Olympus e-3 for copy/digitization work

[houstonphotographics]

<p>Hi,<br>

I have the Olympus E-3 system and want to start to use this for copy~digitization work. Main items for replication; slides, negatives, possible print work. I know I will need to get either a macro lens (35 or the 50?) OR an extension tube w/ older OM lens setup in order to get 1/1. Copy stand and light source I along with remote. I picked up a generic cabled remote from the auction site but does not seem to work. I have enabled my camera to shoot tethered to my laptop w/ Lightroom. I have searched on the web and found several articles but I wanted to ask the 4/3 forum here on PN. If anyone is using this body and has any pointers for me w/regard to the lens in particular (and anything else) I would like to hear. Ive been putting this project off for years and now its time to pit or get off the shot. Thank you in advance</p>

[Jochen_S]

<p>I don't have Olympus, but general rule of thumb: If you have enough space, the longer lens should be prefered for copy work, since it is less likely to cause perspective error due to minor camera & original missalignment.<br>

Means: I'd go for 100mm on APS C, if mine was still working. - Thats 75mm on MFT?</p>

[hank_morris1]

<p>A Minolta 50mm manual focus macro lens will fit the E-3 via an adaptor. As a bonus, via an additional different adaptor you can reverse-mount the lens for greater than 1:1. You can pick up all this stuff on ebay; use google to find out the specifics. I have done this and it works perfectly.</p>

[GerrySiegel]

I use an FD 50mm macro with extender and /or a tele extender plus an old FL bellows I owned. I set the rig on a large board and do fine focus by sliding the camera along a track I made. You then need a light source. I used my old FD bellows with its slide slash negative holder with a panel of small cheap LED lighting. I had to adjust the white balance to taste as the lights change over their life span. A bellows is useful for a lot of things and any manual lens with the Vello adapter will fit on to the E-3. No, I decided to dedicate an old Lumix G-1 to the project and keep it set up for this purpose. For prints, a tripod ought to work well enough with a couple halogen or LED lights. A few thoughts, improvisation -wise. Even lighting distance to diffuser was a trial and error exercise for me. Vello makes a good release for nominal price. I got it from B and H.

[harold_gough]

<p>Here is the setup I was using, to be updated by use of EM-1 and TTL flash:<br>

http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=113545#113545<br>

Here are some results:<br>

http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16977<br>

http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16966<br>

http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16967</p>

<p> </p>

[jcuknz]

<p>I don't have a macro lens but that has not stopped me doing what you hope to do. But I do have a bridge camera [ No.1 with a 280 zoom, No.2 with a 432mm zoom ] and a simple two dioptre Close-up lens which permits the zoom to focus closer than usual and use the zoom to achieve the tight framing without the distortions Jochen mentions. With any copy I try to stay back as far as I can.<br>

The main problem I had was the camera getting a photo of itself so an enclosed trunk between subject and lens is highly desirable. I have never bothered about color balance as AWB sorts out problems except if using tungsten lighting when the Tungsten setting should be used. Normally I have organised a 'north light nicely diffused [ facial tissues ]'.<br>

My aim in this has been to use what I have rather than 'spend'. :-)</p>

[jcuknz]

<p>An early copy before I got organised</p><div></div>

[jcuknz]

<p>Getting organised but not enough ... a MF copy .... The sky writer was very clever that day with his flying.</p><div></div>

[jcuknz]

<p>With a plywood tunnel around camera and to hold the quarter-plate negative.</p><div></div>

[GerrySiegel]

Ken, Just located a photo of the slide copy rig I experimented with. Micro four thirds offers more lens options although I can see using the E-3 as well with perhaps an OM lens and OM adapter. I find it easy to get legacy lenses like the twenty five year old FD macro lens and tube and FL bellows when attached to a micro four thirds camera like my rarely used (and cheap on the used market) G-1 shown. I just push the camera along to fine focus using the bellows and lens to magnify or crop. Here I am digitizing a 23X24 chip from a stereo slide. One day I may build a better track or get a slicker bellows. One can buy all in one slide copiers, but I am satisfied with the results from this jury rig.<div></div>

[GerrySiegel]

A copy image from a stereo slide using above assembly. Not for bulk production needless to say, but it does work. The light source was a fifty dollar LED assembly via Amazon. I have supplied diffuser over the LEd panel as well as the slide copy attachment that came with the old bellows (which I took apart some). It dates from really ancient times. Returned to life. Experiment is the watchword. Any camera should work if you can see the image in LCD for fine enough focus and use smallish aperture for DOF.<div></div>

[jcuknz]

<p>It is fun to spend money on photo gear for sure ...<br />I remember back in the days of film I was watching Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth do a walk-about in the Dunedin Octagon and noticed that our camerawoman [ later to have her mouth shot away in the Balkans when working for CNN ] move in to get a shot of HM talking to my son, only to be grabbed by security as it was forbudden territory ... she got about fifteen frames which as duty film editor I carefully got down on :-)</p>

<p>One of my sidelines at work was an optical printer made out of the gate assembly of a WWII surplus 516 projector and so with this to hold the film and back illuminate it I organised a set of extension tubes on my Pentax and another set behind the 50mm Takumar lens and coupled them with a short length of 2" plastic pipe which gave me enough extension to copy part of the 16mm frame I choose, itself about 10mm wide. Working in my darkened basement it worked well.</p>

<p>I don't have a scanner so cannot make a copy to show here and yet to get around to repeating the exercise with current gear but it is a valued momento of my son when he was in the Cubs.</p>

<p>Awhile back my Panasonic G3 achieved 10mm filling the 17mm sensor with an MFT to M42 adaptor and a set of MFT plain extension tubes using a 50mm lens so quite possible to do ... just have not got around to it :-)</p>

[harold_gough]

<p>The OM 80mm bellows lens was intended primarily as a copying lens for 35mm transparencies. It is good from half to twice life size.<br>

A reversed prime lens should do the job anyway. Kiron lenses are very good, generally better than OM ones.</p>