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Why, Oh whyyyy?

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msusic

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Did I get the 50mm macro?

When I was getting it, I thought that I'd use it for portraits, few macro shots here and there and that's it.

However, it became my most used and most versatile lens I have ever owned.

I know it sounds odd, and people who don't have it might think I'm crazy, but the lens to me is actually more versatile than 12-60mm.

When I go out, 4 out of 5 times I bring just 50mm with me. It's good for everything - portraits, landscapes, as a walkaround lens, macro of course, low light, weddings etc.

Image quality is just beyond belief, E3's sensor is overwhelmed by the glass, and I bet it could easily resolve 15 or even 20mpix with incredible detail.

On the other hand, it's so small and compact, it's an archetype of 43rds.

I wish Oly made it's 25mm sibling, and with those 2 lenses I'd be set for 80% of my needs.

--
Cheers,
Marin
 
I agree, and also want the Olympus 25 f2 companion, and the 100mm f2 one.

--
John Krumm
Juneau, AK
 
lol I just got scared when I read the first lines of youre post, i just order a 50mm macro, thought nooo! have i made a mistake. ^^
 
Maybe the quality of the lens makes a difference? or the macro?
I've tried leaving the OMZ 50 f1.8 on my camera (closest I have to the ZD 50)
but I seem to find it's either too short or to long most of the time.
But put a 2x macro converter on it, and it will keep me happy for days.

My 12-60 is zoomed out to 60 much of the time, and you wouldn't think 10mm at the long end would make so much difference, but then, the 12-60 focuses a bit closer... and goes pretty wide when needed.

Now a 100mm macro would be interesting, if the price wasn't through the roof, but then again, if I didn't already have the 70-300, I'd have picked up a Sigma 150mm by now, and the 9-18 is on my list
(guess I just like extremes?)
Anyway, sounds like you made the right choice.

btw, have you tried the 35mm macro? A bit longer than 25mm, and it's not an F2, but isn't it pretty sharp as well?

--
Art P
Select images may be seen here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sigvarius/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cecropia_grove/
 
... my 25 1.4 alongside my 50 2.0. It makes a stellar combination on an E-3 + E-520. Good in all sorts of light, good from here to back again, tight quarters, relative distance, a stunning people set-up.

Now all I REALLY want is a 12 to 17mm prime in the 1.4-2.0 range. Also potentially the Sigma 50 1.4 and on a lark, Samyang 85 1.4, but wider is what I truly want right now.

--
Jayson Dean Merryfield
http://www.inthemomentphotography.ca
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaysondeanmerryfield/
 
Heard that the 50/f2 focuses pretty fast on E3. I used it on a E300 a number of years ago. The focus was painfully slow with this combo and the focus-by-wire mechanism was rather uncomfortable... Nonetheless, the lens yielded great results. Just hope Olympus will make a 50/f2 II with mechanically-coupled manual focus ring in the future... And a new 25/f2 (or 25/f1.8) in similar size & weight will be fantastic...
 
can agree with you. Most of the time it's on my camera and I have trouble to go back to my zooms. Sometimes I just forget that I own zoom lenses. This lens is really a particular. The main problem in my opinion is that it's a little long for indoors shots but that's it.
--

L'expérience est une lampe accrochée dans le dos, elle n'éclaire que le chemin parcouru. Lao Tseu

http://yinetyang.deviantart.com/

Sony cybershot P8--> Sony cybershot DSC-H2 --> Olympus E510+ 14-42mm+ OM 50mm 1.8
 
This was exactly the same way I reacted. It was almost glued to my camera for two years. :) Then I got the 11-22mm... That lens gave me almost the same feeling. The 50mm and 11-22mm lenses are used almost 90% of my shooting time. These are really great lenses and are naturally my walk around kit.

Looking forward to see some of your great shots.

Kind regards Jørgen
http://www.pbase.com/jchriste
 
Here are few (snap)shots from today without any special PP-ing, done with 50mm macro.

