p.1 #1 · 35mm Olympus OM Zuiko lenses; still viable?
Greetings all! Been a long time since I’ve made it back over here. Was a long time Canon POTN member. Regular lurker here off and on for years. Recently going through a move so all equipment has gotten new places, cleanings etc.
In this I have a rather large collection of Olympus OM lenses. Ranging from 18mm - 400mm, I have roughly 40 lenses. Majority all Olympus Zuikos, with a couple niche 3rd party lenses (ie. Sigma 16mm fisheye, Vivitar 28 1.9 and 90 2.5 macro)
Will be compiling a full list and pulling out some freezer film to run test rolls with them for clarity and accuracy checks etc. but thought I’d see if there’s still any OM shooters here, if they are a viable lens now a days for digital mount conversions, or still have a market here/online!
Any input would be appreciated. Very much excited to play with these again. Especially the 18 3.5, 100 2.0, and 24 2.0🤤
p.1 #2 · 35mm Olympus OM Zuiko lenses; still viable?
I believe many OM lenses had followings adapted to Canon EF in the heyday of this Alt forum. Nowadays it's a simple matter to use any of them on your mirrorless system of choice. All you need is a simple adapter. If you have that many lenses and want to play with them again, I'd suggest looking into getting a decent full frame mirrorless camera, if you don't already have one, rather than burning through your freezer film. Unless you really prefer to shoot film.
p.1 #3 · 35mm Olympus OM Zuiko lenses; still viable?
mothafizzy wrote:
Greetings all! Been a long time since I’ve made it back over here. Was a long time Canon POTN member. Regular lurker here off and on for years. Recently going through a move so all equipment has gotten new places, cleanings etc.
In this I have a rather large collection of Olympus OM lenses. Ranging from 18mm - 400mm, I have roughly 40 lenses. Majority all Olympus Zuikos, with a couple niche 3rd party lenses (ie. Sigma 16mm fisheye, Vivitar 28 1.9 and 90 2.5 macro)
Will be compiling a full list and pulling out some freezer film to run test rolls with them for clarity and accuracy checks etc. but thought I’d see if there’s still any OM shooters here, if they are a viable lens now a days for digital mount conversions, or still have a market here/online!
Any input would be appreciated. Very much excited to play with these again. Especially the 18 3.5, 100 2.0, and 24 2.0🤤
p.1 #4 · 35mm Olympus OM Zuiko lenses; still viable?
rscheffler wrote:
I believe many OM lenses had followings adapted to Canon EF in the heyday of this Alt forum. Nowadays it's a simple matter to use any of them on your mirrorless system of choice. All you need is a simple adapter. If you have that many lenses and want to play with them again, I'd suggest looking into getting a decent full frame mirrorless camera, if you don't already have one, rather than burning through your freezer film. Unless you really prefer to shoot film.
No mirrorless in my arsenal currently! I don’t mind the film, I’m one of the heads that still develops/scans at home so that side isn’t an issue just a little slower gratification I guess haha. Though I do have a pair of 6D Canon bodies could check for an adaptor there you are right, might look into that for batch shots testing each lens. Thats a good idea.
p.1 #5 · 35mm Olympus OM Zuiko lenses; still viable?
Desmolicious wrote:
Hello!
What will you be shooting them on when testing? I've been looking for an excellent shape (no desilvering prism) black OM2-N... (w 50 1.8 and 28 2.8)
Just an OM-1 for testing. My OM-4 found its way into a friends hands who loved it, and haven’t been back to the OM since. The OM2n and OM1n with the battery adaptors are both nice though!
But lens wise I only have x1 28 2.8 and about x6 50 1.4’s with various models (early g.zuiko silver nose, late zuiko MC black nose, and > 1.1m SN MC models)
p.1 #6 · 35mm Olympus OM Zuiko lenses; still viable?
mothafizzy wrote:
No mirrorless in my arsenal currently! I don’t mind the film, I’m one of the heads that still develops/scans at home so that side isn’t an issue just a little slower gratification I guess haha. Though I do have a pair of 6D Canon bodies could check for an adaptor there you are right, might look into that for batch shots testing each lens. Thats a good idea.
p.1 #7 · 35mm Olympus OM Zuiko lenses; still viable?
mothafizzy wrote:
No mirrorless in my arsenal currently! I don’t mind the film, I’m one of the heads that still develops/scans at home so that side isn’t an issue just a little slower gratification I guess haha. Though I do have a pair of 6D Canon bodies could check for an adaptor there you are right, might look into that for batch shots testing each lens. Thats a good idea.
I agree with Ron's suggestion on getting an adapter. Once you start testing your 40+ lenses the number of images shot will balloon quickly. If you use film you will burn through it. Currently I am doing testing of all my lenses and testing each one in many different situations and at every major aperture. Takes time but having a digital body makes for easy reviewing each lens in different shooting situations(normal, sharpness, minimum focus distance, similar focal length at same distance, bokeh, star effect, flare, infrared and ultra violet). For my 1 Olympus lens I used a rayqual OM to EF when I tested a couple of years ago on a 5Dsr. My current testing is more in-depth but now I use Rayqual OM to EF attached to EF to RF as I am now testing on Mirrorless R5 and R5 modified to full spectrum.
If you go that route I suggest you take a shot of a piece of paper or use a small whiteboard indicating what lens you are shooting.
p.1 #8 · 35mm Olympus OM Zuiko lenses; still viable?
Olympus OM lenses are very relevant, for people who use irrelevant technology. The OM 18/3.5 is in high demand ($1000+ US), mostly for cinematography. Similarly, other individual OM lenses have high value: e.g. 50/1.2, 90/2 Macro, 100/2, and anything long and fast.
