I called by a local photo dealer this morning to buy film and was
charmed into trying out an OM3T with a 35/80 f2.8 zoom up front. For the
price I could have bought a pretty good used car and had change
leftover.
But wow ............that was the first time I had handled or indeed even
seen a 35/80 f2.8 Zuiko zoom. No kidding, it looks and feels like a
Leitz product. Not that Zuiko lenses don't have a nice feel to them but
this 35/80 definitely felt different from any other Zuiko lens I have
handled. It was heavy and felt to be solidly built, was very smooth in
turning and had the feeling of absolute precision. Through the 3T's
viewfinder the frame was about as bright and clear as that through a M
rangefinder and definitely brighter than anything I have for my 4T.
I was also charmed into trying out an OM4 with Olympus bellows and rails
and a 50/1.4. The magnification was a bit better than I get with my
50/3.5 macro! The store manager thought I might like to remove the
50/1.4 and try the dedicated 20mm/f2 macro lens on the bellows he also
had in the used department. I'll try another day!
The bright spot in the whole proceedings was that I forgot to buy film
but did manage to find myself fifteen minutes ahead of a gentlemen who
had travelled four or five hours to buy the 85mm / f2 MC Zuiko with
original metal hood that was sitting in the dealer's used department. I
knew that there had been a purpose in visiting the photo dealer this
morning 'cause I stepped away with a virtually pristine 85/2 for a very
good price.
I can not recall there being very much discussion about the 85/2 and am
wondering why this is the case. Gary Reese's lens test data gives the
85/2 good ratings and I find that 80 and 90mm focal lengths are a good
middle ground between normal and short telephoto lenses .... plus the f2
aperture is fast enough for low light photography.
John Hudson
Vancouver, BC
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