Lens review

Olympus Zuiko Digital 50 mm f/2.0 Macro ED

11. Summary

• good build quality,
• sensational image quality in the whole apertures range, both in the frame centre and at the edge,
• non-existent chromatic aberration,
• low distortion,
• negligible astigmatism,
• practically zero vignetting on slight stopping down.

Cons:

• slow and noisy autofocus.

Writing test summaries for such instruments is a sheer pleasure. The ZD 2.0/50 is really optically excellent. One serious reservation concerns the autofocus work. If Olympus in its newest devices maintains the 2.0/50 ED model’s quality of optics and introduces an efficient ultrasonic mechanism, speeding up the autofocus and making it more silent, I won’t find anything to include in the “cons” section…

The answer to potential buyers’ question, whether it’s better to buy a 3.5/35 or a 2.0/50, is more difficult to find. The first one is a significantly cheaper, more all-purpose device with a tad quicker autofocus; the second one is more solid, faster and optically better. To tell you the truth the best option would be to own both of them. A judgment of Solomon indeed but what about our wallet?

Sample shots:

Camera: Olympus E-510 Parameters: 50 mm, f/2.0, exp. 1/400 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 6.7 MB	Camera: Olympus E-510 Parameters: 50 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/100 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 6.5 MB	Camera: Olympus E-510 Parameters: 50 mm, f/2.0, exp. 1/125 sec., ISO 400 File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 6.1 MB
Camera: Olympus E-510 Parameters: 50 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/160 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 7.1 MB	Camera: Olympus E-510 Parameters: 50 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/250 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 7.0 MB	Camera: Olympus E-510 Parameters: 50 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/125 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 6.4 MB
Camera: Olympus E-510 Parameters: 50 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/320 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 6.7 MB	Camera: Olympus E-510 Parameters: 50 mm, f/2.5, exp. 1/1600 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 6.8 MB	Camera: Olympus E-510 Parameters: 50 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/1600 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 6.6 MB
Camera: Olympus E-510 Parameters: 50 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/50 sec., ISO 400 File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 3.2 MB	Camera: Olympus E-510 Parameters: 50 mm, f/11.0, exp. 1/30 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 6.4 MB	Camera: Olympus E-510 Parameters: 50 mm, f/10.0, exp. 1/15 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 5.1 MB
Camera: Olympus E-510 Parameters: 50 mm, f/3.5, exp. 1/100 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 3.6 MB	Camera: Olympus E-510 Parameters: 50 mm, f/6.3, exp. 1/60 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 3.2 MB	Camera: Olympus E-510 Parameters: 50 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/60 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 2.8 MB