Home > Consumer Reviews > Olympus 50mm f/2.0 Telephoto Macro ED Lens for E1, E300 & E500 Digital SLR Cameras

Before purchasing this lens you should read some literature. You don't need to be a lens expert - but know what "MTF" means. MTF is modulation transfer function. It is a qualty by which lenses are judged. The more linear the plot, the better the odds you've bought a winner. Olympus and Cannon both publish their MTF plots of their "BETTER" quality lenses. They don't publish the plots of the "included in the box" lenses. For good reason. You can analyze them on a machine if you have a lab and discover they resemble a rollercoaster and not a horizontal line like you would prefer.

Google MTF LENS modulation transfer function and you'll be on your way - then visit OLY's website and click on the MTF curves on this lens. You'll see why it is so well thought of.

Now let's talk Zoom. Remember your old 35mm camera. If you wanted a closeup, you walked towards the person. A wide angle meant walking backwards, mindful of the pool, traffic, etc. The zoom lens eliminated some of this to the extent of its focal length. This is not a zoom lens. It is called a PRIME lens. PRIME = opposite of ZOOM. It's like that old friend on your first 35mm camera. But with a little under the hood.

This is called a macro lens. That does not mean it only can shoot closeups. It will focus from 6" to infinity. For $35 or so you can buy a 3 piece set of magnifiers from Hoya or Tiffen - they screw on like filters but magnify the image in 1, 2, and 4 diopter power. Like using a loupe to view a stone, they help you see the fine detail. The microprinting in the new $20 bill is easy to photograph with this lens. You can see things not visable to the naked eye with it.

Finally - as I mentioned the focus does cover close up to infinity like any good lens (just unscrew those magnifiers used to photo your stamp collection). But you will see that while most lenses (in meters) will have a readout of 1, 2, 5, 9, 15, 25, infinity in meters - this lens starts way down at 0.22 m (22 cm!) - the next number is about 0.24 m. The point is there is a wide range of focus space down close to the lens below a meter, then 1, 2, 3 meters. For closeups this can't be beat.

This is not to say you can't use this lens like old'faithful on your first 35mm camera. I've shot entire photoshoots with this just stepping back a couple times to frame the shot how I wanted it. I also switch to aperature mode (A) on the Oly Evolt and stopped down the lens to F10 outside or with the FL-50 flash. My depth of field was dramatic - everything came into sharp focus with the crosshairs in the middle.

Printing the images on 24" wide photo paper and a HP designjet drafting/photo printer gave the final satisfaction. This is one awesome lens. No zoom, but pictures so sharp and detailed with contrast unheard of before that when I run out to catch a good photo, this lens is normally on my camera. And I also have the 50-200 ED zoom. The 50 ED PRIME lens will outperform the 50 zoom under most occasions.

It's a starter lens, a quality lens (mid level in the OLY 3 tier quality system), a macro lens, and best of all a razor sharp lens that maintains contrast (you normally give up one for the other). There is a lot of glass inside this piece, and good glass at that. I advise against the f=35 mm macro lens, as it is in the LOW quality group from oly. If you need a 1:1 scale, consider this lens with the extention tube for a little more and you'll be close to 1:1 there.

Like all of the "quality" group of lenses in OLY's lens plan, this has a focus meter on it to tell you where you are focusing, or to aid in manual focusing. Mine spends most of its time on the camera - I'm sure you will enjoy printing photos from it as well. Shoot at F/10 and focus is almost not an issue at all in wide spaces. Inside, add the FL50 flash and shoot F/10 as well. You'll be happy with the outcome.

One last note about flashes - you'll eventually want the ring flash for macro work. Undocumented is that the ring flash includes 4 modeling lights with a 3 minute timer on them. To put the macro ring flash on the macro lens requires a ring flash adapter FR-1 available separately for about $95. It's bucks, I realize, but it does have a simple two prong bayonet mount to a ring cut into the lens - so removing the ring flash is a breeze. The ring flash (minus modeling lights) has a GN of 36 and is roughly equivalent to the FL-36, except that shadows are kept to an absolute minimum since the flash wraps around the lens. I use it for closeups and even modeling shots - a great lens/flash combo with the FR-1 adapter. Using the modeling lights you can keep the flash reflection out of the picture!

