Zuiko 75-150mm Zooms

[paul mitchell]

I realise I'm being a bit of a dinosaur, but can anyone who's used

the Zuiko 75-150mm Zoom lens give me opinion on it's optical quality

and handling? The lens I've been offered looks like a late(ish)

version and is in great condition. I generally use primes and my

experiece of olympus zooms is restricted to 35-70s (f3.6 great, f3.5-

4.5 not so great).

Many thanks Paul

[skip_williams]

I had a 75-150 many years ago and never really liked it. The performance was OK, but it was definitely an early 70's zoom with all their warts, IMO. Don't expect anything special, but it probably was the equal of most of it's competition. It will deliver fine images, especially at f/8 or so. F/4 will be softer.

 

I'm surprised that you didn't like the 35-70/3.5-4.5. I've gotten great shots with mine. That's the real, real small lens, right? Did you mean the f/3.5-4.8? If so, that lens was definitely mediocre, IME. I'm pretty sure it was a Cosina re-badge.

 

The 35-70/3.6 is a high-quality lens, just below the 35-80/2.8 in quality. It's also very well built.

 

Skip

[kieran_hamill3]

I always liked the look of portraits with this lens, especially around f4-5.6. Not stellar, but IMO It's well worth the money you are likely to pay for one. Other plusses include small size/weight, standard 49mm filter thread, and integral hood. Minuses included slight focus shift when zooming.

[lex_jenkins]

Maybe I'm lucky and just got a good example but it's long been one of my favorite zooms. It's good even wide open from 75-150mm and may have the best bokeh of any zoom I've owned.

 

I prefer two-touch zooms anyway, with separate focus and zoom rings. So the design suits me. And while a built-in sliding hood may not be ideal, according to some folks, it works just fine for me with this lens and for my 180/2.8 Nikkor which also has a sliding hood.

 

Terrific for portraiture but also a great all-around lens. Very handy size and weight so I often carry it in a kit with an OM-1, 28/2.8 Zuiko and either 50/3.5 Zuiko Macro or 50/1.4 Zuiko. All 49mm filter thread, which keeps things simple.

[patrik_maechler]

I can say the same as Lex about my 75-150mm: Sharp even wide open and a perfect Bokeh. But the lenses are getting old, and one has to check the lens inside for separation between elements, which may cause some of the so-so results stated here from other people.

As they are cheap to buy now, i would buy several lenses and keep the best of the bunch.

 

Regards from Z�rich, Patrik

[paul mitchell]

Thanks folks, your comments on the 75-150 are all appreciated and will aid my decision. I think I'll give it a go and see for myself!

 

Skip, I've heard lots of good things about the tiny 35-70 f3.5-4.5, but while I got good results at the 35mm end, I wasn't happy with the long end (and I tried two examples). I thought all the S Zuikos (that is the 28-48, 35-70 f3.5-4.5, 35-70 f4 and 100-200) were all made Cosina, as well as the zoom you mentioned, but I'm ready to be corrected. Thanks again Paul

[skip_williams]

According to the Olympus FAQ, the 35-70/3.5-4.5, 28-48/4, 35-70/4, and 100-200/5 S-Zuiko lenses were in the Economy line. The 35-70/3.5-4.8 and 70-210mm/F4.5-5.6 were made by Cosina.

 

Skip

[george_shihanian]

I've had the same experience as Skip. My 75-150 was mediocre, but its very convenient to use if you get a good one. My 35-70 (3.5-4.5), was/is a great lens, not much bigger than a standard 50mm, and very convenient focal length range, and good sharpness.

 

I usually warn everyone to be careful where you buy used lenses and who you buy them from. Any lenses that are now 30 years old can certainly have wide differences from one example to the next, due to misuse, care, cleaning, storage conditions, etc. Always either get a return privilege or a really great price.

[fast_primes]

This is just a single coated lens, right?

[simon evans.]

Relax FP, it's one of them pesky zoom thingies ;-) But yes, I think it was.

[igord]

My copy of this lense is very good!

[lex_jenkins]

I've lost track of the websites that specified which lenses were single coated and which were multicoated, but I've read debates regarding the 75-150/4 Zuiko. Mine has a predominantly warmish yellowish coating, but the reflected hues are more complex than those on my Rolleiflex 2.8C TLR.

 

Anyway, regardless of coating, I've never had any problems with ghosting on my 75-150/4 and there don't appear to be any veiling flare problems either. Veiling flare can sometimes be difficult to spot because it may simply produce lower contrast images. This lens is already an inherently moderate contrast lens, one of the factors that makes it attractive for portraiture.

 

Keep in mind that for a little more money you can buy a 100/2.8 Zuiko which is much smaller and lighter, is almost universally regarded as a superior lens, and, being faster, will be easier to focus in low light.