M-System 50mm F1.4

It took me some time to collect the different lenses within the 50mm focal length.

Zuiko's 50mm lineup.

50mm F3.5 Macro

50mm F2 Macro

50mm F1.8

50mm F1.4

50mm F1.2

55mm F1.2

I started with the 50mm F1.8, the 55mm F1.2, the 50mm F1.2 and then the 50mm F2 Macro.

Basically, I didn't have a reason to add a 1.4. Same focal length, super sharp images from the F2 Macro, unique bokeh from the 1.2s.

This is the reason why I didn't add a 1.4 until this year.

I added the first one because it is an M-SYSTEM version, it wasn't too pricey and also at that moment I only needed a 1.4 and a 3.5 macro to complete the lineup.

Then I added an extra one.

It's the earliest recorded M-SYSTEM 50mm F1.4 on Mark Dapoz's site. Serial 100103.

Interesting and a copy too good to be missed. Not the perfect condition but overall it's okay.

If you talk about Zuiko's 1.2 and 1.4 lenses, I would say that they are really soft wide open.

Considered they are lenses from the 70s and 80s, it's unfair to compare it to modern large aperture lenses.

If you use it on OM film bodies, like the 1.2s at 1.2, you'd better have good eyesight and pray your subject doesn't move. The shallow depth of field is not easy to nail.

On modern bodies, like the Sony A7R2, with focus peaking and focus magnification, things get a bit easier.

A common thing about Zuiko's large aperture lenses like the 1.2s and the 1.4, although they are soft wide open, if you stop them down they become sharp starting from F2.

These lenses are very decent and cheap alternatives if you cannot afford modern large aperture lenses. They are cheap and very compact.

Cheers!