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[OM] 28-48, medium format

Subject: [OM] 28-48, medium format
From: Joseph Albert <jalbert@xxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 20:03:57 -0600 (MDT)
someone wrote:

>And finally, the same shop has a 28-48 f4 lense for sale. As most of my
>photography is landscape stuff, is this a good 'all-in-one' compromise when
>travelling light?

I was interested in this lens recently, but my interest waned when I
discovered it didn't focus that closely.  This is typical of zooms that
reach the wide-angle range, and the Olympus 28-48 is better than many
in this regard.

However, the 28/2.8 will focus down to 0.3m whereas the 28-48/4 only
down to 0.6m

The 28-48/4 weighs 300gm, whereas a 28/2.8 + 50/1.8 together are 330gm.

So, you'll save all of 30gm of weight, for the privilege of spending more
money on a lens that doesn't focus nearly as closely.

Close focus is important on a wide-angle because most effective wide-angle
shots require getting really close in to the primary foreground subject
so it is large enough in the image.

Of course, this calls into question whether one needs to go with the
more expensive floating-element wide-angles that have better correction
of close focus aberrations.  My own experiences with the 24/2.8 and 28/2.8
is that the close focus aberrations in the corners are only a problem at
the more open apertures.  So you need the f/2 versions of the lens if you
are wanting to shoot at wide apertures.  I have closeups of flowers
taken with a 24/2.8 Zuiko where the aberrations are so severe that the
image falls apart in the corners.  This is normal with retrofocus lenses
that aren't floating element designs.  However, these were also at f/4
and a few at f/5.6.  By f/5.6, the f/2.8 24mm and 28mm lenses are fine,
but at closest focus I'd rather be at f/8 and below.

someone else suggested that at 11x14 and even 16x20, 35mm was as good
as 6x7.  I have to disagree here.  with very careful technique and the
finest grained film you can get results with 35mm that rival medium format,
but you won't get it with the same consistency as with a medium format
camera.  plus, with medium format you don't have to use the finest
grained materials that often are the most contrasty (Velvia, Ektar 25, 
Tech Pan), but rather can get the medium format look with a wider
choice of film palettes.

once tilt and swing movements enter into the mix, 35mm gets left in the
dust in terms image quality for subjects that aren't close to being parallel
to the film plane.

j. albert

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