Any love for the Olympus 40mm f2 lens?

[redimp]

Hello everyone. Last stpring I went through somewhat of a phase where I went back to film photography as a way to unload, and created several posts here asking about camera recommendations.

I have this weird quirck that I love the 40mm focal length on 135 format. I came here asking for advice on which SLR to get and which 40mm to get for it.

After lengthy discussions my choice came down to Nikon FM3a with Voigtlander Skopagon via an adapter.

I started looking for both in decent condition, and found a mint FM3a in Germany for 550 euros. It was listed on ebay's "kleineinzeigen" which is like a goto classifieds for Germany. I talked to the seller and he was a really pleasant chap. We talked about the camera and it's previous owners and I decided to buy it.

And I got scammed.

The guy was legitimately answering lens related questions, so it was not just a random scammer. He was only accepting bank transfers, and after I have sent the money through, he started mocking me for being stupid and falling for his scam. Police, ebay, and my bank did not help and after two month of struggling I've let go.

That situation had a huge impact on my photography. I've stopped shooting at all as it was only bringing the negative emotions at that time.

I made a promice that if I ever get the money back I will donate them to charity, but I never managed to get a refund. So I sold all of my cameras (contax t2, yashica lynx and a contax SLR) and donated the money to the local child fund that my wife is volunteering for. To tip the scale in the other direction, if you know what I mean. For some reason this whole thing had a huge impact on me.

Since then I became a father of two beautiful boys, my faith in the world is now restored and I find myself wanting to shoot again. I bought a cheap russian rangefinder to shoot the twins, but I really want an SLR again.

However I cannot look at those Nikons again. So the second choice I had back then was the OM4 Ti with 40mm f2 zuiko lens, which finally seems to bring us to the question from the topic title.

I have posted the WTB ad in classifieds, but before I spend 700 dollars on a lens I wanted to hear from proud owners or maybe see some samples.

Would appreciate any insight on this lens!

 

[Nitroplait]

700 for the 40mm F/2! Wow!
No samples but a nice writeup by Mike Johnston/The Online Photographer that puts the price in perspective.

 

[Austintatious]

I have no experience with the Olympus 40mm f2 lens. I do have some with the Minolta Rokkor 45mm f2 lens. A very good performer and so much less money than you mention for the Olympus. Would 5mm make much difference in the grand scheme of things? As a new father, you may need to spend your money on other things. You can get a nice Minolta body (there are many to choose from) and the 45mm f2 for a hundred dollars or so.
Take a look at some images using this lens on Flickr.


https://www.flickr.com/search/?text=rokkor 45mm f2

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I had one that I had to sell to pay bills after suffering a stroke. It was a nice lens, but not worth the prices people are demanding for them. Olympus's 50mm lenses are all sharper and cheaper. I would not buy another.

 

[zuiko85]

I’ve had two pass through my hands. Paid very little and sold for a considerable profit to finance other photographic purchases. In practical use I get by with my 35mm f2.8 Zuiko that was only $50.
On the 40 f2 the aperture ring is at the very front and threaded for 49mm filters, the front element is also very close to the front, so if you put on a hood to protect the front element you lose the compactness. The lens was fine optically, but my 35mm f2.8 is just as good.

Have you considered a Konica TC with 40mm f1.8 Hexanon, (body with lens) there is one on ebay now for about $50 and you could use that until you decide what to do about the Olympus option.

Edit; No personal experience but Hexanon lenses are reputed to be ‘sleepers’ in the optical world.

 

[f.hayek]

The OM 40/2 is pricy amongst Olympus lenses because of its rarity. Never had one so cannot speak to its capabilities. If you can overcome your Nikonophobia, the Voigtländer 2/40 Ultron is great little lens. EOS mount samples of v.2 are still around so if you pick up a film Canon, this would be a nice option. SLI versions of the Pentax mount can be found on flEaBay

 

[Freakscene]

Sorry to hear you lost your cash. Congratulations on the children, parenting is amazing, hope you’re enjoying it.

The OM 40mm lens is beautiful. It renders a lot like the vIV 35 Summicron, including that wide open it is quite low contrast.

I sold mine when my OM3 started periodically disconnecting the shutter speed dial from its linkage. If I’d known about Zuiko.com at the time I might have kept it, but it was a long time ago and whatever the local repair guys were doing it was only fixing it temporarily.

I’ll dig some photos out when I can.

Marty

 

[splitimageview]

If 40/2 was the goal I’d go for the Voigtlander Ultron without any hesitation, any version, optics are all the same and excellent. The earlier versions are pancakes, current version isn’t but focuses closer without use of close up lens. Nikon, Canon, and some in Pentax mount on the used market.

The Zuiko 40 is good but pricey due to collector demand.

 

[Doug]

If 40/2 was the goal I’d go for the Voigtlander Ultron without any hesitation, any version, optics are all the same and excellent. The earlier versions are pancakes, current version isn’t but focuses closer without use of close up lens. Nikon, Canon, and some in Pentax mount on the used market.

Pretty sure the original 40 Ultron was made in OM mount as well. I have the lens in Pentax KA mount, excellent! Reputedly Cosina Pres. Hirofumi Kobayashi's favorite focal length.

 

[Archlich]

Pretty sure the original 40 Ultron was made in OM mount as well. I have the lens in Pentax KA mount, excellent! Reputedly Cosina Pres. Hirofumi Kobayashi's favorite focal length.

Owned one in OM mount. Not easy to come by as I had to watch eBay very patiently. Missed the first one but secured the second on the very day of the quest’s 3rd anniversary.

