Today’s contestants: the lovely and talented Sony 16mm f/2.8 and Olympus 17mm f/2.8 pancake lenses.
Since everyone seemed to enjoy looking inside an NEX mirrorless camera, I decided to take more pictures while doing today’s disassembly.
Optically I expected both lenses to be fairly simple: the Sony has 5 single elements, the Olympus 6 elements in 4 groups, and both have the diaphragm about in the center of the lens elements. They seem very similar as we start opening up the backs: both have 3 screws holding in a light baffle / protection cap, and 4 screws holding on the lens mount, just like most other lenses.
The Olympus (left) and Sony lenses with backs removed.
There are a couple of minor differences: the Olympus only uses 1 small screw to hold its electronic connector to the mount, while the Sony uses two. It’s at this point that we found the first (and apparently only) optical adjustments. The Olympus uses washer type shims, while the Sony uses some 90 degree shims (black and white things in the picture) to space the lens-to-lensmount interface.
Removing the PC boards is more of the same, again Sony uses 3 screws (I have no idea why, no one else does) to hold the board in place, while the Olympus goes with the more common single screw.
Olympus Disassembly
At this point, disassembly of the two lenses gets a bit different. It’s obvious in the above picture that the Olympus has several screws holding the optical assembly in the case. Take those out and slip the case off . . .
Then turn it over, pop off the plastic front makeup ring, remove the couple of screws revealed under the makeup ring . . .
. . . . and the rest of the front rings come off, leaving the core of the lens completely uncovered.
Largely disassembled Olympus pancake (rear view). Note the focusing motor at bottom and geared teeth engaging from manual focusing ring. Smaller motor at 11 O’clock is the aperture control motor.
Two screws remove the focusing motor. The aperture control motor slips out and its flex disconnects, and now the optical elements are separated from most of the lens. The Olympus design places the optical elements in the center of a 3-armed plastic piece that connects the lens ring. Olympus optical elements and array, with aperture motor removed. You can recognize the purple ring and see the 5 bladed aperture, but that’s about all that lets you know this was the Oly.
The entire optical assembly slides back and forth on three arms within the outer ring for focusing. With a prime lens this small there’s no need for a separate focusing element.
The plastic 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 shims or collars, but I certainly couldn’t find any. Whether the marks are some directions for orienting this assembly, somebody’s signature, or random graffiti I don’t know. Maybe one of you can tell me?
Sony Disassembly
Sony disassembly was initially less obvious. After the PC board was removed I had expected the front plastic makeup ring to pop off, like most do, but it wasn’t budging. Re-examination didn’t reveal any other way in so I tried popping the front makeup ring a little harder. This sort of worked, although it ruined the makeup ring. It turns out Sony holds it down with a ton of glue, rather than plastic pop-tabs like most lenses. Oh, well, next time I’ll know to use glue remover. But once the ring was removed the barrel pieces slip right off the lens.
Here’s the front of the Sony pancake lens with most of barrel removed. Torn up makeup ring and glue residue on plastic around the lens demonstrate this was obviously my first time opening one of these.
The lens core lifts out of the bottom case and has three screws begging to be removed . . .
. . . which lets us remove the inner optical core from the surrounding support.
Once past the front makeup ring, the Sony disassembly was quick and easy.
Having removed all the lens parts except the optics, the two lenses look rather different: the Sony has a small, self contained optical assembly while the Olympus assembly is mounted to three arms that slide up and down through an outer ring.
Olympus (left) and Sony (right) optical cores.
The optical groups of both lenses, however, can be separated into front and rear components by removing a couple of screws. With the Sony lens removing the screws visible in the photo above allows the diaphragm assembly comes out as a separate piece (left side of each image below), sandwiched between the front (upper image) and rear (lower image) glass elements of the lens.
The diaphragm unit of the Sony lens, with the front (upper) and rear (lower) optical components.
With the Olympus, removing the screws allows most of the optics to detach in a group, with only one element remaining in the center of the plastic arms.
I had expected to see a shim or adjustment here, but there wasn’t one. Nor was there one in the Sony. So as best I can determine, both of these pancake lenses have no real optical adjustments other than shims at the lens mount. But then, pancakes aren’t generally expected to be razor sharp lenses.
