I think macro lenses are among the most versatile lenses you can buy. If you want sharp corners for a flat infinity scene you need to take the field curvature into consideration and sacrifice some performance in the image center. Stopped down to f/8 it shows very good sharpness across the frame but also quite a lot of field curvature: the corners are focused behind the center. I was very positively surprised by the Zuiko’s good flare resistance:Īt infinity the Olympus OM 3.5/50 Macro has decent resolution in the center but lower contrast and the corners are rather soft.
These results are based on the use with a Sony Alpha 7/7II. This is one of those lenses you can throw in your camera bag without lens-cap or hood which is always nice.Īt 200g and with a length of just 40mm the Olympus is quite small but still large enough to be very pleasant to handle.
The front of the lens sits deeply recessed in the lens and is well protected from flare and damage. There is no stop between f/3.5 and f/5.6. I think this is one of the best aperture ring designs I have come across. The aperture ring sits at the front of the lens and it has full stops from f/5.6 to f/22. My copy has had a CLA recently so I don’t know if other copies will have a similar resistance. The resistance is pleasant but a little on the higher side. The rubberized focusing ring offers good grip and a pleasant diameter. From 1 m to 0.23 m the Zuiko travels a further 200 degrees. The focusing ring travels around 40 degrees from 1 m to infinity which is rather steep, normal lenses usually travel around 90 degrees. The Olympus OM Macro 50mm 1:3.5 is no exception. Olympus OM lenses usually combine a very small size and great handling. The copy I own is of this generation.Īll three versions share the same optics but I would recommend to stay away from the first version (no MC in the name and f=50mm) because my experience with single coated Olympus OM lenses is that they flare a lot.ĭata according to Build quality and handling It is multicoated, probably with updated coatings but there is no MC-engraving. The last version is the Olympus OM Zuiko Auto-Macro 50mm 1:3.5.The Olympus OM Zuiko MC Auto-Macro 1:3.5 f=50mm shares the optics of its successor but it is multicoated.
It is single coated and there are versions with “silver nose” and without.
In Germany you can buy it used for around 50 € at (affiliate link). The Olympus OM MC 3.5/50 Macro usually sells for around $40 used at (affiliate link). The Olympus OM Zuiko 3.5/50 Macro packs decent performance into a lens which is as small as it is affordable.
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