lens advice - olympus

205man · Jan 6, 2012

im looking for some advice on which of 2 olympus lenes i should buy.

My friend has these 2 lens that he is going to trade in tomorrow but has offered them to me first but as im still new to dlsr photography i could do with some advice which to go for as basically they are both the same just one is newer version.

ive doen some reasearch and it does seem to sway towards the older model lens being better as its a faster lens and better made but bth have plus and cons

this will also be my first telephoto lens so wasnt looking to spend mega money as im working way up

here they are - older model first

Olympus - ZUIKO DIGITAL 40-150mm 1:3.5-4.5

Olympus - ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 40-150mm 1:4.0-5.6

could really need advice before he goes to trade them in the morning

warren_S5 · Jan 6, 2012

I'd go with the ED lens as the ED glass is likely to offer better light transfer to the CCD. I was inclined to say go with the one with the lower aperture value as you get an extra stop of light to the lens meaning you can get away with slower shutter speed in low light situations (less shake), but better glass should always translate into a better image.

I take it neither lens has IS?

205man · Jan 6, 2012

no neither lens has IS as olympus deals with that by having it built into the body, so realistically both would probaly need te assistance of a tripod/monopod at full zoom, which i dont have a problem with.

the newer one is much lighter almost half the weight in fact but just feels bit cheap being all plastic, but ive seen sample shots of both they both seem to give great results but the earlier version seems to edge it.

so i dont know wether having a lighter lens and advantage or not....ive also got big clumsy hands lol so maybe the bigger lens better for me.

DAMM which he had given me more notice i could have tried them out both ...

TheMacMagician · Jan 7, 2012

Apologies for making things a little more complicated but one way to go is, if your on your first telephoto, maybe you could pick one up with a larger focal range. You could play with more focal lengths then and pick up on what suits you best. The 40-150 doesn't have huge range. I have a 70-300 which is nice to mess around with the focal lengths and see what you. Just an idea. Sorry.

warren_S5 · Jan 7, 2012

Would be inclined to agree with above, if you can stretch to a 300mm it worth it. I never find my 70-200 offers quite enough and regularly have to bolt on a tele converter.

There are pros and cons to lightness. Cons is risk of poor build, pros are that a light outfit is often easier to carry about and when hand held as you are carrying less weight you can be less prone to camera shake.

TheMacMagician · Jan 8, 2012

warren_cox said:
Would be inclined to agree with above, if you can stretch to a 300mm it worth it. I never find my 70-200 offers quite enough and regularly have to bolt on a tele converter.

There are pros and cons to lightness. Cons is risk of poor build, pros are that a light outfit is often easier to carry about and when hand held as you are carrying less weight you can be less prone to camera shake.

I'd agree with both of those. I'd only roll with the lightness in this situation if your going to be carrying it around with a bunch of other stuff and your trying to keep light as poss.

Now you gotta decide and then post up some example images for us to see. good luck with the choice....

205man · Jan 13, 2012

ok guys as my friend wasnt able to get into town to trade his camera stuff in last weekend and ive been working away, these 2 lens are still available to me, but they will be gone on saturday as he wants the money to put against hs new camera he is picking up that day.

so im still little confused which to actually go for, ive looked at 70-300mm but even the cheapest 2nd hand is £250 at the mo and i can get one these for £50 which why i thought good starter lens.

so its either heavier but better made lens with slightly faster speed, but down side camera shake etc , but i could sort using a tripod, (which i also need to replace as mine 20yo and head worn out)

against lighter not so good feeling lens but with better ed glass and less camera shake, and also a lot small in length, in fact doesnt look bigger than the 14-42mm kit lens that came with my camera.

dammm why arent things ever easy, it would been easier if i could have tried them for a week but that wasnt possible.......

i think we should vote and ill go with you expert advise.....

thanks guys

warren_S5 · Jan 13, 2012

Because I carry a lot of camera equipment about on holiday, the one thing I'm going to base this vote on is convenience.

If you carry a big bag for hours at a time (e.g 2 DSLR's / flash / ultra wide angle zoom / mid zoom / tele zoom / teleconverter / batteries) eventually you end up feeling like a pack horse (not to mention it's an increased security risk with a lot of money strapped to your back). You struggle to get round places, your always having your bag checked by security, its just hassle). When camera kit starts to feel like hassle there is a risk you stop using it all together.

Small light kit is perfectly adequate for consumer use, and makes like much easier for carrying / handling / convenience. At £50 there is really no wrong choice as you'll be able to trade it in later against a bigger lens once you decide you want one.

Therefore I'd go for the ED lens as it's light and easy to handle whilst you get familiar.

TheMacMagician · Jan 13, 2012

warren_cox said:
Because I carry a lot of camera equipment about on holiday, the one thing I'm going to base this vote on is convenience.

If you carry a big bag for hours at a time (e.g 2 DSLR's / flash / ultra wide angle zoom / mid zoom / tele zoom / teleconverter / batteries) eventually you end up feeling like a pack horse (not to mention it's an increased security risk with a lot of money strapped to your back). You struggle to get round places, your always having your bag checked by security, its just hassle). When camera kit starts to feel like hassle there is a risk you stop using it all together.

Small light kit is perfectly adequate for consumer use, and makes like much easier for carrying / handling / convenience. At £50 there is really no wrong choice as you'll be able to trade it in later against a bigger lens once you decide you want one.

Therefore I'd go for the ED lens as it's light and easy to handle whilst you get familiar.

Warren sounds much more experienced than me, and the last line is spot on. Plus, I guess if you roll with the smaller, lighter ED, then if you do decide to fork out for something longer like the 70-300 then the ED your about to get isn't too much of a hassle to keep, and take along aswell. Ha.

Look forward to seeing some pics which ever you choose pal.....

Davo.......

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lens advice - olympus

205man

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