Re: [Leica] Re: Olympus Redux

["Tom Schofield" <tdschofield@email.msn.com>]

My experiences as a former OM owner:

My friend's 28mm 2.8 clearly had higher contrast and lower flare, visible
even in the finder, than did my older 28mm 3.5.

The 50 1.8 was nothing to write home about, but competent.  The 50 1.4
always tested better (at 3-4x the price -- remember the 50 1.8 sold for
about $50)  The 1.4 was apparently improved at one point, maybe just
coatings.

The 50 3.5 was my favorite with closest to Leica contrast of the Zuiko's I
tried.  I've never heard criticism of this lens.

The 100mm 2.8 was nice, but did not have the contrast of the 50 3.5.

The 40mm pancake lens had nice contrast, but did not do well in strong
backlighting -- veiling flare-out, and having the filter threads on the
diaphragm ring was awkward - esp. with a polarizer.

The 65-200 was OK but nothing special, optically.

Tom Schofield




- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Doug Cooper" <visigoth@echonyc.com>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Cc: <leica-users-digest@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2000 11:29 PM
Subject: [Leica] Re: Olympus Redux


>
>
> I tend to be revising my opinions a lot these day, and I'd like to take
> back my overarching critique of the OM system.  I had a chance to handle
> the body that first turned me on to the marque -- the OM1n -- and I
> remember why at fifteen it appealed so much.  It's a lovely creature.  The
> OM4ti, with all its titanium cladding and whistling bells, is just not in
> the same league.  It's the difference (and I'm about to be flamed for
> this) between the M6 and the M3:  the OM1 simply feels nice.  The screen
> is bright -- brighter, to my eye, than my OM4ti's, despite the latter's
> supposedly improved focusing screen.  And with the Zuiko 50/1.8 (which,
> Photo Techniques pointed out, is a clone of the 50 Summicron), you have a
> really nice street shooter:  much smaller than any Canon or Nikon or
> Contax SLR.  (The Aria comes close, I guess.)  I went shopping with my
> girlfriend for her first all-manual camera, and this was overwhelmingly
> our choice.  (It also has mirror lockup, which is sweet.)
>
> So, as long as you avoid the duds in the Zuiko line, I think the OM1n
> makes a perfect SLR for use in those rare instances where a Leica M won't
> do:  particularly macro work.  I've never heard of a Zuiko macro lens that
> was less than world-class.  (Well, they say that the 50/3.5 is no great
> shakes, but I loved it.)
>
> Your revisionist critic,
>
>
> Douglas Cooper
>
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