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Archive 2017 · Olympus OM shift data on APS-C

  
 
rdeloe
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Olympus OM shift data on APS-C


Which Olympus OM lenses allow for good quality shift on APS-C sensors?

There are tons of good threads on FM regarding the lenses themselves (which are good, which are weak, etc.) What I'm looking for is actual user experiences with shifting these lenses on an APS-C sensor. Specifically, if you're doing this, how many mm of shift can you get before you're unhappy with image quality?

Note, I know that Olympus makes a couple of shift lenses. I've owned the Olympus 24mm shift lens and it's not good. Image quality on mine certainly was weak, which seems to be the general consensus. FM user husband's testing of the Olympus 35mm shift lens shows it's excellent. However, I'm interested in other focal lengths (notably 21mm, 24mm and 50mm).

I have heard from one user of the Olympus 18mm f/3.5 lens that it does not shift well. That's all the data points I have!



Edited on Mar 27, 2017 at 11:04 AM · View previous versions



Mar 26, 2017 at 09:21 AM
Sr.Cordeiro
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Olympus OM shift data on APS-C


Hi,

I have a Olympus OM - Fuji X Kipon T/S adapter and I'm happy with it, but only used it with two lenses: the Zuiko 24/2 and 18/3.5.

At first I had some problems with the 24/2, but made it work as discussed here:
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1266588/0
The 18/3.5 didn't have any issues.

I'm happy on how the two lenses perform with this setup. Although I don't use it much, only in the rare ocasions when I need to make interiors with UWA - using shift movements to achive seamless stitching. The IQ is great for this purpose, but image-circle wise, I recon I don't get much more than I would get if used these lenses on a FF body.

Never used them much for perspective correction nor for "special effects" tilting.

Here's one photo made with the Kipon T/S + Oly 18mm f/3.5 on a X-Pro1 (don't remember the f stop, but wasn't wide-open judging the star-flares at the distance):
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2920/14035726301_13705d4cae_b.jpg



Mar 26, 2017 at 06:56 PM
rdeloe
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Olympus OM shift data on APS-C


Thanks for posting your feedback. I'm curious though by this point you made: " image-circle wise, I recon I don't get much more than I would get if used these lenses on a FF body."

You should be able to get 8-10mm of shift within the Full Frame image circle projected by the lens. Do you mean that it's low quality, in other words, not usable coverage?



Sr.Cordeiro wrote:

Hi,

I have a Olympus OM - Fuji X Kipon T/S adapter and I'm happy with it, but only used it with two lenses: the Zuiko 24/2 and 18/3.5.

At first I had some problems with the 24/2, but made it work as discussed here:
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1266588/0
The 18/3.5 didn't have any issues.

I'm happy on how the two lenses perform with this setup. Although I don't use it much, only in the rare ocasions when I need to make interiors with UWA - using shift movements to achive seamless stitching. The IQ is great for this purpose, but image-circle wise, I recon I don't
...Show more




Mar 27, 2017 at 03:18 PM
mcbroomf
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Olympus OM shift data on APS-C


I've used the OM and c/y 18mm lenses on my Nex cameras and they are getting a tad soft in the far corners of a FF (ie 24x36) frame. The APSC frame is 16x24, so you could safely shift by ~6mm horizontally or 4mm vertically

I preferred the c/y lens to the OM, probably better contrast and easier CA to control but it was a while ago that I was using this combo.

Mike



Mar 27, 2017 at 06:21 PM
Sr.Cordeiro
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Olympus OM shift data on APS-C


rdeloe wrote:
Thanks for posting your feedback. I'm curious though by this point you made: " image-circle wise, I recon I don't get much more than I would get if used these lenses on a FF body."

You should be able to get 8-10mm of shift within the Full Frame image circle projected by the lens. Do you mean that it's low quality, in other words, not usable coverage?


I was refering to the final shots combining multiple vertical shots with shifting. They did't feel much wider than when I used then on FF, but this is totally non-scientific since I don't have a FF body anymore to make a real comparison.

Consider also that the Zuiko 18mm has already strong vignetting on FF anyway. I don't think the outer edges of the lens are much usable.



Mar 27, 2017 at 07:39 PM
rdeloe
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Olympus OM shift data on APS-C


I've now tested an Olympus 21/3.5 on my Fuji X-T2 using a shift adapter. The results are excellent! At 5mm, image quality is not affected by the shift (to my eye anyway). At 8mm, the extreme corners are showing a bit of softening. At 10mm, the extreme corners are no longer excellent, and it gets softer further into the image. Overall image quality would be excellent if the top of the image was sky or clouds (assuming a "rise" or shift up, of course).

This makes me very optimistic! Next up I'm going to get my hands on a good Olympus 50/1.8. This lens is known for low distortion and ultimate "lightness" -- so it might make a nice complement.