The remaining optical section of the Olympus (left side in above image) separates neatly in two halves at the aperture. Unlike the Sony, the aperture unit isn’t self contained, but rather sits on top of the rearward group. This allowed for a nice demonstration of how aperture blades are set up (in case you haven’t seen it before). The right side image below shows the two rings of the aperture mechanism, with mounting posts on both the outer and inner rings. The aperture blades (one is sitting above the lens in the right illustration) mount to the outside post at the hole in one end, and the slot fits over the post on the inner ring. As the inner ring is turned in relation to the outer ring, the post moves along the slots, closing or opening the aperture.
The Final Images
Of course, I have to post the images of the disassembled lenses, first the Olympus and then the Sony:
Completely disassembled Olympus 17mm f/2.8 m4/3 pancake lens.
Completely disassembled Sony 16mm f/2.8 E-mount pancake.
These are the smallest and simplest lenses I’ve ever taken apart. The front element of a 70-200 f/2.8 lens is larger and heavier than either of these. The small size of the glass elements is really shocking: even the rear element of, say, a 50mm f/1.4 lens contains more glass than all the elements in either of these. Despite the fact it has to cover a larger sensor, the elements in the Sony lens aren’t obviously larger than those in the Olympus.
The simplicity of the design shows why these lenses rarely break. And since optical adjustment isn’t an option, apparently, there won’t be a lot of reason for me to do this again. Which is too bad, really. It’s a nice, straightforward disassembly, with a simple internal design.
And before someone asks: yes, I can put them back together. [gizmodo]
Dr. Roger Cicala is the founder of Lensrentals.com. Since the company has long since outgrown his ability to manage it, he is now the Director of Research and Quality Assurance for Lensrentals, meaning he spends all day taking photography things apart and figuring out how they work.
3,281 comments
casino italiani online says:
January 20, 2013 at 8:22 am (UTC -4)
casino italiani online…
[...]one of our visitors not too long ago suggested the following website[...]…
buy beats online cheap says:
January 20, 2013 at 1:31 pm (UTC -4)
buy beats online cheap…
[...]The facts mentioned in the report are a few of the top offered [...]…
3d car models says:
January 20, 2013 at 8:16 pm (UTC -4)
Its hard to find good help…
I am forever proclaiming that its difficult to procure good help, but here is…
numerology says:
January 21, 2013 at 4:03 am (UTC -4)
numerology…
[...]Here is a superb Weblog You might Obtain Fascinating that we Encourage You[...]…
buy auto blog samurai says:
January 21, 2013 at 4:28 am (UTC -4)
buy auto blog samurai…
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not connected web pages to ours, however, they’re surely really worth going over[...]…
Hostgator VPS Coupon says:
January 21, 2013 at 4:37 am (UTC -4)
Resources Of Great Info…
[...]great resource of information related to[...]…
Buy linkedin connections says:
January 21, 2013 at 4:52 am (UTC -4)
Buy linkedin connections…
Hey there! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a team of volunteers and starting a new project in a community in the same niche. Your blog provided us valuable information to work on. You have done a wonderful job!…
Adrian Brace says:
January 21, 2013 at 8:31 am (UTC -4)
superb write-up…
Once the spouse along with i esteem some thing truly interesting about types world-wide-web website perfectly, i saved every single child fav….
buy facebook fans says:
January 21, 2013 at 1:15 pm (UTC -4)
buy facebook fans…
certainly like your website but you need to check the spelling on quite a few of your posts. A number of them are rife with spelling issues and I find it very bothersome to tell the reality on the other hand Ill definitely come again again….
assurance annulation non-paiement says:
January 21, 2013 at 1:53 pm (UTC -4)
assurance annulation non-paiement…
[...]check below, are some entirely unrelated websites to ours, nonetheless, they’re most trustworthy sources that we use[...]…
Hostgator VPS Coupon says:
January 21, 2013 at 4:38 pm (UTC -4)
Best Points I would like to share ……
[...]please visit the actual web sites we adhere to, including this particular an individual, mainly because it signifies the selections within the web[...]…
Bal der Bals says:
January 21, 2013 at 6:08 pm (UTC -4)
Bal der Bals…
[...]very handful of websites that come about to become in depth beneath, from our point of view are undoubtedly well really worth checking out[...]…
Ceramic saddle says:
January 22, 2013 at 1:42 am (UTC -4)
Ceramic saddle…
[...]check beneath, are some absolutely unrelated internet sites to ours, having said that, they’re most trustworthy sources that we use[...]…
smokeless cigarettes says:
January 22, 2013 at 1:51 am (UTC -4)
Souls in the Waves…
Excellent Morning, I just stopped in to visit your site and imagined I’d say I enjoyed myself….
