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Old OMlenses on E1

A

ardvup

Member
Hi,

After many years using OM2(SP) and OM4Ti's I am thinking about entering the world of digital with perhaps the E1.
Could anyone advise whether my many OM lenses and accessories can be used on the E-system.I know the 4:3 format has been developed for this camera, but have yet to see the lens-camera mount.
My OM system includes a full range of Macro lenses, bellows and shift lenses, and many fast Zeiko fixed focal and zoom lenses.
If OM lenses do not fit the E1, is there any adaptor available (and is there a trade off in performance).
Any advice is welcome.
 
dirk

dirk

CI-Founder
no, it is not possible and there is currently neither an adapter available nor do I have heard of any plans to make one.
 
S

sclamb

Well-Known Member
Yes it most definitely is possible, I have an Olympus OM adapter for the E-1 and you can get it if you ask your Olympus dealer or apply directly to Olympus.

Simon
 
E

echelon

Member
[A little known adaptor is actually available, but you have to look = hard to find it. It adapts OM lenses to the E-1, but without most of the = automatic functions, of course. It means you can use an OM Zuiko 300 mm = for ex&le, which saves throwing it away if you buy the E-1. I, like = you, have a large range of OM lenses from 18mm to a 600mm, and when I = bought the E-1 I was not wanting to consign them to be retired. I have = the adaptor, (so I know it exists!) and it works well with the caveats I = mention above.=20 The trade off is the fact that you have to use it in stop down mode, = so focussing is a little bit of a challenge, and of course there is no = auto focus, and automatic functions are very limited. I am not sure it = is worth using an OM lens in place of a digital lens, as the trade off = is quite high, but for the odd shot it is certainly worth having. I hope that helps.
 
dirk

dirk

CI-Founder
Hi Simon,

this would be great news. Can you upload an image so that we know how it looks like? Is it small/big?

Is it from Olympus itself or a third party manufacturer?

What are the pro and cons? How does focussing, aperture etc. works?
 
E

echelon

Member
A little known adaptor is actually available, but you have to look = hard to find it. It adapts OM lenses to the E-1, but without most of the = automatic functions, of course. It means you can use an OM Zuiko 300 mm = for ex&le, which saves throwing it away if you buy the E-1. I, like = you, have a large range of OM lenses from 18mm to a 600mm, and when I = bought the E-1 I was not wanting to consign them to be retired. I have = the adaptor, (so I know it exists!) and it works well with the caveats I = mention above.=20 The trade off is the fact that you have to use it in stop down mode, = so focussing is a little bit of a challenge, and of course there is no = auto focus, and automatic functions are very limited. I am not sure it = is worth using an OM lens in place of a digital lens, as the trade off = is quite high, but for the odd shot it is certainly worth having. I hope that helps.
 
S

sclamb

Well-Known Member
The adapter is well known and was supplied free to E-1 owners when the initial batch was manufactured. I believe it can still be purchased from Olympus.

A link here with an image of the adapter:

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!


Simon
 
S

sclamb

Well-Known Member
You need to speak to Oly. They may have some left and/or let you have one for free, but I am not sure what the current position is. I can say that the adapter is made to a very high standard.

Simon
 
A

andy_radcliffe

Active Member
Well, if you happen to have the misfortune to live in the UK, the situation regarding the OM to 4/3rds adaptor is that Olympus UK will not even acknowledge that such an item exists , or even reply to any emails on the subject.In my opinion at least, Olympus UK rank as the worst importer I have ever dealt with (or should I say attempted to?).I must add however that Olympus Europa and Olympus Japan do not suffer from this lack of courtesy - I even recieved a very polite reply from Japan regretting that they were unable to supply me with the adaptor and apologising for the lack of customer service shown by the UK importers.
So, it looks like I am going to have to order an adaptor from Kindai International in Japan - looks to be identical to the one supplied by Cameraquest, but costs a bit less.
I would be interested to know if other E-1 owners outside of Japan and the US have the same experience as myself in trying to obtain the adaptor.
 
E

echelon

Member
Hi, I dont know why you had such a bad experience, I rang Olympus UK = and when I mentioned I had OM lenses, the information was volunteered = about the adaptor, and they sourced one for me and thats how I got = mine...Try them again...
 
H

harryadam

Member
I have the contrary view of Olympus UK. To get an adaptor, you need to have registered the E-1, and then submit your request with the registration number given. I did this by e-mail, received a reply almost immediately and the adaptor was delivered the very next day. Superb service.
 
A

andy_radcliffe

Active Member
Well, I have tried (again) e-mailing Olympus UK support(no response there) and also phoning them. The guy I spoke to said that although he was aware of the adaptor, they didn't have any, and that I should persue the matter via my local dealer. Mind you, I think that in common with lots of other organisations, Olympus UK have moved their call centre to India, judging by the phone number.How do you get to speak to someone actually at Oly UK - does anyone have a contact number?
 
A

andy_radcliffe

Active Member
Finally got my MA-1 adaptor via Olympus Europa (from Prague). I still can't understand why (for me at least) it was so long winded.
Still, I am very impressed with the quality I am getting, especially from the 50/3.5 macro, 85/2.0 and 180/2.0. I haven't tried any wideangles, I really can't see the point although maybe the 21/2.0 would make a useful standard lens.
Focussing is as easy as when using the 2-4 screen in an OM body, I really don't miss focussing aids.
(Although it is a pity that we can't have focus confirmation when used with MF lenses, I don't see why this wouldn't have been possible)
 
B

bdcolen

Well-Known Member
It's not that it's not possible; it's that Olympus apparently has no interest in supporting the use of OM lenses on the E-1 body. First off, they contend that their use produces generally inferior results when compared to the E-1 dedicated lenses. Second, they obviously want to encourage the purchase of the new lenses.
 
jsmisc

jsmisc

Well-Known Member
I would have thought that it would be big selling point for the E-1 if it was advertised that OM lenses can be used on it without hassle. That must open it up to a much wider customer base who would likely then go on to buy the new lens range.
John
 
E

echelon

Member
I have been using the 400mm OM lens today on the E-1, and it works beuatifully. You dont get automatic exposure control or autofocus, but you dont with the OM1 anyway, and I have used them for over 20 years without a problem.
They will obviously try to sell you new lenses, but it is commendable that an adaptor was actually made at all.
I think it would work better with longer lenses than with wide angles, because of the nature of them
JK
 
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