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Four Thirds adapter?

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jungl

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I have recently bought an Olympus EPL1 and I would love to use my old Four Third lenses on it (especially the Sigma 150mm macro).

Are there any cheap adapters out there that can make this happen? I have seen that Olympus has made one, but it seems a bit expensive.

--
http://blog.thomaslaupstad.com - Photoblog from Northern Norway
 
Get the Panasonic one (MA1). It works exactly the same, and costs $105 on Amazon.
jungl said:
I have recently bought an Olympus EPL1 and I would love to use my old Four Third lenses on it (especially the Sigma 150mm macro).

Are there any cheap adapters out there that can make this happen? I have seen that Olympus has made one, but it seems a bit expensive.

--
http://blog.thomaslaupstad.com - Photoblog from Northern Norway
Click to expand...
 
Yes I have an EP2 and I bought the panasonic adapter since it costs less. I got mine for $80 plus $15 shipping. The Olympus one cost at least $150.
 
jungl said:
I have recently bought an Olympus EPL1 and I would love to use my old Four Third lenses on it (especially the Sigma 150mm macro).

Are there any cheap adapters out there that can make this happen? I have seen that Olympus has made one, but it seems a bit expensive.
Click to expand...
The Panasonic DMW-MA1 is the same gadget effectively as the MMF-2 from Olympus. Usually it is cheaper than the Olympus version.

In my case I use the Oly MMF-2 as it came in a twin lens kit. The 4/3 lens vary in AF performance but all seem to auto focus but slowly at times. If using later 4/3 lenses that were redesigned for live view focusing then they will perform a little better. But not as fast at AF as the newer lenses deliberately designed for Micro 4/3. I use the old 14-54mm Mk I lens, the 11-22mm lens and the 35mm and 50mm macro lenses, haven't tried the old kit lenses that came with my E-300 though.

Regards...... Guy

Some E-PL1 info... http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~parsog/olyepl1/02-epl1-comments.html
 
jungl said:
I have recently bought an Olympus EPL1 and I would love to use my old Four Third lenses on it (especially the Sigma 150mm macro).

Are there any cheap adapters out there that can make this happen? I have seen that Olympus has made one, but it seems a bit expensive.
Click to expand...
If you want to retain the autofocus and aperture control of a 43 lens on a m43 camera body then you need to use either Panasonic's or Olympus's adapter; they are both functionally the same. The Olympus support website will let you know which 43 lenses can be used with these adapters.

The prices of the Olympus and the Panasonic adapter do vary from place to place. Norway, as you already know, is not the cheapest country to live in, so buying one of these adapters from a retailer will be something you can best judge.

Here in the UK I bought an Olympus flashgun for my Panasonic G1 back in 2008 because it is electrically identical to the same Panasonic model, and at that time it was cheaper. Now the situation is reversed.

If you are happy to buy online then online stores in the US and Hong Kong are probably the cheapest.
 
Thanks Barney.

I really don't need autofocus, but aperture control would be nice. Any idea if that works with the Sigma Four Thirds lenses?

Yeah, I do not mind buying from US or Hong Kong. Got any recommendations on any good sellers in Hong Kong? I prefer to use PayPal. Shops in US seems to have a hard time accepting Paypal for international shipping.
BigBarney said:
jungl said:
I have recently bought an Olympus EPL1 and I would love to use my old Four Third lenses on it (especially the Sigma 150mm macro).

Are there any cheap adapters out there that can make this happen? I have seen that Olympus has made one, but it seems a bit expensive.
Click to expand...
If you want to retain the autofocus and aperture control of a 43 lens on a m43 camera body then you need to use either Panasonic's or Olympus's adapter; they are both functionally the same. The Olympus support website will let you know which 43 lenses can be used with these adapters.

The prices of the Olympus and the Panasonic adapter do vary from place to place. Norway, as you already know, is not the cheapest country to live in, so buying one of these adapters from a retailer will be something you can best judge.

Here in the UK I bought an Olympus flashgun for my Panasonic G1 back in 2008 because it is electrically identical to the same Panasonic model, and at that time it was cheaper. Now the situation is reversed.

