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Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 50mm 1:2.0 Macro ReviewJune 2008 |
The Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 50mm 1:2.0 Macro was one of the very first Four Thirds system lenses, announced along with the launch of the E-1 back in June 2003. With an unusually fast maximum aperture for a macro lens, it's described as a dual purpose optic also suitable for portraits; indeed it's the closest to a classic portrait prime Olympus currently produces. The optical design is suitably complex for a macro lens, with 11 elements in 10 groups including 1 ED glass element, and includes a floating focus system for optimum correction across the entire distance range. This enables a minimum focus distance of 0.2m, giving a 1:2 (0.5x) maximum magnification, which translates to an image area similar to that obtained using a 1:1 macro lens on the 35mm full-frame format. The lens incorporates Olympus's 'focus-by-wire' system, whereby the manual focus ring is used to drive the lens's AF motor electronically (as opposed to being mechanically coupled to the focus unit). The 50mm F2.0 Macro is also designed for full integration with Olympus's macro flash system, with both the RF11 ring flash and TF22 twin flash units attaching via the FS-FR1 adaptor ring to a bayonet mount at the front of the lens (which is also used for the hood). Additionally, it can be used with the EX-25 extension tube to achieve 1:1 magnification, and with the EC-14 teleconverter to give a 70mm F 2.8 lens (although in this case Olympus does not recommend using apertures larger then F4). All of this flexibility comes in a relatively compact and lightweight package (particularly in comparison to equivalent lenses designed for larger formats), and the 50mm F2.0 macro is also one of the the cheapest options for Four Thirds users who require a fast short telephoto lens for portrait shooting and shallow depth of field effects. So does the performance match the potential, and is this a lens which should be in every E-system user's bag? Use of the Panasonic L10 as Four Thirds test bodyWe have chosen to use the Panasonic L10 as our standard test body for Four Thirds lenses purely because it gives the highest numbers in our resolution tests (which we believe is most likely due to it having a relatively weak anti-aliasing filter); this is intended simply to provide the fairest comparison to other manufacturers' systems. The samples gallery contains images shot with the Panasonic L10, Olympus E-3 and Olympus E-420 bodies. Headline features
Angle of viewThe picture below illustrates the lens's angle of view (see here for comparative shots using the Zuiko Digital 14-42mm F3.6-5.6):
Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 50mm 1:2.0 Macro specifications
* Supplied accessories may differ in each country or area Foreword / notesIf you're new to digital photography you may wish to read some of our Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used). Conclusion / recommendation / ratings are based on the opinion of the author, we recommend that you read the entire review before making any decision. Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of them, click to display a larger image in a new window. To navigate this article simply use the next / previous page buttons or jump to a specific page by using the drop-down list in the navigation bar at the top of the page. You can support this site by ordering through the affiliate links shown at the bottom of each page (where available). This article is protected by Copyright and may not be reproduced in part or as a whole in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author. Dpreview use calibrated monitors at the PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally also A, B and C.
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