Using Zuiko OM lenses with a DSLR
I decided to take a couple of the recently acquired cheap eBay Olympus lenses and see how they fared on a modern digital camera. I had to buy a small metal ring adapter from the internet to allow the lenses to fit onto a digital body.
The strangest aspect is how small these lenses look on the digital camera body because they don’t have internal electronics and servo motors. These 20 year old lenses actually work quite well. The focusing is manual, but the camera makes a reassuring ping when its internal focus circuit detects that a point of sharpness has been reached. The aperture needs to be stopped down manually too. For anyone used to film SLRs this is really no big deal, and for many people working beyond ‘point and shoot’ with digital camera this is also pretty normal.
The other interesting thing is the relatively inexpensive nature of what are really quite good lenses. I think the Olympus Zuiko lenses are surprisingly sharp and well-behaved when used in this way and for relatively small change its possible to build up a selection of prime lenses which have effectively been traded in by ex film photographers who have gone digital.
I spotted a few reviews by lens gurus comparing the Zuikos with various Zeiss, Canon and other lenses and the Olympus Zuikos generally came out very well, usually getting some top marks.
I won’t be as fastidious as that, but I am interested to see if they’ll take a good picture and so far the results are encouraging.
I think its quite a good little secret to be able to pick up a 50mm prime f1.8 with a filter for less than the price of a Canon filter alone. This also extends to quite a few of the other useful lenses; I acquired a 28mm f2.8 for the cost of a Starbucks Latte. Of course, this was part of my little eBay project and I thought it best to finish my collection before declaring anything in case the prices suddenly all went up.
I’ll add a few pictures when I’ve taken more than just some test shots, but for the moment here’s a couple of ’straight from the camera to illustrate the effect.
depth of field test- Zuiko 50mm f1.4 on Canon DSLR full frame – No PS
rainy window – Zuiko 50mm f1.4 on Canon full frame – No PS
Zuiko 28mm f2.8 on Canon full frame – No PS
The first thing that struck me was how small the lens looked on the camera. The resulting pics though are great. No wonder you’re pleased for the price you picked the lenses up for!
They’ve turned out lovely. Especially that top one. I see huge camera on normal sized lens, but that’s just the way I am.
Was there a specific adapter, from a specific maker that you bought, or are they all pretty much the same? I’ve been wanting to use Zuiko lens for a while now, but I don’t know how to go about buying an adapter.
I bought an adapter from eBay.
It was a so-called ‘confirm’ adapter because it has a small electronic circuit which links to the ‘in focus’ indicator on the Canon. They are available from Hong -Kong and UK sellers and the ‘Buy-it-now’ price is circa £10-£15.
I got mine from a UK supplier in about 2 days. When I’ve bought batteries and suchlike from Hong Kong it usually takes about 10 days. Watch out for the postage charges in both cases. The adapter is well worth it for me because it liberates a large collection of Zuikos which are still excellent lenses and thrive on a full frame digital body (EOS 5 in this case).
Of course you have to use manual focus and thats why the little circuit is handy because most DSLRs don’t have a split screen focusing centre so the little red dot in the viewfinder can be quite useful.
I just started using Om Zuiko’s on my 4/3 Oly E-410! I love it! I am going to completely abandon digital lenses for the MOST part. I much prefer running the camera in manual mode anyways. My first Om lens is a 75-150mm zoom. It came in the OG leather case in MINT condition, no haze and very little dust! An adapter off ebay and I was good to go. Most people don’t understand how well these lenses work on the 4/3 Oly frames and how comparitively cheap they are! The lens and adapter both cost me less than 50$ Can. That’s a deal in my book. My next lens is going to be a 300 or a 400 mm Om Zuiko.
Can’t wait!
I’m using OM lenses with my Oly E-520 and they work like a charm. I have 28mm f/3.5 , 50mm f/1.8 , 135mm f/3.5 and 75-150mm zoom and looking to aqcuire more of them, also other analog lenses in other mounts like m42 that can also be used on dSLRs.
One thing to point out is that those lenses on 4/3rds cameras because of the crop factor of 4/3rds sensor effectively double their focal length (so 50mm becomes 100mm)
I am just getting started with these old lenses on a DSLR and am ‘loving it!’ A canon 50mm 1.4 here in the UK is £280 where as an Olimpus Zuiko OM lens is about £30-£40!!!! I am buying up as many lenses as possible before the prices go through the roof. I think i’m a LENSAHOLIC!!