Your Marriage Savior review says:
January 22, 2013 at 3:19 am (UTC -4)
Just Browsing…
While I was surfing today I noticed a great post concerning…
Probleme assurance auto habitation says:
January 22, 2013 at 5:18 am (UTC -4)
Probleme assurance auto habitation…
[...]just beneath, are several totally not associated web-sites to ours, however, they are certainly really worth going over[...]…
Elly Perez says:
January 22, 2013 at 7:35 am (UTC -4)
you must find ways to drive targeted…
traffic to your blog… and why is this advisable? though content is king…, if nobody sees that content it’s not going to reign over anything is it? it won’t even reign over itself… any other reason? well, people need to find…
fitness says:
January 22, 2013 at 1:54 pm (UTC -4)
fitness…
Neat blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere? A design like yours with a few simple adjustements would really make my blog jump out. Please let me know where you got your theme. Bless you…
buy easy forex says:
January 22, 2013 at 5:58 pm (UTC -4)
buy easy forex…
[...]check beneath, are some completely unrelated sites to ours, even so, they may be most trustworthy sources that we use[...]…
google search search engine optimization says:
January 22, 2013 at 10:12 pm (UTC -4)
[...]always a {big|large|huge|massive|major|significant} fan of linking to bloggers that I {love|adore|really like|enjoy|appreciate|like} but {don?t|do not|really don’t} get {a lot|a great deal|a whole lot|a good deal|quite a bit|lots} of link {love…
[...]just beneath, are various absolutely not associated web sites to ours, nonetheless, they’re certainly worth going over[...]…
go to this blog says:
January 22, 2013 at 11:55 pm (UTC -4)
go to this blog…
[...]we came across a cool web page that you just could possibly enjoy. Take a look for those who want[...]…
hostgator 1 cent coupon says:
January 23, 2013 at 3:05 am (UTC -4)
Websites we recommed you to visit……
[...]below you’ll get the url to several websites that we feel you need to visit[...]…
keywords says:
January 23, 2013 at 5:16 am (UTC -4)
keywords…
[...]the time to read or stop by the material or web pages we’ve linked to beneath the[...]…
hostgator 1 cent coupon says:
January 23, 2013 at 8:37 am (UTC -4)
Sites we believe you need to visit……
[...]although websites many of us back link to below are considerably not related to our bait, we presume they are really well worth a go by way of, and so do a look[...]…
upholstery cleaning kansas city says:
January 23, 2013 at 10:27 am (UTC -4)
Informative and precise…
Its hard to find informative and accurate information but here I noted…
hostgator coupon codes says:
January 23, 2013 at 12:54 pm (UTC -4)
Recommeneded websites……
[...]Here are among the very best web sites all of us recommend[...]…
appliance repair houston says:
January 23, 2013 at 6:47 pm (UTC -4)
Appliance Repair Houston…
[...]The info mentioned in the report are several of the top available [...]…
hostgator coupon code says:
January 23, 2013 at 7:05 pm (UTC -4)
these web sites can be worth visiting……
[...]here are a couple of backlinks to web-sites we url to given that many of us believe these are really worth visiting[...]…
spring volleyball league says:
January 23, 2013 at 8:13 pm (UTC -4)
spring volleyball league…
[...]always a large fan of linking to bloggers that I appreciate but really don’t get a good deal of link appreciate from[...]…
Norwegen says:
January 23, 2013 at 8:51 pm (UTC -4)
Norwegen…
[...]usually posts some really intriguing stuff like this. If you?re new to this site[...]…
Eczema says:
January 23, 2013 at 9:25 pm (UTC -4)
Eczema…
[...]always a major fan of linking to bloggers that I enjoy but do not get a great deal of link like from[...]…
mr green casino bets says:
January 23, 2013 at 9:29 pm (UTC -4)
mr green casino bets…
Of course, what a great site and enlightening posts, I definitely will bookmark your site.Best Regards!…
