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[OM] Flare from 35-70 f4 Zuiko compared with Leica Mini Zoom P&S

Subject: [OM] Flare from 35-70 f4 Zuiko compared with Leica Mini Zoom P&S
From: Ray Moth <ray_moth@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 4 May 2000 00:47:55 -0700 (PDT)
Dear all,

You might be interested in the following [unintentional] comarison I
recently carried out between Olympus OM and Leica P&S 35-70 zoom
lenses. I recently got back 2 sets of prints from the lab, both using
Fuji ASA 400 Superia colour neg. film. One set was taken with my
Olympus OM-2S using the Zuiko 35-70 f4 zoom with shade and no filter
fitted. The other set was taken with my Leica Mini Zoom, which is a
fully auto P&S with 35-70 f4-7.6 Leitz lens.

In both sets of pictures, quite a few were taken against the light,
i.e. with bright background. I realise that this is not generally
recommended with zooms because they are prone to flare. However, I was
not expecting this to be a major problem and, anyway, the purpose of
the pictures was only to record an event, not to create excellent
photographs. Nearly all the shots were of people.

The light conditions were similar but the camera settings were probably
not. With the OM-2S, I was able to set the lens aperture (which I
generally set at f4-f5.6) and shutter speed manually, using spot
metering on the face of the subject. With the Leica P&S, I had no idea
what aperture and shutter speed the camera selected but I could at
least 'lock' the exposure and focus settings by centering on the main
subject and pressing the shutter release button halfway, then composing
and taking the shot.

I usually use one or the other of these cameras for a shoot and don't
normally compare results. This time, however, I did and I was
surprised. In both sets of pictures, exposure and focus were correct
for all shots. Contrast and sharpness were excellent from the Leica but
only average from the Olympus. In the Olympus photos, flare was
sometimes noticeable but not intrusive. With the Leica, however,
excessive flare ruined several of the shots. I had expected some flare
but not as much as I got from the Leica! 

Maybe the reason for these results could have been that I forced the
OM-2S to over-expose, by using spot metering under those conditions?
This might have caused the flare to be less noticeable because
over-exposure causes the emulsion in negative films to be 'washed out'
and lacking in contrast. On the other hand, maybe the Leica exposed the
film less, which would give better contrast and could make the flare
more noticeable? Anyway, I think I'll avoid back-lit scenes with zoom
lenses in future.

By the way, can someone tell me if the 35-70 f4 is considered inferior
to other Zuikos int the same zoom range? I've noticed before that this
lens seems a bit "soft" and not very contrasty but that it actuallly
produces nice portraits fully open at 70mm setting. I'm thinking of
changing it for a couple of primes: maybe a 50 and a 135, since I
already have a 28 f2.8 and often feel that the 70mm offered by the zoom
is not long enough. Any comments?

Regards,

Ray



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