Retro Digital in Micro 4/3

Olympus E-PL1 with 75mm Kern-Switar lens, 2012

About a dozen years ago, I owned an Olympus E-PL1, which was a wonderful travel camera, and with the m4/3 mount, allowed me to attach a variety of lenses with the proper adapter.  I took a lot of excellent images with that camera, and I sold it and all of its lenses when I bought a Nikon 1 V1 and a Nikon 1 J1 body with lenses, thinking that hey, Nikon’s onto something here - smaller, lighter, and I can adapt lenses.  Indeed, I did especially like the Nikon 1J1 as a perfect street camera with the wide-angle equivalent of 28mm in 35mm land.  But, the Nikon 1 series, with its even smaller sensor than micro 4/3 cameras, was a dead end. They were not a bad idea, but Nikon marketed them to a different audience. 

CCTV lens on the Olympus E-PL1, 2013

 When I decided to go and get a serious mirrorless system, I bought into the Canon EOS M series with the EOS M5.  I haven’t regretted that, as my M5 is a great camera, and I have used it quite a lot, especially with manual lenses from TTArtisans, 7 Artisans, and Meike.  It has plenty of megapixels, and I love the way that it does focus confirmation in manual mode.  

Panasonic Lumix GF1 and Canon EOS M5

I was looking into having a somewhat simpler camera that reminded me of using something like the E-PL1 and of course the Ricoh GR series came to my attention. I wanted a camera that was small, but not too small, enough resolution to make decent prints, and the ability to have interchangeable lenses.  Plus, it had to be a good carry-around camera that had good battery longevity. After doing some research, I figured that it was time to go back when video wasn’t the BIG deal it is now, and that meant something over 10 years old.  The perfect candidate to me, was the Panasonic Lumix GF1, a 12 MP micro 4/3 camera with just a rear LCD.  I purchased a like-new model from KEH for $158 without a lens.  I bought a TTArtisans 25mm f/2 fully manual lens on Amazon for about $60, and both arrived on the same day.  

So, back to m4/3, after all these years.  I already have a Pentax 110 lens to m4/3 adapter, as well a C-mount to m4/3.  I used several c-mount lenses with my old Olympus E-PL1, and really liked the results, so here we are again.  My plan is to mostly use the 25 mm TTArtisans lens, which on the m4/3 sensor, is a 50mm equivalent.  The TTArtisans 25mm f/2 is a particularly nice lens that has fairly close focus (.25m) and excellent sharpness.  It has a filter ring size of 43mm, and I was pleased to find that I already had a lens hood and filter adapters that fit it.

The only knock on m4/3 is the "crop factor" - it’s 2x, which means that wide-angle primes have to be 15mm or less.  But this is supposed to be a street camera and an easily-carried adjunct to my film gear.  Having interchangeable lenses make it all the more attractive, but my intent is to try and stick with one lens.

Some quick results with the TTArtisans 25mm f/2

The Panasonic Lumix GF1 appeared on the market in the latter part of 2009, which makes it a 15-year old camera, at most.  In digital years, that’s almost an antique.  However, 12 megapixels is certainly more than adequate, and feature-wise, it’s perfect for my needs.  Price-wise, I have a pretty good setup for a little over $200.  One of the bothersome little things about my EOS M5 is the location of the video selector button, which is easy to accidentally engage.  On the GF-1, it’s on the top plate to the right of the shutter release, and I have yet to accidentally turn on the video.

All kinds of videos are on YouTube for anyone interested in setting up a compact mirrorless ILC camera to do the job of a Ricoh GR series camera.  The minus of the GR system - lack of interchangeable lenses and cost are probably the biggest strike against them.  Of course you could do the same with an older Sony NEX-series camera, a Fuji X-series, or an Olympus or Panasonic m4/3.  You could also do this with an older Canon EOS M or M2. Depending on your style of shooting, these older cameras are certainly worth investigating, and if you add an inexpensive manual lens, you won’t be out of a lot of money.  My only other purchase for this camera might be one of those old Olympus m4/3 18mm pancake lenses. I had one in my EPL-1, and liked the results.

There are a lot of excellent manual focus lenses coming from China.  My beef with the Nikon Z system and the other major mirrorless bodies, is that the AF lenses are typically large and also can be very expensive.  The lenses from 7 Artisans and TT Artisans are mostly excellent and much more compact than most of the AF lenses for their respective systems.  I reviewed the TTArtisans 40mm macro lens a while back. The GF1 is often paired with the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 AF lens, which even now, sells for more than I paid for the camera body.  I think that if you desire an AF lens for m4/3, it’s definitely a good choice, along with the Olympus Zuiko 17mm f/1.8.  

If you think that the rear LCD isn’t the best thing for you, the Panasonic DMW-LVF1 Electronic Viewfinder sells used for a little over $100.  While it’s not up to the current ELV’s in current mirrorless bodies, it’s going to be good enough to use for focusing in bright sunlight rather than the rear LCD screen.The connector has an electronic connection to provide a live view that's close to that of the LCD display, albeit with a lower resolution.  

I’m not a videographer, and in fact, if I need a short movie, I use my iPhone.  I’d like to see the manufacturers produce at least one model in their offerings that’s designed only for still photography.  Do away with the video buttons and options, and it would probably also lower the price.  My Nikon Df doesn’t do videos, and it’s a great camera.  Vloggers, influencers, etc., won’t be the market niche, but people passionate about still photography would be thrilled. 

Canon EOS M5, 2023.

