Four thirds.....

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David
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Hey ya guys. It says " No question too silly or basic.." So here goes (y)

I have an Olympus E-420 DSLR and im on the look out for a new lens for it, I'm mainly into shooting static car pictures. A friend of mine uses a (his words) fixed 50mm lens and i absolutley love the results he gets with pictures so i would like to get one.

Now, with regards to the four thirds system as a new photographer im lost when looking for compatible lenses for my camera so im asking for help guys as my recent visit to Jessops turned out pointless due to a miserable member of staff seemed really hacked off that i didnt know what four thirds meant and made me feel really stupid so i just left !!!! :bang:

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Dave x
 
hey, yeah you should have posted this in the equipment section but I'm sure I can help you out.

Four Thirds lenses are stupidly priced and they don't even have a 50mm I don't think. Not many shops stock them now, it's the same as Pentax lenses they are rarely stocked in places and you'll have to hunt on the web to find them.

websites such as WEX and digital rev normally stock Olympus lenses but like I say, you'll have a heart attack after looking at the prices unfortunately.
 
What is it you like about his pictures? What format camera is he using it on? The usual distinguishing feature of a 50mm lens is the low f/number and the very shallow depth of field that gives, for nice soft out of focus backgrounds.

If so, there are a couple of issues relating to Olympus 4/3rds format, the kind of effect you're after and what camera your friend is using, but I suspect at the end of it all the lens you might be looking for is a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 - about £350.

Depending on your answer to the first two questions, I'll tell you why, or why that's not the one for you!
 
Olympus do a 50 f2 for 4/3rds, its stupidly priced at £445!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Olympus-50mm-Macro-ZUIKO-Digital/dp/B0000TU7I6

A cheaper alternative is their 35 f3.5 which is £189

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Olympus-ZUIKO-DIGITAL-35mm-Macro/dp/B000BKVJD6/ref=pd_cp_ce_1

Not really stupidly priced - both the 35mm and 50mm are primarily Macro lenses, and their focussing reflects that - they are not ideal for non macro work.

If you are after a short prime, then the Sigma 24mm or 30mm primes are your best bet. I use my 12-60mm SWD for car shots, especially at shows - with the 2x crop factor, you will have to stand quite far back with a 30mm to fit the whole car in.
 
Again I wouldnt say stupidly priced - at the end of the day you get what you pay for!

What sort of budget did you have in mind?

I have the 12-60mm SWD also, great lens but its a pro so the price reflects that. What lenses do you have at the moment? Did your E420 come with the twin kit lenses ? (Thats the 40-150mm and 14-42mm)

Those 'kit' lenses are IMO better that the 'standard' lenses from Canon/Nikon et al - the more expensive 12-60mm SWD is comparable to a lot of other 'pro' lenses costing twice as much, so when you look at it like that they're not actually expensive!

You could also go for an old OM 50mm lens - this will need an adaptor and will only work in manual focus - but if you're shooting static objects that should matter too much.

Dont read comments like "Four Thirds lenses are stupidly priced" they're not - infact they could be considered a bargain compared to Canon/Nikon!!

And sure you might struggle to find a good selection in high street shops - but there's plently to be had on-line and some forum sites even have a hire service so you can take a look before parting with your hard earned!

Regards

Neil
 
Oly lenses are not stupidly priced, great build, great optics, well designed and great to use..

25mm 2.8 pancake will see you 50mm due to the 2x crop, or the 35mm macro is also a great standard use lens.. both of these can be had for £140-£180 each..

if you want something cheaper then a m42 prime with adapter will see you right, itll be manual focus but you are shooting static objects so you are okay, liveview with the 10x zoom and youll get focus nice and sharp.
 
Hey ya guys. It says " No question too silly or basic.." So here goes (y)

I have an Olympus E-420 DSLR and im on the look out for a new lens for it, I'm mainly into shooting static car pictures. A friend of mine uses a (his words) fixed 50mm lens and i absolutley love the results he gets with pictures so i would like to get one.

