Great find: Olympus 50mm f1.8 on 5D
Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2009 12:09 amI have recently been testing various third party used lenses I own on my new Canon 5D Mk II. I have nothing against many of Canon's finest L lenses (my favourite of the moment being the 35mm f1.4L), but sometimes find other lenses have a special 3 dimensional feel and smooth bokeh. I love my Leica Summicron f2, for example, far more than the Canon 1.4 which I find quite brutal at f2. I have a few very nice Leica R and Contax/Zeiss lenses I can use on the 5D. Reading various forums made me look into Olympus Zuiko lenses too, a cheaper alternative. I bought the 21mm and 28mm f2 lenses on ebay. Both very nice lenses but the 21mm is nowhere near as good as my Leica Super Angulon 21mm f4 (at f4, f8 or f16 in my opinion). The 28mm, on the other hand, is a great lens.
So, on the eve of a trip to Myanmar I narrowed down my travel options. Leica 21mm f4, Oly 28/f2, Canon 35L f1.4, Leica Summicron f2 (far nicer than the Canon) and Canon 135L f2 (another great Canon lens). Then I noticed an old second hand Olympus SLR on my shelf I had picked up for about #60. I wondered what lens it had on it. Sure enough it was the Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.8. I tried it on my 5D mk II straight away and was immediately impressed. I then quickly compared it to the Leica Summicron and found, to my shock and disbelief, I think it produces better images than my Summicron, and even a smoother bokeh. Whilst it is not engineered as well as the Leica, it is half the weight and tiny. So the Leica will say at home and the surprise find, Oly 50/1.8, is coming on holiday to Asia tomorrow.
So, on the eve of a trip to Myanmar I narrowed down my travel options. Leica 21mm f4, Oly 28/f2, Canon 35L f1.4, Leica Summicron f2 (far nicer than the Canon) and Canon 135L f2 (another great Canon lens). Then I noticed an old second hand Olympus SLR on my shelf I had picked up for about #60. I wondered what lens it had on it. Sure enough it was the Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.8. I tried it on my 5D mk II straight away and was immediately impressed. I then quickly compared it to the Leica Summicron and found, to my shock and disbelief, I think it produces better images than my Summicron, and even a smoother bokeh. Whilst it is not engineered as well as the Leica, it is half the weight and tiny. So the Leica will say at home and the surprise find, Oly 50/1.8, is coming on holiday to Asia tomorrow.