Today in review: the "prime killer" Olympus Zuiko Auto-Zoom OM 35-70 f/3.6

Well prime killer sounds pretty heavy. But if you look at the image results then you have to say: there is somehow true.
By the way: here are all three mid-range zooms side by side. From left to right: the Olympus OM, the Minolta MD and Canon FD 35-70.

Okay, let's start today with the Olympus Auto Zoom. the 35-70 f/3.6 was one of the first lenses, that Olympus has been calculated for the OM-System. It feels very valuable. After all, it also has a proud 400 grams of weight. It is 75 mm long and has a filter thread of 55 mm. The closest focusing distance is 80 centimeters.

The distance can be adjusted very precisely. The aperture ring clicks into place very well. This lens is mechanically a little masterpiece. Such a dual zoom serves the needs of the photographic everyday life very well. Here we see the angle of view at 70, 50 and 35 millimeters.

Now, what about the optical image quality? The distortion is at the short end slightly barrel-shaped but otherwise unremarkable. Even at full aperture, the image results are very good. The sharpness is also no longer increase when stopping down. This lens can really replace some fixed focal lengths. But there is a small drawback: at open aperture created the lens in hard contrast edges blue fringing. This can be seen very well especially in white subjects. Here is an example: 

Otherwise, the image results are excellent. Here are a few examples from the last few days. All photos were taken at maximum aperture.

The lens is rarely sold. Who owns this lens would prefer to keep it. Therefore, it is also quite expensive. You must have invest at least 70 euros or more to get a good copy. I got my zoom from the well-known OM- Lab of Frederick Gordon in Frankfurt. A very good address for OM lenses in an mint quality.