Maitani's favourite - OM 40mm F2

Some say, this lens is Maitani's favourite.

The OM 40mm F2

Olympus M-1 with OM 40mm F2

This pancake lens is super small, even smaller than the kit lens 50mm F1.8.

Needless to say, it is super light. The aperture control is actually located at the very front of the lens and sometimes you might find turning that a little bit tricky especially when you don't have a filter on.

Once with a filter on, you can actually have a tiny extra bit to grip on the "aperture ring".

It is important to take note that probably not all filters fit the lens. The lens takes 49mm filters. However, I tried to put a third party filter on and it made the aperture unsmooth or with some friction. After putting an original OM filter on, it became smooth again. (I am not sure if it's my problem or what) Therefore, be prepared to get yourself an original Olympus 49mm filter to match with the lens.

Since it is so light, it's a pleasure to carry around especially when you are shooting the street. It feels like holding a Leica with a 35 F2 8 elements in the hands. Normally, OM lenses protrude quite a lot from the body but this does not (no matter you are mounting it on an M-1/OM1 or an OM3Ti) so this lens actually makes it very ideal for street shooting. You can easily put it into your pocket or even carry it around your neck on a strap without feeling much about the weight.

Image quality is pretty good. I don't do very scientific tests and I don't have good eyes on bokeh. I just shoot with the lenses. What I shoot aren't something interesting as well.

This was shot on a Sony A7R2 at F2. Colour is pretty close to original. I would say, it's not as rich in colour as later lenses like the 100/2 or the 35-80/2.8. Yet, it's not soft like 75-150mm/4. Sort of in between the old era and the more modern Zuikos.

In the shot below, I was trying to focus on the 100mm 2.8 fonts, handheld at F2. Acceptable I guess.

Overall, I quite enjoy using this lens, especially when I want to go light.

This lens has become one of those collectors' items.

Sometimes they fetch quite a lot of money. Most of them usually look pretty good in condition, I haven't seen one which is very abused. Perhaps, it's slightly rare and people keep them for flipping instead of shooting.