P3D Re: beamsplitters and distortion

[SHIELDS@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Yes, the manual does specify those FL's (actually I was using the Stereo-tach
when I started, and its manual says pretty much the same.). The short (40mm)
FL caused the ghosts at the sides, though--not the distortion. The distortion
was because this lens has pincushion distortion in itself, even when shooting
a flat picture. This is worse for a beamsplitter because the distortion on
one half of the pair runs the opposite of the distortion on the other half--
the distortions don't match, which is uncomfortable for the person viewing.
Olympus allowed the distortion when they designed the lens because they were
trying for maximum compactness--it was an attempt to make a lens something
like the flat 38mm f/2.8 for the Pen-FT, although why they didn't go ahead
and make it an f/2.8 instead of an f/2, and really compact, I don't know.
It is nicely smaller than the 50mm f/1.8, but doesn't really make the
Olympus OM pocketable. Maybe that's why they did the f/2 thing--couldn't
make it pocketable anyway (the Pen-FT with the 38mm f/2.8 WAS pocketable).
The 40mm f/2 is a nice lens, particularly for handheld available-light
shots, even in darkness--I took some fabulous pictures of formations in
Ohio Caverns with Kodacolor 400. But for a beamsplitter it ain't!

Mark

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