I agree entirely with Wayne. If Olympus makes their sensor even smaller
say half the diagonal dimension the lens becomes a 1200mm f2.8 and the
lens is now worth three or four times as much? NO, it's still a 300mm
f2.8. Would Olympus have to redesign the lens making it more difficult
to produce if the sensor were half the size? I don't think so. They are
hand building them making them very expensive. If Olympus doesn't
believe the sales volume justifies automating the production, that
doesn't increase the value to the user.
The cost of producing a larger diameter lens is greater. If its a 600mm
f2.8 it will have a greater cost to produce than a 300mm f2.8. It
doesn't mean it has more value for the user though. As long telephoto
focal lengths increase the usefulness of the lens decreases for general
use. Most people probably have more use for a 200mm than for a 600mm.
Olympus probably correctly believes that the sales volume of a 600mm
f2.8 equivalent lens will be small but it gives them the ability to make
their system look more professional. If all they came out with were a
couple zooms and a short tele-macro, it would be hard to convince anyone
that it was a "professional" system.
I sincerely hope that the E-1 is a success and that they sell so many
300mm f2.8's that they bring the production costs down. I believe there
are better alternatives for $6000. A sports reporter may find it a very
viable choice. I don't.
-jeff
----- Original Message -----
From: "W Shumaker" <om4t@xxxxxxxx>
Doesn't the lens say 300mm on it? It is a 300mm lens then.
And, it is a 300mm lens on an E-1. A 300mm lens that can
have a smaller image circle. It may be a very sharp lens, but
it would be a 300mm sharp lens, and if it could be attached to
a 35mm camera body, would still be a 300mm lens (but may
not perform as well with the smaller image circle). I could
crop my 35mm film, call my lens a 600mm equivalent FOV,
but it would still be a lens with an optical focal length of 300mm.
If I have a 4x5 camera with a 180mm lens attached, I still call it
a 180mm lens. We are mixing up optical focal length versus FOV.
So, for this camera, the E-1, this is a 300mm lens.
Wayne
At 10:15 AM 10/29/2003, you wrote:
>I absolutely do not understand this reasoning - which I know has been
>adopted by several people.
>
>For THIS camera, this is a 600 mm lens. It is not an old 300 cobbled
>onto an E-1. It is a new len, designed specifically for the camera,
that
>provides a magnified view equal to that of a 600 on a 35 mm camera.
>Given that, it is downright cheap for a 600 2.8, and it is competitive
>even if considered a 300 2.8.
>
>B. D.
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