Simon Debrux wrote:
>He tells me: 'All the Olympus buffs want the older lenses'. Is this just
> salesman's talk or is there a difference in optical quality. If so,
should I
> get it or wait until a newer one comes along?
The silver ringed front does indicate the lens was probably built sometime
between 1972 and 1980 or so. This means the lens is older, but newer lenses
are not necessarily better. For the most part, there were no changes to the
actual design of the various lenses over the years, the 50mm f1.8 being a
notable exception. For me, the determining factor is multicoating. I
personally believe that for the most part, the multicoated lenses are more
desirable. Less flare for sure and maybe better sharpness. Some of the
silver ringed lenses were multicoated, and many of the black ringed lenses
were single coated. The most reliable method for determining if the lens is
multicoated, according to Olympus USA, is to check the writing on the front
ring. If the lens is labled E.ZUIKO, F.ZUIKO, H.ZUIKO, ie, with a letter in
front of ZUIKO, the lens is single coated. If the lens is labled ZUIKO MC or
just plain ZUIKO, the lens is multicoated. As for the price, I can't answer
for Great Britian. The prices you listed are about twice what we would pay
in the USA, but I know your Oly prices are higher than ours.
Regards,
John Austin
Oakland, CA
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