Hey, Buddy;
Welcome back.
Love to hear more about your 400/6.3 How does it perform?
George
Snip!
Thanks George,
Regarding the 400 - three words one must accept - SLOW! SLOW!! SLOW!!! as if
you did not know that already.
I for one said I would never buy one of these turtles, but when I ran into
it at a show last year and the seller kept coming down on his original price
I just could not resist. Not to mention it was in mint condition.
The quality is typical Zuiko all the way. Built like a tank.
The focusing is VERY long and slow to adjust, even more than the 300mm f4.5.
To some this could be a real distraction if you are use to the short and
smooth focus of the internal types. But to be honest, after I got use to
it, I found it to be somewhat of an advantage in some cases. I had set up a
bird feeder (you know, the crackers in the grass) outside the Hawaii condo
patio so my little subjects were only 20 - 25 feet away. Depth of focus was
extremely short, especially with the 1.4TC, so the extra rotation needed for
critical focus was actually a plus. I have noticed this problem of critical
focus "error" with my Sigma APO 500mm f4.5 at short ranges, touch it and you
are out of focus. But if you want to focus at a distance in a hurry, the
internal types are much better and faster.
I was pleased with the sharpness of the slides. I shot 5 or 6 rolls of
Astia at the little critters and about 75% were with the 1.4TC. To be
honest, I had a hard time distinguishing between the slides with the TC and
without. I think this lens is every bit as sharp as the 300mm f4.5 and I
will not hesitate to use it when the light conditions allow.
I used it a great deal on sunsets and the colors were superb.
Overall, I rate it as a keeper, but not a lens I could not live without. It
would not be my first choice for general wildlife photography because of the
speed and slowness of the focusing. But, I would rate it as a top notch
lens for birds and small mammals at short ranges in good light.
There is one more positive consideration. It rounds out a fairly compact
traveling camera bag. The original Olympus hard case that comes with the
lens fits nicely in the "side pockets" to the Tamrac Model 777 backpack. I
can carry a 24, 35-70, 85-250, 1.4TC, 90 macro, 2 flashes(280 and T28) and 2
bodies on the inside and the 400 strapped to the outside and it all fits in
the overhead of the jetliners, unstrap the 400 side pocket and it fits under
the seat.
That's about it.
Gee, I must of missed you guys!
Buddy Walters
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