Jump to content

Olympus OM 35-70 f3.5-4.5 diaphragm question


wogears

Recommended Posts

<p>I just picked up one of these to use on my new-old OM-1. I noticed the following diaphragm peculiarity. When I set the aperture to f3.5, the diaphragm stays open all the way as I zoom from 70mm to 35mm. If, however, I set the aperture to 5.6 or smaller, the diaphragm will close slightly when I zoom out of 70mm, then remain slightly closed as I zoom out to 35mm. When I press the DOF preview, the lens will stop down all the way to the set opening (say, f11). I assume this is because the lens is an early variable aperture, and that this is not a Bug, but a Feature (in other words this is normal operation). Am I correct in this? It does make focusing difficult with the microprism if I am not set at wide-open.</p>

<p>Thanks to all,<br>

Les</p>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

<p>I honestly think there's a problem with the lens - variable aperture (usually a smaller aperture at the long end) is a result of the physical "window" (the front element) remaining constant as the focal length increases, necessitating a smaller max aperture. I have never heard of a lens diaphragm adjusting to reduce the aperture. That sounds a bit self-defeating. I had two Zuiko 35-70's, the 3.5-4.5 and the 3.6, and I never noticed this behavior with the 3.5-4.5. </p>
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...