Early last week I was browsing through eBay for wide-to-telephoto lenses
when I came across a curious item which arrived in the mail this morning.
It's a Hoya (yes, Hoya) 35-105mm f/3.5 macro that features constant
aperture. The feature that attracted me was the separate zoom and focus
controls, which I have found to be highly desireable.
This lens is quite heavy, and apparently well made. Focusing and zoom
controls are firm with no slop. The focusing adjustment takes a full half
turn of the collar (180º), and the zoom control takes a full quarter of a
turn (90º). Filter thread is 72mm. The macro is available only at the 35mm
focal length, and you engage it by pushing forward on the zoom collar, much
like going into reverse on the original VW bug where you had to push down on
the shift lever.
The one I bought has a Nikon F mount, and with my Nikon F/AI to OM 4/3
adapter the infinity focus is just a hair or two before you hit the focusing
stop. Focusing goes down to about 1.25m and the macro at 35mm brings you
down to about 20-25cm.
Using this on the E-500 the images are nice and bright, just as with my
Tokina 28-70mm RMC macro. With the separate focus and zoom controls,
together with the constant f/3.5 aperture, this lens will definitely see
some field usage.
Chris
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