The aperture ring on the 50/1.8 MC lenses is plastic (as is the complex
piece that holds the aperture blades). You abslolutely can't tell by
looking at it. Once you know, tapping it and the filter ring with a
fingernail shows the difference. Seems like a good idea as the first
place wear from use often shows up is on the sharp corners of the
aperture ring. Since the plastic is black all the way through, it won't
show 'brassing' there. I wouldn't be surprised if other Zuiko lenses
from the same era used plastic selectively where it was a better
material choice. Plastic can be superior to metal for many uses with
proper design. I certainly appreciate its effect in making lenses lighter.
Proper engineering design is crucial, possibly more with plastic than
metal. The complex molded plastic piece that handles lens movement in my
C*non S110 broke from simple whiplash. I slipped on some wet wood while
taking pics, used my free hand to catch myself on the ground and flung
the hand with the camera in it up in the air. When I saw that the image
in the LCD was fuzzy for the next picture, I looked closer and saw that
the lens stuck out crooked and couldn't retract. I thought it might have
just slipped out of posiiton, but when I opened up the camera (very
dense and complex in there!), I found the broken part. C*non replaced
the lens assembly promptly under warranty, but I was left thinking how a
thin band of steel around the outside front part of this central,
crucial part would weigh and cost virtually nothing and interfere with
nothing while making the camera a lot more rugged.
Moose
Winsor Crosby wrote:
I am shocked. None of my Oly lenses are plastic. I did not know that
kind of construction was used by Olympus for the OM line. Which
lenses made by Oly(not Cosina) are of plastic construction?
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