Much better!

As I wrote a little further down, I wasn't all that happy with the lens hood that came with the Panasonic Leica DG 25mm 1.4. It was simply too bulky!

Having read somewhere that the lens hood of the Panasonic Leica DG Macro 45mm 2.8 has the same mount and would therefore fit on the 25mm but being much shorter, I didn't hesitate and ordered one.

In the picture above, you can see the result.

For comparison, here's another picture with the original lens hood:

What a difference! I think, the shorter one fits the lens much better and I'm sure it's long enough to prevent image flair, too. I wonder why Panasonic set up the shorter focal length with a longer lens hood and vice versa... ?

to be continued...

 

Going tiny

Due to other business I haven't had much time for photography lately and therefore haven't had anything new to write here.

But there has been a fundamental change in my camera gear!

Ever since I bought my Panasonic GM1 I have used it more than my Fuji X because it is so compact and I can take it almost everywhere without much inconvenience.

Additionally to the Panasonic 14mm 2.5 I aquired a used Olympus 45mm 1.8 and was basically set for most oportunities.

But after I got the Panasonic DMW-GWC1GU wideangle converter for the 14mm and took some pictures with that combination, I realized that the results were nearly on the same high level than with my Fuji XF 14mm lens which equals the above combination in focal length.

When finally the new Panasonic GM5 was released, my decision was made: I'd sell my complete Fuji X gear together with my LX7 and go m43 all the way!

So I did and got me a GM5 kit (sold the 12-32 kit lens though). Together with my GM1 I had two bodies which was a good thing even for a longer trip.

So here's a summary of what my equipment currently consits of:

The GM5 body

 

Pansonic made a big improvemt over the GM1 by bringing out the GM5

Even though I have always been quite happy with the GM1, the lack of an eye level viewfinder was a drawback. So with that feature added as well as some other improvements, the GM5 is the perfect camera for me. Small and lightweight, but with all the features of a "big one"! 

 The Panasonic 14mm 2.5

One of my favorite lenses so far. Small and fast with great image quality. I got me a metal lens hood that makes the whole thing look "sexy", too. ;-)

 The Panasonic Wideangle converter

A perfect match for the 14mm. It delivers roughly 11mm in focal length and there is no distortion or vignetting whatsoever. Sharpness all the way into the corners!

 The Olympus 45mm 1.8

Great lens for a bargain price. Shouldn't be missing in anyones m43 lens range.

I didn't like the original bulky lens hood so I looked for an alternative which I found in an old lens hood from a sony camcorder. With its size and 37mm filter thread it fits perfectly.

The Olympus C-180 teleconverter

 

Since I have already written about it further down in my blog, I don't have to go into that great asset to my gear once again... .

The Samyang 7.5mm 3.5 Fisheye

 

Sometimes I wish for a little more than 11mm wide angle.

Since this is not too often, the lens needed to be available for a reasonable price. I had read a lot of positive feedback about this lens and even though I'm not a fan of fisheye images I found out that it is easy to "de-fish" the pictures so you get some nice ultra wideangle pictures.

Of course, it has no AF which I normally prefer, but in that focal length there is not much focussing required anyway. Great lens! 

 

 The Panasonic Leica DG 25mm 1.4

 

This is my latest aquisition.

There was a gap between  my 14mm and my 45mm, so I was looking for a lens to fill this gap.

I was thinking of the Panasonic 20mm 1.7 which would have fit the GM5 in terms of size better. Alternatively, there is the Olympus 25mm 1.8 which is also small and a great lens.

But I have to admit that I have always been impressed by Leica lenses, so even if it is quite a big lens for such a small body, I wanted to have it. I was able to find a used one in mint condition for a reasonable price so I went and got it.

And I haven't regretted it yet! I know, the proportions are big compared to the small body of the GM5, but it rests relatively good in my hand and even without stabilization I'm able to produce razorsharp images even in low light conditions.

Of course, it is unnecessary to say how good this lens is!

Only thing I don't like is the bulky lens shade. But a solution is on the way: I ordered the lens shade for the Panasonic Leica DG 45mm 2.8 Macro, which fits the 25mm but is a lot shorter. (I'll post a picture of it as soon as I have it).

Finally, the GM1

 

Before I bought the GM5 I had two GM1 bodies, one in black and one in chrome. With the purchase of the GM5 I only needed one additional body so I kept the chrome GM1.

I mainly us this as a back-up or when I'm out shooting with different focal lengths so I don't have to change lenses that often. Also, it's the body I use with my long lenses, such as the Panasonic 100-300mm or the Leitz Telyt 560mm 5.6. For thos lenses I prefer to use my QV-1 LCD hood which gives me an even better view thean the EVF of the GM5 (read more about this further down in my blog).

So, that's all there is for now. Only thing left to say, that my entire equipment shown above fits in a very small bag, smaller than a woman's purse... ;-) How much better could it be?

to be continued...  

Insiders' tip!

Here is a hot tip for all of you m43 users...

