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Re: [OM] Lense evaluation

Subject: Re: [OM] Lense evaluation
From: Jim Brokaw <jbrokaw@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 24 May 2003 13:03:04 -0700
Jamie -- I agree with you regarding the age of Olympus' lens designs...
Olympus designed very cutting-edge, state-of-the-art lenses... for the
1970's and 1980's. To believe that lens design technique has not improved
since then would be naive. While some Olympus lens designs have barely been
challenged since their debut (180/2.0, 250/2.8 come to mind) others have
been matched and exceeded since then.

While I don't particularly care for the increased trend of using plastic in
lens construction, duplicating many modern lens designs, especially zooms,
in machined metal would have those lenses priced in the Leica stratosphere.

Olympus incorporated plastic in the construction of many of the more recent
designs, both in the late OM series lenses and certainly in the IS-series
and more recent digicams... the worst weakness of the IS-3 is that the lens
is plastic, the least bump or drop can cause uneconomic repair costs. But
that same lens in a metal OM mount (oh, we can wish...!) would probably cost
$3000...

I don't think any OM lenses used aspherical elements; until the technology
for precision-molding glass evolved to its current state aspherical elements
were prohibitively costly (even for the 'big whites'...) and while some OM
designs use ED or exotic glass elements, most were just 'plain' optical
glass.

I hope that the 4/3 lenses will be current, modern, multi-aspherical element
designs, and mostly metal construction. If Olympus is going to position it
as a 'pro-grade' camera, they will need to be spectacular lenses, and
solidly constructed as well.

I've a couple of consumer-grade Sigma lenses, in C*non EF mount, and while
they are completely plastic, the glass is good and the images satisfactory.
I won't give them any drop test, though...
-- 

Jim Brokaw
OM-'s of all sorts, and no OM-oney...




on 5/22/03 2:18 PM, Jamie Costello at jcostel1168@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> Boris:
> 
> You are right.   Although we occasionally lapse into
> "It's-nothing-if-it's-not-Zuiko (or Tokina ATX ... or Tamron SP ... or Viv
> Ser. 1, or ...)", there ARE other lenses out there.  Our beloved Zuikos are
> old ... nice designs for sure, but aging.   My understanding is that they
> use low-dispersion glass and asph designs verrrry sparingly.   I have seen
> some absolutely wonderful photos with Sigma lenses.  A local camera repair
> place here complains that they see more Sigma lenses with autofocus
> problems.  On our OM's though, this isn't a problem.   Enjoy your find ... I
> would.
> 
> Jamie
> Fort Myers, FL


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