OM lens on my E-410

silversx80 · March 24, 2009

I hope this is in the right forum. If it isn't, feel free to move it where appropriate (mods).

About a year ago, I bought my first digital SLR camera. I have an Olympus E-410. It has been a great hobby and I wish that I had this camera on some of my earlier expeditions (while USAF Active Duty).

As I learn more about the camera and photography I'm starting to do things on a more "manual" level. I have always used "Aperature Priority" with auto focus but have started to lean toward a manual mode with manual focus.

I have 2 digital lenses right now which give me coverage from 28-300 mm (14-150 mm not considering the crop factor). I'm finding myself wanting more lenses for wider angles, larger aperatures and longer reach. The problem is that I don't have much disposable income (too many hobbies and the full carbon road bike comes next).

I have the perfect solution. When my dad was younger than I am right now, he was studying to get into medical photagraphy. He ended up having to support a family instead, but still has all of his old equipment. Olympus OM-10 and several lenses. This is NICE gear, all manual stuff. Olympus makes an adapter to fit OM lenses onto E-series cameras.

When I was a kid, that camera was among the "forbidden fruit." Touch it and promptly recieve my butt, handed to me by my father. I've talked to him and he let me "borrow" his glass. I still haven't gotten over the stigma of - touch the gear and get a beatdown.

So now my coverage is:

Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-42mm (f/3.5-5.6)
Olympus Zuiko Digital 40-150mm (f/4-5.6)
Olympus Zuiko (legacy) 50mm (f/1.4)
Olympus Zuiko (legacy) 70-150mm (f/4)
Makina (legacy) 28mm (f/2.8 )
Tamron (legacy) 200mm (f/3.5)

So far, I LOVE the nifty-fifty. Super-bright, sharp and a milky-smooth bokeh. I'll probably splurge on a split-prism focus screen soon.

So here's my first try with the 50 mm.

C&C is more than welcome.

Skippy · March 28, 2009

silversx80 wrote:

I hope this is in the right forum. If it isn't, feel free to move it where appropriate (mods).

About a year ago, I bought my first digital SLR camera. I have an Olympus E-410. It has been a great hobby and I wish that I had this camera on some of my earlier expeditions (while USAF Active Duty).

As I learn more about the camera and photography I'm starting to do things on a more "manual" level. I have always used "Aperature Priority" with auto focus but have started to lean toward a manual mode with manual focus.

I have 2 digital lenses right now which give me coverage from 28-300 mm (14-150 mm not considering the crop factor). I'm finding myself wanting more lenses for wider angles, larger aperatures and longer reach. The problem is that I don't have much disposable income (too many hobbies and the full carbon road bike comes next).

I have the perfect solution. When my dad was younger than I am right now, he was studying to get into medical photagraphy. He ended up having to support a family instead, but still has all of his old equipment. Olympus OM-10 and several lenses. This is NICE gear, all manual stuff. Olympus makes an adapter to fit OM lenses onto E-series cameras.

When I was a kid, that camera was among the "forbidden fruit." Touch it and promptly recieve my butt, handed to me by my father. I've talked to him and he let me "borrow" his glass. I still haven't gotten over the stigma of - touch the gear and get a beatdown.

So now my coverage is:

Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-42mm (f/3.5-5.6)
Olympus Zuiko Digital 40-150mm (f/4-5.6)
Olympus Zuiko (legacy) 50mm (f/1.4)
Olympus Zuiko (legacy) 70-150mm (f/4)
Makina (legacy) 28mm (f/2.8 )
Tamron (legacy) 200mm (f/3.5)

So far, I LOVE the nifty-fifty. Super-bright, sharp and a milky-smooth bokeh. I'll probably splurge on a split-prism focus screen soon.

So here's my first try with the 50 mm.

C&C is more than welcome.

Hi there, I really like the last four shots in your series,
in particular the window frames

Glad you were able to get an adaptor to use the lenses,
it's great experiementing..........your getting great results

.... Skippy

.

silversx80 · March 28, 2009

Skippy wrote:

Hi there, I really like the last four shots in your series,
in particular the window frames

Glad you were able to get an adaptor to use the lenses,
it's great experiementing..........your getting great results

.... Skippy
.

Thanks for the compliments, Skippy. The window is actually the outside of my door leading out to my apartment's balcony. I knew there was a reason to not clean it

(I'm a fan of grungy photos).

Those last four were from "day 4" with the lenses. The first few were on the first day I got to play.

