So what do you think of the 70-300mm f 4-5.6 Zuiko ED lens?

[GerrySiegel]

<p>I like it. I have wanted to get a closeup shot of these little critters for some time. And I made this through the sliding glass door and from about 15 feet. Had to crop and sharpen just a bit. I tried leaning against the window but this lens autofocuses by rotation, which is fine, but you can't lean the hood against anything. The autofocus was as accurate as my eyeballs and the shutter speed was fast enough in good light to give me a reasonable outcome. I am happy. What more can one want for 330 bucks. And it suits me for size as well...Any other happy campers out there who can't quite go for the longer glass?</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

[robwilson]

<p>I think that this is an excellent lens for the money. It is not as sharp as my 12-60mmSWD lens, but it was about 1/3 of the price. For the focal length that you get, it is also very compact.<br>

I think the Olympus lenses are excellent value for money all round!</p>

<p>Cheers<br>

Rob</p>

 

[val_kelly1]

<p>I like mine for the shoots of the birds around my area. I take it with always. I am thinking of buying the new e620 to go with it now thoug.</p>

[GerrySiegel]

<p>I am staying with a larger body val. I mainly want to avoid another battery size and I like the look of what I read about the E30. I do mostly work with some form of tripod or monopod. They dropped a small amount today,incidentally from MSRP....not much but some. J and R audio video met the Amazon dealer price and their shipping was decent so here I go again. Also, if it is more than a grab at a brass ring, I should qualify for a promotional rebate. I will let you know what I think of that E 30 too. I have little use for long telephoto ergo this 70-300 was made for folks like me. That 50-200 mm whopper is nice looking but as someone said on dpreview, a big frappin' lens, a big palooka. The one I refer to extends way out but not heavy, can't be internal focus at that price either.</p>

<p>Great optics from small company. Lots of ED elements and good coatings and design. I will let you know if body stabilization is as good as reported re E30 and report same here. Got to stimulate or at last tickle the market a little after all. I get to stick the recovery logo on the bumper maybe. Help J and R. Help Olympus.</p>

[ilkka]

Very good lens for the money. A bit slow focusing, partly due to the long range (close focus). Also a bit slow, F5.6 in the long

end. I am looking for a 2/150 for low light use, or maybe replace it with the 50-200 that is faster. But both of these are

serious money so I am not in a rush.

[Greg M]

<p>If this were a 70-200 zoom, I would agree that f5.6 is too slow, but at 300mm, or an equivalent of a 600mm field of view, f5.6 is pretty darn fast. I have this lens and the 50-200 f2.8-3.5. If I were to buy the 1.4x TC for the 50-200, the long end would be a 280mm f5, so f5.6 at 300mm is nothing to sneeze at. Make it a straight f4 lens and the price and size would be too much for most of us.</p>

<p>The main issues this lens has when focusing is if you go from a relatively closeup subject to one at distance, or vice versa, it can thow the 70-300 off when first trying to make such a huge adjustment in focus, but if I am shooting something like sports where the distances don't widely vary, it focuses plenty fast. To be honest, the same thing happens with the 50-200 SWD, but with the silent motor, you just don't think about it in the same terms as you do with the relatively noisy motor on the 70-300.</p>

<p>I use the 70-300 quite a bit with the EX25 tube, which converts it into a quite good closeup shooter.</p>

[patrick j dempsey]

<p>Greg's right... consider that Canon does not currently even OFFER a zoom with the long end of 600mm for full frame cameras. The lens in the Canon lineup that is equivalent for APS-C shooters is the 70-400mm 4.5-5.6L lens and it runs between $1200 and $2000, which I can't help but think is a crazy amuont of money to spend on a lens for a consumer body. For $300, you got yourself one heck of a long lens.</p>

[ilkka]

<p>Forget about the equivalent. It is a 70-300 zoom, and not very small one at that, with F4-5.6. 300/5.6 is not fast. 300/4 would be. The problem is, there are few options in longer focal lengths. Olympus offers two very fast and hugely expensive lenses in this focal length range, and this slow consumer zoom. Nothing in between. The otherwise good 50-200 zoom becomes 5.6/300 when a 1.4 extender is used so no help there either. I wish Sigma would adapt some of their longer high end zooms to 4/3. Something like 4/200-400 or 2.8/120-300 would be sweet. At a bit more pleasant price point than the Olympus offerings. But there is one interesting lens I did not think of before, the 2.8/150 Sigma. That could be a good alternative to the 3x pricier 2/150 and it is a 1:1 macro as well, with HSM focusing.</p>

[Greg M]

<p>The easiest answer would be for Sigma to offer their 100-300 f4 HSM lens. Of all the Sigma lenses I looked at when I owned my Canon DSLR outfit, that was the one lens they made that tempted me the most, but I never pulled the trigger. I have a feeling many Olympus DSLR owners would.</p>

[GerrySiegel]

<blockquote>

<p>"It is a 70-300 zoom, and not very small one at that, with F4-5.6. 300/5.6 is not fast. 300/4 would be. The problem is, there are few options in longer focal lengths.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Small enough for a lens that is equivalent to a 600mm, Illka. And F 5.6 is acceptable for those situations where one would use a 600mm outdoors. I can see to focus. I notice a price difference between the cost of this Sigma clone (the 70-300mm, check the optical array) and the 150mm F.2. Namely about 6 times is the price of the deluxe focus range limiter buttons, super high grade ED 150mm F.2. Big fat hunk of glass that but I am told it balances well in hand. Meanwhile, I am typically using this ED lens pre zoomed on barrel to equivalent of a 300... it acts like a 4.5. Not bad I think, Ace. 'Price point.'a nice coupling. Price point punishes prosumers.Predictably. </p>

<p>We have the challenge with Olympus vs C and N that the Zuiko autofocus lenses are not so plentiful yet on the used market. Two thoughts. 1) people like and hang on to all but some of the kit lenses. 2) OM lenses work well enough for some or even better for a few. I like it well enough for an occasional salamander shot. Also own original 14-54, 50mm and EC-14. Now I have one for long reach at moderate cost. A winner and I can rest for a while. A rest point.</p>