The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 10/30/26

Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, Zuiko OM 28mm f/2.8

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 10/29/26

Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, Zuiko OM 28mm f/2.8

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 10/28/26

Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, Zuiko OM 28mm f/2.8

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 10/27/26

Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, Zuiko OM 28mm f/2.8

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Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, Zuiko OM 28mm f/2.8

Camera and Lenses: Image-making with a vintage legacy: a Zuiko OM 28mm f/2.8, mounted on a 16MP CMOS MFT mirrorless digital camera, the Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2.

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A vintage legacy, the Olympus OM‑System Zuiko 28mm f/2.8 (Zuiko OM 28mm f/2.8 for short), often used as a key prime on modern mirrorless cameras, is a compact, lightweight, and sharp wide-angle lens introduced in the 1980s. The lens was part of the lineup that followed the release of the Zuiko MC 28mm f/2.8, which was launched earlier as a replacement for the G-Zuiko 28mm f/3.5 (1972), one of the original lenses for the OM-System camera system.

While early versions of the 28mm f/2.8 lenses carry the "MC" (Multi-Coated) designation on the front ring, later products did not, though the coating standard was maintained.

The lens, considered a great value in the vintage lens market, is often associated with a "cult classic" or "sleeper" status, celebrated for its incredible compactness, excellent sharpness-to-value ratio, and its performance on both film and mirrorless digital cameras.

Often recommended over the slower 28mm f/3.5 for speed and the 28mm f/2 for value, the lens is a 6-element in 6 groups construction with an all‑metal barrel, has 6 straight aperture blades, a minimum focusing distance of 0.3 meters, measures about 32mm long, takes 49mm filters, and weighs approximately 170 grams.

On 1.5x crop sensor APS-C digital SLRs, the Zuiko OM 28mm f/2.8 is equivalent to a 42mm lens on a full-frame camera (45mm on Canon EOS DSLRs), a very exciting selection as 40mm (or thereabouts) primes are considered the "sweet spot lens for photography," with natural perspective that mimics what the human eye sees, without the distortion of shorter, or the compression of longer focal lengths.

On 2x crop sensor MFT (Micro Four/Thirds) mirrorless bodies, however, the lens is equivalent to a 56mm standard normal lens (lenses typically with a focal length of 40mm to 60mm), which offers a natural field of vision with a natural, human-eye-like perspective with minimal distortion.

The focal length is also considered the most apt for a walk-around lens, especially when used in a one-lens camera setup for daily shooting, candid moments, landscape, travel, and documentary photography, as well as for crops and close-ups.

On the Olympus Pen E‑PM2, the Zuiko OM 28 mm f/2.8 delivers very good, classic vintage‑sharp images with solid center sharpness, good contrast, and color. Zuiko OM designs are known for high contrast and clean color rendering, and the 28 mm f/2.8 is often described as punchy and holographic‑like in tone, especially on digital bodies.

Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, Zuiko OM 28mm f/2.8

The Olympus Pen E‑PM2, a compact, entry-level MFT (Micro Four/Thirds) rangefinder-style mirrorless digital camera introduced in 2012, is fitted with a 16MP Four/Thirds CMOS sensor (the same as found on the Olympus OM-D E-M5 at the time) and comes with a 460,000-dot 3-inch touch LCD, 8 fps burst shooting, and 1080p video. Features include a TruePic VI processor, an ISO range from 200 - 12,800 (expandable to 25,600), a shutter speed range from 60 to 1/4000 second, 2-axis in-body stabilization, and 35-point contrast-detect AF.

The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 06/05/26

Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 06/04/26

Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 06/03/26

Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 06/02/26

Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8

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Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8

Cameras and Lenses: The Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2 and an M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8, an ultra-compact, pocketable mirrorless digital camera with a classic 34mm equivalent full-frame setup.

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For the vintage enthusiast working with a set or limited budget, a compact digital camera setup with a 2013 Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2 and a 2009 Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 is a very interesting digital mirrorless camera kit for having fun and enjoying photography, in or around the home or garden, or even on city streets.

The reasonably priced pair (on the auction market) is a highly compact, pocketable, and capable everyday camera, with excellent and sharp images from the 16MP E-PM2. The 17mm pancake lens (equivalent to a 34mm lens on a full-frame camera) offers a versatile wide-angle view and excellent close-up capabilities.

The Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2 (PEN Mini 2), a compact, entry-level 16.1MP Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera launched in 2013, features the same high-quality sensor and image processor as the flagship E-M5, 8 fps shooting, in-body image stabilization, and a 3-inch touchscreen in a very compact and minimalist body.

The camera, designed for ease of use while offering advanced manual controls, features a plastic body available in black, silver, red, or white. Features include exposure bracketing, art filters, manual focus override, and sensor-shift stabilization. ISO sensitivity is automatic from 200 to 25,600, and autofocus is a 35-point contrast-detect system.

Though aged, the camera is still in favour today, praised in vintage circles for street and travel photography, and for its adaptability to legacy manual focus lenses, with a recent review noting its enduring and sustainable image quality. The kit is equally ideal as a carry-around for everyday photography as well as for beginners.

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8, a compact pancake prime lens for Micro Four Thirds (MFT) mirrorless cameras, was originally released as the kit lens for the Olympus PEN E-P1. The lens has a 35mm equivalent focal length of 34mm, which is highly suitable for street and travel photography.

The lens, launched in 2009 as a kit lens for the Olympus PEN E-P1, weighs just 71 grams, measures 22mm long, accepts 37mm filters, and has a minimum focusing distance of 0.2 meters. Optical construction is 6 elements in 4 groups with 5 rounded diaphragm blades to help produce smooth bokeh.

Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8

Reviews praise the lens's portability for landscapes, portraits, and close-ups (as seen in this post), though autofocus can be slower and noisier on modern bodies. Optical quality is moderate to good, with some corner softness and fringing, but it excels as a lightweight walk-around option. The lens, though, is often considered inferior to the later 17mm f/1.8 version, a 9-element-in-6-groups construction introduced in 2012.

The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 03/27/26

Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, Vivitar MC 28mm f/2.8

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 03/26/26

Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, Vivitar MC 28mm f/2.8

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 03/25/26

Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, Vivitar MC 28mm f/2.8

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 03/24/26

Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, Vivitar MC 28mm f/2.8

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Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, Vivitar MC 28mm f/2.8

Cameras and Lenses: First impression images with the Vivitar MC 28mm f/2.8, a legacy wide-angle lens known for its excellence and many variants.

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What seems to be the main points of discussion around the legacy Vivitar MC 28mm f/2.8, a classic manual focus wide-angle prime lens acknowledged as an excellent example of a third-party lens manufactured in the 1980s, are not about the quality of its images, but rather the origins of its manufacturer.

The lens, known to have several variants, is primarily manufactured by Komine and is identified by the serial number 28xxxxxxxx. It is available in multiple mounts, including Canon FD, Minolta, Nikon, Olympus OM, Pentax K, and others.

The unit I have, however, has the serial number etched on the lower part of the lens barrel itself (rather than on the lens trim plate), and has the serial number starting with 98xxxxxxxx, which, as pointed out on PentaxForums, is manufactured by Cosina.

Nominally, as described for the Komine version, the lens is a 7-element in 7 groups design with multicoated elements, has 6 iris blades, a minimum focusing distance of 0.3 meters, takes 49mm filters, weighs around 206 grams, and comes with a non-rotating front element.

The Cosina version of the lens enjoys a rating of Sharpness at 7.7, Aberrations at 7.7, Bokeh at 7.4, Handling at 8.0, and Value at 9.1 on the forum.

Aside from the starting serial numbers already noted, there is also a version identified as Vivitar 28mm f/2.8 Close Focus Wide Angle, which differs from the 28mm f/2.0 version by having a slower aperture and an aperture click between f/11 and f/16, and a Kiron version of the lens with serial numbers starting with 22xxxxxxxx.

On the mirrorless Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, the lens is equivalent to a 56mm lens on a 35mm full-frame camera, with a versatile mid-telephoto perspective that is an excellent choice for portraits (headshots to half-body), with potentially excellent subject isolation and creamy bokeh.

The focal length is also excellent for detail shots in travel, and isolating subjects in street photography with compression that adds a pleasing, three-dimensional look.

On APS-C DSLRS with 1.5x crop sensors, the Vivitar MC 28mm f/2.8 will be equivalent to a 42mm prime, just a titch wider than the 40mm, which is considered the 'sweet spot' lens for photography for its natural perspective that mimics what the eye sees, ideal for everyday shooting, street, and travel, for its ability to balance wide scenes with subject isolation.

Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, Vivitar MC 28mm f/2.8

The Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, one of the smallest and lightest footprints among interchangeable lens cameras, is an entry-level MFT (Micro Four Thirds) system camera introduced in 2012. The camera features a 16.1MP CMOS sensor, the same as found on the OM-D E-M5, acknowledged for its excellent image quality and color reproduction, a 3-inch touch LCD screen, and Full HD 1080p video recording with full-time autofocus.

The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 02/06/26

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 02/05/26

Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, Risespray HD MC 35mm f/1.6

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 02/04/26

Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, Risespray HD MC 35mm f/1.6

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 02/03/26

Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, Risespray HD MC 35mm f/1.6

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Risespray HD MC 35mm f/1.6, Night Scenes

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Cameras and Lenses: An Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, with a Risespray HD MC 35mm f/1.6, a compact, budget-friendly setup with a 70mm full-frame-equivalent portrait and street lens.

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My first impression of the Risespray HD MC 35mm f/1.6 turned out to be quite a surprise, as the lens lived up to its name, recognized for its wide f/1.6 aperture and vibrant, saturated SOOC (straight-out-of-camera) colors.

I did another test with the lens recently, for low-light and extended exposure shots, in RAW (post-edited), and was equally impressed with the results, as the lens stood up to its billing as a good candidate for the genre.

The lens, an affordable manual focus APS-C model originally designed for CCTV, is a sturdy 4-element in 4-group all-metal and glass design. A fifth-generation build, the lens is a Micro Four Thirds (MFT) variant with a fixed mount. Its property includes a smooth focus ring with a very short quarter-turn focus throw and a clickless aperture ring.

Images were taken with the lens mounted on the 16MP Live MOS Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2.

On the Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2 and the Lumix DMC-G5, it was tested earlier; the lens is equivalent to a 70mm short-telephoto lens on a full-frame camera, a focal length ideal for everyday photography, portraits, street photography, travel, events, and experimental shooting.

As a normal-use lens, a 70mm (or equivalent) lens is ideal for portrait work, particularly in head-and-shoulders compositions, where perspective compression creates facial flattery while maintaining natural-looking proportions. Working distance can be kept at a comfortable shooting distance between the photographer and the subject.

For environmental portraits, background scenes may appear closer to the subject than they actually are. This allows the inclusion of details without losing subject prominence. For street photography, the compression aids in capturing detail-oriented street scenes, small subjects that become compositional focal points rather than background elements.

Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, Risespray HD MC 35mm f/1.6

Focusing complications may arise, of course, with the very short focal throw of the lens, when the camera is mounted on a hand-stand, instead of a proper tripod setup, and placed on a hard surface at arm's length away. A handy way to alleviate the situation is to set the Live Guide button of the E-PM2 to the Manual Focus Assist function. When pressed, the function will zoom in the view on the LCD for magnified focusing help.