It’s Macro SmackDown! If the cost were the same, which Olympus macro lens would you buy for your Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera, the 60mm f/2.8 or the 30mm f/3.5? We shot with both and came to a conclusion that might surprise you.
Olympus just announced the M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS Pro for Micro Four Thirds systems. Shutterbug has obtained an early sample and is currently preparing a full review. In the meantime, here’s a rundown on this exciting new lens.
Bird, wildlife and nature photographers may have found another tool to add to their arsenal. Olympus just announced the Olympus M.ZUIKO Digital ED 300mm f4.0 IS PRO lens for Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras at the CES 2016 show in Las Vegas today. This new 300mm is a compact super telephoto lens offering a high level of image quality in a splashproof and dustproof build.
Olympus has introduced two new premium M.ZUIKO Digital PRO lenses: the M.ZUIKO Digital ED 7-14mm f2.8 PRO lens (an ultra-wide-angle zoom with a 35mm equivalent focal length of 14-28mm) and the M.ZUIKO Digital ED 8mm Fisheye PRO lens, (f/1.8 aperture, with a minimum working distance of just 2.5cm).
The M.ZUIKO Digital ED 7-14mm f2.8 PRO is ideal for wide-angle shooting in any weather condition. It includes weather sealing in 11 locations, enabling use in rain and snow or even on the beach—facing the hazards of ocean spray and dust. At just under 19 ounces, the M.ZUIKO Digital ED 7-14mm f2.8 PRO is about 45 percent lighter than similar lenses.
The big news from Olympus this morning was the introduction of their new flagship mirrorless camera, the OM-D EM-1 Mark II. But the company had more in store with the launch of the compact Pen E-PL8 mirrorless camera and three new lenses.
Olympus took the wraps off a new version of its OM-D E-M1 mirrorless, compact system camera at photokina this morning and this Micro Four Thirds-based model now features a new silver look and is loaded with updated firmware designed to help studio photographers. Olympus also debuted the new M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 40-150mm f2.8 PRO lens at the show.
When I first heard about a 35mm focal length macro lens my mouth began to water. The $229 price tag was an immediate inducement, as were the compactness and lightweight of this glass. What threw me, though, was the focal length. Because this was in the new Four Thirds System for an Olympus digital SLR (the EVOLT E-300 was used for this test), focal length doubled to 70mm. A 70mm...
It’s now widely appreciated that many great old lenses of the analog era can capture images that have that elusive quality known as character. Writers of the early 20th century tried to express these qualities by describing them as “rounded” “luminous” or “plastic” rendition, but later writers and scientists dismissed such terms as imprecise and speculative, turning to resolution and later MTF testing to quantify lens performance parameters.
I’ve shot thousands of pictures with hundreds of great lenses over the past 40+ years, but these seven have a special place in my heart. That’s because they capture beautiful images that have “the look”—an elusive quality that may be a combination of excellent detail and sharpness plus a natural roundness in their rendition. It’s not bokeh exactly—that refers to smooth transitions and shape retention in the out-of-focus areas of the image—although these lenses all have gorgeous bokeh as well.
Professional photographers live by their lenses—they know they’re one of the keys to capturing high-quality images. That’s why they often spend thousands of dollars for a lens that’s optimized for their type of shooting, or gives them an edge over their competitors. But is it possible for serious photo enthusiasts without deep pockets or a business write-off to acquire lenses that deliver professional caliber imaging performance for a lot less money?
To say that the Panasonic Lumix GH5 is versatile is an understatement. The long-awaited follow-up to the GH4, which was beloved by photographers and videographers alike, the GH5 takes the roots of its predecessor and expands on them.
Lensbaby Spark: This lens is ideal for young enthusiasts, students or beginner photographers who want to break out of traditional photography. The Spark is a fun, affordable way to capture selective focus images with your DSLR camera. It features a unique selective focus optic and a tilting lens body—allowing users to capture creative images in-camera that have a sweet spot of focus surrounded by blur. It is an all plastic (except for multi-coated glass doublet optic) 50mm selective focus lens with a f/5.6 fixed aperture made for use with for Canon and Nikon DSLRs. Spark is compatible with the rest of the optics in the Optic Swap System, and with all Lensbaby 37mm threaded accessory lenses. The suggested retail price is $89.95.
Why would anyone in their right mind want to use old lenses on their shiny new high-performance DSLR or mirrorless camera? The simple answer is that some older lenses can capture images that have that elusive quality known as character.
Panasonic has announced the new Lumix G 42.5mm/F1.7 ASPH./POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilization) (equivalent: 85 mm) and the Lumix G Macro 30mm/ F2.8 ASPH. / MEGA O.I.S. (equivalent: 60mm) lenses. Both lenses are designed for Panasonic’s Micro Four Thirds camera systems.