Canon EF lens onto 4/3 olympus pen?

CaveDweller

CaveDweller

Messages
1,946
Name
Paul
Edit My Images
Yes
Hello I'm new to this forum and photography and I'm after a bit of advice. I have an Olympus PEN EPL-1 and a Canon EF 75-300mm lens. Is it possible to put the lens on my 4/3 with an adaptor? and if so what would I loose out on, for example obviously autofocus as the adaptors I have been looking at have not got the eletrical connections in, but is there anything else I would miss out on? Also, I'm not too clued up about the crop factors of the different cameras but will the 75-300mm canon lens make a difference on my 4/3 compared to the standard olympus 14/45mm?

Thanks in advance and any help would be appreciated. I'd love to get a bigger lens for my camera and simply can not afford the prices of the olympus 4/3 lenses.

Paul.
 
Hi Paul,

The biggest problem with using EF lenses is that they don't have manual aperture control on them so you would only be able to shoot 'wide open'. Most lenses are at their sharpest when stopped down slightly, particularly the 75-300. As a result, if you're going to use non-m4/3 lenses you're better off using legacy lenses that were designed for fully manual film bodies such as OM Zuiko or Adaptall lenses etc. I use a selection of OM Zuiko lenses on my NEX (and previously on my GF1) and am actually currently selling a 135mm 2.8mm lens on this forum :0)

Cheers
Steve
 
Last edited:
There are loads of adaptors available but make sure you get the right one!

An EPL1 is a Micro Four Thirds (aka m4/3 or MFT) camera, NOT Four Thirds as the OP stated.

Four thirds and MFT have the same sensor size but the lens mount is different.
 
Yeah, that's the only way they can work as EF lens aperture blades are controlled electronically by the EOS body. That's why I rarely used the EF adaptor I had for my GF1 and instead stuck to 'full manual' legacy lenses.

Cheers
Steve
 
Last edited:
Thanks guys, I thought that might be the case. Would anyone be able to point me in the right direction of a nice lens with manual aperture adjustment? I am having to buy second hand and even the olympus micro 4/3 lenses are expensive at that. The cheapest one I have found has dust inside the lens. Aparently it doesn't make a difference the guy said, but I'm not keen.
 
If you want a cheap option, the Canon FD 70-210mm f/4 can be had for about £25 to £50 from dealers like Ffordes (though I've seen some fair-looking working examples go for as little as £2.20 on eBay). It was a very popular lens in its day.

It's a constant aperture f/4 throughout he zoom range and can produce some decent results on m4/3 - here's some examples I've taken with a Panasonic G2

http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=74891768@N00&q=Fd+70-210Mm&m=text

A potential drawback is that it's a One Touch zoom, with one control for both zoom (push-pull) and focusing (turn). You may or may not get on with that. Personally, I'm not such a fan and prefer separate zoom and focus rings, though plenty of people love it.

From my experience, handling anything significantly longer than 200mm without Image Stabilisation on m4/3 really requires a monopod or tripod. Even in good light, holding it steady enough for accurate framing is tricky.

The Vivitar FD 70-210mm f/3.5 Series 1 is worth considering as an alternative.

You'd also need an FD to m4/3 adapter without Image Stabilisation might cost upward of £10.

P.S. i suggest you get a hood if you buy one
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top