E-P1 + Hexanon 57mm f1.2

Started Aug 17, 2009 | Discussions
Brian Mosley Forum Pro • Posts: 20,741
E-P1 + Hexanon 57mm f1.2

Wow, this lens is extremely sharp and no distortion... usually I'd be using it for portrait work, where the bokeh is sublime - but had it with me today in the brilliant sunshine... amazingly, composition and manual focusing was absolutely straightforward with the E-P1's amazingly bright and clear LCD

I tried Capture One 4 with the Olympus colour profiles by Colin, and Lightzone conversion from raw - but came back to Olympus Studio for my absolute favourite colour... especially the reds which are very pleasing to my eye.

I use Lightzone to enhance the shadows and do the sharpening + scaling and conversion for web.

E-P1 + Hexanon 57mm f1.2
1/1600s f/5.6 iso200

1/1600s f/5.6 iso200

1/1250s f/8.0 iso200

C&C Welcome

Kind Regards

Brian
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William Gordon
William Gordon Contributing Member • Posts: 510
Re: E-P1 + Hexanon 57mm f1.2

Brian, I do wish that you would stop posting those awful pictures of English life around as I get good and well upset not being there myself.

Great shots!! I ordered a Pen!!
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OP Brian Mosley Forum Pro • Posts: 20,741
Thanks Bill, and congratulations...

It's a classic camera imho - enjoy!

Cheers

Brian
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nboyer Veteran Member • Posts: 5,135
Re: I Like It...

Brian - Very nice solid colors. I too tried Colin's profile and didn't care for it, seems very washed out and when I increased saturation, well, it just didn't look right. I use mostly CaptureOne 4 with the E-P1, sometimes reverting back to Studio. Thanks for sharing. -Norm

Brian Mosley wrote:

Wow, this lens is extremely sharp and no distortion... usually I'd be using it for portrait work, where the bokeh is sublime - but had it with me today in the brilliant sunshine... amazingly, composition and manual focusing was absolutely straightforward with the E-P1's amazingly bright and clear LCD

I tried Capture One 4 with the Olympus colour profiles by Colin, and Lightzone conversion from raw - but came back to Olympus Studio for my absolute favourite colour... especially the reds which are very pleasing to my eye.

I use Lightzone to enhance the shadows and do the sharpening + scaling and conversion for web.

C&C Welcome

Kind Regards

Brian
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Will2009 Forum Member • Posts: 80
Re: E-P1 + Hexanon 57mm f1.2

Brian Mosley wrote:

Wow, this lens is extremely sharp and no distortion... usually I'd be using it for portrait work, where the bokeh is sublime - but had it with me today in the brilliant sunshine... amazingly, composition and manual focusing was absolutely straightforward with the E-P1's amazingly bright and clear LCD

I tried Capture One 4 with the Olympus colour profiles by Colin, and Lightzone conversion from raw - but came back to Olympus Studio for my absolute favourite colour... especially the reds which are very pleasing to my eye.

I use Lightzone to enhance the shadows and do the sharpening + scaling and conversion for web.

E-P1 + Hexanon 57mm f1.2
1/1600s f/5.6 iso200

1/1600s f/5.6 iso200

1/1250s f/8.0 iso200

C&C Welcome

Kind Regards

Brian
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Love the photos. How much does one of those lenses cost?

Will

Phil Knall Regular Member • Posts: 320
Re: E-P1 + Hexanon 57mm f1.2

Great pictures as always, Brian! I'd been interested in classic lenses before, but you really shoved me over the edge with your posts.
What's the closest you can go sharp with that combination?

OP Brian Mosley Forum Pro • Posts: 20,741
I like to shoot portraits at f1.8

Hi Phil,

Phil Knall wrote:

Great pictures as always, Brian! I'd been interested in classic lenses before, but you really shoved me over the edge with your posts.
What's the closest you can go sharp with that combination?

the only problem with shooting wide open is the narrow depth of field - I like to shoot portraits at f1.8 where I get the speed advantage and enough dof in sharp focus to be noticable. f2 is very sharp - I must get some more portraits to show.

Thanks for dropping by - it's worth doing your research on ideal legacy lenses, take your time and don't bother with poor condition optics in any form (these are 30+ years old). I must get along to some photo fairs and see what I can find.

Cheers

Brian
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OP Brian Mosley Forum Pro • Posts: 20,741
Legacy lenses can be superb value for money...

I kept an eye on e-bay for a few months and built up a collection, but it's probably a good idea to look for photo fairs and other dealers.

I'd expect to pay (if lucky a lot) less than £50 for common type lenses, and upto £300 for an extremely rare/mint condition lens. This lens is very rare, and I think possibly around £250 - which I personally find is extremely good value for money.

Cheers

Brian
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OP Brian Mosley Forum Pro • Posts: 20,741
Thanks Norm, red seems to be a difficult colour...

For third party converters to match - Olympus colour is wonderful... and now that I'm used to Olympus Studio I can just about live with the slow speed.

Cheers

Brian
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Logjohnf New Member • Posts: 19
Re: Legacy lenses can be superb value for money...

Hi Brian and others, I picked up my Hexanon 57mm f1.2 at a Sunday photo mart in Perth for AUD120. It has been well used and cared for and is in very good condition. Have also managed to acquire a 40mm f1.8 and an as new 135mm f2,5. Am still coming to grips with their capabilities. Some time, if ever, before I could challenge Brian's results.
Cheers John F

nboyer Veteran Member • Posts: 5,135
Re: Colour vs. Detail...

...that is my dilemma between Olympus Studio (colour) and CaptureOne 4 (detail). I've pretty much settled on CaptureOne 4 as my standard converter for E-P1 files although every now and again I'll open up Studio. -Norm

Brian Mosley wrote:

For third party converters to match - Olympus colour is wonderful... and now that I'm used to Olympus Studio I can just about live with the slow speed.

Cheers

Brian
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OP Brian Mosley Forum Pro • Posts: 20,741
For maximum detail from Olympus Studio...

Hi Norm,

I convert with -2 contrast, -2 sharpness and then enrich shadows and sharpen using Lightzone.

If you have a raw file which you get much better detail from Capture One 4, I'd be happy to do an illustration.

Kind Regards

Brian
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aroundomaha
aroundomaha Senior Member • Posts: 2,275
Helpful and innovative as always

Nice stuff Brian (as always).

Love seeing these unique combinations that the u43 platform allows people to explore. Seeing the new G11 specs just reinforces the creativeness that Panasonic and Olympus have made possible with this platform.
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