OTOH, many of the inexpensive OM lenses have excellent optics and handling, and they're small. I just ordered an OM 24/2.8 for use on my recently-acquired OM 1n black - very classic. I'll also use it on digital cameras, as I have before; this is my third time buying the OM 24/2.8 MC.
p.1 #9 · 35mm Olympus OM Zuiko lenses; still viable?
Used to have several Oly's on my Canon EF's, including the 18/3.5 and a short run with the 100/2.
IIRC ... the shootout of 28's wound up with an Oly taking the win. Memory is fuzzy, but the one thing I recall about my Oly's was the "egg tempora" description and the "evenness" of the image across the frame. Vignetting was the main thing that bugged me about some lenses, but that was a tradeoff for size, etc. so it was a fair trade, just to be understood.
If someone is chasing uber-sharpness against today's ASPH MTF marvels, the Oly's are gonna come up short. But, they are still good glass, imo. One of my fav's was the little 28/3.5 ... a little gem that responded well to PP, as did the others.
The one thing I'm mention is to get a GOOD adapter, not an el cheapo. As a reference, I often used the Fotodiox PRO versions, BUT never their regular adapters (well once ... lesson learned). Other adapters, too ... but, you get what you pay for. Use a good one, not a cheap one.
As long as you don't try to think they are going to match up on MTF charts with the latest / greatest monster sized lenses (i.e. Sigma Art vs. Oly OM), they can still be appreciated.
p.1 #10 · 35mm Olympus OM Zuiko lenses; still viable?
The other thing to be mindful of is flare resistance, and the lack thereof, when it comes to that generation of Olympus glass. As long as you don't have any side or head on light sources, you'll be mostly okay.
Also expect to have to stop down ~3 stops on average to reach peak, sometimes 4-5 stops (on the f/2 glass) to get good across the frame performance.
I would rate the glass around the same level as budget (f/2.8 from the 70s and 80s, not including the D21) Contax C/Y glass, but with a little less microcontrast/Zeiss Pop™. The "performance lenses", which was the 50/2, 85/2, 90/2, 100/2, 180/2, 250/2, and 350/2.8, are great, but also pretty expensive. The other f/2s are okay, depending, but not spectacular by any means. The f/2.8s and f/3.5s are generally a fantastic value/bargain, even with recent inflated prices.
Also the lenses are super tiny! 49mm filter thread! 55mm on the "f/2 performance-sized" ones! Seriously, they feel like rangefinder lenses on an extension tube (for flange distance on mirrorless), even tinier than the C/Y 2.8s that are already pretty tiny.
p.1 #11 · 35mm Olympus OM Zuiko lenses; still viable?
I have several. Some fetch just normal prices, but some are very valuable. The 100/2 is generally around $1000 and I think the 40mm pancake is truly a high-priced lens. You can check prices on eBay to get a sense. I plan to use mine on my OM 4 and adapted to various mirrorless cameras.
p.1 #12 · 35mm Olympus OM Zuiko lenses; still viable?
I've been using Zuiko lenses on an OM3-Ti and OM4-ti for years. They are still very good, not top of the class like a Leica R but who cares?
My current set is 21mm/3.5, 28-48/4, 35mm/2.8, 85mm/2 and a 200mm/4 I do not use.
I've sold the various 28mm because of the busy bokeh, the 90mm/2 and 100mm/2 because they were excellent indeed but too big and heavy...
Some lenses may also be fungus prone such as telezooms.
So you have to find what you like in the extensive range of Zuiko lenses but once its done, you can shoot good pictures with it.
Here are a few examples:
p.1 #14 · 35mm Olympus OM Zuiko lenses; still viable?
Seems like quoting is suddenly broken? I also can't get it to work.
Just wanted to pick up on OP's comment about adapting to his Canon 6D camera. Perhaps others with more experience here can chime in, but is there any concern with OM lenses and Canon EF system mirror clearance? I recall this was a problem with some vintage system lenses/focal lengths and various Canon DSLRs and required either lens mods or 'mirror shaving.'
Instead of an adapter you could also do a Leitax conversion. Usually it involves removing the original lens mount from the lens and replacing it with a Canon EF mount and is in most cases this is fully reversible. But with OM lenses you just mount the Leitax adapter right on top of the original mount. Yes, the more traditional, easily removable adapters offer more flexibility, especially when using multiple lenses. But the Leitax will provide a more solid connection and would be more suitable for when you definitely will mostly, or only, be using a given lens on your Canon DSLR.
p.1 #15 · 35mm Olympus OM Zuiko lenses; still viable?
To Sam_W's post (quoting doesn't work): the 40/2 seems to have come down from its stratospheric heights to something just under $1,000, but the 21/2 also mentioned in that article still lists for several thousand dollars.
p.1 #16 · 35mm Olympus OM Zuiko lenses; still viable?
Recently, I was lucky enough to acquire the 40mm f2 Zuiko lens. A reputable camera store near by posted the ad on Cragslist, along with the 21mm f2 and 18mm 3.5. I jumped at the chance. People at the store told me someone was using these lenses for filmmaking.
The lens is tiny but about the same size as the 50mm f1.8. It is sharper than the Zuiko 35mm f2. However, the bokeh isn't very smooth. It complements the om4ti very well, almost like a jewel. I do wish Olympus has a SLR body with better bearing for the film winder. The om4ti film winder is rough (Leica M6 film winder feels like a dream).
Feb 21, 2025 at 01:15 AM