In praise of the lowly Olympus 75-300mm

MiguelATF wrote:

One more photograph which illustrates, better than words can, some of the strengths of this lens.

I'll bet that would be a cool shot if you set up a tripod on the tracks and took a really looong exposure

Just watch for the trains.

Looking at all these photos really makes me want this lens. I have the plastic fantastic 40-150mm R lens which I love, but there are times I could really use some more reach. But here in Canada the 75-300mm lists for $750 ($650 when it is on sale). That's too much for me.

I have been looking at getting the Canon 55-250mm STM lens (which I can buy brand new in Canada for $299) plus the Viltrox EF-M1 adapter for about $170. From the what I have read on the forums this combo seems to work pretty well on the E-M10 Mark ii which I have. Combined that is only $470 which is much more reasonable. Plus the Canon lens has a bit faster aperture f5.6 and has IS which helps with the longer focal lengths and from what I hear, it is sharp wide open. I realize that autofocus will be slower than with the native lens and it only goes to 250mm rather than 300mm but image quality sounds pretty good. Just wishing there were cheaper long telephoto lens options for MFT?

I shoot a similar combination on the E-M1 II – EF-S 55-250 with a Commlite AEF-MFT adapter. Optically the results are very good; quite sharp even at the full 250mm, although not as contrasty as native glass. For me the main drawbacks have to do with focus acquisition (can be hunty for smaller and faster-moving targets) and tracking AF (often doesn’t work at all). Basically it’s not a setup for moving wildlife and certainly not birds in flight, unless you’re okay with a more spray-and-pray approach with low keeper rates.

I have read about alternate shooting techniques that rely less on autofocus, such as prefocusing manually, or even using manual focus only and counting on the target to cross into the zone of focus. Those tend to work with targets that circle or otherwise exhibit predictable movements. At this point I am debating whether I should just practice more, vs. “needing” the 75-300’s faster target acquisition and support for ProCap L.

Are you averse to buying used? Prices for the 75-300 may be more approachable that way.

UrbanHobbit wrote:

I shoot a similar combination on the E-M1 II – EF-S 55-250 with a Commlite AEF-MFT adapter. Optically the results are very good; quite sharp even at the full 250mm, although not as contrasty as native glass. For me the main drawbacks have to do with focus acquisition (can be hunty for smaller and faster-moving targets) and tracking AF (often doesn’t work at all). Basically it’s not a setup for moving wildlife and certainly not birds in flight, unless you’re okay with a more spray-and-pray approach with low keeper rates.

I have read about alternate shooting techniques that rely less on autofocus, such as prefocusing manually, or even using manual focus only and counting on the target to cross into the zone of focus. Those tend to work with targets that circle or otherwise exhibit predictable movements. At this point I am debating whether I should just practice more, vs. “needing” the 75-300’s faster target acquisition and support for ProCap L.

Are you averse to buying used? Prices for the 75-300 may be more approachable that way.

Yes, there's one on Ebay at the moment for USD $300 plus shipping from Japan.

S

NZ Scott wrote:

UrbanHobbit wrote:

I shoot a similar combination on the E-M1 II – EF-S 55-250 with a Commlite AEF-MFT adapter. Optically the results are very good; quite sharp even at the full 250mm, although not as contrasty as native glass. For me the main drawbacks have to do with focus acquisition (can be hunty for smaller and faster-moving targets) and tracking AF (often doesn’t work at all). Basically it’s not a setup for moving wildlife and certainly not birds in flight, unless you’re okay with a more spray-and-pray approach with low keeper rates.

I have read about alternate shooting techniques that rely less on autofocus, such as prefocusing manually, or even using manual focus only and counting on the target to cross into the zone of focus. Those tend to work with targets that circle or otherwise exhibit predictable movements. At this point I am debating whether I should just practice more, vs. “needing” the 75-300’s faster target acquisition and support for ProCap L.

Are you averse to buying used? Prices for the 75-300 may be more approachable that way.

Yes, there's one on Ebay at the moment for USD $300 plus shipping from Japan.

S

Used prices here in Canada aren't much cheaper than new unfortunately.