Ever thought about a teleconverter lens but were disappointed by the results? Understandable, because most of those lenses are not worth the money they cost. Maybe with the exeption of those made particularly for a special lens.

But there is and exeption to the rule:  The Olympus C-180!

Originally made of the old filmcamera IS 1000, coincidently it works very well with several current m43 lenses. And I mean VERY WELL!

Having read about it in a german usergroup, I got me one and was blown away from the results.

This converter increases the focal length of the lens by 1.7x, is very small and lightweight and therefore usable for small m43 lenses without putting too much weight on their front elements.

I own the superb Olympus 45mm 1.8 and there was a gap between the latter and my Panasonic 100-300 zoom lens. Since 75mm isn't a focal length I'm using much, buying an expensive 75mm 1.8 makes no sense for me.

The C-180 converts my 45mm 1.8 into a 75mm 1.8 with stunning results. No distortion, no loss of sharpness, even in the corners. And I also like the BQ it delivers.

Here is an example of this combination:

I have even adapted it to my Panasonic 100-300... and it works!

So, for very little money one can get a compact solution to extend ones lens range without much loss in quality. Those C-180 converters are usually readily available on ebay for a few Dollars. So keep your eyes open... :-)

to be continued...

Monster!

I fullfilled myself a childhood dream and aquired a Leitz Telyt R 5.6 560mm lens.

Adapted to Micro 4/3 you get an impressive focal length of 1120mm with an aperture of 5.6 (!). The downside is, it's very big and heavy and it totally dwarfs the GM1 as you can see in the pictures.
But I like it!

It came with a shoulder stock, but I don't see much use of it since the lens is so heavy one needs to be bodybuilder to use it without a tripod. The latter needs to be a very sturdy one. In my case I use my good old Cullmann Titan with a heavy ballhead.

Another downside is the minimum focussing distance of about 20 ft. For some wildlife photography this just isn't close enough. I guess, I'll have to find some sort of extension tube to get closer.

Focussing is a pleasure with its Televit® rapid focus device. As for camera shake, there is non, since the GM1 has an electronic shutter and with 5.6 I should be able to get shutter speeds of 1/1000s or faster.
I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but as soon as I do, I will post pictures here.

to be continued...

Perfect match... ?

Some might remember that I got me an old Olympus Pen-F Zuiko 40/1.4 which I adapted to my X-Pro 1.

Even though this is a very sharp lens and due to the fact that it was originally made to cover an area of only 18x24mm, hence almost perfectly covering the APS-C sensor of the X-Pro, I wasn't really excited about the manual focussing abilities of that camera (missing a focus peaking function).

Therefore I wanted to part with it but haven't been able to find a buyer who was willing to pay the value of this superb lens... :-(

So a while ago I ordered an MFT -> Pen-F adapter to find out how the lens performs on my GM1.

It finally arrived and I have to say, that I'm quite happy with the result. Not only does it match the little bode of the GM1 better than that of the X-Pro, focussing is also much easier with the Panasonic.

I still have to take it out in the "field" to do some more than only a few test shots. Then I'll decide whether  I eventually keep it or keep looking for a buyer and maybe get an Olympus MFT 45/1.8.

I'll keep you posted :-)

To be continued...

Olympus Pen F Zuiko 40mm/1.4

Altough I'm very happy with the 18-55mm Zoom on my X Pro 1 I decided to try out a manual focus lens.

I got hold of an old Pen F lens, the Zuiko 40mm 1.4, which is supposed to be a perfect match for the Fuji X cameras. This because those lenses made for the old Olympus Pen F cameras were designed to cover a half format negative of 18x24mm which is nearly the same size as the APS-C Sensor on Fuji X cameras. Other than with lenses designed for full format cameras you use the area of the lens that was made to fill  - more or less - exactly the sensor size.

The Zuiko 40mm 1.4 is a neat little lens of great quality. Of course it's completely made of metal.

Due to the nature of the lens designed for a 18x24 negative size, the adapters used to mount them on modern digital cameras are very short compared to those made for "ordinary" manual focus lenses. Therefore the lens doesn't get so much bigger when adapted to your digital camera.

The lens even came with its original lens hood which is hard to find nowadays. All was in absolutely mint condition, no scratches, fungus or oily aperture blades. Just a tiny little microscopic dust inside, but that is normal for a 40 year old lens.

Finally, I think it looks good mounted on my X Pro 1. Not too big and not too tiny. Focussing goes smoothly but you need small fingers to move the aperture ring... .

As for the image quality: honestly, I can't say too much about it yet. I have only made a few test shots in my backyard with different apertures and I found it to be sharp even wide open.

But there is one thing. It has been over 15 years since I last used manual focus lenses and meanwhile I'm a little "spoiled" by autofocus. So it took me some effort to get the focus right, even in magnification mode of the X Pro 1. So I think I will mainly use this lens in combination with a tripod and right angle finder to do static shots such as macro or architectual/interior.

To be honest, as nice as it is, I'm not sure yet, if I will keep it. I'll play around with it for a while and the decide.

to be continued...