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Photo Forum / Digital Photography / DSLR Cameras / November 2006

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Olympus OM-1

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Paul Furman - 25 Nov 2006 18:57 GMT
I'm looking at a friend's old Olympus OM-1 with several lenses. I wonder
if the lenses can be used on the new Oly digital? The camera still works
but hasn't been used in ages. Seems like a nice kit, not super fast
lenses but supposed to be quite nice quality. Beautiful compact metal
manual body classic SLR with prism focusing aid & light meter.

Olympus OM-1 leather body cover, bottom part only
35-70mm f/3.5-4.5 OM-System S Zuiko Auto-zoom close focus about 1 ft
21mm f/3.5 OM-System G.Zuiko Auto-W 103091 leather case
28mm f/3.5 OM-System G.Zuiko Auto-W 124772 leather case
50mm f/1.4 OM-System G.Zuiko Auto-S 533525
135mm f/3.5 OM-System E.Zuiko Auto-T 154161 leather case
Tony Polson - 25 Nov 2006 20:05 GMT
>I'm looking at a friend's old Olympus OM-1 with several lenses. I wonder
>if the lenses can be used on the new Oly digital?

Almost all OM lenses can be used on the Four Thirds cameras (Olympus,
Panasonic and Leica) using an adapter.  Some work well, some work well
but with limitations, and some work less than well.

That is because OM lenses were (obviously) not designed with digital
sensors in mind, unlike the Zuiko Digital lenses which are
specifically designed for digital with near-telecentric optics.

If you go to the Olympus web site for your country, you will find a
table showing which lenses work best, and with what limitations. There
is surprisingly good agreement between its recommendations and what
Olympus users have found in practice, so it should help you to decide
whether the lenses are worth buying:

http://www.olympus.co.uk/consumer/dslr_OM_Adapter_Compatibilities.htm

Don't forget that the small Four Thirds sensor means that the
effective field of view is that of a lens of double the focal length
on 35mm film.  The 21mm thus becomes an equivalent 42mm; the 28mm an
equivalent 56mm, and the 50mm an equivalent 100mm.  The apertures do
not change.  A 50mm f/1.4 becomes an equivalent 100mm f/1.4, but note
that Olympus recommends using apertures only between f/2.8 and f/8.

All three fixed focal length lenses are excellent performers on 35mm
film.  I have little knowledge of the 35-70mm zoom, but the aperture
range recommended by Olympus suggests that it will not perform
especially well on a digital SLR.
Paul Furman - 25 Nov 2006 20:31 GMT
>>I'm looking at a friend's old Olympus OM-1 with several lenses. I wonder
>>if the lenses can be used on the new Oly digital?
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> sensors in mind, unlike the Zuiko Digital lenses which are
> specifically designed for digital with near-telecentric optics.

Hmm so wider apertures vignette badly on digital? Thanks for the info,
looks like it's best use is as a manual film camera.

> If you go to the Olympus web site for your country, you will find a
> table showing which lenses work best, and with what limitations. There
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
>
>  

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Paul Furman
http://www.edgehill.net/1
Bay Natives
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Tony Polson - 25 Nov 2006 22:33 GMT
>> Almost all OM lenses can be used on the Four Thirds cameras (Olympus,
>> Panasonic and Leica) using an adapter.  Some work well, some work well
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
>Hmm so wider apertures vignette badly on digital?

You will get some vignetting, but I think a more serious problem would
be colour fringing.

>Thanks for the info,
>looks like it's best use is as a manual film camera.

You're welcome.  It is well worth looking at the Olympus DSLR forum on
dpreview.  The issues that arise when using OM lenses on Four Thirds
DSLRs has often been discussed.
Michael Meissner - 26 Nov 2006 01:39 GMT
> >> I'm looking at a friend's old Olympus OM-1 with several lenses. I wonder if
> >> the lenses can be used on the new Oly digital?
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> Hmm so wider apertures vignette badly on digital? Thanks for the info, looks
> like it's best use is as a manual film camera.

Well also bear in mind the 2x crop factor, so your 50mm lens will give you the
same field of view as a 100mm lens on a 4/3rds camera.  So for wide angles
wider than 28mm, use the digital lenses (7-14mm, 11-22mm, 8mm fisheye).  For
28mm, the usual kit lens will give you that, but the medium level 14-54mm is
generally thought to be a better lens.

Signature

Michael Meissner
email: mrmnews@the-meissners.org
http://www.the-meissners.org

Paul Furman - 25 Nov 2006 20:17 GMT
Here's a photo of the kit:
<http://www.edgehill.net/1/?SC=go.php&DIR=Misc/photography/2006-11-25-oly-om-1>

> I'm looking at a friend's old Olympus OM-1 with several lenses. I wonder
> if the lenses can be used on the new Oly digital? The camera still works
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> 50mm f/1.4 OM-System G.Zuiko Auto-S 533525
> 135mm f/3.5 OM-System E.Zuiko Auto-T 154161 leather case

Signature

Paul Furman
http://www.edgehill.net/1
Bay Natives
http://www.baynatives.com

RichA - 25 Nov 2006 23:04 GMT
> I'm looking at a friend's old Olympus OM-1 with several lenses. I wonder
> if the lenses can be used on the new Oly digital? The camera still works
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> 50mm f/1.4 OM-System G.Zuiko Auto-S 533525
> 135mm f/3.5 OM-System E.Zuiko Auto-T 154161 leather case

The longer lenses work best, the wider ones not as well.  In fact, an
ordinary digital kit lens works as well at wide mode 14mm than would an
old 35mm lens.  But Olympus has nothing like the 50mm f1.4 now and it
allows for a fast lens on a digital.  The only other alternative is a
Sigma digital 30mm f1.4 which costs about $400.00.  I've compared
longer lenses and the 35mm lenses do have another attribute, they do
not vignette much if at all.
http://www.pbase.com/andersonrm/image/58937829
 
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