What moderate wide-angle for Olympus OM?

[mr rusty]

Everybody seems to knock the zuiko zooms, but I have to put in a good word for at least one of them - the F4 35-70. Not even the "supposedly best" version of this zoom length.

Have a look at a pic I posted in the gallery

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

and now have a look at the crop from the signpost

That looks pretty darn sharp to me - and its a neg scan!

 

[benjiboy]

Although I'm not an Olympus user Darin, I'm a big fan of 35mm f2 lenses, I find them to be a very useful moderate wide angles that gives a reasonable angle of view and depth of field, with the minimum of distortion.

 

[mopar_guy]

I have 35mm f2.0 (MC), 35mm f2.0 (Silvernose), 28mm f2.8, and 21mm f2.0. All of them are great quality lenses. Over 95% of the time I use a 50mm lens.

 

[Prest_400]

I have both the 35mm and 28mm in 2.8, excellent lenses, always seems a shame to put a big lens on the OM1. Incidentally, I much prefer the 50mm 1.8 to the 1.4 in Zuikos, probably the only brand where this is the case.

I agree on the lens size and the OM-1. Most of the OMZ primes balance well with the body. The small wides, with the flat barre, give a compact look to the camera.
I've read around that the 1.4 is a bit soft wide open, specially the early models. There's a "Unscientific" comparison between the 1.4s and 1.8s in a blog (om experience). The 1.8 MiJ seems to be the best of the 50's wide open. What I don't like of this lens is the harsh bokeh that often appears on longer focusing distances in backgrounds (3m to infinite).
Oh, and this got me intriguing for a while? The 1.8 MiJ is Multicoated? Mine has reflections of lots of colors, and it's hard to identify clearly. I even think that some elements are SC and some others are MC.

I want march to arrive and have some holidays, it's been quite a while since I haven't shot anything. Must end that roll of KR64. Inactive time gets me into tech stuff.

 

[plummerl]

Sometimes the brighter lenses aren't necessarily sharper..
What of the 28mm f2 and 35mm f2 as opposed to the slower versions?

Of the two, the 28/2 was generally considered one of the sharpest primes in zuikoland. I'd have to agree, in using mine.

 

[illumiquest]

They 35 f/2 is a brilliant lens

 

[benjiboy]

They will have to praise my Canon FD f2 Thorium lens out of my cold dead hands, it's my favourite lens.

 

[erikg]

They will have to praise my Canon FD f2 Thorium lens out of my cold dead hands, it's my favourite lens.

for Oly OM's?

 

[BetterSense]

I have the 28mm 2.8 and it's much better than my 28mm pentax lenses. I also have a silver 50/1.4 and although it has a nice B&W look and good bokeh, it isn't sharp until you stop it down a lot and it flairs a LOT in sun. I think I might pick up a 50/1.8 some time.

 

[darinwc]

It sounds like I cant go wrong by picking any of these lenses from Olympus.
I'm leaning towards the 35mm end of the spectrum. We shall see what I end up with.

 

[benjiboy]

for Oly OM's?

I was just making the point what a useful lens a good 35mm F2 is when the 35mm focal length has been neglected by many photographers in recent years who have gone for 28mm lenses instead

 

[mopar_guy]

Darin,

You may want to look for a copy of The OM System Lens Handbook published by Olympus in 1984. Must have reference for any Zuikoholic.