4/3 50-200 SWD on m43 - who regretted selling it?

Mark9473 · Dec 28, 2017

I have this wonderful 50-200 SWD lens from my 4/3 days. It gives excellent results on my G80. It's really sharp across its zoom range at f/4, even wider at the short end. For my uses, I don't have any problem with the slow AF.

The thing is, it's BIG. It almost never leaves its storage space because of that. I have a tiny 135mm f/3.5 legacy lens that is almost as good optically, but 1/3rd the size and weight. Consequently, I am considering selling the 50-200. I just think I might one day regret that decision.

Any thoughts or experiences from any of you?

epozar · Dec 28, 2017

An ideal travel lens.

This is "100-400" that I always carried in my past Canon days.

Lifesucks · Dec 28, 2017

Hmm i have been thinking of getting one of these and using it with the 1.4 tc...but these lens are still getting big money...some still well over 2 thousand dollars.

If it was me i would keep it unless you can get really good money for it.

Dan_75 · Dec 28, 2017

Unfortunately I don't have aything of value to add but will be following this too. I have this lens and picked up the 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO some time back for continuous af for kid's activities. But I haven't been able to bring myself to sell and part with the the 50-200mm. In fact I am out trying to do some winter shots in Minnesota area and took my 14-40mm pro and my old 50-200mm for the extra reach and to put it to some use again.

An ultra wide lens, landscape lens, is on my short list and am considering selling this to help fund a new ultra wide. I am agonizing between Olympus M.Zuiko 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO, Panasonic Lumix 7-14mm f/4, Panasonic Leica 8-18mm f/2.8-4.0 and the Laowa 7.5mm f/2.0. But that's another topic..

Bobby J · Dec 28, 2017

Mark, I was an early adaptor of the 4:3 system and over several years I owned the 1st version of this lens and when the SWD version came out I got one ASAP. It was to me the most useful lens I've ever owned. The only thing not great about it was the somewhat nervous bokeh. However the SWD is a little better in this regard as they modified the diaphragm blades and that helped.

I really miss this lens but don't exactly regret selling it. I thought the 14~54 and the 50~200 were a perfect set up. They even used the same size filters. I think Oly made a mistake by not simply revising the pair for m4:3. They could have been smaller and lighter and optically as good or better.

I have the 12~40 and the 40~150 pro lenses but don't like that set up quite as well. I miss the longer reach of the 50~200, but I like the slightly wider 12~40. Each is an excellent lens. And of course I don't have to mess with an adaptor.

Anyway, if you are happy with the lens I'd be inclined to advise you to keep it. With the EM-1 (both versions) the lens does not focus slow at all. You'll just have to give some serious thought as to what is available and the costs involved as well as the question "does it suit my photo needs".

It's a great lens to be sure, but there are some outstanding m4:3 lenses available too.

Good luck with your decision.

ahaslett · Dec 28, 2017

Mark9473 said:
I have this wonderful 50-200 SWD lens from my 4/3 days. It gives excellent results on my G80. It's really sharp across its zoom range at f/4, even wider at the short end. For my uses, I don't have any problem with the slow AF.

The thing is, it's BIG. It almost never leaves its storage space because of that. I have a tiny 135mm f/3.5 legacy lens that is almost as good optically, but 1/3rd the size and weight. Consequently, I am considering selling the 50-200. I just think I might one day regret that decision.

Any thoughts or experiences from any of you?

Eric Nepean · Dec 28, 2017

I have a 50-200 SWD, purchased used, with the E-M1 the AF is fast enough for action photography. With the GX7, the AF is impossibly slow.

john isaacs · Dec 28, 2017

I have had both versions, along with many other 4/3 lenses. The old 4/3 lenses are too big to justify for m4/3. But then I have Nikon to fill that use.

The non-SWD version will focus faster on non-PDAF cameras (i.e. anything other than E-M1). I was always torn between the two; the SWD was definitely faster focusing on the E-M1, but it had the updated hood mount and bulbous hood. The non-SWD version had a much friendlier hood, and had the bayonet mount compatible with the macro flash units. For the life of me, I do not know why Olympus changed that mount.

I use the 40-150 f/2.8 now; it is much faster to focus, and sharper too. I do wish Olympus had a faster telephoto zoom, however. The 75-300 is painfully slow, but it focuses much faster.

cf782 · Dec 28, 2017

My newly ordered P/L 100-400 just arrived today, I planned to sell my 50-200 SWD. I planned to keep 35-100 F2.0 and P/L 100-400 in place of 40-150 F2.8 and 50-200 SWD for telephone zooms.

