Olympus OM-D EM-5 & Olympus macro film lens combination review
This review of the Olympus OM-D EM-5 camera/lens combination moves on from the long telephoto world talked about in previous posts (Olympus OM-D E-M5 & Zuiko Olympus 1000mm F11 & Olympus OMD EM5, the Sigma 50-500mm F4-6.3 APO DG & A Great White Egret) to the opposite extreme, to the world of close up (macro) photography.
Over time I have purchased the majority of the Zuiko Olympus OM macro manual film lenses, and I was interested to see how this combination would work. I used 2 adapters to connect the lens to the camera body, the 4/3rds to micro 4/3rds adapter (Olympus MMF-1) plus the OM to 4/3rds adapter (Olympus MF-1) adapter.
The electronic viewfinder (EVF) is an excellent feature for close up work as it provides a bright clear view of the subject, this in my view is a replacement of the dedicated focus screens you could purchase for the OM camera body range. The over advantage with the camera is to be able to adjust the exposure whilst still viewing the subject through the viewfinder, the dial to make this adjustment has been placed in a very user friendly position. This was a major help with the picture of the Small White butterfly.
The Olympus OM-D EM-5 also features in-camera image stabilisation instead of in-the-lens like many of the other manufactures. This means you now have image stabilisation when working with the Olympus OM macro film lenses. This worked very well after tweaking the length of the lens within the image stabilisation settings.
The sensor crop factor (approx 2x) also means that the magnification factor is increased without reducing the working distance vs. when the lens is fitted to the 35mm SLR.
Another feature that proves very useful, is the option to set the shooting to high speed frames per second, allowing you to fire off a fast sequence of pictures.
The subjects were butterflies, dragonflies & damselflies and here is a selection of macro photo’s using either the Zuiko Olympus OM 90mm F2 macro lens or the Zuiko Olympus OM 135mm F4.5 macro lens fitted to the Olympus OM-D EM-5 camera.
I found that the better results, sharpness of image, came when using wide open apertures on the 2 lenses, F4-F8.
Butterflies
Dragonflies & Damselflies
Hi Peter,
Can you comment on the advantages and disadvantages of using the older OM macro lenses compared to the newer digital lenses like the 4/3rds 50mm F2 Zuiko? I have the newer digital lens and often wondered if there was any reason to try the older film lenses such as the 90mm F2 or the 135mm.
CDC
Hi Chris, I do not own any 4/3rds macro lenses so I am not best placed to discuss the benefits / disadvantages to the older OM macro lenses. However, I am able to provide some insight into using the older OM macro lenses with an Olympus Digital camera such as the EM-5.
Firstly you will need an adapter to attach the lens to the camera and you will have to shoot in manual mode, setting the aperture on the lens itself. Another point to note is that the magnification will seem greater to that quoted for the given lens due to the crop factor you of the Olympus DSLR’s.
The optics on some of the older lenses are very good and you will still be able to achieve very sharp images
Hi Peter:
Thanks for the good insight. I currently have the 4/3rds 50mm and if I use it with the 1.4x or 2x teleconvertor I have lots of range. It is very convenient to have autofocus (with manual adjustment), auto flash, etc. I’ve become spoiled by all the features. I suppose if a greta deal on a legacy lens comes along I’ll give it a try.
One suggestion I can offer to readers and users of Olympus digital. I use two FL36R flashes on a twin flash bracket. Purchased used, it costs less than half of a new twin flash kit (Olympus brand) and offers lots of flexibility.
All the best,
CDC
CDC
Hi Chris, thanks for the reply and your info