Panasonic 35-100 f2.8 over Olympus 40-150 f2.8?

Bobby J wrote:

He does get incredible results. He can sure get more from the Oly software than I can. Probably everything else too! Anyway I hadn't read his blog on the 75x300 until yesterday and I was very pleased that he seemed to like it for the same reasons I do. I was totally astonished that he got the results he did hand held, at amazingly low shutter speeds. I've seen gripes on this forum many times that the lens isn't sharp which is untrue. I always, well nearly always, use a tripod with mine and I've not been disappointed. Robin must be one of those fortunate folks who are steady as a rock. I'm the exact opposite. I'm as steady as a bowl of Jello.

Technique is everything and I have gotten pretty good with that. One of the tricks is breath control. It is critical that one rolls their finger over the shutter between of while pausing breath. To fully appreciate this just hold a pencil against your chest and breath normally. You will notice the rise and fall which of course if accentuated with smaller fields of view. shooting while breathing is a no no. Essentially it is a zen moment. Also, rolling, not pressing the shutter and when possible brace against something. However, nothing beats a sturdy tripod with good technique. That was how I was learned. These days we are spoiled with stabilization but technique becomes more important the longer the FL.

Anyway, your main point is well taken, it is a sharp lens when used properly. Trickier than most since it is slow but i used to own the Sigma 150-500 f/6.3 and generally got good results. Sold it when I switched to mirrorless Fuji about 3 years ago as I sold off my Nikons gear. The 75-300 is much easier to carry around. My macro at the time was the Sigma 150 f/2.8 which is almost identical in size to the Oly 40-150. Now I have a wonderful Tamron 90mm f/2.8 adaptall macro, a manual lens. An adaptall mount lets you fit it to any camera system with an adapter. This would work wonderfully on a body stabilized system which is a plus should I move over down the road.