drewbot
Mu-43 Top Veteran
I'd love to repeatedly adapt my 50 'cron but I need AF for the type of shooting I do
No-one here seems to have used exceptional manual glass against the Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm 1:1.8. There is a lot of talk of other focal lengths and average Nikon/Canon glass. But I am very interested in how the best of the 40-50mm lenses stack up.
No-one here seems to have used exceptional manual glass against the Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm 1:1.8. There is a lot of talk of other focal lengths and average Nikon/Canon glass. But I am very interested in how the best of the 40-50mm lenses stack up.
I spent an afternoon comparing some superlative 40mm and 50mm lenses against the Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm 1:1.8. I came to the conclusion that none of them had anything better to offer apart from a faster aperture in one case.
From my collection I used a Leica 40mm f/2 from the CL, a Leica 50mm f/2.8 (last version), a Canon 50mm f/1.4 screw L39 mount rangefinder lens and a Nikon 50mm f/1.8 AF-N.
From your lofty perch, you might sneer at Canon and Nikon glass and describe it as "average", but these two are among the sharpest 50mm lenses ever made. The Leica 50mm f/2.8 is slightly unloved as it resembles an old time predecessor that was decidedly average, but this is a very modern optical design and it is very, very sharp indeed. The 40mm f/2 Summicron-C for the Leica CL is also a fine performer.
I expected that the Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm 1:1.8 would be humbled in this company, but it wasn't. I had already decided to keep it based on how well it performed. But I was very pleasantly surprised at how well it held its head up in the company of some very high quality glass.
Some people will say it's plastic and far too cheap to be any good. But they would be very, very wrong.
RSilva said:Those are all fullframe lens. Because the m43 cameras have more pixel density, they squeeze the lens to the limit. Consider that a 12MP 4/3 cameras as the same pixel density of a 48MP fullframe camera! From all the adapted lens I have used I guess that the ones that come closer to the oly 1.8/45 are the Tak 1.8/55 and the Tak 1.8/85. Still, the oly 1.8/45 will always have an advantage for IQ, Bokeh and colors not so.
I have yet to use a non-native lens. I prefer the smaller and lighter-weight :43: glass; the MAIN reason I switched to this format.
If I want to use the bigger-sized glass, I'll use them with DSLRs.
So does anyone prefer the 50mm as their portrait lens over the 45mm 1.8?
Those are all fullframe lens. Because the m43 cameras have more pixel density, they squeeze the lens to the limit. Consider that a 12MP 4/3 cameras as the same pixel density of a 48MP fullframe camera!
What makes you think that FF lenses cannot resolve 50MP? AFAICT, the good FF lenses can resolve detail well beyond the capability of the sensor. The only lenses that barely perform to the format's requirements are consumer ones.
I think it is time for pics to start showing up in here...
I think it is time for pics to start showing up in here...
I stopped using my auto focus lenses a long time ago. I just don't get the satisfaction out of them anymore. When I got into photography way back when, I loved to prosess of setting up a shot, setting aperture, shutter speed, and manually focusing. The old stuff, I think for me, makes me a better photographer ...everything I shoot is worth shooting in a way.
Here is a shot with my Zeiss Jena 50mm f/2.8 in a M42 screw mount. Wide open for DOF
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