The fact is, any of these cameras are capable of great images.  The user interface and ergonomics are slightly different for each brand, and you really can't tell whether a camera used has an APS-C or m4/3 sensor when you view an image.  I like the different b&w modes in the GF1, and for me, that is a plus. You might wonder why I didn't just buy an earlier EOS M model, but I have a fondness for the m4/3 cameras, and the price was right.  Basically, my advice is to pick your price point and features, and go from there,  For less than $300, you certainly have a lot of choices.

The Holga Lens for Olympus and other Micro-4/3 cameras.

Over the many years I have been a photographer, some of my most memorable shots have been with the original Holga 120N.  It's not hard to see why -- for such an inexpensive camera one can have a lot of fun shooting and figuring out what the camera can do.  It is still a bargain compared to the Lomo Diana F+, and the results are still as unique as ever.  However, many folks have left film cameras and want to recreate the Holga "look" on a digital camera.  China has responded by producing Holga lenses for Nikon, Canon, and Pentax mount cameras.  I have used the 60mm Holga lens in my Nikon D90 and in my Nikon film SLRs, and wasn't too enamored with it as the viewfinder image was very dim.  The aperture was listed as f/8, but I think it was even smaller than that, negating some of the very characteristics that make the plastic lenses so fun to use.  I am always on the lookout for fun lenses to use with my Olympus Pen E-PL1, and I saw that Holga was selling a version of the lens for the Micro 4/3 mount.  The 25mm focal length was a perfect "normal" lens aspect for the M4/3 mount, too.  So, I ordered a lens from Holga Direct and it arrived about a week later.  For less than $20, too, direct from Hong Kong.  Yes, the lens is ALL plastic, but that's the "Holga way."  

That is the lens on my E-PL1, and yes that is the Olympus VF-3 viewfinder on top of the camera (perhaps the best $100 I have spent to make a camera more useful).  The Holga lens has the typical pictograms on the lens barrel for closeup, portrait, group, and infinity.  The rear of the lens has a central aperture surrounded by a ring of smaller holes.  I believe this gives the lens a better "Holga quality" by softening the image on a digital sensor.    The lens comes with front and rear lens caps (throw them away).  Use a M4/3 rear cap for the lens to keep out dust and grime when not on the camera.   In use, the lens barrel rotates smoothly to "focus."  This is where the optional eye-level EVF comes in handy, as it is really much easier to find the focus than on the rear LCD.  However, using the magnify button allows one to also gauge the focus pretty well.  The Holga lens vignettes nicely, and the images definitely have that "Holga look"...on digital.  Using the Art Filter settings AND the Holga lens on the Olympus also gives me even MORE creative possibilities.  The close-up setting is about 2 feet away from the subject, which is a nice touch with this lens.  The Holga M4/3 lens is a definite must-have if you like a little blur with your images.
Here are a few samples.  The lens does best in contrasty situations - i.e., full sun.  Set your ISO to 400, and you will be good in full sun to partly cloudy conditionS.  I use the 1:1 setting for square format Holga-like results, and have been quite happy with it.

 My final verdict -- this is the best Holga lens for non-Holga cameras that I have used.  The ability to choose a square aspect ratio with the Pen really makes the most of this lens, and while the results are digital, the experience is much like using a Holga.  Ditch those Instagram fakeries, and use a real lens to get the Holga experience.

I Have Been Converted

I recently sold off my Canon Powershot G11 and all the accessories that I had for it. Although I really did get some great shots with that camera over the couple of years that I owned it, getting a speck of dust over the sensor convinced me that the tiny sensor P&S was no longer in my future. On that small a sensor, a dust speck can look like a black hole. Part of the reason is also the G-series design, as the lenses are not sealed. What did I replace it with? I have been secretly envious of the folks that have been parading around their micro 4/3 (m4/3) cameras, such as the Olympus Pen E series, and the Panasonic Lumix G series cameras. The compactness, the 4/3 sensor, and the possibility of using all kinds of lenses via adapters opens up new possibilities that I just could not get with a p&s fixed lens camera. Anyone that knows me well can attest to my love of funky lenses and using Lensbabies, Holga, and Diana lenses on my SLRs.

So, I bought a new Olympus Pen E-PL1 body from Cameta camera for $149 with free shipping. I then bought an Olympus OM to m4/3 adapter for about $20, and used some of my OM lenses on the PL1 for a bit. I liked it a lot better once I realized there was focus peeking at the touch of a button, since one has to use the LCD screen for everything. The "Art Filters" are fun - especially the "pinhole" and "diorama" filters. I also enjoy being able to shoot in 6x6 format, and see on the LCD screen exactly the same square framing. I have had the camera for a less than a month now, and I really enjoy it more and more as I get accustomed to it.

My next purchase was the 17mm 2.8 Olympus lens, which I found as a factory demo for $189. A perfect size for this camera, and it is the equivalent FOV of a 34mm lens on a 35mm camera. So far, so good. Next, I bought a 25mm 1.4 CCTV lens from China with a C-mount adapter for $27.00 Now I'm talking cheap here, but I do love the bokeh and the distortion and vignetting of the lens. It has been getting a lot of use, and I really like my results with it.

I see the m4/3 as a wonderful tool for those of us that enjoy experimenting with lenses and filters. In addition, the small, yet well-proportioned camera just feels right in the hand. I am seriously considering selling some gear and buying the Olympus OM-D in the future. The ability to use many different lenses with adapters is very appealing, and I am always looking for a lens that will give me something different -- something that sets my images apart from others. It may not always be to everyone's liking, but it satisfies me, and my vision of what I am trying for, and that's what matters most.

A few shots with the CCTV lens...

Cobblestone Farm.

Bloomin' Onion

Britton Mill