OM, I've become a Zuikoholic!

OM-aholics, what is your most used lens?

Mine is a 50/1.4, over 50% of my shots.

I know most people think it is soft or low contrast but I just love it. Even with 8 or 9 1.8's I have to force myself to take off the 1.4

Second is the 28/2.8, about 30%

After those come the 85/2, 24/2.8 and all the others.
 
50mm 1.8. I have four of them. 28mm 2.8.

These are the only Zuikos i have. I have many others, chinese lenses and Tamron adaptalls.. If i could afford i'd get maybe a 80 or 100.
 
redisburning said:
50/3.5 for sure.

Ive heard nice things about the f2 version, Ill soon see first hand.

maybe some will post their shots from it, pretty please?
Click to expand...

I posted a recent 50/2 shot a couple weeks back. My impression:

It's big. However, once I committed to having the 21/2 and 90/2, it fell in line with them.

It's sharp.

It's flexible (speed, distance)

It's bokeh isn't to my liking. OM Zuiko lens bokeh is not my favorite: it isn't as smooth as what I find elsewhere. However, the 50/3.5 may be different. I know the bokeh on my (fabulous) pen macro lens is great and I understand them to be siblings of one design.

If I were using lenses only on digital, it would be a no brainer - I would go slower. But if I want to shoot sakura on Velvia 50, there is no alternative to the 50/2. It does stuff the others cannot.


Here are a few sakura pictures that may illustrate the character of the 50/2 on Velvia.

Smooth
Scan-130408-0043.jpg


Scan-130408-0027.jpg


Getting rougher

Scan-130408-0012.jpg


Scan-130408-0015.jpg


Of course, where it is in focus, you KNOW it is in focus. Just sharp as all get out.

One last (and not particularly good) picture:

Scan-130408-0045.jpg


As I go through them I realize that it is the mid-distance background that is at issue. Far and near are fine as far as bokeh goes.


The 90/2 is awesome, but given the flexibility of the 50, it gets less play.

Edit: The above were all on OM-2n.
 
I can see I would have more use for the 50/2 macro than a 55/1.2 or 50/1.2

Those are all gorgeous, I especially like this one:


Scan-130408-0012.jpg
 
Magnificient shots there

My OM-1 has been sitting idle for too much time and somehing itches me to take it for a walk. Also, the elitechrome in the camera (past date by a few months!) must be shot soon.
Got an EPL that is great for the snaps, but it's quite boring to use! It's a pain to shoot manual with and I just end leaving it on P mode.
Next weekend I might go to the city with a friend and might take both.

flip, I did have a period of which bokeh was everything (us youngsters fall for that one easily). Nowadays I don't care so much, but good bokeh is always welcome.
I mostly use the 50 1.8 MiJ which is usually harsh; though sometimes it gives beautiful bokeh... Might be that these zuikos act similar as you observe, best with far backgrounds and perhaps not wide open.
 
Prest_400 said:
Magnificient shots there


flip, I did have a period of which bokeh was everything (us youngsters fall for that one easily). Nowadays I don't care so much, but good bokeh is always welcome.
Click to expand...

Generally, I don't think bokeh makes or breaks the shot. I just don't like it to be distractingly busy unless in a functional way (eg. tunnel bokeh). Compare to this (if I recall, pen macro on nex 5):

DSC01275.jpg


DSC01274.jpg


Seems smoother if less clinically sharp.
 
wblynch said:
OM-aholics, what is your most used lens?

Mine is a 50/1.4, over 50% of my shots.

I know most people think it is soft or low contrast but I just love it. Even with 8 or 9 1.8's I have to force myself to take off the 1.4

Second is the 28/2.8, about 30%

After those come the 85/2, 24/2.8 and all the others.
Click to expand...

Top one is 42/1.7 (35SP), then 40/2.8 (Trip), then 35-70/4 (OM2SP). I don't currently have any primes for the SLR, and my longer zoom is a Vivitar, I'm afraid.
 
those are some good looking shots flip.

Im excited to try the lens out.

Ive heard it has a really special look with b&w film, have you found this to be true of the 50? the 90? there aren't a lot of lenses I actually like, tbh, the 50/3.5 was a pleasant surprise. my ZM planar has been a hot/cold relationship. everything else Ive had has moved on and Ive gone through QUITE a few at this point.
 
redisburning said:
those are some good looking shots flip.

Im excited to try the lens out.

Ive heard it has a really special look with b&w film, have you found this to be true of the 50? the 90? there aren't a lot of lenses I actually like, tbh, the 50/3.5 was a pleasant surprise. my ZM planar has been a hot/cold relationship. everything else Ive had has moved on and Ive gone through QUITE a few at this point.
Click to expand...

Honestly, I tend to shoot B&W more in RFs and color in SLRs. SLRs are really special purpose tools for me: long, super wide, or macro. These situations tend to work well i color, I think. Otherwise, I use the RF. Hence, no B&W to show.
 
so I got the 50/2 and of course had to stick it on the dslr for some dirty feeling testing.

its really good. very impressive, actually. plus it works on my OM film cameras so for once I see keeping a lens long term :D I made a group for it on flickr, if you guys who own one would please add your photos: http://www.flickr.com/groups/2184059@N25/


New lens day! by redisburning, on Flickr
 
flip said:
Right?! It's massive. Like other systems' 1.2 lenses.
Click to expand...

I think overall, it's bigger than my Rokkor 58/1.2.

But, to immediately get results Im in love with, and even a bit better than the best my 50/3.5 gives, with 2 extra stops of speed and a better build quality? Yeah, the price and the size and the weight are nothing in the face of that.

I had read one review that claimed it was low contrast at f2; Im not sure about that. it's a TINY bit lower and OoF stuff is a bit glowy if it's close to the plane of focus but it's definitely still sharp. easily usable at f2.

I note that this lens really does have the best OoF rendering I think Ive ever seen, at least at macro ranges. I didnt really get a chance to test anything else out although one shot looks exactly the way I like it in the midfield. And stuff that is just BARELY out of focus is really beautiful, like this:


Untitled by redisburning, on Flickr

somehow the top bit didnt make it into focus but that's ok. it has not taken me long to see why copies of this lens dont seem to change hands very often.
 
Most used Zuiko is 24mm 2.8 MC; followed by 18/3.5. In fact, I'm going from film to digital (Canon 6D), and those two are the Zuikos I'm going to keep.
 
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