Manual Screen focus with EP 1

[dee]

I use my Rokkors with squinty vision with my Leica Dig 3 , but wondered how easy it would be to use them with an EP-1 .
Has anyone any experience ?
Mostly a 35 f 1.8 and 45 f2 , so reasonable apertures , the 135 f 3.5 is generally for infinity only .
Thanks
dee

 

[NathanJD]

I have an EP-1 and a bunch of manual lenses that i use with it (Leica and Zuiko OM lenses) and the camera has a function that allows you to zoom into the middle section of the image when you focus so that you can effectively micro-focus. it's really easy to use once you're used to it (but it does take some practise). i have used the 90mm Elmarit on it and obviously the longer the focal length the less margin for shake you have but your rokkors should really be no different and should work fine

 

[dee]

Thanks Nathan - the learning curve should compensate for having a small camera with 45mm pancake lens .... the massive 85 f 1.7 should be interesting too !
I have some 39mm Leica fit lenses , so thought my CV 35 f2.8 Color Scopar might be a good match too ..
It would be fascinating to see directly through my Russian lenses too - 1930s Elmar perhaps !

 

[Mackinaw]

What Nathan said. I use Canon screwmount, Leica M and Canon FD lenses on my E-P1. It takes a little getting used to, but the manual focus option actually works quite well.

Jim b.

 

[PCB_RF]

When Is A Pancake Not So Flat?

When Is A Pancake Not So Flat?

...having a small camera with 45mm pancake lens

Keep in mind that the average SLR>M4/3 adapter adds about 25mm to the length of the lens, so your 45mm pancake won't be so flat on an EP1. Shorter than your average lens, of course, but the adapters do take up space.

The shortest adapters are C-Mount, Leica L/M and Olympus Pen. Leica and Pen adapters are just under 10mm. The Oly Pen lenses are not only short, but fairly small in diameter. An Oly 38/1.8 Pen lens on adapter makes a very nice compact m4/3 shooter.

I'm not sure if the native m4/3 Leica/Panasonic 45/2.8 macro would be shorter than your pancake plus adapter, but the L/P 45/2.8 is an expensive lens, and may lack some of the character of a vintage film lens.

Also don't forget that your effective focal length doubles, so your 45mm pancake becomes a 90mm lens. Lots of folks, myself included, find the lure of legacy lens usage tempered somewhat by the 2x crop factor. Great if you like to shoot longer focal lengths, not great if you like to shoot wider. I use my Pany 20/1.7 lens much more than any of my 35mm+ legacy lenses.

.... the massive 85 f 1.7 should be interesting too!

I find that very large lenses till work fine on m4/3 bodies, just remember you have a lens wearing a body rather than a body wearing a lens. I try to support a big rig by holding the lens all the time, wary of stressing the body's lensmount by holding just the body.

I have some 39mm Leica fit lenses , so thought my CV 35 f2.8 Color Scopar might be a good match too .

At 35mm you're reaching the focal length range where corner softness on m4/3 isn't much of an issue. The C/V 35/2.8 makes a pretty compact 70/2.8 equivalent, and the nearest native m4/3 lens is the pricey L/P 45/2.8 macro.

It would be fascinating to see directly through my Russian lenses too - 1930s Elmar perhaps !

Like a Visoflex on steroids, the ability to view through lenses formerly not possible is one of the very cool attributes of mirroless bodies. Likewise, the ability to grab HD video through legacy lenses is mighty cool, too.

 

[NathanJD]

Like PCB_RF said, the sensor size does detach the legacy lens from it's normal focal length, but if you like your lenses for their characteristics then it's easy to adjust.

i have the pancake 17/2.8, a zuiko 28/2.8, Summaron 35/3.5 (in for repair), zuiko 50/1.4, Summicron 50/2, Elmarit 90/2.8 and a couple of FSU 50's so i've got a reasonably solid lineup of focal lengths and i just think of them differently when they're on the EP-1 - I use the 50's for portraiture just like i do with my 90mm on my M2, and the 28mm is 'as near as makes little difference' a normal length on there and the pancake is very close focusing and has autofocus so that's kind of the brain-off go to lens for grab shots and as such it lives on the camera.

here's my newborn son earlier this week straight out of the camera and shot with the Zuiko OM 50/1.4 on the EP-1 - as you can see, all that typical character but now in a good portrait length 🙂:


also, i concur with PCB_RF's statement on looking through those old lenses and using the video! it is very cool! and also very satisfying to be able to compare the characteristics of lenses on the fly so to speak

 

[kshapero]

Dumb question? When focusing with a manual lens, are you referring to the LCD or the EVF as the focusing tool? How do the 2 perform in manual focusing compared to each other?