Seems that they’re a bit more common in Japan - if you have the means to shop there.

 

[charjohncarter]

I know what you mean, in 35mm (135) really like the around 40mm lenses. I have three Japanese point and shoot RFs with 38mm to 43mm. Then I use a 35mm on my Bessa R, Leica IIIf, and another 35mm on my SLRs. To me it is the sweet spot. Good luck with your quest I'm sure you will find something reasonable (you deserve it). Take special care of the boys, rewards are still coming my way and my kids are all around 50 years old.

 

[redimp]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions!

I am well aware of the ultron, I even had one on loan and used it on the canon body via an adapter, and I just didn't bond with it. I specifically disliked the bokeh in the corners, I think because of how small the front is, it acts as a field stop and cuts off the ovals in corners, which produces a bit of a 'cat's eye' effect. It was also a tad too sharp to my liking.

My hopes are that Oly 40/2 will be a tad softer, and looking at it's front element – have a tad nicer bokeh in the corners.

Currently searching around flickr for samples and it's hard to find a definitive asnwer to wether these expectations are valid, but I'm still researching and so far I like what I see.

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

How would you feel about 43mm?

The Pentax FA Limited 43/f1.9 is legendary, can be found for a decent price second hand or even bought new if you're into that.

Technically an AF lens, but the manual focus implementation is excellent.

 

[Archlich]

Anything that utilize an older, plain double gauss design should give you similar result to the OM40/2.

One of the most budget friendly option IMO would be the Hexanon 40/1.8 plus any Konica body of your choice.

 

[zuikologist]

As suggested above, the OM 35mm/2.8 is a gem. If speed is not critical, this could be a good choice. In other mounts, the 45mm Minolta is very nice as is the 40mm/2.8 Pentax (Huss did a good review) or Cosina and Ricoh pancake 45mm/2.8 which are usually very reasonably priced and very small. the Canon AF 40m/2.8 is also nice and works on film and digital.

 

[redimp]

How would you feel about 43mm?

The Pentax FA Limited 43/f1.9 is legendary, can be found for a decent price second hand or even bought new if you're into that.

Technically an AF lens, but the manual focus implementation is excellent.

In my original thread we came up with three options I was choosing from - fm3a with skopagon, om4 ti with zuiko auto-s 40/2 and Pentax LX with the 43mm limited.

But for some reason I really want to try the zuiko 40. Looking at samples all day today I have mixed feelings and am somewhat intrigued.

Need to find one in decent shape and try it.

 

[splitimageview]

I have had the following 40ish lenses, not counting those on fixed lens rangefinders:

45/2 Zeiss Planar (Contax G)
43/1.9 Pentax Limited (M mount)
40/2 M Rokkor (M mount)
40/2 Summicron-C (M mount)
40/1.4 Nokton (M)
45/2.8 Contax Tessar (C/Y)
45/2.8 Nikkor P (Nikon F)
45/2.8 Nikkor GN (Nikon F)
40/2 Voigtlander Ultron SL II S (latest with 0.25m close focus) (Nikon F)
40/1.8 Hexanon (Konica AR)

Of the SLR lenses for optical performance, the Ultron is my favorite, the C/Y Tessar a very close second, although in terms of 'bang for the buck' the Tessar wins.

The Nikkors I found forgettable.

The 40 Hexanon is a personal favorite and is so inexpensive, there is no excuse; everyone should own one. I got mine for $35 with a very nice fully working Konica TC body.

Looking at the rangefinder lenses, it's difficult to pick a winner, but if I had to choose only one, it would be the 45 Planar.

 

[ravilamir]

To the OP:

The Zuiko 40mm /2 is worth a decent asking price. I would say £300+ isn't expensive considering its qualities.
Among them this lens focus very close, closer than the 0.45 of the normal 50mm lenses, apart the macro lenses.

Here is mine paired with an OM-2N
Olympus OM-2N by Ricardo Miranda, on Flickr

Some pics:
Zuiko 40mm by Ricardo Miranda, on Flickr


35900016 by Ricardo Miranda, on Flickr

 

[redimp]

I have had the following 40ish lenses, not counting those on fixed lens rangefinders:

45/2 Zeiss Planar (Contax G)
43/1.9 Pentax Limited (M mount)
40/2 M Rokkor (M mount)
40/2 Summicron-C (M mount)
40/1.4 Nokton (M)
45/2.8 Contax Tessar (C/Y)
45/2.8 Nikkor P (Nikon F)
45/2.8 Nikkor GN (Nikon F)
40/2 Voigtlander Ultron SL II S (latest with 0.25m close focus) (Nikon F)
40/1.8 Hexanon (Konica AR)

Of the SLR lenses for optical performance, the Ultron is my favorite, the C/Y Tessar a very close second, although in terms of 'bang for the buck' the Tessar wins.

The Nikkors I found forgettable.

The 40 Hexanon is a personal favorite and is so inexpensive, there is no excuse; everyone should own one. I got mine for $35 with a very nice fully working Konica TC body.

Looking at the rangefinder lenses, it's difficult to pick a winner, but if I had to choose only one, it would be the 45 Planar.

Thank you, I made a similar list myself back i nthe day, looking at 40-45mm range. I did own a 45mm G planar, and it was a stunning little lens, but too clean to my taste.

After tons of flickr surfing Iv'e decided to pull a trigger on this camera/lens combo.

 

[Doddle]

You've already decided but my solution for the 40mm 'problem' was an Olympus 35 SP with a broken meter. Cost me 55 EUR and was pretty much mint.


That only works of course if you want to schlep 2 cameras around, which was my original plan anyway.