Comparison Olypmus 40-150 Pro with 75/1.8, 100-300, 14-140 mk2

gccg88 wrote:

slartz wrote:

I'd say that in terms of center sharpness - the diff is negligible in my eyes, and for now "justified" my decision to buy the 35-100/2.8 as my highend telephoto for portable everyday usage, and complement it with 100-300 (or 75-300 - I still need to decide ;)) for wildlife. When I shoot wildlife, I care mostly about Center resolution.

WITH THAT SAID - I think the big diff between the 40-150/2.8PRO and the 100-300/75-300 is the Contrast and microcontrast. They render better - and as such - using the 75-300/100-300 will require some more PP to compensate for that (and may not reach the same overall quality).

For my personal taste - I only do Wildlife on occasion, and I can live with that compromise. In all honesty - it's smaller than I thought... I expected the 40-150/2.8 to be much better, even with TC.

The difference in sharpness at 210mm is larger (in favour of the 40-150 pro):

Center crop:

210mm F5.0 - center crop

Edge crop:

210mm F5.0 - edge crop

Honestly? The difference is small. Yes, I can see it at 100% crop, but it requires some close looking. if you put them without telling me which is which, I'd have to spend a few seconds to examine the photos to tell which one is the sharper one. Once you see it you can't unsee it of course and it's clear, but - I've seen people pay a lot less diff on the glass for a lot more improvement.

I have to say - I'm quite impressed as how well a "cheapo" 200-600 equiv lens delivers. I know it stops delivering around 250, but it's still a "worthy" 200-500 lens.

I just have to decide if I'm getting the 100-300 or the 75-300 II.

To me the difference is quite significant in sharpness and especially contrast. I won't be buying the Pro because right now I can't afford it. I want to save up for the new 300 mm lens. The big deal with the Pro zoom is it expands the morning and evening hours when its not easy get HQ wildlife photos with the existing lenses. I suspect that includes AF performance also. For the right customer its worth every penny.
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