OM 85 mm F2 lens - how good is this lens and did optics change

[john_afflitto]

<p>I recently acquired a mint sample of an 85 mm F2 MC Olympus lens and am trying to put together a small OM kit to use.<br>

Anyone know how good this lens is (strengths and weaknesses)? Also, I read somewhere that Olympus changed the optics of this lens during its production run. Anyone familiar with the details of that change and when it occurred?</p>

[konrad_beck1]

<p>If your lens reads at the front: ZUIKO MC, you have the newer version: the original 85/2 produced from 1974 to early 1979 was a 6 elements in 4 groups design marked "F.ZUIKO" and was single coated. In 1979, the design changed to 5 elements in 4 groups, marked ZUIKO MC. In 1981, the multicoating was changed to a more modern variant, called NMC ("New MC"?) , and ZUIKO MC marked lenses with s/n>200,000 have this kind of coating. From late 1981 on, the "MC" marking was omitted from the front ring, and thus it reads only ZUIKO.<br /> <br /> I regard the lens as a good allround performer for its time. It was specifically designed to have a somewhat softer effect in the near focus range. It was "the principle object ... to provide a semi-telephoto lens system for which aberrations are favorably corrected when the distance from the object is infinite and ... aberrations are also favorably corrected even in the close-up photographing by adopting a floating mechanism ... and with which soft photographing effect of the image can be achieved." (from the patent). Therefore, it was/is good for portraits. For absolute sharpness, the lens was superceded later by the 100/2, and I myself prefer the Voigtlander 125/2.5 macro lens in this range except for people pictures.</p>

[simon evans.]

<p>That's a nice lens. Maybe not stellar but no slouch either. Some earlier discussions:<br>

http://www.photo.net/olympus-camera-forum/00SHl1<br>

http://www.photo.net/olympus-camera-forum/006UQk<br>

http://www.photo.net/olympus-camera-forum/00SwFB</p>

[george_shihanian]

<p>I'm a believer that this lens IS a stellar performer for potraits. Don't get too hung up on what year or what formula used is the best, they're all good. The bokeh, or out of focus area rendering is creamy smooth. At least it was on the two I owned for many years.</p>

[richard_anderson9]

<p>The Nikon 85mm f1.8 will stomp the Olympus into the dust if sharpness is at all important to someone. For portraiture, you can use any old soft lens, like the Russian Jupiter 9's etc.</p>

[matthew_newton]

<p><a href="http://omexperience.wordpress.com/lenses/zuiko-85mm-f2/">http://omexperience.wordpress.com/lenses/zuiko-85mm-f2/</a><br>

I tested a copy of the 85/2, the final varient with the NMC coating. Based on the testing, it is very, very sharp. I don't see an evidence of this soft focus effect unless it only occurs around the minimum focus distance. The lens tests were done at a distance of around 7-8ft, so pretty close (my basement is only so large). At f/2.8 the lens is about is sharp as it gets (which is very). The 85/2 is sharper then my 50/1.4 multicoated lens and from more subjective instead of side by side testing (since I have only tested my 50mm lenses and the 85/2) the 85/2 is one of the sharpest lenses I have.<br>

The lens tests I have seen from <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20070311095348/http://members.aol.com/olympusom/lenstests/default.htm">http://web.archive.org/web/20070311095348/http://members.aol.com/olympusom/lenstests/default.htm</a><br>

seem to show the later versions to be sharper (your's would be one of the later versions). The Nikon 85/1.8 may 'stomp the Olympus', but with my experience plus the testing I have done...the only way I can see that happening is in really, really big blowups (no way in heck you'd notice it in anything as 'small' as an 8x12).<br>

The only thing I can honestly think of is that the older 85/2 was soft close up, it certainly appears to be softer then the later version otherwise.</p>

[brianam]

<p>the Zuiko 85/2 --especially the MC-- is a great lens. Keep it by all means. if you're starting a kit around it, you may want to consider 24/2 or 24/2.8, 50/1.2 or a 50 macro, and 135/2.8 at the long end.</p>

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[pisq]

<p>The Nikon 85f1.8 won't stomp the OM 85/f2. In fact, I think the OM 85f2 would stomp the Nikon 85f1.8 for Bokeh! In any case, the test results for both the single coated and MC versions of the OM 85/2 are very respectable.</p>

<p>http://web.archive.org/web/20070311095348/http://members.aol.com/olympusom/lenstests/default.htm</p>

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