Micro 4/3 Never Say Never

kevistopheles

Top Veteran
When I bought my E-M10 I was adamant that I would NEVER shoot adapted lenses on it. It was going to be my little go everywhere AF camera and I paired it up with a P20 and P14. I mean how in the world could I even think of using adapted lenses with the 2x crop factor and the terrible focus peaking? Fast forward three months... today my Sony had a dead battery and I decided to throw an adapted lens on the Olympus to grab a quick shot.

25089639459_4533602bef_b.jpg

and so it begins
by kevin dixey, on Flickr

So here I am with a Konica 40/1.8 and my E-M10, and loving the images (and to be honest I had been a bit underwhelmed by the images up until now). I guess I need to rethink the whole no adapted lenses on the E-M10 thing.

DOH!!!
 
Last edited:
Old legacy glass can do wonderful stuff that native glass doesn't. They were'n't made for digital sensors, and sometimes, depending on the lens and what you want from it, the post processing can be different, but I have older lenses that I love as much or more on my E-M5 or Fuji X-pro as when I shot them on film. And (shhhhh, don't tell) they can just be fun to use.

Here's one with a 1946 Leitz Elmar 90mm f4, shot a while back with my E-P2. I think the oof rendering of this lens is gorgeous.
P4180590-XL.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
 
Last edited:
Old legacy glass can do wonderful stuff that native glass doesn't. They were'n't made for digital sensors, and sometimes, depending on the lens and what you want from it, the post processing can be different, but I have older lenses that I love as much or more on my E-M5 or Fuji X-pro as when I shot them on film. And (shhhhh, don't tell) they can just be fun to use.

Here's one with a 1946 Leitz Elmar 90mm f4, shot a while back with my E-P2. I think the oof rendering of this lens is gorgeous.
P4180590-XL.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

Lovely shot...I have been shooting adapted only for years and I love it. I have a thing for Minolta lenses and used them on my Sony and on my Fuji when I shot an X-E1. When I bought the E-M10 I was determined to go AF only but I just found I didn't really care for the images I was getting from my Panasonic lenses. They are fine quality lenses to be sure but I just really prefer the look I get from my old adapted glass. I have a Canon 50/1.4 SSC that has absolutely gorgeous OOF backgrounds. I think the biggest surprise I had was that the E-M10 (even with pretty weak focus peaking) was remarkably adept at doing the whole MF thing.
 
And magnified view in EVF? Is it big, clear and precise enough to get a solid percentage of "manual keepers"? I've been shooting adapted lenses on my little Nex 3 just by using magnified view on the screen. But it would be nice if I could do the same but in EVF.

And lovely shots, both.
 
It really does, so much so that I put both of my native lenses up for sale.

No! Don't do that. Those are great lenses, and IIRC you moved to AF for certain reasons. No reason you can't keep all the lenses around!

Also, 14/20/40 is a great setup.

Nice pic, btw.
 
No! Don't do that. Those are great lenses, and IIRC you moved to AF for certain reasons. No reason you can't keep all the lenses around!

Also, 14/20/40 is a great setup.

Nice pic, btw.

I have the 14 sold. I bought the E-M10 to be a compact AF kit but I really wasn't using the 14. It's a nice lens but not really worth it if it sits on the shelf. I'm not giving up on AF just perhaps a slightly different combo.
 
And magnified view in EVF? Is it big, clear and precise enough to get a solid percentage of "manual keepers"? I've been shooting adapted lenses on my little Nex 3 just by using magnified view on the screen. But it would be nice if I could do the same but in EVF.

And lovely shots, both.

Prior to this I would have said that magnified view wouldn't be as nice as focus peaking on my Sony but I was wrong. It actually works quite well. It's different and if I had to pick I would stay that I am probably a bit faster and more accurate with the Sony but that is likely just having more familiarity with it. Then again I have some scarring on my retina (causing some blurry patches) making magnification a bit more problematic for me but it still worked pretty well.
 
If you've sold the 14, keep that 20 at least. The 40mm eqv. is problably my favorite field of view if I'm walking around with one lens. It turns almost any of the m43 cameras into a compact kit, and although it isn't as contrasty as the PL25 or Olympus 25 (don't know about the new economy Pannie, as I've not tried it), I, in fact, prefer its rendering. The micro-contrast on some of the other native lenses in the normal range can get a little harsh for my taste. Anyway there's a reason that the Pannie 20 became a "must have" m43 lens very soon after its release. As for its "slow" autofocus; I'll bet it's faster than you are using legacy glass. I love a lot of my legacy glass on digital, but once you figure in the adapters, it's hard to get a kit as small as a camera with any of the native pancakes. Exception, though, the Leica 90 is about 1 inch across and maybe four inches, the adapter adds less than a half inch. For its focal length, it's pretty damned small.
 
If you've sold the 14, keep that 20 at least. The 40mm eqv. is problably my favorite field of view if I'm walking around with one lens. It turns almost any of the m43 cameras into a compact kit, and although it isn't as contrasty as the PL25 or Olympus 25 (don't know about the new economy Pannie, as I've not tried it), I, in fact, prefer its rendering. The micro-contrast on some of the other native lenses in the normal range can get a little harsh for my taste. Anyway there's a reason that the Pannie 20 became a "must have" m43 lens very soon after its release. As for its "slow" autofocus; I'll bet it's faster than you are using legacy glass. I love a lot of my legacy glass on digital, but once you figure in the adapters, it's hard to get a kit as small as a camera with any of the native pancakes. Exception, though, the Leica 90 is about 1 inch across and maybe four inches, the adapter adds less than a half inch. For its focal length, it's pretty damned small.

The P14 is gone and that's fine by me. It's not that I dislike either lens (they're both terrific) I wasn't using the P14 at all and like the images I'm getting from my adapted lenses a lot more. If I'm not using something I'd rather turn it into something I will use. That said, I can see the sense of keeping the P20. It's a focal length I really like as well.
 
Last edited:
I will keep some AF lens with the E-M10, whether it's the P20 or I sell it and go out and pick up something like the O17/1.8 remains to be seen. It's not like this is a burning issue for me. I'm just pleased to be getting images I like.
 
Last edited:
After one lens "bit the dust", (14-42), the wife and I have 3 cameras, with only 2 lenses. The G1 is naked. The wife has the P20 on her GF5, and won't give it up. I have the OM 50 on my EM5. Between us we pretty much have things covered, for general photography. The 100mm equiv. is sometimes a bit too tight, but the rendering, that I get from the old 50 is great. (Oh, and I got it for $5.00 at a indoor flea market! It is a beautiful lens.). Focusing through the EVF is fine, if you are not in too much of a hurry. Yes, I intend to get another AF lens, eventually. But, the old OM is not going anywhere.
 
After one lens "bit the dust", (14-42), the wife and I have 3 cameras, with only 2 lenses. The G1 is naked. The wife has the P20 on her GF5, and won't give it up. I have the OM 50 on my EM5. Between us we pretty much have things covered, for general photography. The 100mm equiv. is sometimes a bit too tight, but the rendering, that I get from the old 50 is great. (Oh, and I got it for $5.00 at a indoor flea market! It is a beautiful lens.). Focusing through the EVF is fine, if you are not in too much of a hurry. Yes, I intend to get another AF lens, eventually. But, the old OM is not going anywhere.

The OM50 is a lovely lens. I can see the rendering of the OM50 being a real nice match with the E-M5. I
 
Back
Top