Olympus MC-20 Teleconverter

[evilmeta]

I keep going through phases of wanting stuff to get me closer to macro without getting a native macro lens - I’ve owned the 60mm twice and sold it twice due to lack of regular use. Went through the Raynox 150, tried the Marumi +3 achromat, researched a load of cheap legacy macro primes...and ultimately end up remembering the MC-20 on the 40-150. My biggest bugbear with all the other ‘solutions’ is working distance - and this combo is simply wonderful, and I already had it. Common sense 1 - GAS 0.

(Let’s ignore all the other stuff I impulse bought for my camera as well in that score line though)

 

[Bytesmiths]

My biggest bugbear with all the other ‘solutions’ is working distance

The OM Zuiko 135mm ƒ/4.5 with the Telescoping Extension Tube is great for this, and it focuses to infinity, so if something far catches your interest while you're macroing, you don't have to change lenses. It doesn't zoom or auto focus, but I'm guessing the macro quality is better.

 

[ac12]

I wasn't going to get a TC, but reading this thread and the IQ of the MC20 + 40-150/2.8 makes me think that the 40-150/2.8 + MC20 would be a decent alternative to the 100-400. Just a bit shorter but, the MC20 is a heck of a lot cheaper than the 100-400.
Sigh, and I passed up the MC20 on the Olympus outlet sales.

 

[Ross the fiddler]

I wasn't going to get a TC, but reading this thread and the IQ of the MC20 + 40-150/2.8 makes me think that the 40-150/2.8 + MC20 would be a decent alternative to the 100-400. Just a bit shorter but, the MC20 is a heck of a lot cheaper than the 100-400.
Sigh, and I past up the MC20 on the Olympus outlet sales.

You can go back through my photos (where EXIF is all there) to see the difference. I started with 40-150+MC14 & later bought the MC20 as soon as I could & now bought the 100-400 lens. So you can compare the results. https://flic.kr/ps/2SEV5r

 

[RAH]

You can go back through my photos (where EXIF is all there) to see the difference. I started with 40-150+MC14 & later bought the MC20 as soon as I could & now bought the 100-400 lens. So you can compare the results. https://flic.kr/ps/2SEV5r

Have you come to any conclusions yourself about whether "the 40-150/2.8 + MC20 would be a decent alternative to the 100-400"? I could wade thru your (excellent!) shots, download a bunch, and pixel peep, but I'm kind of hoping you have some thoughts on the subject.

 

[Ross the fiddler]

Have you come to any conclusions yourself about whether "the 40-150/2.8 + MC20 would be a decent alternative to the 100-400"? I could wade thru your (excellent!) shots, download a bunch, and pixel peep, but I'm kind of hoping you have some thoughts on the subject.

I know a new lens is fun & gets used to the neglect of previous lenses, well it has in my case. When I got the MC20 I stopped using the MC14 & now I’m using the 100-400 the 40-150 hardly gets used as I’m getting better results because I’m not cropping as much. There’s a few recent photos taken with the 75-300 lens in that lot too.

 

[rfortson]

Just posted these in the 40-150 and 300 threads, but really I should have put them here. These were all taken with the E-M5.2. Click through to see the full res originals as I may have cropped them a little differently (been a while so I can't really remember).

40-150/2.8

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P6270244 by Russ, on Flickr

40-150/2.8 + MC-20

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P6270230 by Russ, on Flickr

300/4

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P6270204 by Russ, on Flickr

300/4 + MC-20

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P6270216 by Russ, on Flickr

 

[ac12]

I wasn't going to get a TC, but reading this thread and the IQ of the MC20 + 40-150/2.8 makes me think that the 40-150/2.8 + MC20 would be a decent alternative to the 100-400. Just a bit shorter but, the MC20 is a heck of a lot cheaper than the 100-400.
Sigh, and I passed up the MC20 on the Olympus outlet sales.

I finally got the MC20
I had some initial problems getting it working with the 40-150/2.8, but a camera + lens firmware update and it is now working, and I am quite happy with it.

 

[Ross the fiddler]

I finally got the MC20
I had some initial problems getting it working with the 40-150/2.8, but a camera + lens firmware update and it is now working, and I am quite happy with it.

Yes, that combination works well, although at f5.6 it still requires sufficient light to be good (for fast enough shutter speed or low enough ISO).

 

[ac12]

Yes, that combination works well, although at f5.6 it still requires sufficient light to be good (for fast enough shutter speed or low enough ISO).

Agree
I was shooting tennis on an overcast day, and while the diffused lighting was great for the pics, it forced me to raise the ISO, to keep the shutter speed fast enough. Eventually, as the sun went down behind the hills, I had to remove the MC20 and shot without it.