photo:olympusom35mmshift
Olympus OM 35mm f/2.8 shift lens
introduction
the Olympus OM 35mm f/2.8 is a lovely compact shift lens designed mainly for architectural use at f/8-11 where it is as it's sharpest resolution with the camera kept in a horizontal position parallel with the ground
it was initially introduced in 1976
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when used on
Olympus OM system film SLRs, Olympus recommends use of 1:10 (checker matte) focus screen
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in the digital photography era, shift lenses can be used not only to straighten building lines, but to take 3 shots in shifted position whilst on a tripod for more precise panoramic stitching
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specs
full frame 35mm f/2.8 shift lens
60-62mm image circle
version I is notated “Zuiko Shift f2.8” &/or “f=35mm”
version II is notated “ZUIKO SHIFT 35mm 1:2.8”
version II has multicoating (MC) and 59mm long instead of 58mm
those marked 'Sinaron' on the front lens barrel are MC and were converted by Sinar in the 1990's to be used on their early digital cameras - see
mir.com
purple/green glass reflection is MC
much better suited to night shooting which includes street lamps etc
49mm filter thread
7 groups, 8 elements
relatively crude curved 6-blade apertures
close focus 0.3m giving subject size of 21cm x 14cm (8.3“ x 5.5”) on a full frame camera
full 360deg rotation of shift mechanism is possible
omni directional shifting: 10.4mm to each side, 12mm up and 13mm down
83° maximum shift - if you stitch 2 fully shifted images together you get almost the FOV as a 21mm lens but with more detail captured and probably with less aberrations although as expected, lateral CA worsens the further from the centre one goes
manual aperture diaphragm!!!
for TTL metering on cameras:
68mm (2.7“) diam x 59mm (2.3”) long
310g (10.9 oz)
reviews
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the friction-based movements are typically very smooth: though be warned that they do fail over time and through extended use to the point where they drift and become sloppy
compared with the Nikon and Contax, rotating and shifting mechanism is by far the quickest and most useful
simultaneous horizontal and vertical movements are possible, enabling part of the image circle to be mapped that would be inaccessible to any other lens of its type
vertical shifts in landscape orientation can be extended to almost 14mm
optically not as good as the Zeiss Contax PC 35mm f/2.8 but much better than the Nikon PC Nikkor 35mm f/2.8
almost as good as the Contax PC at f/8-f/16 and best at f/11, while the Nikon at any aperture should not be shifted more than 5mm due to very soft edges
“The Olympus is a great little lens, though, and the nicest of the bunch to use: it's the only one that connects to the camera without the shift mechanism trying to rotate – no arthritis-inducing contortions are required when demounting it. Also, it shifts 13mm in the vertical, which is a real boon. However, for optimal results, it is strictly limited to f11/f16. But in its sweet spot, with the sun in the right place, it comes so close to the Zeiss that you might wonder whether the extra spend is a wise investment. And if you can find a multicoated one, you might not even have to worry about pointing it at lights ”
photo/olympusom35mmshift.txt · Last modified: 2014/07/12 14:06 by gary1