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Re: [OM] Zeiss Luminar Lenses

Subject: Re: [OM] Zeiss Luminar Lenses
From: Jan Steinman <Jan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 8 May 2017 12:00:36 -0700
> From: usher99@xxxxxxx
> 
> The 135/4.5 does behave well on Canyon FF and Jan says on MFT too. (pleased 
> that is so) 

I haven't actually pixel-peeped yet, but it sure looks good in the EVF! I'll do 
some critical evaluation soon.

> This was a very quick stack outside near our lavender hedge--had 45 min of 
> free time from soup to nuts. 
> 
> http://www.olyendomike.com/Other/Macro-2012/i-JSTfxLh/A

Sweet! It takes me 45 minutes to figure out what to shoot!

> The Z. 135/4.5 has a large image circle (designed to be used on the 
> tilt-shift bellows that never made it on the market)  too so I can mount it 
> on my Mirex tilt-shift adapter.

Is that one of the little 8-degree adapters?

I had one living on the Telescoping Extension Tube and 135/4.5 for a while, but 
it was quite sloppy and wobbly, and the detent rotation was unnerving when 
trying to lock/unlock the TET.

I busted the budget and got the Kipon Tilt-Shift adapter, partly because it has 
a rotation lock (and 4 degrees more tilt), but the damn thing won't fit on 
anything with an EVF bulge in front. It's going back to Adorama today with a 
note to exchange for the Kipon tilt-only adapter, AFTER they have verified that 
it will actually mount on the OMD E-M1.2.

>  I can also mount it on my tilt-shift bellows with OM fittings but that is 
> quite fussy.  I am told the bellows may have been re-branded after initial 
> production in the secret Wyoming factory.  ;-)

Fascinating!

I'm in the process of adapting a Minolta Auto Bellows III to Micro 4/3rds, 
using a RafCamera adapter, but the one they sent me is about 0.004" too short, 
and won't rotate in the front standard. Rafael has been very understanding, and 
is going to make me a new one that is taller, but I want to spend some quality 
time with a micrometer and the bellows front standard to make sure we have the 
dimensions down.

I also have a Nikon PB-4 tilt/shift bellows on the way, and will see what I 
need to do to get it to play well with Micro 4/3rds. Using stock adapters on 
these things take away some of your potential distance focusing range, and I 
might end up asking RafCamera to make a "shorty" adapter for the Nikon, too.

But really, I find that, except for particular circumstances that demand the 
versatility of a tilt-shift bellows, I'm happy as a clam with the durability 
and simplicity of the Telescoping Extension Tube for field work. Cram it in 
your bag without worrying about the fragile bellows fabric. Extend and collapse 
in a fraction of the time it takes to set up a bellows. You don't have to worry 
about where you grab it when the insect is scurrying away. And they're only a 
bit over $100 from KEH (from time to time).

> I very much doubt over 5 stops of IS with non system lenses as that is for 
> lenses with sync IS like the 12-100--that is indeed impressive.

They claim 6.5 stops for sync IS with the 12-100. They claim 5.5 stops for 
anything else you can attach, after letting it know the focal length.

I haven't done actual tests, but I can carefully hand-hold the OM Zuiko 500/8 
at a eighth of a second or so! That would be roughly six stops IS, but this is 
using my best "sharpshooter" skills; lean on something, cradle the lens, slow 
your heart, let out a breath, gently squeeze the release, keep sighting with 
your other eye during exposure, etc. I think their 5.5-stop claim would hold 
just fine for your average "snapshot" photographer.

> I think by my reading Jan at times conflates...

Yea, I admit I don't have that terminology down. All I know is that you can 
combine differently-focused images in-camera for greater depth of field - 
whatever you want to call it.

It does require certain lenses. If they're doing it with their exquisite 
mastery of sensor movement, then it should just be a firmware update to get it 
to work with other lenses, no?

This seems to be like the limitation of Pro Capture to current MFT lenses. I 
understand why the 4/3rds lenses might not keep up, with their need to rapidly 
open and close the aperture for each shot, but surely, it would just be a 
firmware update to allow legacy manual lenses to work with Pro Capture, no?

> The new  Oly STF-8 twin macro flash will support focus bracketing/stacking 
> and one can pick a delay time to allow for flash recharge.

I miss the FC-01 approach of supporting either a ring flash or twin flashes. 
You can still do auto TTL flash with the FC-01, but no bracketing/stacking. 
With the STF-8 all-in-one design, Olympus seems to be giving up versatility for 
weather proofing.

John Hermanson sent me some connectors and cords, and Any Day Now(TM), I'm 
going to adapt my beloved T-8 and T-10 ring lights to the FC-01. 
Stacking/bracketing is cool and all, but I think Olympus has been slipping on 
macro light control since the OM System. They've been trading whiz-bang 
technology for true light control. The T-8 produces amazing low-contrast, 
shadowless light that the more modern Olympus macro flashes only dream about. 
And the T-10 with the crossed polarizer is still the only macro solution for 
shooting through glass or dealing with highly reflective minerals, etc.

----------------
{script:nopre:"/Users/jan/bin/randquote"}
:::: Jan Steinman, {link:"http://www.EcoReality.org"; textDesc:"EcoReality 
Co-op" :link} ::::

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