Olympus MCON-P02 Macro Converter - Initial impression

Macro photography is something I've only ever dabbled in briefly. This is despite owning more than a few macro lenses in my time. But macro lenses also tend to be viewed as quite 'specialist' optics, and therefore not a lens that you look to get early on when putting a kit together - unless, of course, you happen to be a dedicated macro specialist. Which I am not. I do, however, like to dabble...

Olympus MCON-P02

Olympus make two dedicated macro lenses for their micro four thirds cameras - a 30mm f3.5 and a 60mm f2.8. I 'may' end up getting one of them one day (the 60mm is especially tempting), but in the meantime, I need to consider other options.

Enter the Olympus MCON-P02 - a screw-on converter that increases the image magnification of certain M.Zuiko lenses. Most are primes (like the 45mm f1.8 or the 25mm f1.8 which are both lenses I may look at in the future), but it also works with one zoom lens - the 14-42mm f3.5/5.6 kit lens that came with my Pen E-P3.

I saw an MCON-P02 for sale recently on Trademe, and the seller had lowered the price for a quick sale. Good enough for me, I thought, and I snapped it up - mint, in box. It arrived a few days later, as advertised, although the box was a little worse for wear.

Olympus suggest that the MCON-P02 be used at the telephoto (42mm) end of the zoom range, giving you a close focusing distance of 22cm from the subject to the sensor - and a 0.38x magnification factor. They're all just numbers to me. What does that actually look like in practice?

Dandelion head. Olympus Pen E-P3 with 14-42mm f3.5/5.6 at 42mm. 1/800th @f8, ISO 400

The above image of a dandelion head is as close as I could get with using just the normal 42mm end of the zoom range. Olympus claim the closest focusing distance of the lens is 25cm, and although I didn't get out the ruler and measure it, this seems about right.

Dandelion Head Macro. Olympus EP-3 with M.Zuiko 14-42mm f3.5/5.6 with MCON-P02 Converter. 

The above shot is taken with the MCON-P02 attached. This time, minimum focusing distance has increased to 22cm. And although 3cm doesn't sound like a lot, in macro photography it can make quite a big difference. Both the images above are uncropped - as shot - straight out of camera. You are definitely receiving a magnification boost by adding the macro converter, although as previously stated, it's nowhere near dedicated macro lens 1:1 magnification.

Dandelion Head Macro 2. Olympus Pen E-P3 with 14-42mm f3.5/5.6 lens with MCON-P02 Converter.

At around NZ$145.00 new (as of March 2019), there are probably cheaper ways to increase the magnification of your lenses. Close-up filters for example. But since I didn't pay anywhere near $145.00 for my copy, I've probably come out on top. Would I buy one for full retail - no, I wouldn't. Will I use it a lot - no, I probably won't. But it's still a fraction of the cost of a dedicated macro lens. And it's probably worth every cent I paid for it in terms of the fun/experimentation factor it will bring to my photography. I'm already visualizing the fungi shots I'm going to try out with this combination in the next few months.

As I mentioned earlier, with macro photography every centimeter - heck, every millimeter - counts when you are shooting up close and personal. If the MCON-P02 can get me a few shots that I wouldn't otherwise have been able to get, then it's worth every measly penny I paid for it.

Punakaiki Pancake Rocks - Tourist for a day with the OM-D E-M1

Autumn has started here in New Zealand, and the weather has been glorious! This weekend just passed (as I write this), my darling wife and I decided to make the most of it, and go for a drive. We initially considered heading South to Hokitika, but then remembered that the Hokitika Wildfoods Festival was on. Far too many people heading that way!

So we decided to head North instead, to Punakaiki, and check out the Pancake Rocks Blowholes. The tides were favourable (high tide), the sun was shining, and there was really no wind to speak of. We arrived at around 2.00pm - not quite the middle of the day, but not too far from it. Not really the ideal conditions for award-winning photography!?  But that wasn't what this trip was about. It was just about us getting outside in the sunshine - playing 'tourist' for the afternoon, and seeing what sort of images we could get. What if this was the only opportunity we were ever going to have to take photos at the Blowholes (fortunately it's not)? What kind of images can you get in the middle of the afternoon if, as a tourist, this was your only chance? Let's see shall we....

Nikau Palm, Punakaiki. Olympus OM-D E-M1 with 12-40mm f2.8 Pro. 1/100th @ f5.6, ISO 100 (Low). Polarising filter

We were travelling 'light' - me with my E-M1 in a Lowpro Slingshot 100 (that can easily carry the 12-40mm f2.8 Pro, 40-150mm f4/5.6 and 8mm bodycap) and Joanna with the Pen E-P3 and 14-42mm kit lens. I kept the 12-40mm f2.8 lens on most of the time, with a polariser attached - but as you'll see later on, I did 'experiment' with the 8mm at the blowholes. This is exactly the sort of kit I would travel with - light, portable, but extremely high quality (yes, even the 8mm bodycap).

