Looking for some adapter lenses for my em-1

[akelu]

Hey people

I am currently using an Olympus EM-1. Love it.

The specific bundle i bought came with a few choices, i choose a free mmf-3 metal four thirds-micro four thirds adapter.

I checked out ebay and found a really cheap like new 35mm f3.5 it does 1:1 zooming, its really nice. It focuses a bit slow due to the MMF adapter but thats fine as its for macro only.

I was wondering if you have any other suggestions of lenses i could use from the old olympus four thirds range? Any that come to mind are particularly good bang for buck, any with any interested qualities, any with a good character etc...

Or, i can take it a step further, and maybe even buy another type of adapter if theres some really reccomended lenses to pair up with my olympus system

Look forward to hearing from you all.

One other thing, Any news on the next big sensor tech? I am waiting for the next big jump in low ISO performance, i know the pen-f doesnt bring this to the table so ill be skipping that one.

You can check out my photos at Photography | Facebook
any feedback would be appreciated

Thanks

 

[TNcasual]

Heh heh heh heh.... Another victim...

I don't have experience with Four Thirds lenses. I'll let others weigh in on them.

It is a huge world with lots and lots of legacy glass floating around, some great, some not-so-great. If you are just starting you might want to narrow yourself down first. Do you want normal to short telephoto? Look at 28mm-50mms. Nifty fifties are easy to come by. Are you looking for something longer? 85mms, 100mm, 135mms There are some great options at these focal lengths.

Where I started, and many others have, is with lenses you already own. Or with hand-me-downs from family and friends. Everyone has an uncle/aunt/grandfather who has gear collecting dust somewhere.

It's always a good start to look through the showcase threads to get an idea on some lenses.

And Welcome! There are many people here much, much, much more knowledgeable than I. They are a wonderful resource.

 

[pogipoints]

If you're looking for 43rds specifically, IMO best back for the buck zoom is the 12-60. With the latest firmware, it focuses faster on the EM1 than it did on my E620. Another one is the 50-200, which can be had for a fraction of the 40-150 pro.
Moving up in price range are the SHG lenses. I absolutely love the 35-100 f2, just have to deal with the weight and size. But really good zooms are invariably large and heavy.

Sent from my SM-N910P using Mu-43 mobile app

 

[onewheeltom]

Currently using a Minolta 50mm f1.7 with cheap SR mount adapter. Primes are super easy to focus. Looking for a Minolta 135mm f2.8. With adapted non m43 lenses, I would stick with primes.
--tom

 

[PakkyT]

found a really cheap like new 35mm f3.5 it does 1:1 zooming, its really nice. It focuses a bit slow due to the MMF adapter but thats fine as its for macro only.

The adapter won't effect focusing speed. While I don't have that specific lens, typically macro lenses are a bit slower. This was always the main complaint with the otherwise much beloved ZD 50mm/2.0 macro lens.

I was wondering if you have any other suggestions of lenses i could use from the old olympus four thirds range? Any that come to mind are particularly good bang for buck, any with any interested qualities, any with a good character etc...

I will simply reiterate what pogipoints already suggested in the 12-60mm and the 50-200mm (either version). Both excellent lenses that retailed for over a $1000 each when they came out and can now be had second hand for a fraction of that price.

As pogopoints mentioned, the MMF-3 + ZD 50-200mm combination is an outstanding budget compared to the M.Zuiko 40-150 PRO lens. While the M.Zuiko 40-150mm PRO may be technically a tad optically better, most people would be very hard pressed to look at most other people's photos and be able to pick out which is from which lens. Both setups are weather proof and while the 50-200mm is not a constant 2.8 aperture through the zoom range, it only looses 2/3rds of a stop which for the much more attractive price point is an easy tradeoff. The 50-200mm comes in both the original non-SWD version and the later slightly more pricey SWD version which in theory should focus a bit faster. I have the non-SWD version and am very pleased with its performance on the E-M1 (after having used it for years on the E-520, E-1, and E-3).

If you don't already have a wide angle zoom, the 12-60mm is a great lens. Like the 50-200mm vs. 40-150PRO comparison, the 12-60 vs. 12-40PRO (or Panasonic 12-35/2.8) comparison is much the same. Although the 12-60mm falls off in aperture a lot more than the 50-200mm. But keep in mind this is the only wide zoom available that offers 5x optical zoom while maintaining pro level aperture and optics. It is a rather large, heavy, beast of a lens. But boy do you look pro when you aim that large 72mm front element at someone. I own the Panasonic 12-35/2.8 but still use my Oly 12-60mm regularly.

Beyond those two, the only other 4/3rds lenses I bothered with using with any regularity was the Sigma 30/1.4 as my fast prime. But micro-4/3rds primes really leave no reason to use the Sigma 30/1.4 unless you already own it. I wouldn't seek one out unless you get it for a song.

Or, i can take it a step further, and maybe even buy another type of adapter if theres some really reccomended lenses to pair up with my olympus system

Well there are always the legacy (manual focus, manual aperture) film lenses. They can be fun to play with and adapters for them are dirt cheap (~$5-$10). But the reality is the really good ones still cost a lot of money, the zooms are mostly kind of "meh" & won't be any better than the micro-4/3rds kits zooms you may already own or can buy for cheap, and of the affordable primes only a few (in my opinion) are worth seeking out since many are now done better in more modern "digital" versions.

That said, of the ones I have played around with I really like the Olympus 100/2.8 and the 135/2.8 lenses. Usually available for under $100. They are kind of heavy since they are all metal and glass construction, but they are actually very compact. Others love the various fast 50mm primes from various manufacturers and something like the 50/1.8 from Oly can be had for ~$25-$50 usually. I have tried a couple different ones but for whatever reason these never caught on with me. Most of the other ones that are cheap are cheap because they are slow lenses (apertures of 3.5 and smaller) and unless you find one at a yard sale for $5 I wouldn't bother with them when your kit zoom lenses probably can do the same focal length and aperture and do it better.

There's my 2-cents worth. Have fun!

 

[Turbofrog]

The 14-54 f2.8-3.5 is a ludicrous bargain. I don't have one as the 14mm wide angle is a bit restrictive for me as a walk-around lens, but these things go for $100 if you're lucky, and the quality is not too far off the contemporary PRO lenses.

I also really like my 11-22 HG. It's not the widest, not the sharpest, not the smallest or lightest, and doesn't have a very big focal range. But the colours are beautiful, the center is extremely sharp and the edges get very good stopped down slightly, and it's available for crazy bargain prices these days. <$200 for a fast weather-sealed ultrawide is pretty good! I imagine it would behave much more nicely on your E-M1 than on my GX7 thanks to the PDAF, as well.

The other thing about the 11-22 is that while I have a Lightroom lens correction profile for it, I almost never use it. It's very highly distortion corrected "in lens," which is not common for modern digital lenses (at least not on mirrorless cameras).