Olympus IS series

<p>Don't want to pollute Mike's thread on the OM77, so I'll post it as a new question...</p>

<p>Of the Olympus IS series, which was the most advanced? And did any of them have manual zoom?</p>

<p>I used to have an IS-1 when they first came out, bought it when I foolishly decided to part ways with my T90. My biggest complaint about the camera, and the only point on which I still have bad feelings, is the excruciatingly slow power zoom. (This is also what keeps me from buying one o' them so-called 'bridge' cameras.) </p>

<p>The "senior" IS series IS-1, IS-2, IS-3, IS-5) was a great idea despite what the photo-snobs felt about it. It had good glass and a fine exposure system for its day. The best of the senior IS series was the IS-3. The glass was large enough to allow reasonable F:stops. The glass of the "extension" add-on lenses for the IS 1, 2 and 3 was so large that it did not lower the F:stop when added and so good that it did not deteriorate the image. The body design allowed a steady hand held platform for pictures with lack of camera shake. I see the IS-5 on its smaller body as a step down from the IS-3. IS-4 was not produced.</p>

<p>I considered the junior IS series, IS-10, IS-20, IS-30, and IS-50 as top flight compacts with true SLR viewing. <br /><br />All IS were power zoom.</p>

<p>Great idea for thread, Fred. I have a couple of IS series cameras and was hoping to get a chance to discuss them. I have an IS-30 (28-110 zoom) that I purchased new and a used IS-50 (28-120) that I picked up on the 'bay for 8.45 USD plus shipping. Both of them, especially the IS-30 perform well, even wide open. The IS series models that start at 28mm have multiple programs, spot metering, and can also do aperture priority. The IS-50 and IS-5 will even display the shutter speed on the LCD panel. The IS-1/2/3 are larger, but offer manual focus override (unfortunately it is the rather clumsy power assist), but better than nothing. Like Art added, the accessory converters were top quality. <br />The IS series was unique in its "J" shaped film path, which allowed compactness. For several years, my IS-30 was my favorite "grab and go" camera. I usually kept it loaded with Fujicolor 400. I would guess that if high performance digital cameras at reasonable prices had not become available, Olympus would probably still be making IS series cameras.<br>

Both my IS-30 and IS-50 look so modern that people are always asking me if the cameras are digital.</p>

<p>i have looked at the IS seri9es on the 'bay. that seem to sell for very little.<br>

and I wondered if it was qa film/digital obsolescence<br>

or if they were trouble prone.<br>

you say the 3 was a SENIOR and the 30 was a JUNIOR'whar is the difference<br>

and which model would be best., well a bett-er choice..</p>

<p>Inevitably the cameras had a different numbering system over here. I have an iS-3000, which is pretty much the same as the iS-3, and it gets some great results. It's a fine camera to use, well balanced in the hand</p>

<p>There's a good resource at <a href="http://www.star.ucl.ac.uk/~rwesson/esif/om-sif/is-series/is-series.htm">this site</a>.</p>

<p>Here's my camera<br>

<a title="iS-3000 by FlickrDelusions, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3561/3438119493_0fffc2ed3e_z.jpg" alt="iS-3000" width="640" height="428" /></a><br>

That's a 35-180mm f4.5-5.6 zoom integrated in the body.</p>

<p>And here's a picture I took a while back with the camera<br>

<a title="Sophie Ryder by FlickrDelusions, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3173/2696188751_164ba82317_z.jpg" alt="Sophie Ryder" width="640" height="450" /></a><br>

My criticism of the camera series was that earlier models I had (smaller, more compact models) were quite fragile and prone to fail after a knock. At least with regular SLRs the lens or body could be replaced.</p>

<p>"you say the 3 was a SENIOR and the 30 was a JUNIOR'whar is the difference"<br>

<br />The 3 was a larger model with manual control available, faster glass and a larger zoom range, 35-180mm. There was also a more powerful dual bulb on board flash and a very powerful accessory flash. The accessory flash actually had close to its rated output, quite unusual along with being able to use both the powerful built in flash and the accessory flash at the same time. I was almost 50 feet up at Fantasy Fest in Key West, FL, USA and was able to fully<br>

light up the street below with 64 ASA Kodachrome film with both flashes on full auto.<br>

<br /><br />The 30 was smaller, had less features, lesser zoom range, 28-110mm.<br>

<br /><br />Olympus even made a Centurion model of the IS type for the APS film.</p>

The IS-10/20/30 actually appealed to a lot of serious users because of the very useful 28mm focal length.

