First Interchangeable Lens Camera

[someone35]

I am probably going to buy the Olympus EPM1 with the 14-42 mm. saw a few cameras in person and really liking it... In the weekend I will checkout the Samsung NX1000 and the prices on another store, and probably buy my camera then. But the 14mm is way thinner indeed, in winter it is in fact pocketable... Any "not so expensive" lenses that could be good with mft ?

[inkista]

What's your definition of "not so expensive"? Here in the US, most of the "low-cost" lenses are in the $300 range. And since the camera system is only three or four years old, the used market hasn't really depreciated a lot with the glass; just the bodies.

Only really cheap lens I can think of would be adapting an old Olympus film SLR lens in the OM mount, the 50/1.8 kit lens with an adapter ring. But no autofocus, no aperture control from the camera, and bigger than an mft native lens would be.

[xpatUSA]

The GF1 is the triple of my budget.
I can get this Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2W + 2 lens. Lumix G : Vario MEGA O.I.S. 14 - 42 mm f/3.5 - 5.6 ASPH + Pancake 14 mm f/2.5 ASPH. + bag + Card SDHC 4 Go for 499 €, what are the advantages of having another 14mm lens?

I owned the 14-42mm for a short while and it took good pics (close-up product shots) but it's construction and feel was not as good as a recently-purchased 14-45mm (the original G1 kit lens).

Not trying to put you off the 14-42mm but, down the road, you may want to replace it with something else. It does lack the on-off switch for the OIS, it has a plastic mount and the zoom ring on mine was quite stiff to operate. Mine was said to be new, BTW.

[someone35]

Well, I think I will save some money and buy the Olympus EPM1 with 14-42mm and save 200€.

And does the macro adapter reduce the focus distance 24cm or does it reduce it to 24cm?

BTW I have a telescope with 50-600mm lens, is it possible to use a adaptor or something to use it with the camera?

[jcuknz]

I think you are making a good decision to go MFT

I assume by 'macro adaptor' you mean there is a 'close-up lens' coming with the camera. 24cm is about a 4 dioptre CU lens and will give you working distance of between 24cm with the camera lens set to infinity and how much closer the lens itself focuses. [ Don't waste time using it at wide angle setting and always work at 42mm, at WA it will do very little for you ] It will give you big close-ups for sure, and if you want closer you can add either another CU lens or get a more powerful CU lens but I never use more than a 2 dioptre becuase I know CU lenses loose IQ as they get more powerful. But if the one coming is what I think it is, it is a quality lens and thousands of people are very happy with them, a Raynox.

Certainly it is worth placing the camera lens set to 42mm up against the eyepiece of the telescope. It is likely that AF will find focus for you if the telescope is in focus for your eye. Then you can if you wish decide to get a camera to telescope adaptor. www.srb-griturn.com are an english firm specialising in things like that and will make if you cannot find a RTR one which they probably have anyway.
Well worth experimenting to see what you get.

[someone35]

Me too, The higher amount of lenses available will probably come handy in the future.

I was talking about Oly's MCON-P01, it is fairly cheap (50€). I can't find the price of the Raynox's but they do sound awesome! BTW what do things like 58mm mean in close up lenses?

About the telescope I will take a few pictures by hand. It is a children's telescope so the image quality is not that good, if the pictures look good, count me in!

[jcuknz]

I would expect the 58mm to be the thread diameter of the lens. If it suits the camera good ... if you find a mismatch then there are things known as step-up and step-down rings, quite cheap, which enable you to mount a 58mm lens on a 55mm camera etc but it sounds like I was wrong in thinking your Olympus 14-42 has the same filter mounting thread as my 14-42 Pany version It is possible you will see a small circle with a line through it indicating 'diameter' 58mm next to the figures.
Quite often you will find these markings on regular camera lenses to let you know what filters/cu lens to mount on them ... not everybody has the means to measure accurately . Normally one can mount a larger filter/lens by way of a step-up ring but mounting a smaller lens by way of a step-down ring may lead to vignetting with black cuts off of corners of the shot.
Though I found the mounting thread of my 14-140 lens so far outside of the actual lens than I am able to mount permanently a step down ring to suit my CU lens and telephoto adaptor used on other cameras. Makes life simpler

Last time I saw a Raynox price it was around US$35.[ Checked UKP35 ] Have you discovered Amazon on your computer as for small items it is a useful source bearing in mind P&P and import duties.
This is the front page of the electronics and photo section of Amazon UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_...ield-keywords=
which should avoid import duties when buying within the EU.
But with the Oly CU lens you will not find the Raynox any better I would expect. It is third party makers you need to watch, Raynox excepted.

[xpatUSA]

I think you are making a good decision to go MFT . . . . But if the one coming is what I think it is, it is a quality lens and thousands of people are very happy with them, a Raynox . . .

Raynox DCR-250 on a Lumix Vario 14-45mm at 45mm:



One corner of a U.S. postage stamp.

[someone35]

So... bought the Olympus E-PM1 with 14-42mm lens and a lot of improvement from my compact!

Can someone explain me what this kind of does?
http://www.walimex.com/nc/en/foto/produkt/16428
Like 60x zoom,right?