Dave x

As Hoppy uk has said what is it that you like about them or is it just that he is a good photographer and he could get just as good images whatever equipment he is using unlike some that tell you they know what lenses or format is bad but don't seem to take very good images with what equipment they have.;)

To be honest I don't do a lot of car photography and do not know what kind of pics you like to take, but I take the occasional snap at the local car classic show with Oly equipment and you could easily take most of these type with the basic kit lenses.
http://olypaul.smugmug.com/Transport/Cars-Trucks-and-Bikes/13052371_WqTjX
 
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For getting the out of focus backgrounds, and approximately the same field of view as a 50mm lens, I'd buy the 35mm Macro. It's a stunning lens for a good price and I've taken some of my favourite photos with it!

Reflecting_upon_a_lucky_Escape.jpg
 
What camera is your friend using? If it's not a 4/3 system, the field of view from a 50mm lens on your camera will not match what he sees with his camera.
 
For a cheaper option, can you not just get a 4/3 mount to OM lens and then buy a 50mm OM lens? The lens and adapter would cost about £40 on ebay. Im sure i recall seeing some really good shots from this combi too.
 
Given that the crop effect of the 4/3 sensor is 2 and that a 50mm lens effectively becomes a 100mm lens, I would say that I have OM lenses in 24mm 28mm 50mm and 135mm, all primes and I have to say that although they are manual lenses, the quality from them is stunning.
 
As the 4/3 people have said, 25mm is the standard lens size for 4/3, not 50mm. It's a very 'plain' focal length perspective wise, but you have some options: If you want Autofocus then Olympus have very nicely provided a 25mm f2.8 lens; If you don't want autofocus then your options open up a lot - I have 2x 24mm lenses by Vivitar, both are the same lens but in different mounts used via adapters. It's a cracking lens, not the sharpest in the world but not too soft either, focusses nice and close for detail shots (closer than Olympus's own 24mm lenses), there are a LOT of cheap 24mm lenses available on ebay, and adapters can be had to fit many different lens mounts on 4/3 cameras.

I personally prefer wideish angle shots for cars mind - the 14mm end of the kit zoom was just right I found. (Just to throw a spanner in the works!)
 
Indeed, I find 12mm is nice for non detail shots on cars - use the wideangle distortion to your advantage and you can really make it look like the car is 'popping out' of the frame, or make it look more aggressive etc.
 
Wow.. Thanks for all the replys guys! And im very sorry for the late reply. Ive been struggling with internet access of late bloomin box at the end of my road was damaged.

Ive picked out a couple of the replys for me to answer and hopefully it'll answer what you guys have asked :thinking:


What camera is your friend using? If it's not a 4/3 system, the field of view from a 50mm lens on your camera will not match what he sees with his camera.

He uses and Canon 7d and he always edits his picture with photoshop.

For a cheaper option, can you not just get a 4/3 mount to OM lens and then buy a 50mm OM lens? The lens and adapter would cost about £40 on ebay. Im sure i recall seeing some really good shots from this combi too.

What does OM stand for/mean?

Thanks again for your replys, super helpfull forum (y)

Dave.
 
What does OM stand for/mean?

Thanks again for your replys, super helpfull forum (y)

Dave.

OM is Olympus's old Film SLR standard. Almost all OM lenses were entirely manual, there are a few exceptions but they won't work on a 4/3 camrera as the adapter won't allow the electronics to communicate with the camera.

A 50mm OM lens on a 4/3 camera would be the same as a 100mm on your friends Canon (I bleieve a 7d is full frame? :shrug:)

Incidently after I said I preferred wide angle shots for cars, I looked through my collection, and most were actually taken with a Vivitar OM fit 24mm lens, which near as damn it equates to what your mate was on about...
 
7D is not full frame. To get the rough equivalent of a 50mm on a 7D you'd be looking at about 40ish mm lens on 4/3rds.
 
If Olympus produced the range of lenses that Canon do, you would find many people suddenly using Zuiko/Olympus. Just about the only way that people can knock Zuiko is in the restricted range, not in quality of glass or manefacture.....:)
 
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