Just replace hxxp with http

hxxp: www.pohrani.com/f/1w/tJ/477kAbi2/vj1.jpg

hxxp: www.pohrani.com/f/3Q/XA/2ByXSvkW/1/vj2.jpg

hxxp: www.pohrani.com/f/0/e0/3HVpVfLJ/vj3.jpg

Everything about the image of ZD50 is just right, it's color is neutral without any ugly cast, it's incredibly "clear" as well, almost no PP-in necessary.

This is just for comparison, a friend who's working with me also shot the wedding, but he's using Canon.
He was using Sigma 50mm [email protected] on 50D, me E3 with 50mm@f4 to take this shot.

He was bit closer due to his lens having a bit wider angle of view.
Both shots you se here are 100% jpeg crops, top Canon+Sigma, bottom E3+ZD50.



--
Cheers,
Marin
 
I'd love to try the 50mm f2. I like Macro and enjoy my Vivitar 55mm f2.8 1:1 and Tamron 90mm f2.5, but I'd love to try a modern macro and I don't mind the 50mm focal length. I use my OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 now and then.

My two best lenses are the 11-22mm and the 50-200mm. I'm very lucky to own such nice glass. Lenses I'd like to test drive are the Zuiko 50mm f2, the Sigma 150mm f2.8 (Bugma), the Samyang 85mm f1.4, the Kiron 105mm f2.8 macro, the CZJ Sonnar 200mm f2.8, and the Nikkor 400mm f3.5.

It's a good life.

Cheers,
Seth

--
What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about?

--
wallygoots.smugmug.com
wallygoots.blogspot.com
 
Yup, the ZD 50mm macro is a great little lens. For the last few years I've been using the ZD 50-200 for macro, with and without the EX 25 tube. It works well for this, but it is a big, long handful. A few months back, I bought the ZD 50 mac, and it is a nice, compact little job, and I love the results I get from it. I consider it money well spent, even though it tends to pinch my finger when the hood is on and I have it on auto focus when the lens contracts to infinity. It makes me worry about the focus motor. Isn't that a helluva gripe? Rich

It is great for bugs humping.



And, it gives me all the meat I need in a raw file to edit and crop, then enlarge.





All above with E3. I think I'll keep them, both. Rich
 
Hi there. Right, I will get the bad stuff out of the way first. The 50mm F2 is the worst focusing AF lens that I have ever owned. I have owned the Nikon 60mm F2.8 Micro, and various other macro/micro lenses, and the 50mm F2 is the king when it comes to poor AF.

I rate the AF so bad on this lens as to be considered almost useless in any AF mode, on any Olympus camera.

Having said that...

My mother is 78 year's old, wheel chair bound, and she is not keeping well. She lives by herself, in a bungalow, with an open plan kitchen.

Why do I mention this?. Well, I have tried taking photo's of her in her living room, and without fail the background was alway's a distraction.

Along came the 50mm F2, and the other day, I captured my mother in a typical pose with her cheeky smile, lost the distracting background (using F2), and I now have a photo of her that means more to me than I can say.
For this I will forgive the 50mm F2 for anything.

Cheers.
Keith.
 
The 50mm f/2 is sharper than the poor 4/3 sensor it is attached to. The lens easily out-resolves the E-3 or E-30. Its slow AF is good for macro work as it is extremely accurate....... but slow. If Olympus goes to 18MP this lens would be amazing for macro work.

The Sigma 50mm f/1.4 is almost as sharp at 2.0 and does not start to out-resolve the 12MP Canon sensor until F/3.5. Until I get a body with AF micro adjustment I will hold off on buying a Sigma lens, but the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 is a really good lens.
 
A jewl of a glass.....give us the best thing next to magic.....!!!.....
 
Putting the EC 20 behind the 50mm, thats 1-1 macro with ease.

You are right though, the 50mm and a 25 mm make a great portraiture combo. I'm using the PL 25mm f 1.4 along side of the 50mm for people shots and it is a blast.
--
JimB
Bug Whisperer

Member of the Colorado Olympus Group

[email protected]
 
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