Chipped OM adapter

[xinman]

Anyone using an af confirm chipped OM adapter? I have an OM adapter but I seem to have a hard time with getting the focus all the time. I was just wondering if these work well and where you bought it.

Thanks,
DM|ZE

[Elmo]

my adapter is not chipped, but from my understanding you need a unique chip for each lens for the to be reliable. As i generally only shoot wide OM lenses I get acceptable focus without the chips.

Guess I really need to get a chipped adapter and give them a try. But for shooting "street" where i use the OM wides, High ISO (for the grainy look) who will care.

[inkista]

I use chipped adapters on all my manual focus lenses. No, you do not need a different unique chip for each one. My fave, currently, are the EMF chips sold by big_is, as you can program them in specifically with the lens's focal length and max. aperture, and it can record the aperture setting you use when you take the picture, although it's a bit of PITA to remember to set it while you're shooting. (I also like using happypageHK's rings better for Contax, and the chips are also programmable, but cannot record the aperture setting as you take the shot--they always default to the max. aperture setting).

Metering accuracy with a chipped adapter will depend on having the proper max. aperture programmed, though, you may lose the accuracy of stop-down metering, once you start faking having a Canon chip on the mount. For example, when I got a chip programmed to be a 50mm f/2 lens, when I used it on my 50/1.2, the metering was exactly one stop brighter than it should have been--because the camera thought I had an f/2 lens mounted on it. With a ring programmed to f/1.2 as the max. aperture, the lens now meters completely accurately wide open, but is screwed up when I stop down, by however much I stopped the lens down, because the camera thinks the lens is wide open. [grin].

For some folks, this is just too much trouble to deal with. I, however, am a data geek, and it's worth it to me to have accurate EXIF, so I'll know which lens I shot with.

I found that my focusing accuracy did go up with AF-confirm chipped adapters, but that it still wasn't as accurate as I wanted, particularly with my OM 50mm f/1.2 when shooting wide open on the tiny dim viewfinder of my XT. Generally, once I'm at f/2, I have no problems with the AF confirm, but wider apertures than that and it's not accurate enough for me. When my XT died and Canon offered me a refurbed 50D for $650, I grabbed it and bought a Katzeye focus screen.

[Elmo]

The question that comes to mind and may be where I am confused are the chips user programable when changing lenses?

[inkista]

Yes. But the programming of said chip is also a bit of a PITA. And continually mounting and unmounting the adapter ring can be annoying. If you've got the cash, getting a ring per lens is more convenient. But if you have to share the ring, yes, you can reprogram it each time you move it from lens to lens.

Both big_is's EMF, and the OptixV chip can be programmed with the focal length, max. aperture, and (forgot), the autofocus microadjust setting for the lens. The programming is done completely through the camera. With the EMF, it's using aperture settings and the shutter button, with the OptixV, it's using the DoF preview button. You don't need a PROM burner or anything.

[xinman]

Originally Posted by inkista

Yes. But the programming of said chip is also a bit of a PITA. And continually mounting and unmounting the adapter ring can be annoying. If you've got the cash, getting a ring per lens is more convenient. But if you have to share the ring, yes, you can reprogram it each time you move it from lens to lens.

Both big_is's EMF, and the OptixV chip can be programmed with the focal length, max. aperture, and (forgot), the autofocus microadjust setting for the lens. The programming is done completely through the camera. With the EMF, it's using aperture settings and the shutter button, with the OptixV, it's using the DoF preview button. You don't need a PROM burner or anything.

Thanks, I think I would really only use this on one lens for the most part, I have an adapter that I use now that is not chipped. I really just want the AF confirm, specifically outside in the sun. I found big_is on ebay but I can't find OptixV do you have a link?

Thanks again.

[inkista]

Ah. Sorry. Optix V5. Not OptixV. That's probably why you couldn't find 'em.

But these two chips I'm discussing are for Canon cameras and fake being Canon lenses. Sorry, didn't notice you were shooting Oly four-thirds. Mea culpa. Big_is does sell programmable OM-> 4/3 chipped rings, but I have no idea if they're like the EMF chips I'm using.

[Elmo]

Originally Posted by inkista

Yes. But the programming of said chip is also a bit of a PITA. And continually mounting and unmounting the adapter ring can be annoying. If you've got the cash, getting a ring per lens is more convenient. But if you have to share the ring, yes, you can reprogram it each time you move it from lens to lens.

Both big_is's EMF, and the OptixV chip can be programmed with the focal length, max. aperture, and (forgot), the autofocus microadjust setting for the lens. The programming is done completely through the camera. With the EMF, it's using aperture settings and the shutter button, with the OptixV, it's using the DoF preview button. You don't need a PROM burner or anything.

Thanks, When the chips first came out they were not programmable, as I recall (one fits all and were not very reliable). I already had a non-chipped one and have not looked at changing as I have a bunch of OM glass. I might have to look into upgrading.

[inkista]

When I first purchased 'em, they were programmable once by the seller, but not re-programmable by the user. I will say again, though, that for focusing, the AF-confirm is of limited use, and liveview with 10x magnification is going to be far more accurate. Unless you plan to shoot from the hip by the beep or something, the main reason in my book to get one is to have the EXIF data filled in.

[xinman]

inkista Thanks, if the AF-confirm is limited I will probably save my money. I actually have an Olympus e-620 with the articulated screen, so shooting from the hip is pretty easy in live view! I didn't think my camera could do the 10x mag in live view, I was thinking it was only in playback I could do that. But you prompted me to check the manual again and sure enough I found the way. Thanks, I will give that a shot and see how it goes. The exif is nice but I'm not sure that it's worth the money at this point.