Olympus MCON 35 MACRO LENS

The TCON-14B was one of those accessories that I put off too long. I didn't really appreciate its potential until I started getting a bit more serious about portrait photography in the studio - remember, I don't make my living with a camera.

I was experiencing a recurring problem with proportions when shooting tight portraits (basically head shots). Even with my E-10 or E-20 set to full zoom, I was just too close to the subject. I needed a flatter field. So I finally got smart and called my friend Kelly up at Norman Camera to see if she had a TCON-14B in stock. Of course she did and the next day I had one of very own. It was just what I needed.

	Here is what you get for you money. The TCON-14B, front and rear lens caps, a case and a single page, multi language instruction sheet.

The TCON-14B simply attaches to the E-10 or E-20 using the accessory threads. I mount my 14B directly to the camera, but I've been told by other users that they frequently mount to the haze filter they keep on their cameras with no ill effects. Speaking of UV / haze filters, the accessory threads on the big end of the TCON-14B are a hefty 86mm. A filter that size will set you back a few dollars but in my book, it's still better than taking a chance on damaging the front optic.

	E-10 with the TCON-14B attached. It makes the camera sort of "nose heavy", especially when you have it mounted on a tripod. Be careful when you release the vertical axis lock on your pan head or the camera will immediately start looking for your feet!

The shot below was taken in a modest studio set-up. This is a full frame image with the camera about 10' from the subject.

	Shutter: 1/250 Aperture: f4.0 Distance: 10'

Probably not what the Olympus engineers had in mind, but a well known trick among E-10 users is that the TCON-14B can be added to a TCON-300 to produce the equivalent magnification of a 600mm lens on a 35mm camera. Since all it takes is a stepping ring, why not experiment?

	Costing well below $10 the 49mm to 62mm Stepping Ring (also called a Setup Ring) will allow the TCON-14B to be mounted to the TCON-300.

	The Stepping Ring has a 49mm thread that fits the TCON-300, the flairs out to 62mm to receive the larger TCON-14B.

	This combination is frequently called a TCON-314. It is roughly equivalent to a 600mm telephoto on a 35mm camera but it is FAR from perfect. All the additional surfaces and transitions make this combination very prone to chromatic aberrations.

My opinion is that the '314 could be useful if your subject fills more than half the frame and doesn't have a lot of specular highlights. My quick tests seem to indicate that the picture quality with the combination isn't as good as either lens by itself. The most noteworthy degradation is chromatic aberration.