Among the finest lenses which Olympus produced for its OM manual focusing SLR system were its Zuiko 50mm f2 and 90mm f2 lenses. Both lenses earned lavish praise from critics and users, of whom many regarded these lenses as among the finest of their kind. Indeed, both lenses were compared favorably to the Leica R and Contax Zeiss 35mm SLR macro lenses. For example, in at least one review, I read that the 50mm lens was as fine a performer as the venerable Leica 50mm Summicron M lens, with excellent contrast and resolution at all apertures, especially wide open.

Now for its new digital E-series cameras, Olympus has introduced a 50mm f2 macro lens which follows in the wake of its legendary predecessors, offering this time ED glass for maximum contrast and resolution at all apertures. The June 2006 issue of Popular Photography has an exemplary review of this lens, noting that it is indeed a superlative performer, among the finest macro lenses currently available for digital SLRs. It also notes that the magnification ratio of this lens without an additional focusing tube is actually 1:1.6, NOT 1:2 as stated in the lens's manual. And since Olympus adheres to a 4:3 image ratio, then the equivalent focal length of this 50mm f2 lens for a 35mm film SLR camera is 90mm. Those interested in both macro photography and using a superb portrait lens for head-and-shoulder portraits, will find this 50mm lens an important addition to their Olympus E-series kit.

I don't know of any other way to say it. I cannot find any fault with this lens. It is tack sharp edge-to-edge, even in the far corners, even at f/2, especially close up. The bokeh is superb, it looks great and creamy smooth. It's also fast and just as good at f/2 as f/8 -- literally no difference in sharpness. Incredible.

It literally is a perfect lens.

Makes for great portraits (probably my favorite use for the lens) due to the 100mm equivalent focal length and the great depth-of-field control and appealing out-of-focus rendition.

Makes for great macros, for the same reasons but up close. Add the extension tube for true 1:1, otherwise 1:2 is great for most everything close other than "true macro."

My only complaint is that it's just a tad long for general use - 4/3 really needs a Zuiko 25mm normalish prime (as in, something cheaper than the Leica 25mm f/1.4, which is also an excellent lens) of the same quality as this lens.

But for what it is -- a 100mm-equivalent lens -- it is, without question, optically perfect. Don't even hesitate to buy it, you'll wish you had got it sooner.

(Edit: I know I have said nothing negative in this review, and that may lead you to think it's "unhelpful". So, for the record, the biggest problem with the lens is the focusing speed, which is a little sub-par, and makes a strange noise. It's not terrible, just sometimes gets in the way. Also, in low light, if you miss focus it can go all the way out to macro and back in before it finds it, as there is no focus limiter. Not a huge problem, just know how to focus on contrast or use MF in pitch black. That said, the most helpful thing I can say about the lens is that it's superb and a must-buy, sorry if that comes across as unhelpful ;-)

This macro is superb. At f2, it is bright enough for low light photography and portrait work. It is the sharpest lens in Olympus pro lineup. As all oly pro glass, it is sealed and built like a tank. The only negative point I can think of is that it will only take half life size macros (not 1:1), unless you get the ex-25 macro extender.

I use this lens on the E-500 & the E-1 and it's quickly become one of my favorites. Very sharp, small and light with incredible bokeh.

I'm not a macro enthusiast, so I can't speak to its macro capabilites (although I'd assume they are excellent), but I can say this is a wonderful portrait lens that consistently provides crystal clear sharp images. EDIT: I recently had an assignment for some macro pictures of steel wire cable - WOW - this lens has incredible sharpness/detail and performed flawlessly in macro use. I actually won a photo contest with one of the pictures I took with it. I've started to like this lens so much for it's all-around abilities that it barely leaves my camera.

Get one - you won't be disappointed!