wierd question referenced to old post md to olympus??

[jon_sak]

I was reading an old post on photo.net and noticed that someone

suggested that the current olympus digital mount on the e-1/e-300 was

large enough to accomodate an adapter for using minolta mc/md manual

focus lenses without the need of an optical element? If someone

machined the actual adpater is the lens mount large enough to fit an

MD/MC lens? How would the E-1/E-300 meter under these circumstances?

 

Before people say to me "just buy a DSLR", I would like it to be know

that I already have. I was just curious about the techincal

limitations of such a suggestion.

[clinton_abe]

Let's see, you want to be able to put a fully mechanical lens on a fully electronic camera, and you want to know the technical limitations...where do I start? Also, why would you want to put lenses that were designed long before the first digital SLR came out, on a digital camera? The quality of your pictures would suffer. From what I've seen the price of many of the OLympus lenses are quite reasonable to begin with. Perhaps if you go buy/borrow a E-1/E-300 body, any Minolta M-mount lens, and some duct tape, you can borrow your own question.

[clinton_abe]

Make that- "answer" your own question. In fact, thinking about it further, as there would be no linkage between the lens and camera, other than the fact that the lens is mounted to the camera, why would you need to put a lens on the camera in the first place. Just get a E-1/E-300 body and without a lens in place, see how it meters. Or, get some cardstock, cut it into several circles big enough to cover the lens mount opening and put different size small holes in them, simulating an aperture, and see what happens.

[cmphoto1]

Jon,

 

Interesting question. The E-1 has a really small sensor that effectively doubles the focal length of all the lenses. That being said, it is a highly rated DSLR. Because of the sensor size they are able to get some really fast lenses especially in zooms.

 

Do the 4/3 format lenses have electronically activated apertures or is there a mechanically operated. I would see 2 big difficulties: First, how does the camera know what you set the aperture to? Second, how does the camera stop the aperture down?

 

The E-1 has a really small sensor that effectively doubles the focal length of all the lenses. That being said, it is a highly rated DSLR.

 

chad

[clinton_abe]

"How would the E-1/E-300 meter...?"

 

If the cameras have the ability to release the shutter without a lens attached, then you would be using the MC/MD lenses in stop down mode, like the days before 'meter-coupling'. I don't see any adaptor on the Olympus site for using the cameras with a microscope or telescope, so the cameras may not be able to be used without a compatible lens attached.

 

Jon, if you ask real nice, I can ask my friend, who represents Olympus in my area, or I can all another friend who is a rep on the mainland for Olympus, whether it is doable.

[yeow_teng_kuah]

Metering? I guess they are using TTL .... or Through the Lens. It would work with Aperture Prority Mode, I think.

 

But then even if someone machined the actual adapter, your 28mm MC/MD lens would effectively becomes a 56mm lens due to the crop factor.

 

the mount is the same, only the sensor is small enough to crop.

[jon_sak]

Yeow Teng Kuah, thats what I was thinking. Running it in Apeture priority mode, but does the meter shut off on the olypus if it does not think a lens is attatched? Of course you wouldn't be able to use your full minolta kit effectively, but those APO f2.8 400mm would be a nice on the E-1/E-300. I think that is a decent enough reason to use an adapter on the E-1/E-300.

[clinton_abe]

Jon- You asked about using a MD/MC lens on a E-1/E-300 in your original question. Now you're talking about putting on a AF 400mm Minolta lens on the camera. Make up your mind.

[jon_sak]

Clinton please excuse my terminology. I once bought a sigma screw mount manual 400mm f5.6 lens that said APO on it. I guess I should have just said 400mm f2.8 MD/MC mount without the words APO. Lets not turn this into a "tid for tat" kind of post. I am curious whether an adapter can be made for the olympus E-1/E-300 to use the old manual MC/MD lenses. I am just curious, I am not posting for the sole reason of making clinton angry.

 

So does anybody know if the E-1/E-300 will meter in apeture priority mode without a lens attached or with a adapter to m42 or minolta md/mc?

[jon_sak]

I just checked with a friend and found out that such an adapter does exist. They allow for infinity lens focusing, NO glass elements, operate at shooting aperture, aperture priority AE or Manual Exposure metering and center weighted metering. For those who took my question seriously and aswered it, Thank you. For those who gave me flack, well it exists, works and has reviews on the web. I really don't know what else to say to you nay'sayers.

[clinton_abe]

Jon- I didn't see any 'nay-sayer' replies to your original question. Everyone, including myself answered your question, although, I made a little humorous jab. You shouldn't be soooo up-tight and learn to laugh.

[christian deichert]

Jon, don't mind Clinton, he's always like that. See the "FILM IS DYING" threads in his post history for examples.

[clinton_abe]

Christian- You might want to read my post titled "More proof FILM IS DYING", because Jon Sak, posted on that subject and he even somewhat, agreed with me. He knows what I'm like, you id_ot. Beside it was, and still is, one of the livier discussions that this forum has seen.

 

I don't know why you're wasting Jon's and mine time posting such silly news.

[rob_schroeder]

Hello Jon, this year I switched from Minolta SR/MC/MD to Olympus-Digital/FourThirds (E-300). Stephen Gandy from cameraquest.com is one who makes/sells several adapters for FourThirds, and while some months ago he answered my question for a Minolta SR/MC/MD adapter by telling me "there probably won't be one", today to my delight I see one such thing listed. It is probably the one you have been informed about? Do you already have one? Any problems with it? The thing is, by holding some of my MC/MD lenses in front of the E-300, I got the impression that it must be next to impossible to construct an adapter that would make Minolta lenses fit, so small is the space left inside the Olympus bayonet.

[john falkenstine]

???Why not just go back to film? All of this f---ing around for a digital camera that will be obsolete in less than 6 months...