If you are happy to buy online then online stores in the US and Hong Kong are probably the cheapest.
Click to expand...
--
http://blog.thomaslaupstad.com - Photoblog from Northern Norway
http://twitter.com/jungl
 
jungl said:
I really don't need autofocus, but aperture control would be nice. Any idea if that works with the Sigma Four Thirds lenses?
Click to expand...
With the Olympus or Panasonic 4/3 to M4/3 adapters everything works as it should, it's just that some 4/3 lenses will only auto focus slowly due to being designed for the different auto focus method of the DSLRs.
jungl said:
Yeah, I do not mind buying from US or Hong Kong. Got any recommendations on any good sellers in Hong Kong? I prefer to use PayPal. Shops in US seems to have a hard time accepting Paypal for international shipping.
Click to expand...
I suspect businesses may dislike Paypal because their charges may be higher than regular credit card services. Remember that Paypal is owned by eBay and that also is sometimes an unreliable way to do business due to random scammers and thieves on eBay. Usually if something is too cheap then it may be a problem, but not always. Always Google for any complaints or stories about any online seller.

Regards............ Guy
 
Hi,

I'm reviving this thread bc I'm in a similar situation. I currently have my eye on an Oly 4/3 lens that I'd like to mount on my Panny MFT body. I've seen a third party adapter ($80 trusted source) that should do the trick.

My question is about folks' Actual/Personal experience with adapting a 4/3 lens on a M4/3 body.

I'll be very appreciative to hear from you.

Thanks for your time,

Apollo T.
 
Apollo T said:
Oly 70-300 mm FT lens on to Panny Lumix G6.

Thanks for your prompt response
Click to expand...
You should be fine with any good-quality 3rd party adapter, such as Fotodiox. The official Oly MMF-3 has apparently been discontinued and while it's weathersealed, there's no particular reason to have a sealed adapter with a non-sealed lens.

Good luck!

Rick
 
Apollo T said:
Hi,

I'm reviving this thread bc I'm in a similar situation. I currently have my eye on an Oly 4/3 lens that I'd like to mount on my Panny MFT body. I've seen a third party adapter ($80 trusted source) that should do the trick.

My question is about folks' Actual/Personal experience with adapting a 4/3 lens on a M4/3 body.

I'll be very appreciative to hear from you.

Thanks for your time,

Apollo T.
Click to expand...
I had several 4/3 lenses and bought a 3rd party adapter (around $30 on eBay) for each lens. The third party adapters worked OK although one of them seemed to lose contact from camera to lens and I would have to reseat the lens and it would work again.

At the time, I had two Olympus bodies. The EM5ii worked terribly with the adapted 4/3 lenses and I didn't pursue using that camera after that. The EM1 worked reasonably well with the adapted 4/3 lenses. But never as good as native m4/3 lenses.

Eventually, I got tired of using the 4/3 lenses and sold them all.
 
siminona said:
Get the Panasonic one (MA1). It works exactly the same, and costs $105 on Amazon.
jungl said:
I have recently bought an Olympus EPL1 and I would love to use my old Four Third lenses on it (especially the Sigma 150mm macro).

Are there any cheap adapters out there that can make this happen? I have seen that Olympus has made one, but it seems a bit expensive.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
I bought a $20 chinese no name one off amazon. Amazingly it works. I think the weight of the 70-300mm lens sometimes taxes it. It will blackout for a second with that lens. With my 50mm and 12-54 lens I never had an issue. I have had it for a year now. I also have a more expensive Olympus one one. I never have to use it since this one has worked so well. Unlike my bad luck with cheap manual lens adapters not focusing to infinity -- I have a collection of expensive Novoflex manual adapters which all work -- I can say this no name chinese four thirds has does its job really well as well as the Olympus one.

But maybe it is a better idea to get the Panasonic one. Just sharing my experience. Good luck.

EDIT: I make myself laugh. I didn't look at the date of the op! Nevertheless, I will keep it here. I hope this information is helpful for someone.
 
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THANK YOU- @skeeterbytes, @jimH123, @phtograf

I appreciate your time and effort to answer my question. There appear to be adapters that are either electronic (preserving original auto functions) or 'dead' (non-electronic) adapters. The one I mentioned in my OP is a Vello adapter ($80) with contacts to maintain those electronic functions. Another brand is Fotga. This also has contacts- ($30) at Amazon. The price difference is almost too good to be true- and we know the saying is about that! Anyone have experience with Fotga products?

Also, there has arisen a question of AF performance since the Oly lens uses a different AF system than my Panny body. My use will probably be non-taxing-- no BIF, more bird at feeder, duck on lake; possibly some HS sports. I will probably shoot AF + aperture priority most of the time. I'm an amateur, retiree that's re-finding photography

Would this kind of set-up be suitable for my kind of photography?

