Ali Shah wrote:
>You are talking about a 135mm lens....I picked one up (F3.5) in a
>bargain bin at a local camera shop in Cleveland....not bad fang for ten
>bucks. Someone mentioned that the lens is not good for portraits.
>
This is very much a matter of taste and style. Longer lenses than the
traditional 80-100mm for head and shoulders portraits give a flatter,
more compressed perspective. Some people like this and others don't. And
what doesn't work in full face may work well in partial or full profile.
Remember that this is a matter of perspective, not focal length as such.
Choice of focal length is a matter of matching full frame coverage of
the subject with a camera to subject distance that gives the desired
perspective. Even in a broader context, 135 is a focal length that gets
mixed opinions from different photographers. Why not take it out for a
spin with some film and see ow it workd for you?
>I have heard otherwise. Whats the deal on this lens? Is this actually an
>Olympus made lens or 3rd party?
>
Yes, it is Oly made, one of the original group of lenses created for the
OM System. All the original lenses emphasized compact size and light
weight to complement the then revolutionary small size and weight of the
OM-1. Like the OM-1, however, they were made to compete with the best
SLR lenses then available. The second wave of regular focal length
lenses added higher speeds at the price of higher size and weight,
although they were usually small relative to comparable offerings from
others. The later designs were often somewhat better performers, as
there had been considerable improvements in materials and design in the
meantime.
If you look at Gary's tests, you will see that the 135/3.5 is a good
lens, not a great one, in terms of resolution and contrast. One should
keep in mind the use for which it is intended as well. The decent, but
not super sharp, moderate contrast characteristics could mean quite a
good portrait lens. I odn't know if you have used other 135mm lenses,
but the 135/3.5 is amazingly compact and light compared to others, a
major asset in itself. It is also less affected by mirror and aperture
induced vibration than most of the other Zuiko modrate teles.
The only known OM mount Zuikos made by another manufacturer are the
35-70/3.5-4.8 and 70-210/4.5-5.6 S Zuikos made by Tokina. There has been
specualtion about others, never to my knowledge substantiated. I
disproved one to my own satisfaction by inspection of the Zuiko and the
other lens.
>Just wondered. I have been tempted to sell mine but for what I paid for
>it....I doubt that I would ever find another in this condition.
>
If it's in good shape, and takes good photos, why not sell it for more,
if you don't want it?
Moose
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