Olympus-OM
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [OM] F.Zuiko ... on 300mm f4.5

Subject: Re: [OM] F.Zuiko ... on 300mm f4.5
From: Gary Schloss <schloss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 1998 18:25:45 -0800
Ulf Westerberg wrote, and several other alarmed Zuiks seconded:

>Gary Schloss wrote:
>>
>>Unless your lens also has "MC" inscribed on its rim (unlikely!),
>>it's single-coated. [...]
>>My own 300/f4.5 is serial #1113xx, and it's still SC.
>
>
>Hmm, mine is serial 1106xx and, as you say, it is phenomenal. I was
>absolutely sure it was a MC-version (has purple tint, can't really say
>about the green) because of it's performance. But why are all MC 300's
>marked MC? Is a brand-new 300/4.5 marked MC?

Hey, there is little cause for alarm. As someone had observed, when
Olympus started using the new multi-coating formula, it dropped the
designation x.Zuiko, where: x = number of elements, AND also marked
the new batches with "MC", to differentiate them from the existing
non-MC inventories. Eventually all Zuiko lens production turned MC,
and the MC moniker was dropped.

In summary, if your lens doesn't have the x.Zuiko in its name, you
should assume it's MC. If however your lens has BOTH the x.Zuiko AND
the MC moniker, then it may be a rarity (collectible?).

To clarify multi-coating: Olympus adopted an MC formulation very
similar, maybe even identical, to the original schema developed
by Asahi Pentax and known as SMC (Super-Multi-Coating). All other
companies use very similar processes, but use many different names
for them: NIC - for Nikon, BBAR - for Tamron, VMC - for Vivitar
Series 1, RMC - for Tokina, HMC - for Hoya, T* - for Carl Zeiss,
ML - for Yashica, etc. Surprisingly enough, no manufacturer came
up with a name that would aptly make up the acronym HYPE. :-)

Here is an excerpt from something I wrote offline on the subject:

# Since the early to mid-50's, all lenses were coated but technically
# -- not multi-coated. The early models had the so-called "amber
# coating" which was single color and worked well with B&W film.
#
# Later, two different color coats were used: the yellow-amber and
# the blue-purple-pink -- exact hues differ from make to make. This
# combo supposedly worked to better correct color dispersions.

I believe that all non-MC Zuikos fall in this 2nd category.

IMHO, any insomnia caused by the MC/non-MC issue is a result of a
conspiracy designed to increase the sales of sleeping pills. :-)

Cheers,


/Gary Schloss.
Studio City, CA
schloss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx



############################################################
| This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List
| To receive the Digest version mailto:listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
|    with "subscribe olympus-digest" in the message body.
| To unsubscribe from the current list mailto:listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
|    with "unsubscribe olympus" in the body.
| For questions mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
| Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html
############################################################


<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Sponsored by Tako
Impressum | Datenschutz