Using an Olympus Zuiko 21mm f2 lens on a 5DSr, DS or 5D mk iv

Tipp55

Tipp55

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John
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I have just bought a new EOS 5DS r.

I have an old Olympus Zuiko 21mm f2 lens from a few years back which had a great reputation for sharpness and IQ.
Question: Has anyone used this lens with a Canon adaptor on a 5DS r or 5DS or a 5D IV?

I would like to know what sort of results I might expect with a high mp sensor camera before committing to buying an adaptor to fit the 5DS r.
If the results aren't that special then I would probably sell the Zuiko and go for Canon glass. I already have a 16-35 F4 by the way, but the idea of a nice light, sharp 21mm.prime lens appeals to me.

I posted this over on the DPR forum but got no replies yet, so trying here.

Any opinions/advice welcome.

John.
 
stevelmx5 said:
I'd expect the sensor in the 5DSR to highlight any imperfections in the lens so the edges probably won't match a modern lens. Then again, an OM-EOS adaptor is less than £15 so hardly a huge outlay to test it yourself :0)
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True... £15 won't break me. I've heard good things about this lens on the lower megapixel Canon DSLRs. Some people rate it as one of the best lenses of it's time.
 
Looks like the going rate for the lens is between £500 and £700 so it's definitely worth the £15 outlay to test it out. If you don't like it you could always put it towards something else.
 
stevelmx5 said:
Looks like the going rate for the lens is between £500 and £700 so it's definitely worth the £15 outlay to test it out. If you don't like it you could always put it towards something else.
Click to expand...

Yes, it's a pricy little lens. I gave something like £600 for it years ago when I had an old Olympus OM2n. It's a lovely piece but I may sell and get some more modern Canon L glass.
I'll get an adaptor first though and give it a test drive.
 
If you don't intend to print really big and can resist the urge to pixel peep perhaps any optical shortcomings may not be revealed and the image size may matter as much if not more than the mp count of the camera but personally I wouldn't bother. I briefly tried manual lenses (old film era Olympus Zuiko) on my 5D and decided it was a waste of time and effort. These days with live view on the back screen I don't suppose it's as frustrating a task and you can always rely on hyperfocal technique but on the whole I personally think that mirrorless cameras are the way forward for old lenses. IMO it's too much hassle on a DSLR. My 24mm lenses do perform quite well on my 24mp Sony A7 so if the 21mm is a good lens I'd expect good results on the Canon but focusing it would be an issue for me.
 
If you do decide to sell it, a Zeiss 21mm ZE could be a good replacement. I don't know much about the Olympus but second hand prices of the Zeiss don't seem to be too far above the prices mentioned above (at least going by one that was for sale on here recently)
 
I haven't used the Zuiko 21 f/2 on a Canon DSLR, but this guy has:

http://www.16-9.net/lens_tests/21mm_7.html

He rates the optical performance not far below the Zeiss 21 f/2.8:

http://www.16-9.net/lens_tests/best19_21.html

It definitely looks like it's worth giving it a go with an EOS/OM adapter. I have used Leica lenses on EOS bodies with adapters with very good results but focusing was tricky. With a 21mm lens this shouldn't be too much of an issue though due to the wide depth of field.
 
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