(Edit- If you’re looking for my Olympus E-P1 review, go here).

This will be a short review of the Switar 26mm f/1.1 C mount lens, tested on an Olympus E-P1 (micro four third) . I don’t know a huge amount of history of this lens but here are the highlights:

• The lens was originally made for the 16mm cine format. Due to specific design characteristics of the micro four thirds format, for the first time, photographers are now able to mount C mount lenses on digital cameras
• The Switar 26mm f/1.1 gives a 52mm (35mm equivalent) field of view on an E-P1 / GF1 / E-P2 / etc. This makes it a super-fast normal length lens
• The lens (and the Switar range) are no longer produced (to my knowledge), but are available on the second hand market. Prices have gone up markedly in recent years due to the micro four thirds popularity. More on this later

This cine lens, was called by filmmakers “one of the finest lenses ever made”. I can’t cite a specific quotation on this but everyone seems to say it so I’ll go along for the ride. The real question however, is how it performs on a micro four thirds camera. Here’s my take. As with Olympus OM lens I reviewed recently, lets start with some highlights. The Switar has a number of key points that need to be called out:

1. It is very compact
2. It has very unusual out of focus characteristics
3. It has a very close minimum focusing distance
4. Optically, it’s very impressive but with lots of caveats
5. It’s not cheap and price can vary significantly on the second hand market

I’ll run through each of these individually below.

Compact / Size

Like a few of the super fast C mount lenses, when compared to classic DSLR’s lenses that approach this lens speed the Switar 26mm f/1.1 is TINY. It’s a couple of inches long at most and despite being very solidly built (made of metal, etc), weighs about 160 grams (about 5.5 ounces) including adapter. In contrast, the slightly slower Canon 50mm f/1.2 L has a max diameter of 3.4 inches and weighs 19 ounces.

Here’s how it looks when mounted to an E-P1:

This was a very big draw for me when looking to buy this lens. I wanted something of a relatively normal focal length (i.e. 50mm-ish equivalent) and fast, but not something huge that would defeat the purpose of owning a micro four thirds camera. The fast C mount lenses definitely fit that bill.

In terms of  ergonomics and design, the lens looks great. If you’re into gear that looks good, this definitely fits the bill. Everything from the screw cap to the funky levers for changing aperture make it look super retro and unique. In terms of function, I’ve actually been very impressed. The focusing ring is very smooth and accurate, easy to access and the camera + lens combo really just “gets out of the way” when it comes to shooting. One thing to note is this lens has a macro capability so it’s a lot of turning of the focus ring when you’re at very close ranges.

Out of focus characteristics / bokeh

The bokeh on this lens is spectacular. Like many c mounts, the characteristic of the bokeh is that it’s very “circular” which is different from modern lenses which have a much more linear look to them. As a result of the bokeh, for the right kind of subject I find that the image really comes alive as a result and looks quite unlike what we’re used to seeing on regular digital camera / lens combos. In terms of subject isolation, this it’s as good as you’re going to get on a small format camera. Due to the doubling effect of the micro four thirds, this lens is actually equivalent to a 52mm f/2.2 lens from a field of view perspective – although it obviously retains its f/1.1 attributes from a lens speed perspective. As I say though, compare this to a standard kit lens or even a modern fast prime and you still get far greater subject isolation which is so important for creative photography.

Here’s a couple of shots  to illustrate.

(Rio, bribed into sitting still for a few seconds)

This first one shows sharp focusing on the eyes with the rapid fall off in depth of field. Notice how the lower parts of the image have a circular feel to them – that’s the Switar / C mount bokeh I was mentioning earlier. This second shot shows it even more clearly:

(Rio, yawning)

Note that I missed the focus on this leaving a softer subject, but swirling bokeh is definitely very apparent.

It’ll come down to personal taste and preference – but I love this look.

Close focusing distance

The Switar 26mm f/1.1 is a semi-macro lens with a close focusing distance of what I’d guess to be 10 – 15 cm (4 – 6 inches). It’s not enough for reproduction of insects, etc but lets you get close enough for interesting effects or subjects. Below are a couple of examples which are at or near the minimum focusing distance:

(Spider web at dawn)

(Dandelion on a carpet of leaves)

Issues / Concerns

The Switar, like many of the c mounts are quite unlike other any other class of lens. They have remarkably impressive optical qualities, but also lots of nuances that you need to work with, shoot around or just learn to accept.

Lets go through those caveats.

Vignetting is one of them. Due to the lens coverage not quite  mapping perfectly to the sensor, c mounts, particularly at 25mm and less, do have a noticeable amount of vignetting. Interestingly, unlike other lenses, the darkening of the corners actually increases as the aperture is reduced (normally this is the opposite). For example, shoot wide open at f/1.1 and you get a bit of vignetting. Stop down however to f11 and it gets noticeable stronger. Here’s an example:

(Example of vignetting when shooting wide open)

Depending on what you’re shooting, this will either both your or it won’t. For me, wide open, it’s a natural fact of life on any lens. The only real downside is if you want to stop down (because you’ve gone beyond the max shutter speed of the camera or you want more depth of field) – in this case, you should note that you’ll probably need to correct in post processing.

