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Advice on next lens purchase for E-3

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drjohnNJ

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I have an E-3 with the Zuiko 12-60mm SWD lens. I do quite a bit of landscape/ nature/architecture/travel (just returned from China), and what I would call workplace/people photography (not necessarily portraits but close). I would like some advice on the next lens to add. The main priority is that it be "fast" - F2.8 or less. Any advice?

Thanks, Dr. John
 
Based on your subjects, I'd say the 14-35, if money is no object.
--
'And only the stump, or fishy part of him remained'

http://www2.gol.com/users/nhavens
A Contemplative Companion to Fujino Township
 
The zoom range of the 14-35 is already within the 12-60 range. Landscape photographers (includes me!) like to use the lens stopped down for more DOF there the 2.0 max is not a plus. Sweet lens though! If it is used for people protraits then the 14-35 may make sense.
--
Sincerely,

James A. Rinner

 
I do travel and sports photography and decided to go for the 70-300 after the 12-60. Now I am lusting after the 7-14 but that is a serious investment. The 70-300 is a decent lens that won't break the bank. 600mm effective with IS! It's great.
 
for many including myself is to complement the balance of the range with the 50-200 F 2.8-3.5 SWD. Gives you a great two lens kit with coverage from 12 -200mm (effective 24-400mm). Another option if you shoot a lot of architecure and if $ is no object would be the wonderful 7-14mm.

--
'So God created man in His own image, ...' Genesis 1:27
Regards, thanks, and God bless,
Dave West
 
The 50-200 SWD, without any doubt.

That gets you landscapes shots where you are "picking out" or selecting areas of landscapes rather than a view limited to 60mm with your 12-60. Landscape isn't all about broad sweeping views.

The 7-14 is a specialist lens, won't take filters, and for landscape use I would generally use the 11-22 which has less distortion, takes filters, and is much lighter.

You will find that in one overall view using your 12-60, there are many, many more images available that you can capture by letting a longer FL lens do the walking.

I would avoid the weighty f2 lenses - you won't want to be carrying those around for long! And get those only after you have the 50-200, its that good, and not that heavy at all.

For workplace / people stuff, doesn't the 12-60 do it for you anyway?

You could add the Leica D Summilux 25mm f1.4 as a fast, very high quality prime if light is low and you are looking for shallower DOF.

--
Kind regards,
Rich Simpson

UK Safari Group
 
I absolutely love the

ZD 50mm F2.0 : very useful all around and in low light and a killer portrait lens, and all this in a not too expensive package (but within the range of the 12-60)
And then there is the

ZD 150mm F2.0 : far more expensive and I have no experience with it, but I am sure it is a truly exceptional lens : gives you a lot of reach with speed (if you don't mind not being able to zoom)

--
Roel Hendrickx
--
member of UK (and abroad) Photo Safari Group ( http://www.biofos.com/ukpsg )

UKPSG presents a Tunisia E-3 user field report: http://www.biofos.com/ukpsg/roel.html

Team report of event in Whitby (& downloads): http://www.biofos.com/ukpsg/whitby.html
 
The 50–200 is great for isolating details in landscape shots as another poster mentioned. This is also the case for architectural shots, where you can frame individual details well up into the air from the ground. The 50–200 is where the 4/3 concept really shines.

Cheers,

Andreas
--
http://yank.to/Photos
 
... from the 12-60mm?

If speed is what you lack, the options are the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 (low cost), the ZD 50mm f/2 (good value) the Panaleica 25mm f1.4 (expensive) and the ZD 14-35mm f/2 (exotic).

If you feel that it is not wide enough, the you are out of luck. Nothing wider than that at the requeste f/2.8 or faster focal length, barring the 11-22mm f/2.8-3.5, but IMO you are not going to gain much with this lens if you already have the 12-60mm. Perhaps lower geometric distortion at 12mm if that is important to you.

