Five Frames With A Zuiko OM 50mm F3.5 Macro, First Impression

Digital Moments - Vintage lens test, impressive first image shots with a Zuiko OM 50mm F3.5 Macro, which works as well as a standard prime.

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My first run with the Olympus Five Frames with a Zuiko OM 50mm F3.5 Macro mounted on the digital MFT (Micro Four Thirds) Olympus Pen E-P5. Images, shot mostly with the aperture wide open, were surprisingly sharp, none too contrasty, and show a clear affinity to the neutral mid-tone color range.

Olympus E-P5, Zuiko OM 50mm F3.5 Macro

The 50mm F3.5 Macro lens, designated as the 'Olympus OM-System Zuiko Auto-Macro 50mm 1:3.5', is a very compact and lightweight all metal and glass 5-elements in 4-groups construction. It weighs 200 grams, measures 40mm in length, has a 6-blade iris, an aperture range from f/3.5 to f/22, and is fitted with an automatic close-focus correction mechanism for aberration correction.

The focusing range of the 50mm F3.5 Macro is from 0.23 meters to infinity, with a reproduction ratio of 1:2. On the 2x crop-sensor E-P5, or when fitted with a 25mm Auto Extension tube to the OM 35mm SLR, the reproduction ratio is boosted to 1:1. Going beyond that, say, with the 65mm-116mm Telescopic Extension Tube on the SLR, or with the standard extension tube fitted to the OM Adapter OM-2 on the digital MFT, is all yours to try.

First introduced in 1973, with silver nose trimming, the Olympus OM-System Zuiko Auto-Macro 50mm 1:3.5 was updated to the Olympus OM-System Zuiko MC Auto-Macro 50mm 1:3.5 (Multi-coated) versions. The latest version, the multi-coated version but without the 'MC' lettering, may be identified by a series of 4-character manufacturing code codes silkscreened to the butt of the lens mount.

One thing that might interest you is the fact that the lens is as competent when used as a standard lens, which could be even better and more flexible than the one you may have been using.

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