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Fun with 4/3rds cameras/ Image Thread

mediumcool

Active member
Bokeh investigation



Lumix G3/50mm Zuiko macro 1/640 f2

This 4/3 lens does not do autofocus at all well on the leetle m4/3, so MF is mandatory; I managed to focus *between* the rainwater tank and the young woman in the salmon top. Duh!

The background has been selectively softened in areas of high tonal contrast, via a layer in C1 with Clarity and Structure both set at –100.
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
Bokeh investigation
...
Lumix G3/50mm Zuiko macro 1/640 f2

This 4/3 lens does not do autofocus at all well on the leetle m4/3, so MF is mandatory; I managed to focus *between* the rainwater tank and the young woman in the salmon top. Duh! ..
Nice shot. A little more manual focus practice and you'll be nailing it on the money every time. :)

The ZD 50 is a macro without a focus range limiter, so when it misses it can rack all the way out, then back in, etc. This is why when I re-invested myself into mFT cameras and went to choose between the ZD 50/2 and Macro-Elmarit 45/2.8, I chose the latter: the ME45 is much faster operating overall and the limiter helps a lot. Didn't hurt that it also does 1:1 and the focusing is internal so you never have to adjust a macro setup to accommodate the extra lens length.

Panasonic never put as much effort into AF with the FT SLR lenses as Olympus, they didn't have the lens investiture or user-base that Olympus did when they switched; the G1 wouldn't focus most of them at all. The ZD 50 is a wonderful lens, though, and focuses very nicely with the E-M1 and E-PL7 bodies, albeit a bit more slowly on the latter. I nearly bought another one of these lenses, but thought better of it since I have the ME45 (and ZD 35 Macro!) already.

G
 

mediumcool

Active member
Nice shot. A little more manual focus practice and you'll be nailing it on the money every time. :)
Here are some manually-focused 50/2 shots which I prepared earlier:

http://www.getdpi.com/forum/619192-post6166.html
http://www.getdpi.com/forum/618965-post6164.html
http://www.getdpi.com/forum/618964-post6163.html
http://www.getdpi.com/forum/618835-post6160.html
http://www.getdpi.com/forum/618585-post6149.html
http://www.getdpi.com/forum/618815-post6158.html

:D

The ZD 50 is a macro without a focus range limiter, so when it misses it can rack all the way out, then back in, etc.
Indeed.

This is why when I re-invested myself into mFT cameras and went to choose between the ZD 50/2 and Macro-Elmarit 45/2.8 …
I thought long and hard about the relative merits of the 50/2 and the 45/1.8, knowing that the 45mm would autofocus with no problems—there was no opportunity to test a 50/2 with the G3; the Macro-Elmarit 45mm was never a contender due to price and its one-stop smaller maximum aperture.

Next acquisition is a 11–22 Zuiko, followed by a 50–200; these both autofocus quite acceptably on the G3, and probably a little better with the soon-to-be-acquired E-M5. Pentax kit will be sold!

IG
 
Last edited:

Godfrey

Well-known member
Here are some manually-focused 50/2 shots which I prepared earlier:
{...}

I thought long and hard about the relative merits of the 50/2 and the 45/1.8, knowing that the 45mm would autofocus with no problems—there was no opportunity to test a 50/2 with the G3; the Macro-Elmarit 45mm was never a contender due to price and its one-stop smaller maximum aperture.

Next acquisition is a 11–22 Zuiko, followed by a 50–200; these both autofocus quite acceptably on the G3, and probably a little better with the soon-to-be-acquired E-M5. Pentax kit will be sold!
Photos look good! :)

Regards f/2.8 vs f/1.8-2 ... I'd had the ME45 on a long-term loan back when I had the G1 and GF1 bodies. I loved it then. When I reinvested, the 45/1.8 was available, the Nocticron had been announced, the Voigtländer 42/0.95 was available, and of course the lovely ZD 50/2 is still available.

I chose go with the 45 over the 50 (the others weren't contenders for various reasons) due to my former experience with it. Despite being f/2.8, it's 100% useable wide open and gives me enough focus zone control. The ZD 50 doesn't match its performance until stopped down to f/2.8-f/4, and is much larger and heavier.

A little set I did using just the 45 and the G1 in 2009:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsjpPLV11

ZD 11-22 and 50-200 ... You're pretty much replicating my FT lens kit. The 11-22 is a particularly sweet lens, one of my absolute favorites. I have the 50-200 too, but find it too large and heavy to carry most of the time. Both work great with the E-M1, but they're too large for best handling with the E-PL7.

I recently bought the very inexpensive M.Zuiko 40-150/4-5.6 R to have something small and light. Despite being a trifle slow, it proves to be an excellent performer.


Olympus E-PL7 + M.Zuiko 40-150mm f/4-5.6
ISO 800 @ f/5 @ 1/100 @ 40mm

enjoy!
G
 

Godfrey

Well-known member

Olympus E-PL7 + Body Cap Lens 9mm f/8 Fish-eye
ISO 200 @ f/8 @ 1/200

Enjoying this minute full-frame fisheye lens. Fun stuff! :)

G
 

Godfrey

Well-known member

Olympus E-PL7 + Body Cap Lens 9mm f/8 Fish-eye
ISO 200 @ f/8 @ 1/125

The image stabilization in these current Olympus bodies as well as the extended dynamic range of the current sensors makes even an f/8 lens quite versatile.

G
 
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