I ’ve always been fascinated by flapjack lenses . It just amazes me that something that small can really go . As I bring up in anearlier post , we ’ve been taking things apart to determine where and how ( and sometimes if ) the lense can be adjusted optically . So , I decided to do two pancake genus Lens for mirrorless camera side - by - side to see how they differ ( theSony 16 mm f/2.8 tocopherol mountand theOlympus 17 mm f/2.8 micro 4/3 mount ) . I was n’t sure there would be much we could do with griddlecake ( and there was n’t ) , but I still get hold the look inside rather interesting .
Note : tick on the images below to take in them in their full - sized resplendency . — Ed .
Today ’s contestants : the lovely and gifted Sony 16 mm f/2.8 and Olympus 17 mm f/2.8 pancake electron lens .
Since everyone seemed to enjoy lookinginside an NEX mirrorless tv camera , I decided to take more pictures while doing today ’s dismantling .
Optically I expected both lenses to be clean bare : the Sony has 5 individual elements , the Olympus 6 elements in 4 groups , and both have the pessary about in the center of the crystalline lens elements . They seem very similar as we start opening up the backs : both have 3 piece of tail hold in a wanton baffle board / protective cover cap , and 4 shag belongings on the lens mount , just like most other lenses .
The Olympus ( left ) and Sony lenses with backs withdraw .
There are a couple of minor differences : the Olympus only apply 1 modest screwing to control its electronic connector to the riding horse , while the Sony uses two . It ’s at this point that we launch the first ( and on the face of it only ) ocular adjustments . The Olympus uses automatic washer eccentric shims , while the Sony use some 90 level shim ( shameful and white thing in the characterisation ) to space the lense - to - lensmount interface .
get rid of the PC boards is more of the same , again Sony uses 3 screws ( I have no theme why , no one else does ) to hold the instrument panel in lieu , while the Olympus goes with the more common single screw .
Olympus Disassembly
At this head , disassembly of the two genus Lens gets a bit dissimilar . It ’s obvious in the above picture that the Olympus has several screws carry the optic meeting place in the case . Take those out and slip the case off . . .
Then become it over , pop off the plastic front makeup ring , get rid of the couple of screws revealed under the makeup halo . . .
. . . . and the remainder of the front annulus come off , leaving the core of the lens completely uncovered .
Largely disassembled Olympus flapjack ( rear sentiment ) . take note the focusing motor at bottom and geared tooth affiance from manual focalize ring . small motor at 11 O’clock is the aperture control motor .
Two roll in the hay remove the focusing motor . The aperture control motor steal out and its flex disconnects , and now the optical component are separated from most of the crystalline lens . The Olympus design places the optical element in the center of a 3 - armed plastic piece that connects the lens system mob . Olympus ocular elements and array , with aperture motor removed . you may recognise the majestic gang and see the 5 bladed aperture , but that ’s about all that lets you know this was the Oly .
The entire optical fabrication slides back and forth on three arms within the KO’d doughnut for focusing . With a prime lens this little there ’s no want for a separate focusing element .
The shaping mount for the lens core had a couple of lensmaker ’s marks on it . I had hoped , as is often the case , they would be associated with adjusting shim or collars , but I certainly could n’t retrieve any . Whether the soft touch are some direction for orienting this meeting place , somebody ’s key signature , or random graffiti I do n’t bonk . Maybe one of you could say me ?
Sony Disassembly
Sony disassembly was initially less obvious . After the PC board was polish off I had look the front formative physical composition ring to pour down off , like most do , but it was n’t budging . Re - examination did n’t reveal any other means in so I tried popping the front constitution ring a little hard . This sort of work , although it destroy the composition tintinnabulation . It become out Sony hold it down with a long ton of mucilage , rather than plastic dada - lozenge like most lens system . Oh , well , next time I ’ll know to utilise mucilage remover . But once the ring was removed the drum pieces sneak right off the electron lens .
Here ’s the front of the Sony pancake lens with most of barrelful remove . tear up makeup ring and glue residue on credit card around the lens of the eye demonstrate this was apparently my first time opening one of these .
The lens core lifts out of the bottom case and has three screws begging to be withdraw . . .
. . . which lets us bump off the inner optical heart and soul from the surrounding support .
Once past the front war paint ring , the Sony disassembly was straightaway and easy .
Having removed all the lense part except the optics , the two lenses look rather dissimilar : the Sony has a little , self contained optical fabrication while the Olympus gathering is put on to three arms that slide up and down through an out band .
Olympus ( left ) and Sony ( right ) optic cores .
The optic mathematical group of both lenses , however , can be divide into front and rear component by removing a span of fucking . With the Sony lens of the eye removing the prison guard visible in the photo above let the diaphragm meeting place come out as a separate man ( left side of each look-alike below ) , sandwiched between the front ( upper image ) and rearward ( lower figure of speech ) spyglass elements of the lens .
The diaphragm unit of the Sony lens , with the front ( upper ) and rear ( lower ) optical constituent .
With the Olympus , removing the screws allows most of the oculus to come off in a mathematical group , with only one constituent remaining in the inwardness of the formative arm .
I had expect to see a shim or adjustment here , but there was n’t one . Nor was there one in the Sony . So as best I can determine , both of these pancake lenses have no real optical adjustment other than shims at the lens mount . But then , hotcake are n’t generally have a bun in the oven to be razor sharp lenses .
The remaining optical plane section of the Olympus ( left side in above image ) separates neatly in two halves at the aperture . Unlike the Sony , the aperture unit is n’t ego contain , but rather model on top of the rearward group . This allow for a squeamish demonstration of how aperture blades are set up ( in example you have n’t understand it before ) . The right side image below prove the two rings of the aperture mechanism , with go up Post on both the outer and interior rings . The aperture blade ( one is sitting above the lens in the right illustration ) mount to the outside situation at the hole in one remainder , and the slot fits over the Emily Post on the inner ring . As the internal ring is turned in coitus to the outer ring , the office moves along the slot , closing or opening the aperture .
The Final Images
Of course , I have to post the images of the break apart lenses , first the Olympus and then the Sony :
whole take apart Olympus 17 mm f/2.8 m4/3 pancake lens .
Completely take apart Sony 16 mm f/2.8 E - mount pancake .
These are the small and simple lens of the eye I ’ve ever taken apart . The front factor of a 70 - 200 f/2.8 lens is larger and weighed down than either of these . The small sizing of the glass elements is really shocking : even the rearward element of , say , a 50 mm f/1.4 lens contains more meth than all the elements in either of these . Despite the fact it has to cover a declamatory sensing element , the elements in the Sony lens are n’t patently tumid than those in the Olympus .
The simpleness of the design show why these lens of the eye rarely break . And since opthalmic adjustment is n’t an option , ostensibly , there wo n’t be a lot of reasonableness for me to do this again . Which is too uncollectible , really . It ’s a nice , straightforward dismantling , with a round-eyed home design .
And before someone ask : yes , I can put them back together .
Dr. Roger Cicala is the founder ofLensrentals.com . Since the society has long since outgrown his ability to manage it , he is now the Director of Research and Quality Assurance for Lensrentals , mean he spends all day taking picture taking things apart and figuring out how they crop .
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