Hey all,
I'm new to the group so I'll introduce myself briefly. I'm an advanced
amateur living in a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio (actually across the river in
Northern Kentucky) USA. My first 35 was a Miranda Sensorex (which sported a
shutter release on the front of the right side- not on top. It sounds
strange but it was quite natural to squeeze the body, releasing the
shutter.)
From there, I bought an early OM-1 (before they were MD capable). The meter
died so I bought an OM-2, used. My favorite body though is the OM-PC
because it has LEDs in the finder which is indispensable for taking concert
pictures. A sample photo is at
http://www.jonimitchell.com/BSNTourReports/PineKnobBSNTourReport.html
Since none of my bodies has a spot meter capability, I set the PC to
underexpose by 2/3 stop. This keeps the subject from being a blocked up
highlight.
I now have these Zuiko lenses:
28mm f/2.8
50mm f/1.8
50mm f/3.5 Macro
100mm f/2.8
200mm f/4
In addition I have a Sigma 400mm. I have found the 100 to be noticeably
sharper than the rest. The 50 normal and macro are acceptably sharp. I
must admit though, that I've never produced a razor sharp image at any
aperture with the 28 or 200.
I asked John if he thinks that the 28 might have a repairable problem
(there's no rattle, no sign of damage, I've never dropped it) but he
suggested that it's inherently harder to focus wides especially when it's
not a speed demon like the f/2.8. The last time I used the 28, I was in
full sunlight and chose an aperture near f/8 for maximum sharpness. My
subject was sitting in a chair, so I had ample time to focus carefully. I
noticed that it never "snapped" into focus. I could turn the focusing ring
through a 2 or 3 mm arc, without the focusing screen getting any better or
worse. I ended up centering the ring in the middle of the range of
uncertainty but the resulting 4" x 6" glossy print was just not sharp enough
to warrant an enlargement to 8x12. I've looked at test results of this lens
on various sites and there's a variation among results. I was considering
upgrading to the f/2 model of this focal length but apparently, the extra
money goes into a close-focusing refinement- and I don't use a 28mm at close
distance. Anyway, do I have a poor example of this lens? I have no trouble
focusing the 100 f/2.8 in full sunlight. (I am 45 though, so my focusing
ability may be waning.)
Would it help to "bracket" the focus or is it just a mediocre lens?
Jim Lamadoo