Olympus Micro 4/3 Lens Bargain

[jamesmck]

Attention, Micro 4/3 users. The Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f4.9-5.6 R lens (80-300mm 35mm equivalent) is now available at a very reduced price from Amazon, B & H, and other retailers. Though this is not considered to be one of Olympus's finest lenses, which sell at many times the price, it's optics (vs. build quality) have gotten positive reactions on the web. I purchased one recently and am very happy with it. I am not disappointed in the build quality. It is relatively small and light, and something I will consider keeping in my bag at all times. The photo below is a 100% crop of a shot done at 150mm, which is equivalent to 300mm in 35mm terms. The parent photo for this shot as well as others at different focal lengths are available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesmck3 ... 632696370/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. Thanks for having a look.
--- James

[Dennis Gallus]

James,

Those shots seem very sharp, and well-exposed. I would never doubt the optical performance of an Olympus lens. Even the lenses for the OM's that were under-rated, such as the 135mm/3.5, always performed in a pleasing fashion for me. Thanks for the information. You continually tempt me to look seriously at 4/3.

Dennis

[rgeorge911]

Hi James,

The blue sign image definitely demonstrates the sharpness of the lens. As Dennis says, I don't think there are too many dogs out there these days, especially by Olympus. I heard the 45mm f1.8 is on discount as well, a lens that has always interested me.

I'm planning to use Micro 4/3 on my upcoming trip to Belize, but will use lenses already in my bag, including the lovely Pana-Leica Macro-Elmarit 45mm f2.8.

Reed
My Blog: DMC-365.blogspot.com

[jamesmck]

Thanks, Dennis and Reed. I paid $119.99 for this lens - new!

Reed: I also have the 45mm f1.8. Great lens. I think it's as sharp as the Panasonic 20/1.7, which I've found to be the sharpest m4/3 lens that I have. Wow, Belize! You sure get around these days.

[P C Headland]

The 45mm f1.8 is a lovely lens, and fantastic for portraits. Well worth the money.

[rumtea]

Yes It's a very good bargain zoom lens. I've been using it for a long time with my Pen PL2 and later with the OM-D E-M5. Here are some photo I took with it, mounted on tripod.

[melek]

Nice photo! Love the colors and the little bit of movement in the hummingbird's wings.

[jamesmck]

Nice hummingbird! In addition to being a good performer, this lens is easy to carry around.
-- James