Today’s Post by Joe Farace
Olympus’ Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm f/4 is a wide-angle zoom lens that was available for what was then called the Four-thirds system, not to be confused with the Micro Four-thirds system that replaced it., Because of the E-system’s 2X multiplication factor—which is shared with the MFT system—it produces the equivalent focal length range of 14mm-28mm. To shoot the lens with a Micro Four Thirds camera, a Vello Four Thirds Lens to Micro Four Thirds adapter ($79.95) lets you mount an Olympus Four Thirds lens to any Panasonic, Olympus, or Black Magic MFT camera body.
How I Made this Shot: At 14mm (in the above photograph) the Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm f/4 has a 75 degree angle of view that when used indoors shows off this rare McLaren GT road car, actually driven by Bruce McLaren, and some of the other cars in The Mathews Collection. Exposure with an Olympus E-Volt 300 at ISO 400 was .6 seconds one-half second at f/20 in Aperture Priority mode with the camera mounted on a tripod.
This is a hefty lens but even on the lightweight E-system body balance is good and should be a favorite for architectural photographers too. The wide angle of view allows you to shoot multi-storied buildings over a relatively short distance while holding the camera vertical and avoiding converging lines. Using an inexpensive hot shoe-mounted level will make it easy to set the camera parallel to the subject.
At 7mm, ultra wide-angle lenses have extended depth-of-field, which can be increased further by stopping down the lens aperture. This makes it possible to capture both the foreground and background in focus at the same time. The huge depth of field and the emphasized converging lines increase the feeling of space and give the image the impression of increased depth.
How I Made this Shot: A second shot was made at the identical exposure without moving the camera by just rotating the lens’s zoom ring to 7mm. This shows the possibilities when shooting interiors and a “silly little millimeter” of focal length can really make a difference.
Originally, the lens wasn’t cheap and if you poke around eBay you can find nice lenses priced between $500-$800. But every photographer has had that moment when their back is against the wall and they needed a wider angle-of-view. In this situation, there ain’t no substitute for shorter focal lengths. It’s in these situations that the Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm f/4 delivers the goods.
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Along with photographer Barry Staver, Joe is co-author of Better Available Light Digital Photography with new (and high-priced) copies are available from Amazon for $75.78 and used copies starting around $38.76.