Need to go back in time for a refresher

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Archive 2009 · Need to go back in time for a refresher

ontime
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p.1 #1 · Need to go back in time for a refresher

Hey Alt. Lens crew,

I prowl about here and have made a couple posts over the few years, but nothing serious. I have always admired the passion this forum's members has for these alternative lenses.

So I've been dragging a bit in my photography lately. Haven't been going on many outings, haven't been shooting or thinking about shooting much.

Spending money will not get me out of a rut, but I thought buying a cheap lens in the "alternative" category and going back to full manual will allow me to put more consideration and "vision" into my shots.

I was looking to buying something sub $200, preferably sub $100 if possible. I made my way around several searches in this forum and came across the old Zuikos which seem to be in all of your favor.

I'm beginning to consider picking up an Olympus Zuiko 24mm f/2.8 for OM, and I wanted to ask what you all felt about this lens. I wanted to stay in the wide prime category as Canon has a pretty crappy lineup here if you're trying to spend less than $1,000 (except the 35 f/2 which I own). I also could fill a gap in my 50mm area, but I don't really like lenses up to and after 50mm on a 1.6x crop for what I like to shoot.

Any other lens suggestions would be appreciated. I know you all have seen a lot of these threads and I have read them, so you can ignore or tell me to search again if you want. It's just a bit different when you ask and get answers to your own questions.

My current gear:
Canon 40D
Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8
Canon EF 35mm f/2
Canon EF 85mm f/1.8

Nov 13, 2009 at 05:57 AM

Spyro P.
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p.1 #2 · Need to go back in time for a refresher

ontime wrote:
I'm beginning to consider picking up an Olympus Zuiko 24mm f/2.8 for OM, and I wanted to ask what you all felt about this lens.

Pretty good

Nov 13, 2009 at 06:05 AM

adamM
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p.1 #3 · Need to go back in time for a refresher

The Oly 24mm f2.8 is a great lens. There's two versions, the older one which says 'H-Zuiko' (H being the 8th letter of the alphabet therefore it has 8 elements) and a newer 'MC' one which stands for multicoating.

Don't stress if you find an older H version, the single coated versions are only a little worse flare wise if you're shooting into the sun / bright lights, otherwise performance is quite similar. I have an older one and love it.

The Zuiko 28mm f3.5 is a legend in performance/value.

I'm a 50mm freak, so for that budget would go for the Pentax Super Takumar 50mm f1.4 (it's like a 'baby Rokkor' 58mm f1.2) sharp stopped down, beautifully dreamy wide open... or the Pentax SMC Takumar 50mm f1.4 - super sharp and contrasty. I know you like the wider stuff, just thought i'd share that as you half called it out. Both of those are sub $100.. maybe the SMC is getting close to $100 now.

The Zuiko wides are pretty hard to beat bang for the buck wise. The 24mm and 28mm mentioned can be found under/around $100, but prices are going up as more people (mostly the video kids) wise up to the alt game.

If you want to go wider, there's the Zuiko 21mm and the Nikon 20mm f4 which are popular. There's a recent thread going over this FOV in detail.

Nov 13, 2009 at 06:12 AM

ontime
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p.1 #4 · Need to go back in time for a refresher

Thanks for the quick replies and suggestions. I really like the idea of manually dialing aperture, making me manual focus, etc.

Is there a good vendor I can pick up the adapter rings? Any considerations when buying the rings?

Nov 13, 2009 at 06:22 AM

Steve Spencer
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p.1 #5 · Need to go back in time for a refresher

I have the Oly 24mm f/2.8 and I have a Canon 50D. I like the lens a lot and the focal length is quite nice--between a 35mm and 40mm full-frame field of view. So it works a lot like a walk around pancake lens.

Here is one of my favorite shots with it and a 100% crop from the lower right corner:

2012 © Steve Spencer

Edited on Nov 13, 2009 at 12:29 PM · View previous versions

Nov 13, 2009 at 12:28 PM

jcolwell
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p.1 #6 · Need to go back in time for a refresher

The Olympus 24/2.8 is a fine little lens. You can find multi-coated versions that pre-date the ones with the "MC" notation, according to serial number, as shown below. I haven't posted this S/N list for some time, so I'd welcome any corrections and additions that readers can provide.

2009-03-15
www.jcolwell.ca

Olympus OM Auto-W 24mm f/2.8

S/N changes between H.Zuiko and Zuiko

H.Zuiko (chrome nose)
OLYMPUS OM-SYSTEM H.ZUIKO AUTO-W 1:2.8 f=24mm nnnnnn
101695 oldest
1304xx newest

H.Zuiko (black nose)
OLYMPUS OM-SYSTEM H.ZUIKO AUTO-W 1:2.8 f=24mm nnnnnn
135138 oldest
1779xx newest

Zuiko MC (black nose, multicoated)
OLYMPUS OM-SYSTEM ZUIKO MC AUTO-W 1:2.8 f=24mm nnnnnn
183471 oldest <>
191330 newest

Zuiko (black nose, multicoated, but not marked with MC)
OLYMPUS OM-SYSTEM ZUIKO AUTO-W 24mm 1:2.8 nnnnnn Japan
189782 oldest
2221xx newest

Olympus Lens Names

S-Zuiko = economy model

G.Zuiko = 7 elements
H.Zuiko = 8 elements

Auto-W = wide
Auto-S = standard
Auto-T = telephoto

Notes:
1. S/N overlap between the two newest versions!
2. Thanks to David Earls for supplying S/N update info.

Nov 13, 2009 at 12:29 PM

Ed Sawyer
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p.1 #7 · Need to go back in time for a refresher

24/2.8 is a great lens. I may have an extra to sell soon. It's probably the best performance/value combination in the zuiko line - usually $200ish give or take.

nice Flatiron Building pic, btw!

Nov 13, 2009 at 01:47 PM

htbyron
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p.1 #8 · Need to go back in time for a refresher

I also loved the OM 24/2.8 on my 20D -- It was a perfect small, lightweight walk-around lens. Stopped down to f/5.6, I rarely even had to worry about precise focusing, as depth of field was often sufficient for street and candid shots. Can't post pics from my work computer, but I highly recommend the lens!

Nov 13, 2009 at 05:12 PM

Sam N
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p.1 #9 · Need to go back in time for a refresher

They actually go for well under $200. I saw a few recently on ebay for ~$130.

It's got some serious vignetting issues on FF, but on a 40D it should be fine.

Nov 13, 2009 at 06:29 PM

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