Olympus OM1 lenses

[haris]

Hello,

Last year in October I got as gift Olympus OM1 with 50mm 1.8 Auto S lens. I like camera and lens, and I would get one or two lenses more, something wide and little tele, let say 28 and 135. I searched and saw there are several Auto types of lenses like Auto W, Auto T, Auto S, etc...

So, my question is what type of Olympus Zuiko lenses can be used on OM1 camera, must all lenses be Auto S or other types are OK too, that is to work as my 50mm lens work on OM1. What are differencies between S, W, T Zuiko Auto lenses?

Thank you, enjoy life,

Haris

 

[Soeren]

There should be some info for you here
http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/olympusom1n2/shared/zuiko/index.htm
Cheers
Søren

 

[Soeren]

If I recall correctly the prefix E, G etc tells you the number of elements in the lens. The suffix must mean something like Wideangle; Standard and Tele, guessing her though. I once had the OM1, OM2n and 28mm f/2.8 50mm f/1.8, 135mm f/3.5 and the 300mm f/4.5. It was a nice outfit though nothing special or extraordinary. The OM1 and the three short lenses made a light and compact kit. My current Nikon gear gives me better pics but also more bulk and weight.
Cheers
Søren

 

[highpeak]

Haris, you can use lens labeled om-system on your OM-1, auto means automatic aperture, "W" means wide angle lens, "S" means standard lens, and "T" means telephoto lens.

The major advantage of olympus system is they are light and small, it also has the best view finder. Lens(prime lenses) quality is good for general use. If you can find anything has F2 or F1.4 on it, you will be very happy with it.

Alex W.

 

[John Koehrer]

Yep, anything labeled as OM will work for you.
Be aware that Oly also had the Ftl system that was their screw mount system for a brief period.

 

[Peter Black]

So, my question is what type of Olympus Zuiko lenses can be used on OM1 camera, must all lenses be Auto S or other types are OK too, that is to work as my 50mm lens work on OM1. What are differencies between S, W, T Zuiko Auto lenses?

Thank you, enjoy life,

Haris

Haris, not a direct answer to your question, but I was looking for some opinions on the 50mm over on photo.net late last year and got the answers in the link below.

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00INyo

 

[clogz]

Nice Olympus website:http://www.xs4all.nl/~wiskerke/html/olylinks.html

 

[Daniel_OB]

Letters in Zuiko lenses say how many elements lens is made with

D = 4 elements
E = 5 elements
F = 6 elements
G = 7 elements
H = 8 elements
.....
it means nothing more. No matter the Letter, Zuiko lens will fit OM1, OM2-n, OM-3 (woooooo), OM-4, or any other OM camera.
Have a nice Zuiko day.

www.Leica-R.com

 

[Earl Dunbar]

Daniel (and everyone): There are Zuiko lenses for the Olympus Ace, Pen F/FT and FTL (as mentioned above). Those lenses will NOT fit the OM series, at least not without an adpter for the Pen or FTL lenses. FWIW, I doubt you could use an Ace lens on an OM without serious surgery or a custom-made adapter; the Ace was a rangefinder, hence the lens registraton distance was much closer, so even if you could physically get it on the body the rear element might impinge on the mirror or at the very least you could not focus at infinity.

Olympus Zuiko lenses that fit the OM system directly are labeled "OM-SYSTEM " or "M-SYSTEM". The OM-1 was originally the M-1 , but Olympus changed the name as Leica objected to the use of the "M" designation due to Leica's trademark. The M in OM stands for Maitani, the leader designer/engineer of the OM system.

haris: The Zuiko 28/2.8 and 28/3.5 are both very good lenses. I don't see much difference between them except for the speed. The best short telephoto value is the 100/2.8, which is a great lens for the money. The 100/2 is reportedly wonderful, though I have never owned one. The 90/2 Macro is superb and coveted by many, but it is expensive. If you ever find one and can afford it, BUY IT.

The 50/1.4 is worth having, especially if you get one with a serial number of 1,100,000 or higher; those were the best version of that lens. My 50/1.4 is in the 6xx,xxx range, and it is very good.

Another very good lens, especially for the money is the 35/2.8.

All-in-all, Zuiko lenses are very good to superb. I like my 21/2 as much as I liked my Leica 21/3.4 Super Angulon. They are different in character, but the Zuiko is as good in many respects, especially at closer focus. I have not owned one, but many feel the Zuiko 50/1.2 is close to some of the 50mm Summilux versions.

Don't let anyone pooh-pooh Zuiko lenses. There are certain Nikon, Pentax, Minolta, Canon or other lenses that one may feel are "better" in a particular formulation, but "better" is a very subjective term.

Earl
Zuikoholic

 

[geauxpez]

Good reply Earl. I am a "Zuikoholic" as well -- that's my primary 35mm system. For Haris' benefit, I would also like to add that if bulk and weight are less of a concern and if you really want to carry a zoom lens, the 28-90 f2.8-3.5 Vivitar Series 1 is really nice. I mostly use my prime glass, but sometimes a fairly fast zoom makes for a nice walkaround lens.

Adam

 

[Konical]

Good Evening Haris,

Earl's comments are on the money. He refers to the 100mm f2 Zuiko's reputation; "wonderful" is a good description for that lens. It has to be one of the sharpest such lenses ever produced. The only negative for me is that I bought it new some years ago (pre-E-bay days) and paid big bucks for it. I don't know what it's selling for these days on the used market, but I'd certainly recommend it as part of any OM system.

Konical

 

[Earl Dunbar]

Adam: I've never taken to zooms, but if I come across the 28-90 Series 1, I'd pick one up. Very useful range and decent speed.

Konical: They're still going for big bucks, so don't feel bad. I haven't tracked prices on eekBay on that one lately, but in the past they were rare and expensive, especially given you have to trust the description.

 

[oscroft]

OM System lenses are listed here