50-200 SWD alone is a great lens, but I was not happy with image quality of 50-200 SWD plus EC-20 2X teleconverter.

Thanks, Edward

DocBobB · Dec 28, 2017

I kept my non-SWD version. It is simply too good to sell, but it has been relegated to a specialty lens category. Really shone doing performance pics at my granddaughter’s Holiday school pageant, but too big to carry around hiking. On the EM1 mk1 it focuses fast enough, and IQ is excellent. IQ degrades significantly with either teleconverter, but is acceptable with the ec14, horrid with the ec20

Vikramdev Rao · Dec 28, 2017

Used the lens on my EM5 in Rwanda photographing the Gorillas and never regretted it even though it was a heavy lens as compared to the 75-300 m.zuiko which I now have. The 75-300 is so much lighter and the additional reach persuaded me to sell the 50-200 zuiko which I haven’t regretted doing.

YWG · Dec 28, 2017

Mark9473 said:
I have this wonderful 50-200 SWD lens from my 4/3 days. It gives excellent results on my G80. It's really sharp across its zoom range at f/4, even wider at the short end. For my uses, I don't have any problem with the slow AF.

The thing is, it's BIG. It almost never leaves its storage space because of that. I have a tiny 135mm f/3.5 legacy lens that is almost as good optically, but 1/3rd the size and weight. Consequently, I am considering selling the 50-200. I just think I might one day regret that decision.

Any thoughts or experiences from any of you?

Mark9473 · Dec 28, 2017

Thanks all for your thoughts and comments. I guess I'm going to give it another year and decide then. It's a hassle anyway to go and look for an opportunity to sell it, and since I bought it new at close to €1K (IIRC) I'm not going to get a decent return on it.

Mark9473 · Dec 28, 2017

Bobby J said:
I thought the 14~54 and the 50~200 were a perfect set up.

Yes, that was my lens combo for my E520 and then E30. Struggled a lot with the 50-200 on the E520 as it tended to back-focus a bit (not enough to spot when reviewing the image on the LCD, unfortunately). It did better on the E30, but if anything it's been noticeably more consistent now on my G80.

I do still use the 14-54 (mk.I) as my standard zoom on the G80. It works very well and gives good results. Sometimes I think about getting the P 12-35 or PL 12-60 but I can't really justify it in view of how well the 14-54 works for me.

Mark9473 · Dec 28, 2017

Bobbert said:
I kept my non-SWD version. It is simply too good to sell, but it has been relegated to a specialty lens category. Really shone doing performance pics at my granddaughter’s Holiday school pageant

That's what I'm going to do: see if I have a specialty use for it over the next year or so. Any affordable m43 alternative is going to be a stop or more slower at the long end, and that can really make a difference.

Mark9473 · Dec 28, 2017

john isaacs said:
I use the 40-150 f/2.8 now; it is much faster to focus, and sharper too.

It's also just as big, and almost as heavy, so I'd likely not use it much either.

drj3 · Dec 28, 2017

I haven't sold mine. I still use it with the 12-60 SWD on my E-M1.1 & E-M1.2 as my zooms to cover 12-200mm or to 283 with the EC14. The 300 f4 + MC14 covers the longer focal lengths.

If I were starting today, I would get the 12-100 and probably the 40-150 f2.8 with MC14, though I would prefer a lens that went to 200mm without TC, since they always degrade the IQ to some extent.

I am no longer certain that Panasonic will introduce the 50-200 f2.8-4. If a zoom of that range was sharper at 200mm than the 100-400 it would be effectively as sharp as the 200mm f2.8 and only one stop slower than the 200mm. It would negatively affect the sales of the 200mm f2.8, given the price of the 200mm.

The Panasonic 100-400 may be the best zoom to pair with the Olympus 12-100 to effectively cover the FF FOV range from 24-800.

Now what I would like is for Olympus to produce a mFTs version of the FTs 90-250. It could be either f2.8-4 or just f4 to pair with the 12-100.

--
drj3

Arek Halusko · Dec 28, 2017

Blew them out for $950 CDN for the set

50-200

12-60

8MM FE

MMF2

Will be getting a couple more m43 ones now Leica 12-60 or m43 12-40 and probably the 40-150 for small set

7-14 pro

12-60/12-40

40-150

Mark9473 · Dec 28, 2017

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Arek Halusko · Dec 28, 2017

4/3 50-200 SWD on m43 - who regretted selling it?

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