 

[PCB_RF]

When focusing with a manual lens, are you referring to the LCD or the EVF as the focusing tool? How do the 2 perform in manual focusing compared to each other?

The OP asked about the EP1, which only has an LCD---no EVF option exists.

The ability to magnify the image to aid focusing works the same for LCD and EVF. How well either works depends on the camera and the individual. My gut says that most people find focusing MF legacy lenses easier with an EVF than an LCD, but there are plenty of folks happy with LCD only.

The Panasonic LCD displays are better than Olympus (460k pixels vs. 230k), the Oly accessory EVF is much better than the Pany accy finder (1.4m vs 230k), the Pany integrated EVF seems better to me than the Oly accy EVF (both are 1.4m, but the Pany seems larger and easier to view). The Pany G10 LCD/EVF are both somewhat down-spec'd.

It's hard to know how you'll bond with the various viewing options without trying them for yourself. Many like the small size of the EP2/GF1, but when you add the EVF these bodies sit taller than a Pany G1/G2/etc with integrated EVF, and the accy EVF adds $150-$250 to the overall price.

I have a very hard time focusing/framing outdoors without an EVF, both with MF legacy lenses and native AF lenses. My legacy MF lens use tends to be longer focal lengths, shooting as close to wide-open as possible, where using an EVF with camera at eyelevel, going Old School, works much better for me. I don't find it fun trying to shoot a 50/1.2 or 90/2.0 lens holding the camera at arms' length. Depth of field wide-open can be just an inch or two, and I find the EVF works much better for critical focus.

 

[awilder]

I find the EVF pretty much manditory with adapted legacy lenses as they really require standard eye level bracing of the camera for critical focus or steadying of the camera. One great feature though is the ability to tilt the EVF up to 90 degrees for low level shooting especially when a large lens is mounted on a tripod. I can't wait to adapt the camera to my 500/4 Nikkor giving me an effective 1000/4 lens with a 12 MP camera. The E-P2 is tiny with virtually no vibration compared to my Nikon bodies, so I'd expect great super tele shots.

 

[kshapero]

The OP asked about the EP1, which only has an LCD---no EVF option exists.

The ability to magnify the image to aid focusing works the same for LCD and EVF. How well either works depends on the camera and the individual. My gut says that most people find focusing MF legacy lenses easier with an EVF than an LCD, but there are plenty of folks happy with LCD only.

The Panasonic LCD displays are better than Olympus (460k pixels vs. 230k), the Oly accessory EVF is much better than the Pany accy finder (1.4m vs 230k), the Pany integrated EVF seems better to me than the Oly accy EVF (both are 1.4m, but the Pany seems larger and easier to view). The Pany G10 LCD/EVF are both somewhat down-spec'd.

It's hard to know how you'll bond with the various viewing options without trying them for yourself. Many like the small size of the EP2/GF1, but when you add the EVF these bodies sit taller than a Pany G1/G2/etc with integrated EVF, and the accy EVF adds $150-$250 to the overall price.

I have a very hard time focusing/framing outdoors without an EVF, both with MF legacy lenses and native AF lenses. My legacy MF lens use tends to be longer focal lengths, shooting as close to wide-open as possible, where using an EVF with camera at eyelevel, going Old School, works much better for me. I don't find it fun trying to shoot a 50/1.2 or 90/2.0 lens holding the camera at arms' length. Depth of field wide-open can be just an inch or two, and I find the EVF works much better for critical focus.

Great post, thanks

 

[dee]

Thanks everyone , I have just bought a Panasonic G1 ex-demo which seems to suit me better than the Pen .
I still have to sell more stuff on e-bay to afford a Leica and Minolta SR adapter
which will be great .