Robert Watcher
Well-known member
I am so pleased with my Olympus E-510 with 12-60mm f2.8-4 lens - particularly surprising (because I wasn't expecting it) is the close focus accuracy and resolution I am getting with it.
My daily working combo in Central America are this setup along with an almost identically sized (and look) Nikon D40 with 18-200VR lens. In the past I have been very pleased with the close focusing capabilities of the Nikon 18-200. When working side by side however, the Olympus is far more accurate and allows for much closer focus distance. Close up shots of flowering cactus' are an easy chore to precisely focus on with the Olympus - whereas with the Nikon, I routinely miss focus, with the senor generally finding a point behind where I had intended.
The Olympus 12-60 is very sharp and detailed - even wide open as this series shows. They are snapshots that I just threw together where I experimented with the Live View feature and easy visual manual focusing on the Live View screen - - - - things I can never do accurately with either the D40 or my D200 (manual focus that is).
These shots were with the camera set at 400ISO to 800ISO hand held by kitchen window for lighting (all uncropped):
CF cards - 60mm f4@1/50'th 800ISO (bottom cards fall outside range of DOF with the lens wide open)
10,000 Colon - 60mm f4@1/60'th 400ISO
Coffee Bag - 60mm f5.6@1/25'th 400ISO (softening on edge is a result of minimum DOF and of the bag being curved and being much closer to the lens)
Processing done on basic Macbook ($1000 variety) using Adobe Lightroom for management and processing
My daily working combo in Central America are this setup along with an almost identically sized (and look) Nikon D40 with 18-200VR lens. In the past I have been very pleased with the close focusing capabilities of the Nikon 18-200. When working side by side however, the Olympus is far more accurate and allows for much closer focus distance. Close up shots of flowering cactus' are an easy chore to precisely focus on with the Olympus - whereas with the Nikon, I routinely miss focus, with the senor generally finding a point behind where I had intended.
The Olympus 12-60 is very sharp and detailed - even wide open as this series shows. They are snapshots that I just threw together where I experimented with the Live View feature and easy visual manual focusing on the Live View screen - - - - things I can never do accurately with either the D40 or my D200 (manual focus that is).
These shots were with the camera set at 400ISO to 800ISO hand held by kitchen window for lighting (all uncropped):
CF cards - 60mm f4@1/50'th 800ISO (bottom cards fall outside range of DOF with the lens wide open)
10,000 Colon - 60mm f4@1/60'th 400ISO
Coffee Bag - 60mm f5.6@1/25'th 400ISO (softening on edge is a result of minimum DOF and of the bag being curved and being much closer to the lens)
Processing done on basic Macbook ($1000 variety) using Adobe Lightroom for management and processing