If you are searching for longer and faster, then you can look into the ZD 35-100mm f/2 or the 150m f/2. The ZD 50-200mm comes in two different versions (SWD and non SWD) and is the logical pair with the 12-60mm, and while longer, it is not faster.
 
drjohnNJ said:
I have an E-3 with the Zuiko 12-60mm SWD lens. I do quite a bit of
landscape/ nature/architecture/travel (just returned from China),
and what I would call workplace/people photography (not necessarily
portraits but close). I would like some advice on the next lens to
add. The main priority is that it be "fast" - F2.8 or less. Any
advice?
Click to expand...
Landscape - Nature - Architecture - Travel - Workplace/People is quite a wide range of needs. It's no surprise there is little agreement on what would be the one lens to add to the already capable 12-60.

You may want to think about this more from a system point of view, then decide what your next step will be. For this range of apps, you'll probably want

-- a shallow DOF portrait-style lens for the workplace/people need. The 25/1.4 could be good, 14-35 the bomb.

-- Landscape/Travel/Nature -- the 12-60 is already pretty darn useful. The simplest addition would be the 50-200 SWD. This is a terrific lens, esp. with the E-3 IS. If you want to spend more, the 35-100 and 150 are superb. The 50-200 is far more luggable. As others have already said, the 12-60 + 50-200 is a nice two-lens kit. (I have the older 50-200, and the 150, and these are workhorses).

-- Architectural -- For interiors, its hard to beat the 7-14. I have this one too, and its a work-horse. As nice as the 11-22 is, its hard to justify given the overlap with the 12-60.

So there you have it, a rationale for any one of three different lenses. In gross generalization --> the 7-14 for interior architecture, the 14-35 (or fixed lens alternative) for workplace/people, and the 50-200 for travel/nature.

Your move.

Jeff
 
Jeff said:
Your move.
Click to expand...
Hello people,

Not sure to post it here or start a thread, but Jeff emailed me and asked to pass on the message that it looks like he's been banned (probably to do with the Phil Askey hoo ha thread) and so to aplogise to people who he was in the middle of gear conversation threads like this one - he isn't not replying any more out of choice :-(

G.
 
G --

Son of a gun, I've been reinstated! Well, glad to be back -- I think.

Thanks for following up on behalf, G.

Jeff
Big Ga said:
Jeff said:
Your move.
Click to expand...
Hello people,

Not sure to post it here or start a thread, but Jeff emailed me and
asked to pass on the message that it looks like he's been banned
(probably to do with the Phil Askey hoo ha thread) and so to aplogise
to people who he was in the middle of gear conversation threads like
this one - he isn't not replying any more out of choice :-(

G.
Click to expand...
--
Jeff
 
drjohnNJ said:
I have an E-3 with the Zuiko 12-60mm SWD lens. I do quite a bit of
landscape/ nature/architecture/travel (just returned from China),
and what I would call workplace/people photography (not necessarily
portraits but close). I would like some advice on the next lens to
add. The main priority is that it be "fast" - F2.8 or less. Any
advice?

Thanks, Dr. John
Click to expand...
I think the best answer you can get from yourself. Try to remember what have happened in the past - or start noting for yourself in the future: When do you think that you could have a better picture if you had another lens? What it that you are then missing - more FL or less? Larger aperture?

That should give you the answer(s).

It could be that you don't realy need more than what you have.

I have myself been thinking lately that the next logical expansion for my own gear would be to add the EC-14. But then I do realise that I have hardly ever thought that the 70-300 wasn't long enough. Should I spend the money and carry the weight in case I possibly would really have the need one day - or think that the EC-14 will not really render another image than what i can crop from images rendered by the existing lens?

That would be somewhat different at the other end as super wides can give you a control of perspective that really makes some difference - so 7-14 here i come! - or honestly, have I really felt a €2k need for something wider than the 11-22?

Well, you only know what kind of images you record - and what kind of images you may miss because of limitations with your current lens - which really is a fantastic over all lens covering the most of most's needs. You yourself only can tell what may fall outside of "most".

(Sorry for possibly spoiling your LAF)

P.S. Actually, coming to thinking of it: What really has prevented me the most from getting images lately, is the time spent reading dpr postings on why oly need to move to FF and other similairly totally useless rants.
 
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