p.11 #2 · The official Olympus Om Zuiko 18/3.5 thread
Trying to decide between the Oly 21 & the Oly 24.
I'd love (who wouldn't) to have the Zeiss 21mm with that wonderful 3D effect and the great clarity with it renders distant landscapes ... looking for a poor man's option to achieving the 3D as best as possible.
p.11 #3 · The official Olympus Om Zuiko 18/3.5 thread
Rusty, if you want 3D effect, indeed Zeiss lenses are the way to go, but resolution-wise the Zuiko 24/2.8 is no slouch. Try it and/or the Distagon 28 - has the same 3D effect. The only reason I don't own one of these is my Zuiko compulsion
p.11 #5 · The official Olympus Om Zuiko 18/3.5 thread
There's no losing in these two choices.
First off, of course, is being aware of the 21's hallmark red ring flare. If you shoot into the light, you're likely to see it.
That said, if you're patient, you might be able to pick up a BGN-grade 21 from KEH for <$250USD. I piced one up about a year ago that way. Not going to win the beauty contest, but the optics are perfect.
My recollection of the 17-40 was that performance degraded somewhere in the mid-20s, so the 24 f2.8 - which is just unbelievable at f8 - might be a good fit. The 24 is less expensive. It was the last lens I purchased (I've been trading of late), single-coated, for $125USD. On the 16-9 site, where there are tons of lens tests, Mark says the Oly 24 at f8 is unsurpassed.
But then, I'm like alexandre - the worst kind of Zuikoholic.
p.11 #6 · The official Olympus Om Zuiko 18/3.5 thread
davidearls . . .
Sounds good ... maybe, I'll just keep my eye out for both, shoot 'em up and pass one on, AFTER I figure out which is my fave ... leaning toward the 24 @ f8 for the IQ.
In the meantime, I'll keep my budget in check by sticking with the Tamron 17-35 get me out of tighter corners. I've seen some shots in here with the Tamron 17 (prime?) that have caught my attention as well ... and my 17-50 (DX) worked well for me on my D70s ... so for now Tamron get's my 17+ work.
Anybody know much about the 17mm Tamron vs. the Oly 18mm?
p.11 #10 · The official Olympus Om Zuiko 18/3.5 thread
Congrats on the upgrade! You will be over-the-moon when you see the high-definition screen and use live view and the zoom feature. A high-def screen and live view are particularly user-friendly to alternative lenses. I had next to zero success trying to manual-focus my old Contax/Zeiss lenses on the 5D, even with a replacement screen from Brightscreen .... but the 5D II changed all that.
Anden wrote:
Just sold my 5D and got a 5D mk2 on the way. Will love Liveview when setting up landscape shots!
p.11 #12 · The official Olympus Om Zuiko 18/3.5 thread
Well, I finally got to working on my 49-77 step ring in an attempt to fabricate a hood for my Oly 18. Simply placed a burr grinding bit into my cordless drill and went to town on the inside diameter. After about 30 minutes of grinding-trying-grinding-retrying, I finally got it to the point where the neck is thin enough to safely thread onto the lens. Problem is, the vignetting is really bad. Even stopped down to f/8, its still very noticeable. I had thought about taking a cheap UV filter, breaking out the glass, and threading that onto the adapter ring to provide clearance between a filter and the top of the lens...doesn't appear that this will work due to the amount of vignetting with only the adapter ring. I'll probably try a 49-72 next (went with 49-77 initially since a majority of my filters are 77mm), unless I can come across an Oly hood...
p.11 #13 · The official Olympus Om Zuiko 18/3.5 thread
Mike,
As frustrating as it is (I went through the same process), it does give you an appreciation for the optical precision of these tiny lenses. There just isn't any slack built in -
p.11 #14 · The official Olympus Om Zuiko 18/3.5 thread
It's odd that a single 49-77 would vignette since Oly used a 49-72 and it sticks out further than a single normal 49-77 would...
I haven't yet dremeled up the oly hood I have in mind to try but will soon. (49mm clamp-on). I did manage to find myself a single 49-72 original oly hood though. (yay!)
I wonder how much it would cost to have new replicas of the oly 49-72 hood made from scratch. There's some cheap online CNC machining places out there these days...
p.11 #15 · The official Olympus Om Zuiko 18/3.5 thread
Hi Mike
I am also in the same boat. I have the original Oly 49-72 filter holder (hood). I used a step up ring 72-77mm and a 77mm B&W slim filter an there was some vignette all the way past f8.
I then tried a 49-77mm step up ring with the 77mm B&W slim filter and the vignetting was actually worse (even though the filter was closer to the lens). The vignetting was attributed to the inner diameter of the 49 mm side of the 49-77mm step up ring and not the filter. It sticks out much higher that the original Oly 49-72 filter holder
So comparing the Oly 49-72 filter holder/72-77mm step up to the 49-77mm step up, the 49-77 mm step resulted in much worse vignetting.
So I filed down the 72-77 mm step up ring on the 77 mm side so that the filter is a little bit closer to the lens. The vignetting was much less but I will do some test and get back.
For you, I would suggest to file the face of the 49-77 mm step ring on the 49mm side so that there is less thread. That would sink the step up deeper into the lens and hopefully reduce the vignetting. But you need to be careful that the filter does not touch the glass once installed.
p.11 #16 · The official Olympus Om Zuiko 18/3.5 thread
Thanks Guys! I will hopefully have it by tomorrow evening! Canīt wait! Lot of dollares but the features are fantastic.
As for the hood I have the 49-58 and then 58-77. I had some vignetting and decided to sand the rings so that the filter is closer to the lens. Now the vignetting is almost gone. Some more trimming and then I am done.
p.11 #17 · The official Olympus Om Zuiko 18/3.5 thread
I finally found my (non-olympus) 49-72mm step up ring that I tested with my Zuiko 18/3.5 when I had it. AFAIK it did not cause vignetting on the Zuiko 18/3.5. It is labled "S&W Photo Accessory Co 49mm-72mm". Has anyone else tried this brand?
Even though most 49-72mm step up rings are no as deep as the Olympus, they will often cause vignetting because the rim that has the 49mm thread is too wide.
p.11 #18 · The official Olympus Om Zuiko 18/3.5 thread
I still get a bit of vignetting with 77mm Slim BW CPL even with the mod to the 72-77 step up, I will probably get an 82mm slim CPL which should eliminate it.
p.11 #19 · The official Olympus Om Zuiko 18/3.5 thread
Nice shots!
I tried some of the various Oly hoods to see if any could be easily modded to work with this lens. The closest option would be the hood for the 28/3.5 I think. It threads on nicely, (49mm screw in), vignettes of course, but it's simple aluminum and could likely be cut down into a petal hood fairly easily with a dremel. Just a DIY option I suppose. the hood for the 24/2.8 would probably work well in that regard too.
It's too bad the 49-72 is so hard to come by easily.
p.11 #20 · The official Olympus Om Zuiko 18/3.5 thread
Believe it or not, the Oly hood for the 21/3.5 looks promising for use on the 18. I took a few quick test shots earlier, and the vignetting was pretty minimal at f/8 and f/11. I'll try it again when I get some better light later this morning. The only downside with this hood is that most of the outer edge is rubber...not easy to cut down in size unless you want to butcher it with a razor blade. Metal would have been nice...a second or two on a belt sander would have been all that's needed.
Oh, and get some bigger memory cards while you are in the buying mood...