All my SMC Pentax-A 645 lenses are also awesome on the Fuji X-T2. I used them with my Mirex P645-Canon adapter attached to a Fotodiox Canon-Fuji X shift adapter. The Fotodiox adapter is excellent. The shift mechanism is very smooth and precise, and it's all tight and secure. This setup gives me shift independent from tilt, and is surprisingly hand-holdable (with the SMC Pentax-A 645 primes I use). The 75/2.8 in particular is positively tiny and provides a nice short telephoto in a focal length I quite like.



Mar 31, 2017 at 06:34 PM
rdeloe
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Olympus OM shift data on APS-C


Some more data (all in portrait orientation)...

The above results with a 21/3.5 were for a very close focus. Moving a bit further back, a 5mm shift still holds up well (but corner detail is already softer than unshifted). At 8mm, things are looking grim in the extreme corners, but quite good for about 3/4 of the frame. A 10mm shift is not really usable for the bottom 1/4 of the image.

For comparison, I performed the same test with a Zeiss Distagon T* 21/2.8. Overall image quality is better than the Olympus 21/3.5 (no surprise there). The Olympus is surprisingly good though. The Olympus pulls ahead in the shift department though. Wherever the Olympus is bad shifted, the Zeiss is worse. The Zeiss also has the moustache distortion to contend with, and it gets weird when shifted.

I also tested a humble Olympus 50/1.8, the "Japan" version. This is a later multicoated lens. The 50/1.8 is well received in sites like this, and I can see why. It's an outstanding optic even though it's the version that gets gummy aperture blades (which mine has). Not only is it very sharp and contrasty unshifted, but also it shifts amazingly well. At 5mm the bottom edges and extreme corners are practically unaffected. At 8mm, I'd use the image right down into the corners -- no significant problems. At 10mm there's distinct softness in the bottom 10% of the image, but the image quality is still almost better in that part than the 21/3.5 unshifted!

Again for comparison, I put my lovely SMC Takumar 50/1.4 on the shift adapter. The Olympus 50/1.8 is better in every respect than my Takumar, which I consider a really nice lens.

So, as usual, it's a tradeoff. The Zeiss 21 is better unshifted than the Olympus 21, but it's not as good shifted, and it's such a heavy lens that I'd never take it out with my Fuji. So Olympus it is.



Apr 05, 2017 at 07:24 PM
rdeloe
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Olympus OM shift data on APS-C


I received a nice Olympus 28/3.5 (very late model) and tested it out for shift. This is another really nice little Olympus lens. On APS-C, unshifted, it's really decent at f/3.5 and excellent at f/5.6 to f/8. I'd use it without hesitation at f/11.

At 5mm shift , it's very good from f/5.6 through f/11 right down to the edges.
At 8mm shift, it's good at f/8 and very good at f/11 right down to the edges.
At 10mm shift, f/8 is good almost down to the edge, while f/11 is good down to the edges.
All of these shifts are in portrait orientation, so the "edge" is the long edge.

All in all, this lens is a very nice tool for shifting on the Fuji X-T2.

As an aside, I compared this to my Fuji 27/2.8 lens, which is a superb little pancake. Yes, the modern Fuji has a bit more resolution and contrast than the old single-coated Olympus 28/3.5 lens, but the Olympus is still excellent (and dirt cheap). I'm becoming very fond of these old Zuikos.



Apr 12, 2017 at 08:39 PM
rdeloe
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Olympus OM shift data on APS-C


My OM 85/2 (third version) arrived and I tested it out for shift. On the X-T2, it's a very fine lens. As is widely know, it's soft at f/2, better at f/2.8, very good at f/4 and excellent at f5.6 and f/8. I'd use it without hesitation at f/11 if I needed the depth of field. At f/16, diffraction soften the image a fair bit, but it's still sharper than f/2.

For comparison, I shot the same target with my Fuji 90/2. The Fuji is a phenomenal lens and is sharper at every aperture. But I was surprised to see that at f/5.6 the old Oly 85/2 is very, very good -- amazingly good actually in comparison to what is one of the very best Fuji lenses. At only 260g I can see carrying the Oly around when the Fuji is just too much.

OK, now he shift test results for the Oly 85/2:
* At 5mm shift, in the shifted edge, it's good at f/5.6 and very good from f/8 to f/11 right down to the edges. (It's not great a f/4, and just plain bad at f/2 and f/2.8)
* At 8mm shift, it's OK at f/8 at the bottom of the shifted edge and a bit better at f/11 (but it's not great). I'd use it shifted 8mm at f/8, but I'd pay careful attention to what's at the shifted edge.
* At 10mm shift, f/8 is barely usable down to the shifted edge, while f/11 is potentially OK if you make sure you don't need fine detail there (e.g., clouds and sky would be fine).
All of these shifts are in portrait orientation, so the "shifted edge" is the long edge.

All in all, this lens is not as good for shifting on the Fuji X-T2 as other OM lenses (see above posts). But it's a very nice light lens (260g).



Apr 20, 2017 at 02:23 PM





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