Freddie Thrower says:
January 23, 2013 at 11:22 pm (UTC -4)
wonderful create…
Relating youngster ought to become observed reality wise genuine home agent everywhere can be found in reality starting to warm-up that may FSBO Marketing. They’re just recognizing that is certainly as a direct result over creating the particular supe…
fat burning furnace review says:
January 24, 2013 at 3:08 am (UTC -4)
fat burning furnace review…
[...]very few internet sites that happen to be detailed below, from our point of view are undoubtedly nicely worth checking out[...]…
Plugins says:
January 24, 2013 at 6:01 am (UTC -4)
Plugins…
[...]Here is an excellent Weblog You may Come across Exciting that we Encourage You[...]…
illuminatural review says:
January 24, 2013 at 7:18 am (UTC -4)
illuminatural review…
[...]we like to honor quite a few other net web pages on the web, even though they aren?t linked to us, by linking to them. Underneath are some webpages really worth checking out[...]…
tinnitus miracle says:
January 24, 2013 at 10:18 am (UTC -4)
tinnitus miracle…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or web-sites we have linked to beneath the[...]…
payday loans uk says:
January 24, 2013 at 11:27 am (UTC -4)
payday loans uk…
[...]Here are some of the web sites we recommend for our visitors[...]…
Nurse Stress Management says:
January 24, 2013 at 12:31 pm (UTC -4)
Wikia…
Wika linked to this place…
generate web traffic minneapolis] says:
January 24, 2013 at 4:28 pm (UTC -4)
[...]we {like to|prefer to} honor {many|numerous|several|a lot of|quite a few|lots of} other {internet|web|world wide web|net|world-wide-web|online} {sites|websites|web sites|internet sites|web-sites|web pages} {on the|around the} {web|internet|net},…
[...]Here are a number of the web-sites we advocate for our visitors[...]…
Sober Living says:
January 24, 2013 at 7:07 pm (UTC -4)
Sober Living…
[...]always a large fan of linking to bloggers that I appreciate but do not get a lot of link adore from[...]…
gold us army ring says:
January 24, 2013 at 10:50 pm (UTC -4)
gold us army ring…
[...]below you will uncover the link to some web-sites that we consider you ought to visit[...]…
Related Site says:
January 25, 2013 at 1:41 am (UTC -4)
Related Site…
[...]we came across a cool website that you just could possibly appreciate. Take a look in the event you want[...]…
business accounting berkeley ca says:
January 25, 2013 at 4:14 am (UTC -4)
business accounting berkeley ca…
[...]The facts talked about within the post are several of the most effective readily available [...]…
Plumbers in Seattle says:
January 25, 2013 at 4:40 am (UTC -4)
Plumbers in Seattle…
Usually I do not read article on blogs, but I would like to say that this write-up very forced me to try and do it! Your writing style has been amazed me. Thanks, quite nice article….
Ira Kallhoff says:
January 25, 2013 at 8:35 am (UTC -4)
Ira Kallhoff…
[...]we like to honor several other world wide web websites around the internet, even though they aren?t linked to us, by linking to them. Beneath are some webpages really worth checking out[...]…
tworzenie stron Poznan says:
January 25, 2013 at 11:00 am (UTC -4)
tworzenie stron Poznan…
[...]check below, are some totally unrelated internet websites to ours, on the other hand, they’re most trustworthy sources that we use[...]…
GOSANKO says:
January 25, 2013 at 12:27 pm (UTC -4)
GOSANKO…
[...]Here are a number of the web sites we advocate for our visitors[...]…
Executive Coach Jacksonville says:
January 25, 2013 at 12:51 pm (UTC -4)
Digg…
While checking out DIGG yesterday I found this…
submit site says:
January 25, 2013 at 2:55 pm (UTC -4)
submit site…
[...]very few websites that take place to be in depth beneath, from our point of view are undoubtedly nicely worth checking out[...]…
« Previous 1 ... 43 44 45 46 47 ... 66 Next »