G. Reese on 08/20/01 wrote:
"Perhaps 9 months ago, I posted the exact differences of the two
versions to the OM List. I'm unable to retrieve that information. If
anyone has it, please repost to the List."
and here is G. Reese (and Chris B.'s) description from 04/04/01 (not
quite 9 month old):
"Chris B. asks about the the >500,000 version:
I found that the aperture closes slightly when I select the aperture to
smaller than 3.5. Once it has closed slightly, probably to 4.5) it
remais constant throughout the aperture or zoom range. On the other
hand, when I zoom it with 3.5 selected, the aperture does not appear to
change in size - i.e. from 3.5 to 4.5. Does the one you are testing do
that?"
...
GR's reply:
"Here are some other differences:
<500,000 = 16.3 oz., 106mm long (extended), 86mm long (retracted),
focusing grip 42mm wide, infrared focusing dots (red) above aperture
ring and below 105 on distance scale barrel, no variable aperture dot,
rear element flat and nearly flush with back of lens.
>500,000 = 16.7 oz., 107mm long (extended), 87mm long (retracted),
focusing grip 38mm wide, no infrared focusing dots, variable
aperture dot (white) between 3.5 and 5.6 on aperture ring, rear element
recessed and convex."
and here are my own visual inspection data:
There seems a design change, probably reflecting the jump of S/N from
15xxxx to 50xxxx sometimes around late 1985/early 1986 (only one
intermediate S/N mentioned: 324517; this is probably a reading error
from
Steven Read on which web-site this number was posted end of Dec. 2000):
the 1xxxxx lenses have a (nearly) flat rear element (r>600mm) which sits
in line with the rear end of the tubus. The 50xxxx rear element has a
convex curvature (r~ +50mm) and is 4mm recessed into the tubus (at 35mm
setting). The back element seems to have gotten another MC formulation
(old: more greenish; new: more pink); front element in both cases seems
the same, also the curvature of the front glass (r ca. +300mm) seems
identical. All Olympus literature checked mentions a 16/12 design; all
figures incl. the cross-section in the OM system lens handbook (1984)
and hnz's eSIF show the 1xxxxx version (as judged from the curvature of
the rear element). On the outside, both lens types differ in the
following: old (1xxxxx) have a red engraved dot just below the "105"
reading of the green focal length scale, and a short white bar below the
"35", both absent in the new (50xxxx). The old has a small red engraved
dot left (from the camera side) of the white line adjacent to the f-stop
reading, absent in the newer lenses. The newer lenses have a white dot
on the f-stop scale separating 3.5/5.6 probably indicating f/4, but both
have no click-stop there. The rubber coat of the focus/zoom collar is
46mm wide for the old vs. 41mm for the new lens, making the width of the
rim with "m/ft" numbers 7mm (old) and 11mm (new) wide. Regarding these
changes in appearance, all Olympus literature checked shows the old type
(incl. the 10/92 silver OM System brochure; again recycling of 1983
pictures). The weight of my lenses is 464g/16.37 oz. (old) vs.
461g/16.26 oz. (new) (note that GR's samples have a greater weight
difference and the other way around).
On this list were/are speculations that the published lens design, the
optical data, dimensions and appearance make it extremely similar to the
Tokina 35-105/3.5-4.5 RMC lens. People have speculated that it was
out-contracted from Oly to Tokina. However, the Zuiko lenses (at least
from S/N S/N 106410 on) have the Olympus-characteristic 4-digit code at
the rear of the lens (S/N 104784 doesn't have this code suggesting it
was build in 1982?). If there were any Tokina/Olympus connection, it
seems more likely, that Olympus has build them under licence of Tokina.
Again, one lens example where I would like to see a parts diagram/
parts number sheet. I would not be surprised if the 5xx,xxx series
might even not be a 16/12 design.
Konrad
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