Well, the Zuiko 50mm f1.2 has several issues one must contend with. First,
used wide open its critical focus is well-nigh impossible to determine in
practical use (by that I mean on the job, assuming a moment to compose and
focus before squeezing off a frame). Of course one needn't shoot wide open
necessarily, and it's true that as you stop down the DOF offers relief.
Assuming sufficient time to achieve proper focus the result is stunning.
Second, the space between the focus and aperture rings is small and
difficult to negotiate for anyone but a child--or that guy in Stephen
King's novel Thinner, and at that only toward the end of the book. The f1.4
is somewhat easier to use in both regards, the f1.8 easier still and for
most applications this latter offering from Zuiko is just as good a lens as
its larger, more expensive siblings. All three represent build quality and
performance unsurpassed by anything available no matter the price.
Don't let the street price of the Zuiko 50/8 fool you. That's one
world-class lens!
I've only owned the 50mm f3.5 macro a short while and have yet to take a
picture with it. I have it in my bag, though, and plan to do a few studies
with it over the next month, both with macro photography in mind and as a
walk-around tool. The Proof's always in the pudding, but assuming
everything's in order inside this lens then I would be very much surprised
if it captured anything other than superb images. An old (and happy) Zuiko
story.
Tris
At 01:41 PM 7/31/01 -0400, you wrote:
I don't have a quantitative evaluation, but the Zuiko 50/2 was tested by
one of the big US magazines a few years back and the comments were
something to the effect that it was the sharpest 50mm lens they had ever
tested, besting even the vaunted Leica 50/2 Dual-Range Summicron.
I've never seen any structured comparisons between the 50/2 and the
50/3.5, but the old 3.5 seems to get a lot of accolades. Personnaly, I
really like my 50/2, and I use it as my normal lens most of the
time. It's actually my most recent bought-it-new lens; acquired in 1986
at Wolf Camera in Atlanta.
(that shows how long it's been since I bought anything except used Zuikos!)
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