Another issue is distortion. Here’s an example of how this is not handled particularly well by the lens:

(Example of distortion, particularly when shooting at a normal viewing distance)

Lets be clear, this issue coupled with the vignetting does not lends this lens well for shooting accurate reproductions of churches, buildings, landscapes, architecture.

Another issue is flare. Shoot directly into the sunlight and you get all sorts of strange and funky effects show up. Here’s an example:

(Examples of lens flare when shooting into the sun)

Again, how much this bothers you will come down to personal preference. I have Canon L lenses which handle flare better than any lenses made – yet partly perhaps of the interesting effect that it generates, I’m completely fine with what happens when you point the Switar towards the sun.

OK one final issue is actually a side effect of one of the Switar’s greatest strengths – its circular effects. If you recall, I said that the circular bokeh was one of the great characteristics of this lens. That’s hasn’t changed – but be aware that if you compose the subject in one of the corners, where the circular effect is at its greatest, it’s going to distort the subject. Here’s an example of that… An exaggerated composition which shows the flaw:

Here’s that lighthouse close up:

This issue affects images mostly like the above – in this case where the subject is usually some distance away, sitting in an expanse of space while being composed at the very edge of the image. If your subject is not in one of the corners (as it often won’t be in most shots), then you benefit from that circular characteristic with that funky bokeh being present. However, be aware of it though as it can screw up some shots. Having said that, I’ve yet to notice it produce an effect or issue that has ever bothered me on portraits, street photography, etc.

Optical / Image Quality

OK so now with the downdsides out of the way, lets talk about the good points

We’ve already covered the strong subject isolation (due to the f/1.1), close focusing and out-of-focus characteristics. So what about actual resolution or image quality. Here’s a couple of 100% crops from those earlier macros:

(100% crop – straight out of camera)

(100% crop – straight out of camera)

Resolution I would rate it around “very good” in pure resolution terms. It’s a slightly different kind of sharpness from a classic modern SLR / DSLR lens but the actual amount of detail captured is impressive, even wide open (which I shoot the vast majority of the time).

Colour looks great on the Switar. It’s pretty interesting – take an image of something with very rich colours and they get enhanced wonderfully. However, take a picture of something relatively bland and it takes on an almost film-like quality. For example, here’s a shot of a sunset in Seattle:

This is straight out of the camera with no processing. Here the colours are rich, beautiful and don’t look overcooked in any way. Part of that of course is the way that Olympus digital cameras typically tend to produce great JPG’s but in my opinion, the lens is contributing to that here. Another example is here:

This is our dog Sora. He’s just chilling on the couch here under standard indoor lighting. But here is beautiful blue eye just pops out from the image.

A different kind of example this time. This is me catching Akuri momentarily. Nothing special about this picture – other than the fact that the colours take on a nice muted film-like appearance. The shallow depth of field helps with that but there’s definitely more going on here.

In terms of image quality, I find it hard to attach a traditional rating to this lens because of its unusual characteristics. It deserves a conclusion however, so I’ll skip ahead now to the bottom line.

Bottom Line

In short, I love this lens.

There are negative characteristics that you have to watch out for but once you get used to them, all I end up noticing with this lens is the compact size, dreamy bokeh, the super colours, great resolution… the list goes on. However, despite how well it sounds on paper, none of this really describes what the lens is really about. Simply put, the results I can get with this lens go way beyond what I can say on paper. It regularly allows me to produce images that I thought would never come from a small format camera. Perhaps its the fact that its such a fast piece of glass with that rapid falloff in depth of field, but as I say, it’s likely more than that. When I review the pictures I’ve taken with it over the past couple of months – just simple shots of my life and what’s around me – I’m delighted. A few finale examples I dug up follow:

(my cycling partner while out on a morning bike ride)

(Out on that same bike ride)

(A walk through the park on a recent afternoon)

(With a little post processing)

(Akuri, taken this morning when I needed to add another portrait shot to this review)

(Another one)

(Converted to B&W in post)

(Snapshot of Rio and Akuri over the last summer)

The bottom line? I don’t use this lens for landscapes, nature or images that require classic edge to edge sharpness or faithful reproduction – there are plenty of better choices out there for that. What I do use it for however is to capture, as artistically as possible, the life that goes on around me. For that purpose, I rate it as the best lens I’ve yet found to put on a micro four thirds camera (although I am sure other ultra fast C mounts will compare similarly well). When coupled with my E-P1, because of the shots I can now produce and the very small package of the camera + lens, this is now my first choice from my digital collection whenever I head out the door.

In fact, it’s now surpassed my 5D Mark II + 50mm f/1.4, which was my previous dont-leave-home-without-it DSLR and there is no higher compliment I can give than that. I still reach for the Canon + L’s when I need to guarantee image quality – but in all other cases, it’s an E-P1 with this super fast c mount.

How to buy one

Relatively speaking, I got a good deal on my Switar. It’s mint condition and I negotiated the price down to $1250 including an adapter (of which I have two now). I’ve seen ebay auctions regularly fetch $1500 – $1600 for this lens and one occasionally comes up as a buy-it-now. How much is it actually worth? I have no idea as it’s hard to rate / quantify it from a price perspective or using traditional quantitative measures. All I can say is if I lost mine, I’d undoubtedly buy another.