--- Clemente Colayco <litefoot@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I have just bought on ebay a used IS 3 with both the 28 wide
and B 300 1.7X
I've been wanting one of those B300 adapters...
There is a certain softness to the
images I just
cannot define common to these autofocus toys.
What gives? I just seem to like the sharpness I get from the
good old
zuikos.
I have found that the IS-3 is slightly less sharp than the IS-1,
but still has an excellent lens. It is possible that the focus
needs calibration. Granted, several focal lengths tend to be
slightly soft, but not horribly so. and I'm still not sure how
the macro function alters the lens in the IS-3, but I learned
from the IS-1 NOT to use macro mode when shooting non-macro
subjects.
The standard ESP Program mode is less than steller for my
purposes since I prefer a bit more DOF. Therefore, I almost
always use the camera in Aperture Priority Mode set at F8. I'll
vary a stop either way, but for family stuff, the "F8 and Be
there" rule applies most of the time. Of course, I use the G40
flash quite a bit, but if I'm just using the pop-up flash I'll
typically set the lens at F6.7.
Film selection DOES make a difference with the IS-3, too. I
usually shoot Fuji 100 print film ($1 per roll at Wal-Mart with
coupon). Results are nice and saturated, sharp, relatively
grain-free, but skin-tones are slightly washed out in comparison
to Kodak. I've shot Kodachrome 64 in the IS-3 that has resulted
in extremely sharp pictures. Kodak Gold-200 and 400 (or
whatever it's called this week) results in softer pictures, but
I believe it to be an emulsion thing. Kodak Portra films are
much better. This also pans out the same with my OM cameras
too, but the IS-3 seems to amplify the problem somehow. Must be
the columinated light path of the lens.
Bokeh of the IS-3's lens is completely different than our Zuiko
primes too. Often times we are making sharpness judgements on
our lenses because of how the bokeh is or the 3D quality of the
pictures. This is one reason why I haven't found a replacement
for my ancient 100/2.8. Absolute sharpness of the lens might be
lower than the IS-3, but the apparent sharpness is substantially
higher.