Egami spotted a new Olympus patent describing a Lens Reversing Ring you can put on front of your MFT lens (just like a filter). This will allow you to shoot macros on all(?) MFT lenses. Something similar has been already be made by Nikon with the Nikon BR-2A. But the Olympus patent describes a more high quality variation that should get rid of the issues coming along such an adapter (chromatic aberrations and so on).
Don’t know if this is something I would buy but I am not a macro shooter 🙂
18 Responses
For God,s sake Olympus…I think a lot of us would be much more interested in a teleconverter.
This is a patent. They also have patents for teleconverters. A patent is essentially zero indication of plans for market availability.
Teleconverters for m43 or 43? Please give a link.
4/3 has had teleconverters for sale since forever.
M4/3 1.4 teleconver is only a patent:
http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2013-11-25
How do you imagine teleconverter for m43? Which lenses it will be used with?
I would use it with 35-100 but this is panny.
Does rear element in panny 35-100 protrudes posterior to mount? If so, won’t work with teleconverters either.
45mm, 75mm…??
A 1.4 tc would give the 75mm a 105mm effective focal length with an effective aperture of F2.5 .When you add in the price of the TC the combo would cost more than the Panasonic 35-100mm F2.8. I would also be surprised if there was not an AF performance hit with a TC
On the 45mm you would end up with an effective focal length of 63mm and the F2.5 effective aperture
It’s supposed he already has the 75 mm.
Problem is, no teleconverter possible.
I took a look into the patent (from the link provided by Turbofrog below)
In all variants of converters, the front element protrudes anterior to mount by 4-9 mm, meaning you will not be able to use it with 45/1.8 and 75/1.8 lenses with them.
60mm macro is already one of the best macro lenses I’ve ever seen. Of course this is a different way of shooting macros, as with a reversed lens or extension tubes, to achieve more magnification. As Observer already points out, a teleconverter (1.5) would be more welcomed.
I have the Panasonic 45 Macro..really love it…I also have automatic ext. tubes…I use the small one to get really close to things with my 75mm Oly. Seems silly to make a reversable tube for macro..like Salvas say above..all of auto diaphram lenses would be useless with it. He may be right ….perhaps the patent is for something more involved?
Reversing rings in conjunction with extension tubes can be a useful cheaper route into macro, but most lose aperture control, which would be of little use in m43. I believe Novoflex make a two part version for Canon eos which maintains the electrical contacts. Are we looking at m43 version of this?
Reversing rings like that Nikon have been around forever and you can buy one for m43 for about $12. If Olympus is patenting one, it must be something entirely different.
It would be interesting with a lens that has electronic contacts on the front as well. Doesn’t the 14-42EZ has some kind of electronic contacts already for the automatic lens cap they’re selling?
That would be great. Right now I go out with my Tokina 28mm with a reverse ring attached so I can change from 56mm to macro. The ring and m4/3 adaptor doesn’t interfere. It would be great if I can do it with an auto lens.
Doubtful this will ever see market. They haven’t released reducer, which is much more useful