macrophotography with Olympus OM lenses

see also:

• macrophotography
• Olympus OM system
• Olympus E330 and macrophotography
• my macro photos
• see my photos using the OM 50mm F3.5 on Olympus dSLR
• on the web:
  • Alan Wood's article on OM macrophotography and microphotography
  • Alan Wood's article on the OM bellows
  • Alan Wood's article on the OM slide copier
  • Jan Steinman's tests of OM Macro lenses

NB. When these lenses are used on 4/3rds dSLRs or Micro Four Thirds system, the 2x crop factor of these sensors gives a field of view half of that when used on a OM 35mm SLR. Have an advantage over Zuiko Digital macro lenses in that the manual focus mechanism is easier to use, but the aperture must be manually stopped down prior to image being taken.

NB. when used on Olympus dSLR's with image stabiliser built-in, these lenses can now also use the IS, although IS is not as effective in macro use.

• these are manual diaphragms that need to be preset on both OM and 4/3rds.
• these have no inbuilt focusing mechanism
• Olympus Zuiko 20mm f/3.5 OM preset lens:
  • designed for 4.3x (5.6×8.4mm at 21mm working distance) to 12.4x (1.9×2.9mm at 18mm working distance) magnification on OM cameras.
  • see http://www.alanwood.net/photography/olympus/macro-lens-20-35.html
• Olympus Zuiko 38mm f/3.5 OM preset lens:
  • designed for 1.8x (13x20mm at 46mm working distance) to 6x (4x6mm at 32mm working distance) magnification on OM cameras.
  • see http://www.alanwood.net/photography/olympus/macro-lens-38-35.html
  • see also:
    • http://www.a1.nl/phomepag/markerink/microlen.htm

• Olympus Zuiko 80mm f/4 OM preset lens:
  • designed for 0.26x (91x137mm at 347mm working distance) to 2.3x (10.4×15.7mm at 78mm working distance) magnification on OM cameras.
  • It is possible to mount the lens directly on a camera, but it cannot be focused.
  • It was the first lens from any manufacturer that was designed for life-size reproduction with a 35mm SLR camera.
  • see http://www.alanwood.net/photography/olympus/macro-lens-80-4m.html

• requiring double cable release on OM cameras to set diaphragm, but on dSLRs have to manually set diaphragm
• these have an inbuilt focusing mechanism
• Olympus Zuiko Auto-Macro 20mm f/2:
  • designed for 5.3x (at 20mm working distance) to 13.5x ( at 18mm working distance) magnification on OM cameras with bellows.
  • when used with the OM 65-116 auto tube, gives 6.8x to 9.5x magnification.
  • special 49mm thread for ring flashes.
  • see http://www.alanwood.net/photography/olympus/macro-lens-20-2.html
• Olympus Zuiko Auto-Macro 38mm f/2.8:
  • designed for 2.3x (at 45mm working distance) to 6.7x ( at ~38mm working distance) magnification on OM cameras.
  • when used with the OM 65-116 auto tube, gives 3.1x to 4.5x magnification at 38-42mm working distance.
  • special 49mm thread for ring flashes.
  • see http://www.alanwood.net/photography/olympus/macro-lens-38-28.html
• Olympus Zuiko Auto-Macro 80mm f/4:
  • designed for 0.2x (at 932mm working distance) to 2.2x ( at 82mm working distance) magnification on OM cameras.
  • 49mm thread for ring flashes.
  • the rear of the lens extends beyond the bayonet lens mount, so it is not possible to mount the lens directly on a camera.
  • when used with the OM 65-116 auto tube, gives 0.45x to 1.2x magnification at 114-222mm working distance.
  • can also be used with extension tubes of at least 32mm
  • can be used with bellows and slide copier and full width of slide can be imaged on a APS-C sized sensor camera or larger
  • this may be very useful on an Olympus dSLR giving 0.9x to 2.4x magnification.
  • see http://www.alanwood.net/photography/olympus/macro-lens-80-4a.html
• Olympus Zuiko Auto-Macro 135mm f/4.5:
  • designed for 0.2x (at ??mm working distance) to 1x ( 24x36mm at 230mm working distance) magnification on OM cameras.
  • 55mm thread for ring flashes.
  • the rear of the lens extends beyond the bayonet lens mount, so it is not possible to mount the lens directly on a camera.
  • see http://www.alanwood.net/photography/olympus/macro-lens-135-45.html

• these function as do usual OM lenses but with macro performance
• Olympus Zuiko Auto-macro 50mm f/3.5:
  • one of the more commonly available OM macro lenses on Ebay, usually selling for $A150-300
  • the first macro lens for a 35mm camera that incorporated floating elements
  • designed for optimum performance at a magnification of ×0.1, and the floating elements minimise the aberrations that would normally be expected at higher and lower magnifications
  • range w/o attachments on 35mm: 0.1x to 0.5x (half life size)
  • 49mm filter;
  • requires a 25mm extension tube for 1:1 macro on 35mm cameras.
  • this may be very useful on an Olympus dSLR with a 25mm tube giving up to 2x magnification.
  • recessed front lens acts as lens hood.
  • see my photos using the OM 50mm F3.5 on Olympus dSLR
  • http://www.alanwood.net/photography/olympus/macro-lens-50-35.html
• Olympus Zuiko Auto-macro 50mm f/2.0:
  • The lens was designed for optimum performance at a magnification of ×0.1, and the floating elements minimise the aberrations that would normally be expected at higher and lower magnifications.
  • This was the first 50mm macro lens from any manufacturer to feature an f/2 maximum aperture, a feature that helps to keep the viewfinder bright even at full extension;
  • as with the f/3.5 lens, it is 1:2 macro (half life size)
  • 55mm filter;
• Olympus Zuiko Auto-macro 90mm f/2.0:
  • This was the first macro lens in the 90–105 mm range from any manufacturer to feature an f/2 maximum aperture.
  • The lens was designed for optimum performance at a magnification of ×0.1
  • it is 1:2 macro (half life size)
  • 55mm filter;
  • http://www.biofos.com/cornucop/omz_e1.html
  • http://www.alanwood.net/photography/olympus/macro-lens-90-2.html
  • http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/olympusom1n2/shared/zuiko/htmls/macrozuikoE.htm