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[OM] Re: which marco flash?

Subject: [OM] Re: which marco flash?
From: hiwayman@xxxxxxx (Walt Wayman)
Date: Thu, 09 Dec 2004 14:52:21 +0000
Admitted, 2.5 is -- what? -- 1/2 stop faster than 2.8.

But better built?  Different materials maybe, but I've finally gotten over 
equating heavy metal with well built.  Carbon fiber and a few other modern 
materials disabused me of that prejudice.

And optically, I can't imagine the 2.5 is superior to the 2.8.  If it is, then 
it's also better than the 90/2 Zuiko, so everyone should stop lusting for the 
Zuiko, get the older Tamron and use the money saved for a nice OM-4Ti body.  A 
year or so ago I shot a series of comparison shots between the Tamron and the 
Zuiko and found the Provia 100F slides to be indistinguishable as betweem the 
two lenses, particularly after I dropped the lot in their unnumbered mounts, 
rendering my scribbled record of which was taken with which lens useless.  (I 
could have removed the film from the mounts to reconstruct the order, but since 
there was no discernable difference, I didn't care enough to do so.)

Also, the 2.8 goes to 1:1 all by itself, no extension tube necessary, a feat 
neither the 2.5 Tamron or the Zuiko can match -- a 90mm lens that goes from 1:1 
to infinity in the blink of an eye!  At half the weight of the 90/2 Zuiko and 
1/4 the cost to replace if injured, it gets to go out and about in the rough 
while the Zuiko often stays home or in the OM-4Runner.

The 2.8 has 55mm filter threads, and, admittedly, attaching the macro flashes 
does require the use of a couple of empty 55mm filter rings to extend the 
threads so the flash can clear that unnecessarily fat-ass front end, but this 
workaround cost $2 and took 5 minutes to make.  And besides, the two rings act 
as a mini lens hood when using the macro flashes, a bonus that may not be of 
much help, but it sure don't seem to hurt nothin'.

Walt  

--
"Anything more than 500 yards from 
the car just isn't photogenic." -- 
Edward Weston

 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: jking@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> 
> the older F2.5 tamron is faster, better built than the 2.8 and is only
> 49mm so no problem attaching a macro flash
> 
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