<p>I was thinking the same thing, I'd rather have wide than tele.</p>

<p>Olympus did sell an 'iS/L Lens B-28 H.Q. Converter' that gave a 28mm field of view at the 35mm setting. I never got one myself, but it was reportedly a good accessory.</p>

<p>"Olympus did sell an 'iS/L Lens B-28 H.Q. Converter' that gave a 28mm field of view at the 35mm setting. I never got one myself, but it was reportedly a good accessory." </p>

<p>It was. Sharp, large glass and no increase in F:stop. </p>

 

<p ><a name="00YLDd"></a>***"<a href="../photodb/user?user_id=654955">Mike Gammill</a> <a href="../member-status-icons"><img title="Frequent poster" src="../v3graphics/member-status-icons/3rolls.gif" alt="" /></a>, Mar 06, 2011; 07:32 a.m.</p>

 

<p>The IS-10/20/30 actually appealed to a lot of serious users because of the very useful 28mm focal length."*** </p>

<p>Truth, but the lens was not as sharp nor did it have the same low F:Stop as the senior series. Also the add on lens was not as sharp as the senior glass. The extender raised the effective F:stop (T:Stop) of the exposure. I'm not putting them down. I own and have used several. I just considered mine as "best compact" and more easily carried. I also liked having the SLR view in a compact. </p>

 

 

@ Art- the tele add on for the IS-10/20/30 might not have been as good I

as the senior series converters. The 10-30 started at f4.5 and went to 5.6 max as you zoom. You are correct that the

senior series had a wider aperture. The last "junior", the IS-50, started at f4.9 @ 28 and was f6.9 (I think) @ 120. I

wonder how an IS-30 at 28mm would compare in sharpness to an IS-3 with it's 28mm converter (used @ 35mm setting)?

<p ><a name="00YLOL"></a><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=654955">Mike Gammill</a> <a href="../member-status-icons"><img title="Frequent poster" src="../v3graphics/member-status-icons/3rolls.gif" alt="" /></a>, Mar 06, 2011; 04:47 p.m.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >"I wonder how an IS-30 at 28mm would compare in sharpness to an IS-3 with it's 28mm converter (used @ 35mm setting)?" <br>

I've tried that, side by side, tripods. The IS3 was better, not that the IS30 was that bad. I also compared them without extenders at 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 110mm and found the IS-3 superior at every setting. Still, the IS-10, 20, 30 was better than any other zoom compact that I have used. it was also the camera that was kept in the car and was always handy so I took a lot of GOOD pictures with it. </p>

<p>Not only was the C-180 extender for the IS 10,20,30 not as sharp as the extender on the IS3, but it also raised the effective F:stop (T:stop). </p>

 

Art, that's high praise for a wide angle adapter. Olympus must have really "done their homework" on this one. Thanks for

sharing your test results.

<p ><a name="00YLld"></a><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=654955">Mike Gammill</a> <a href="../member-status-icons"><img title="Frequent poster" src="../v3graphics/member-status-icons/3rolls.gif" alt="" /></a>, Mar 07, 2011; 05:14 p.m.</p>

 

<p>"Art, that's high praise for a wide angle adapter" </p>

<p>Yes and from me who gets a bit picky. It is easier when an extender is made for only one lens. It is almost like designing all the glass together, and that was probably done. </p>

 

<p>Inexplicably, I just bid on and won an IS-3 for the princely sum of $9.99. Now to seek out the wide converter...</p>

<p>Well one just went (with an iS-3000 as part of the package) for the equivalent of $50 over here, which suggests that the little bolt-on has more value than the camera it is attached to.</p>

<p>Yes, that seems to be the case here as well, I am discovering.</p>