Thanks
 
Apollo T said:
....... There appear to be adapters that are either electronic (preserving original auto functions) or 'dead' (non-electronic) adapters.
Click to expand...
They are only feed-through contacts, there is no electronics inside the adapters
Apollo T said:
The one I mentioned in my OP is a Vello adapter ($80) with contacts to maintain those electronic functions. Another brand is Fotga. This also has contacts- ($30) at Amazon. The price difference is almost too good to be true- and we know the saying is about that! Anyone have experience with Fotga products?
Click to expand...
I had the cheapest one from China with electric contacts, was around $20 US, and worked just fine. At that low price, you can buy one adapter for every FT lens you have, and leave it permanently attached.

The price difference is reflected in dimensional accuracy, finish and longevity. The cheap Chinese adapters have Aluminum flanges, the Olympus adapter has Stainless Steel flanges. Fotga is just one of many Chinese brands.
Apollo T said:
Also, there has arisen a question of AF performance since the Oly lens uses a different AF system than my Panny body. My use will probably be non-taxing-- no BIF, more bird at feeder, duck on lake; possibly some HS sports. I will probably shoot AF + aperture priority most of the time. I'm an amateur, retiree that's re-finding photography

Would this kind of set-up be suitable for my kind of photography?
Click to expand...
Four Thirds lenses are excruciatingly slow and noisy at auto-focussing, with any m43 camera other than the Olympus cameras with PDAF (that is only the EM1 models and the latest EM5 mk3). All other Olympus and Panasonic cameras will disappoint with old FT lenses (everything will work just fine, just so slow you will miss shots because of it).

PS: note some of the very latest FT lenses (there are about three of them) were said to be CDAF compatible, and should work better on non-PDAF cameras. In my personal experience, this is not true, they are still excruciatingly slow and noisy by today's standards.
 
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I have used - and continue to use - the Viltrox AF adapter for 4/3 to m4/3. Find on Ebay or at Amazon - about $40. Works good. Use on EM1 series cameras or EM5 v iii with PDAF.

Peace.

John
 
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Apollo T said:
THANK YOU- @skeeterbytes, @jimH123, @phtograf

I appreciate your time and effort to answer my question. There appear to be adapters that are either electronic (preserving original auto functions) or 'dead' (non-electronic) adapters. The one I mentioned in my OP is a Vello adapter ($80) with contacts to maintain those electronic functions. Another brand is Fotga. This also has contacts- ($30) at Amazon. The price difference is almost too good to be true- and we know the saying is about that! Anyone have experience with Fotga products?

Also, there has arisen a question of AF performance since the Oly lens uses a different AF system than my Panny body. My use will probably be non-taxing-- no BIF, more bird at feeder, duck on lake; possibly some HS sports. I will probably shoot AF + aperture priority most of the time. I'm an amateur, retiree that's re-finding photography

Would this kind of set-up be suitable for my kind of photography?

Thanks
Click to expand...
The Fotga is a no name Chinese adapter. As I said I have had great luck with mine, but these things vary. It has lasted a year so far. Someone else mentioned the difference in materials. The only issue I have sometimes is with the 70-300mm lens. It blacks out for a second (I think because of weight). There has never been a blackout issue with my other mf lenses with the adapter.

I do not know if it will work on a Panasonic body personally. But others have answered that here I see.

It will be slow for sports if you don't make an effort to anticipate what is coming next. I don't mind the second it takes to focus. I actually never have an issue with AF using these lenses on a MFT camera. But I am not taking 30 shots per sec. I sometimes guess wrong, but anticipation goes a long way. But I plan the point and prep AF for fast moving objects and have been very happy with results. It is not like the way faster new cameras work. But my mind works that way and it is fine.

But yes check for certain your camera will work with these lenses in a good way.

Good luck!
 
I bought the Panasonic adapter in 2010, and later bought the Viltrox adapter. Other than the Panasonic looks like a $100 component, they work the same for me. I've used it originally on Olympus Pen bodies, like the OP, but I've also used it on the EM5 and GX85. It's the only way I can use my FT 70-300.

The FT 70-300 zoom is a $240 lens, you know. That's what I paid for mine 12 years ago, so you're not going to get jaw dropping results. STill, if you keep it steady, you get 300mm on a budget. As you probably know, the lens is not bad in its close up mode. Takes better pictures with bees and bugs than it does with horses.
 
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