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Re: [OM] Difference Between the 50mm Zuiko Lenses

Subject: Re: [OM] Difference Between the 50mm Zuiko Lenses
From: Garth Wood <garth@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2001 10:22:45 -0700
At 11:48 AM 14/11/2001 -0500, David Matteson wrote:
>Hey Guys:
>I am very new to this list, less than one week, and this may be an amateur
>question but can you tell me the significant differences between the 50mm
>Zuiko lenses? I am speaking of three different apertures that I have seen,
>1.2, 1.4, and 1.8. Any help would be appreciated.

Welcome, David.

Well, that's an interesting question.  It's *somewhat* covered in the FAQ, 
which you'll find at

   http://brashear.phys.appstate.edu/lhawkins/photo/olympus.faq

but there's also aesthetic judgments involved.

The 1.8 is available, I believe, in no less than seven different designs over 
its lifetime, the earlier ones being single-coated, the latter ones being 
multi-coated.  Most are considered world-class performers in terms of their 
resolution and contrast abilities.  The very latest design, identifiable by the 
fact that it's the *only* one with the words "Made in Japan" around the outer 
front lens element's retaining ring, is considered the "creme de la creme" of 
the group, though its underlying construction involves plastic in a few areas 
where some would have preferred the metal (brass?) of earlier versions.  It can 
be had used, in good condition, for around $25.00 to about $40.00 U.S.

The 1.4 has both single and multi-coat versions, with the multi-coat being 
generally considered a superior performer to the single-coat, especially with 
serial numbers above 1,100,000.  This one is surprisingly rare, IMHO.  It seems 
to have been, historically, an attempt to provide a bright lens in the 50mm 
range just after the 55mm 1.2 went out of production, though my memory may be 
confused.

The 1.2 is the brightstar of Oly's 50mm line-up, and has good performance, 
although it's a bit soft and has some vignetting wide open (but it's 
indispensable when shooting low available light situations).  It's also 
relatively expensive, has *very* few used examples floating around, and can be 
hard to focus with unless you're using a coarse matte screen.

I own all three designs, and like them all, but in terms of sheer 
bang-for-the-buck, a good used 50mm 1.8 "Made in Japan" lens is almost 
impossible to beat.

Garth


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