Icarus.MK1 · April 5, 2009

Nice photos! Ive got the exact same camera and have thought about doing the same.
Where did you get the OM-4/3 converter? Also ive never tried/ researched the subject properly, so are there limitations to this sort of technique? like AF, exposure etc?

silversx80 · April 5, 2009

Icarus.MK1 wrote:

Nice photos! Ive got the exact same camera and have thought about doing the same.
Where did you get the OM-4/3 converter? Also ive never tried/ researched the subject properly, so are there limitations to this sort of technique? like AF, exposure etc?

Thanks. I went for the ebay special (around $25 shipped if I remember correctly), I think ebay member kawaphoto. There are several limitations, but the information is quite spread out. I'll try to consolidate what I've learned.

All manual: Manual focus and aperture. Since the aperture is manual, you set up your shot and focus with the f-stop wide open first. Then, when you're ready to shoot, you select the f-stop you want to use and either have the camera meter for you in aperture priority, or take the shot in full manual. I like full manual (M) since the metering is in stop-down mode. it isn't really consistent.

Since the lenses don't communicate with the camera, the only info you'll get in the EXIF data is shutter speed and ISO.

Another shortcoming is that lenses wider than f/2.8 (again, going from memory) fool the metering. This is because the image circle from the lens is meant for 35mm film. since our sensors are half the diagonal size, the metering is only so big. that extra light won't get recognized and your shot will be overexposed.

Manual focus is a pain without live view because of the small size of viewfinder. I've been debating swapping out the focusing screen for a split-image one.

The digital sensor relies on the light to hit it perpendicular. Because of this, new generations of lenses that are designed for digital meet this requirement. Film isn't so sensitive to the angle the light comes off the lens. You'll have issues with legacy lenses wider than 28mm from what I remember, vignetting being the largest problem.

Crop factor of 2X. The 200mm that I picked up from my dad is really equivalent to a 400mm. That's awesome reach, but if you're not using a tripod, things get a little shaky (especially on the non-image-stabilized bodies).

OK, I think that's it.

Legacy lenses can be had for cheap and they're still great glass. The Zuiko 50mm f/1.4 that I have is outstanding. All of the above pictures, excluding number 2, were taken with that lens. Much of the glass can be had for cheaper than digital-specific lenses, but sometimes it isn't.

I'd say, at a minimum, get the Zuiko Digital 14-42 (best kit lens according to dpreview.com) and the 40-150. That'll give you great coverage from 14mm-150mm with autofocus.

Icarus.MK1 · April 6, 2009

Thanks for the advice =]
I heard that there are adaptors on ebay which are "chipped" to allow for autofocus with legacy lenses, so i might try experimenting.
Also, do you know where to get OM lenses from? There are a few on ebay, but none that really appeal to me.

Look what i found http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CLEAN-FAST-OLYMPUS-ZUIKO-OM-50mm-f1-4-OM-LENS_W0QQitemZ380114344495QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CamerasPhoto_CameraAccessories_CameraLensesFilters_JN?hash=item380114344495&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1690%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

silversx80 · April 6, 2009

Icarus.MK1 wrote:

Thanks for the advice =]
I heard that there are adaptors on ebay which are "chipped" to allow for autofocus with legacy lenses, so i might try experimenting.
Also, do you know where to get OM lenses from? There are a few on ebay, but none that really appeal to me.

Look what i found http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CLEAN-FAST-OLYMPUS-ZUIKO-OM-50mm-f1-4-OM-LENS_W0QQitemZ380114344495QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CamerasPhoto_CameraAccessories_CameraLensesFilters_JN?hash=item380114344495&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1690%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

The adaptors have what's called, "auto-focus comfirm." You know that little beep you get when the camers locks in with auto-focus? That's what it'll give you while manual focusing and things get "locked in." I've hears yeah's and neigh's about those chips, nothing definitive. Unfortunately, since all the OM mount lenses are manual focus, you're stuck doing things manually.

The 50mm f/1.4 you found is a great lens (same one I have), but I think £45 is a bit on the high side. I've seen them go for more, but not by much. I've also seen the same lens go for about $25 (US dollars), which is about £17.

I'm guessing you're in the UK, perhaps? If you have anything like craigslist.org over there, you may be able to find something. Sometimes camera shops carry the old stuff too. You pretty much have to hunt, and/or get lucky.

OM lens on my E-410

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