as in control of the lens as I would like to have been but the results are encouraging. I suppose I had better hang on to it, if only to keep it out of the hands of some wannabe portrait photographer.
EM-1, Olympus Digital 50mm 1:2 macro ED 4/3 Lens, (f16, f9, f9, f9, f11), hand-held.
Harold
0
Comments
Olympus EM-1 via 4/3 to m4/3 adapter.
Harold
I find the autofocus fast, with sometimes a little delay e.g if you last used it on infinity and open up on close-up. It is more than fast enough for me. I wish I could say the same for my 70-300.
The main point of this comment is that, as the review said, it is distinctly susceptible to flare if pointed in the general direction of the sun. However, I don't currently have a hood.
Harold
Brian v.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lordv/
http://www.lordv.smugmug.com/
Yes. Not the best time of year to see what a new macro lens will do but mushrooms offer some scope.
Harold