F.Zuiko Auto-S 38mm f/1.8
Olympus Pen F F.Zuiko Auto-S 38mm f/1.8 mounted on an Olympus Pen F
Olympus Pen F F.Zuiko Auto-S 38mm f/1.8 mounted on a Sony A7 MkII
Olympus Pen F F.Zuiko Auto-S 38mm f/1.8
Cropping needed? Yes (Note: no cropping needed if focussing distance less than approx. 1.5m)
Average 35mm equivalent focal length after cropping: 41mm
38mm f/1.8 image 1 - OOC+EC (aperture: f/5.6)
38mm f/1.8 image 1 - Cropped (aperture: f/5.6)
Image size: 21.6mp
35mm equivalent focal length: 41mm
38mm f/1.8 image 1 - Final (aperture: f/5.6)
Image size: 21.7mp
35mm equivalent focal length: 41mm
38mm f/1.8 image 1 - OOC+EC (aperture: f/1.8)
38mm f/1.8 image 1 - Cropped (aperture: f/1.8)
Image size: 19.5mp
35mm equivalent focal length: 42mm
38mm f/1.8 image 1 - Final (aperture: f/1.8)
Image size: 19.5mp
35mm equivalent focal length: 42mm
38mm f/1.8 image 1 - OOC+EC (aperture: f/5.6)
38mm f/1.8 image 1 - Final (aperture: f/5.6)
Image size: 24mp
35mm equivalent focal length: 38mm
38mm f/1.8 image 1 - OOC+EC (aperture: f/1.8)
38mm f/1.8 image 1 - Final (aperture: f/1.8)
Image size: 24mp
35mm equivalent focal length: 38mm
38mm f/1.8 image 1 - OOC+EC (aperture: f/5.6)
38mm f/1.8 image 1 - Cropped (aperture: f/5.6)
Image size: 20.4mp
35mm equivalent focal length: 41mm
38mm f/1.8 image 1 - Final (aperture: f/5.6)
Image size: 21.3mp
35mm equivalent focal length: 41mm
38mm f/1.8 image 1 - OOC+EC (aperture: f/5.6)
38mm f/1.8 image 1 - Cropped (aperture: f/5.6)
Image size: 21.8mp
35mm equivalent focal length: 40mm
38mm f/1.8 image 1 - Final (aperture: f/5.6)
Image size: 21.8mp
35mm equivalent focal length: 40mm
This is probably the most common lens in the entire Olympus Pen F system. But it is surprisingly difficult to find on its own! The was one of the first lens release in the system, and was available for the entire lifespan of the system, but it was also bought as the 'kit' lens for the most Pen F customers, and even today you almost always see it attached to a Pen F camera. I already have all the Pen F cameras I could possibly need, so I decided to wait for one to pop up on eBay on its own. Fortunately, as the most common lens in the system, it wasn't very expensive. My copy cost £41 in an eBay auction and is in good, full-functional, condition (though certainly not mint). But my copy is an early example from before the Olympus Pen FT camera was introduced. This means the aperture ring just has conventional F numbers and not the light meter numbers designed to work with the Pen FT's TTL metering system. A later copy with both F numbers and light meter numbers would probably have been a bit more expensive.
This lens has a reputation for being one of the sharpest lenses in the Pen F system, and I was very curious to see what it would be like to use in comparison to the other Pen F standard lenses I own. The answer is an absolute hoot! I certainly wish I had added this lens to my collection earlier (despite my enduring love for the 40mm f/1.4 lens!). And in the context of this set of pages about using Pen F lenses on full-frame digital cameras, it is one of the best. I very nearly decided to classify this lens as not needing any cropping as in many circumstances it doesn't: the closer you are to your subject, and the more you are stopped down, the less cropping you need (particularly if some vignetting and loss of definition in the corners suits the aesthetic you'er going for).
And although in the end I decided to classify this lens as needing a very small amount of cropping, I would certainly describe it as well suited to use on a full-frame digital camera, so long as you are willing to put in a little extra work assessing and working on your images in Lightroom.