Olympus 20mm + 38mm macro lenses any good?

Ecooper · Post by **Ecooper** » Tue Dec 04, 2012 2:11 pm

Hi all,

Can anyone comment on the quality of the vintage Zuiko 20mm f3.5 and 38mm f2.8 macro lenses that were made to be used on the Olympus bellows? These are the original, non automatic versions.

Are they worth buying? How sharp are they? Are they suitable for focus stacking?

Cheers,
EC

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Tue Dec 04, 2012 3:35 pm

First a minor correction: the manual 38 mm is f/3.5, not f/2.8 (HERE).

You'll have to get hands-on test reports for those exact lenses from other people.

I have only the newer auto-diaphragm models, 20 mm f/2.0 and 38 mm f/2.8. Of those, I very much like the 38 mm f/2.8. It tests well in comparison to other lenses that cover the same magnification range. See for example HERE. My 20 mm f/2.0 is not nearly as sharp as a 10X NA 0.25 microscope objective, so it doesn't get used very much. (See HERE.) If I were re-equipping from scratch, it would be pretty far down the list. I would expect the 20 mm f/3.5 to be even less sharp, and that's consistent with results that I recall reading from other people.

--Rik

Ecooper · Post by **Ecooper** » Wed Dec 05, 2012 11:35 pm

Hmmm...interesting. Good to know that a microscope objective would be sharper. On the other hand the 20mm Olympus would be suitable for non stacking photography too...

EC

enricosavazzi · Post by **enricosavazzi** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 1:13 am

In addition to the diffraction caused by the effective aperture, which is unavoidable, the 20 mm with manual aperture often displays a low contrast and a tendency to give a central flare spot when used with large light backgrounds. It is said that Olympus improved the lens coatings after a while, but you will never know whether you are getting an early or late model in the series.

I bought mine in the early 70s if I remember correctly, and immediately got the central spot problem. It went away after mounting a small lens shade around the front lens element, but this of course reduces the already short working distance.

Craig Gerard · Post by **Craig Gerard** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 3:29 am

...snip...but you will never know whether you are getting an early or late model in the series.

From memory, the serial number is indicative of the various versions. When I purchased my 20 and 38 (since sold) I was able to determine they were the earlier, uncoated versions based on the serial number.

http://www.alanwood.net/photography/oly ... 38-35.html

Craig

Ecooper · Post by **Ecooper** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 11:12 am

Thanks for all the excellent information! I had been considering a Zuiko 20mm from a local dealer for what seemed to be a very good price ($250). But I checked the serial number and the lens is from the first series and not multi-coated.

You have saved me from wasting a couple hundred dollars!

Cheers,
EC