Olympus 28mm f/3.5 OM Zuiko

Olympus OM Zuiko 28mm f/3.5, which was manufactured by Olympus for its very popular OM SLR system up until 2002, is one of three wide angle 28mm prime lenses offered for that system. Olympus abandoned OM system in favor of its new four-thirds digital SLR platform, but the OM type lenses are readily available on used markets like eBay and some models, particularly fast wide angle lenses, are still sought after by many photographers. The 28mm f/3.5 lens variant is one of the most commonly available OM lenses and is one of the most inexpensive ones too.

The optical construction of the lens consists of 7 elements in 7 groups. It is believed that Olympus used to manufacture this 28mm lens variant in both single-coated as well as multi-coated formats. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a way to determine whether a lens is single or multi coated without knowing at what serial number Olympus switched production from single to multi coating. The build construction is superb – the lens barrel is metal, as is the aperture ring, which is located at the front of the lens barrel. The focusing ring is fully rubberized.

Olympus OM Zuiko 28mm f/3.5 is probably one of the smallest wide angle SLR lenses ever manufactured – it measures only 31 x 59mm (1.2 x 2.3in) and weighs only 180g (6.3oz). The lens cam extends during focusing towards closeup, adding another 10mm or so the the total length of the lens. The minimum focusing distance is 30cm (11.8in) and the minimum aperture is f/16. The filter size is 49mm.