The Zuiko 35mm f3.5 Macro

The world of the very small has always held a special interest for me as a photographer. One of the first things I always check when handling a new digital camera is it's macro mode. But not all macro modes are created equal. To get really good macro pics, one needs to use a lens specially designed for that purpose. Sure you could get by with a kit or standard lens, but if you feel the need to rise above the mediocre, then a dedicated macro lens is the way to go.


Enter the Zuiko Digital 35mm f3.5 Macro lens. Bought it at the recent Photoworld Manila tilt in Glorietta and has been a constant companion with me for the last couple of days.


I was pleasantly surprised to find it quite light compared to my 17.5-45mm kit. The manual describes it as having a configuration of "6 groups, 6 lenses" and is capable of a shooting range of "0.146 m(0.5ft) to ∞(infinity)". The lens itself is fairly recessed except when the 1:1 zoom is engaged, then it goes forward, but not to the outer section of the barrel. It's still fairly recessed so as not to warrant the need for a protective filter (which degrades image quality to a significant degree).

As I mentioned earlier, I've only had this lens for a couple of days and I'm still learning the ropes so to speak, but I'm beginning to really love it! It's like a whole new world of photography just opened before my eyes... literally!















Yup, for me the world of the very small got better!