The Pothole, Punakaiki. Olympus OM-D E-M1 with M.Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 Pro. 1/250th @ f6.3, ISO 100. Polarising filter

Because the day was so bright, I decided to leave the polarising filter on all day, and began by shooting with the E-M1's 'Low' ISO setting (ISO 100). The E-M1 shoots at ISO 200 at its lowest native setting, unless you unlock the 'low' option in the menu. This effectively gives you an ISO 100 image. Tests on-line and reviews I've seen indicate that ISO 100 does give a very 'clean' image, but you need to be careful not to blow out the highlights. Good advice at any and all ISO settings I would have thought. Considering the above images, ISO 100 (Low) looks pretty good to me!

Punakaiki Blowholes. Olympus OM-D E-M1 with 12-40mm f2.8 Pro. 1/400th @ f7.1, ISO 200. Grainy B&W Art filter

Because I was 'playing' tourist, I decided to 'play' with the Art filters in the camera as well. Grainy B&W has always been my favourite art filter (mode II with an orange filter - border added), although in such bright conditions it can be a bit tricky to get the exposure right. The filter is very high contrast and blows the highlights and shadows together very quickly. In the above image the sea spray has a few areas of blown out highlight detail - but this is very much the 'look' of this filter. Highlights and shadows can be controlled to a certain extent with the highlight/shadow curve adjustment controls built into the camera - but in such bright overhead light, you're fighting a loosing battle.

Punakaiki Blowholes 2. OM-D E-M1 with 12-40mm f2.8 Pro. 1/400th @ f7.1, ISO 200. Silver Effex Pro2.

Fortunately, since I shoot RAW, when you use the Art filters it creates two images - the Grainy Art filter as a jpeg, and the original RAW colour image. I used the RAW image of the same shot and processed it in Nik software's Silver Effex Pro2 - to get a similar black and white result. I actually like this image better, but of course you have to go through the whole processing of the image yourself - whereas with the Art filters, the camera does it all for you...

Thar She Blows! Olympus OM-D E-M1 with 8mm fisheye bodycap. 1/250th @f8, ISO 400.

The fun didn't stop with the Art filters either! Because of the high tide, the blowholes were putting on a decent display. But at the front of the railing, with the 12-40mm lens at 12mm (24mm equivalent in full frame), I wasn't getting enough of the scene in. Fortunately, I'd decided to throw my 8mm fisheye bodycap lens in the bag before leaving (it weighs practically nothing), and I'm so glad I did! I'm thrilled with the new perspective I was able to get of the blowholes, and I love the fisheye effect on the horizon. Hands-down my favourite image I've taken of the blowholes at Punakaiki.

E-M1 with 12-40mm f2.8 lens. 1/800th @f6.3 

We had a fantastic day wandering around the Pancake Rocks, being tourists for the day, and enjoying the beautiful weather and amazing scenery. The light was harsh - full on mid afternoon autumn sun - but we still managed to get some 'keeper' images that I would be happy to show off to friends and family - and one shot that I'd even consider printing and framing!

It just goes to show that good photos can be made at any time of the day, even if you find yourself at a once-in-a-lifetime location with less than ideal lighting conditions.

If your camera has art filters, and you've never used them, why not have a 'play'. You might stumble on a filter that you actually quite like. And remember, if you shoot in RAW mode, the camera will create two files; the original RAW file and a jpeg processed with the filter effect. So you can get the best of both worlds.

The Olympus OM-D E-M1 (and micro four thirds in general) is a perfect travel camera. Small and lightweight - even with the all metal 12-40mm f2.8 Pro lens and battery grip attached - with excellent image quality, and packed full of advanced features. Even the Pen EP-3 was up to the task, and Joanna took some beautiful images on a super small and lightweight system.

Yours truly with the E-M1. Photo by Joanna Lorimer

Much has been said (and written) recently about the future of micro four thirds now that full-frame mirrorless cameras are all the rage. Some (so called) 'experts' have claimed that micro four thirds is already dead - but with the release of Olympus's E-M1x and their roadmap for future lens releases, I believe that nothing could be further from the truth.

Photographers have a real thing about size. Most truly believe that 'bigger is better'. I used to be one of them. But since moving to the OM-D E-M1, I don't believe I've 'compromised' on image quality one bit. I couldn't be happier, and intend to immerse myself even further into the system. I'd love an E-M1x, and hope to get one someday. But until then, I'll quite happily use my E-M1 (and maybe a MkII). For me, and I suspect for many other photographers, it still happens to be the ideal system.