Joseph wrote:
>
> =======================
> >The only major weakness--lack of APO lenses in the 180-400
> What about the Zuiko 180/2? 250/2? 350/2.8?
> =======================
>
> the more serious problem is the lack of 600/4, 500/4, 800/5.6, 300/4.
> a 400/2.8 or 400/3.5 would also be useful.
>
> 180/2 and 250/2, while maybe useful for, say, astrophotography,
> are too short for most wildlife photography, and too heavy for the
> focal length for other nature photography.
The 250/2 is one of the best lenses on the planet. Coupled with a 1.4x
it's a 'B+ to A'-level 350/2.8 Either way, it's very useful for
wildlife, as long as the wildlife ain't a mile away. When I owned a
250, I got a shot of a buck from about 60 meters wide open and you could
count the hairs on his chinny-chin-chin.
The 180/2 is a remarkable lens. It's not extrememly heavy so it is
hand-holdable. It's performance is almost on a par with the 250 (all
performance #s based on Gary Reese's site.) In Hawaii last year, I got
many excellent photos of Egrets who seem to be more used to human
presence there than here at home. All were with the 180 (or 180 + 1.4x =
a 'B to A' 250/2.8 except for anomolously poor performance wide open in
the center) handheld. True I was able to get fairly close, maybe 20-30
meters, sometimes closer. The point is, you don't always need a 600/4
for wildlife.
If you do need something in that range, how about a Zuiko 350/2.8 + 1.4x
= 500/4 ? No test result from this yet, but I've gotten some beautiful
photos with mine (wife made me sell the 250 to buy the 350 :>( ) Got a
frame-filling water bird just a couple weeks ago in beautiful light and
it is exquisite. And, hey, toss on the Zuiko 2x and you've got wither a
700/5.6 or a 1000/8 if you use both converters. Performance of course
will suffer, but how much is a 1000/8, if they exist?
>
> The fact is that OM is a rather poor choice for wildlife photography.
I would phrase this thusly: "There may be better systems for wildlife
photography. But they will cost you dearly." I see a Canon 600/4 for
$8809, a 500/4.5 for $5549 and a Nikon 800/5.6 for $6399 and a 500/4 for
$5139. Are there many folks on the list who consider these proces as
affordable avenues into wildlife photography?
george
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