I have a 55/1.2 that came with an OM-1 body I won in an eBay auction. (The
total cost was around $225 -- only a little more than what the lens itself goes
for -- so I got a terrific deal. When I cleaned the schmutz off the camera, it
was in mint condition.) This particular lens has an obvious yellow cast. You
can easily see the coloration looking through the lens. I haven't taken photos
with it, so I can't comment on its optical quality.
I recently bought a lot of spare parts for my OM cameras. Much to my surprise,
Olympus had no motor-drive caps for the OM-1. Their reason? "That model is
discontinued." True, but the OM system isn't. Why can't Olympus provide spares
for camera parts that are easily lost? Oh, wait... it costs money to do that.
The "obvious" solution for a missing cap is to buy a motor drive and leave it
permanently attached to the camera. Even if you never use the drive, it makes a
great grip.
I have a 40/2. It is not cheaply made. (At least, not any more cheaply than any
of my other Zuikos.) This lens is an exception to the "declining price"
observation. When they show up on eBay, they go for $400 to $500.
I once claimed that this lens was designed to allow the OM-1 (et al.) to fit
the inner pocket of a suit jacket (a la Leica). However, it won't fit. It's
just too thick.
Twenty-five years ago, when I still lived with my parents and was accumulating
my OM system, I bought a lot of stuff from a Hong Kong dealer. I saved "le
bigge buques" over what I would have paid in the US, even from a New York
store. Great service, too -- when the battery pack for the motor drive failed
several months later, they replaced it promptly. Such bargains no longer seem
to be available, probably because of the dollar's decline.
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