However, the prices on ebay from Japan are much cheaper! There are new copies shipping from Japan on ebay for about $450 Canadian dollars with free shipping! Wonder why they are so much cheaper! I have never bought anything on ebay before. Plus, if there is a problem with the lens - I hear there is a lot of sample variation with this lens?

I live in Japan and have benefited from the price differential many times. (None of my MFT gear in my list was bought new.) Locals here seem to treat their gear very well. I usually buy on Amazon Japan, where the used prices often provide good deals, although prices do fluctuate. Products rated Good are sometimes in Like New condition, just missing the original box, which I do not mind. About a year ago I did a big purge and sold many lenses and a couple of old camera bodies to a walk-in shop. I wound up getting back about 50% on my MFT gear, which – since I’d got used for relatively cheap anyway – I thought was a fair price to pay for what amounted to an educational long-term rental for starter-level stuff.

More to answer your question: the camera market here seems to be more active here than in other places I’ve lived (US, mostly). For example, I see many more women, of all ages, with system cameras here. I feel that there are just far more camera owners cycling through gear, and that some aspects of marketing (special editions, different color bodies) are driven more by fashion trends than by technical specifications. Additionally, there is no general return policy in Japanese retail. You bought it, you bought it (unless there’s some actual product defect). All this seems to conspire to create a robust used market for people like me, who don’t mind owning second-hand.

If you do buy from Japan, one new variable may be the mention of fungus in lens listings. Much of Japan experiences very humid summers, and fungus thrives in humid environments. In my experience, sellers are always very up-front about it. I have never received an MFT lens with fungus on it.

UrbanHobbit wrote:

I live in Japan and have benefited from the price differential many times. (None of my MFT gear in my list was bought new.)

How do you get on with camera bodies?

A lot of the bodies sold in Japan have Japanese language firmware, with no option to choose English.

This nearly caught me out a couple of weeks ago, when I was looking to buy a GM5. It was lucky I asked…

S

Locals here seem to treat their gear very well. I usually buy on Amazon Japan, where the used prices often provide good deals, although prices do fluctuate. Products rated Good are sometimes in Like New condition, just missing the original box, which I do not mind. About a year ago I did a big purge and sold many lenses and a couple of old camera bodies to a walk-in shop. I wound up getting back about 50% on my MFT gear, which – since I’d got used for relatively cheap anyway – I thought was a fair price to pay for what amounted to an educational long-term rental for starter-level stuff.

More to answer your question: the camera market here seems to be more active here than in other places I’ve lived (US, mostly). For example, I see many more women, of all ages, with system cameras here. I feel that there are just far more camera owners cycling through gear, and that some aspects of marketing (special editions, different color bodies) are driven more by fashion trends than by technical specifications. Additionally, there is no general return policy in Japanese retail. You bought it, you bought it (unless there’s some actual product defect). All this seems to conspire to create a robust used market for people like me, who don’t mind owning second-hand.

If you do buy from Japan, one new variable may be the mention of fungus in lens listings. Much of Japan experiences very humid summers, and fungus thrives in humid environments. In my experience, sellers are always very up-front about it. I have never received an MFT lens with fungus on it.

Quite well, actually. Both my E-M1 II's were bought here in Japan, used. The first was pretty worn, but I knew that from the photos the seller provided on Amazon. (My understanding is that most big used camera sellers on Amazon Japan are local physical retail shops that are reusing photos and descriptions from listings on their own site. I avoid very new sellers or those that have completed fewer than say 100 transactions.) Sellers generally don't include shutter counts in their listings, so that's always a gamble. This one came to me with 30,000 shutter actuations, which I thought was fair for US$500. It's been trouble-free except for the well-known issue of the front grip coming off. I replaced it with a 3D-printed plastic insert from a fellow poster here – I think he is based in Australia. I should mention that this one came with its original box.

My second body was in like-new condition and cost me US$511. That one had only 4,679 shutter pulls! No box, though.

In general I think Japanese camera owners tend to be a bit more careful with their gear, perhaps a cultural thing. The two other cameras I purchased within the past couple of years (a GM5 and a Stylus 1) were on eBay and came from the US. I feel I got prices that were within my general budget-minded preferences – same as for the E-M1 II's purchased here in Japan. But, in the case of the GM5, it came with a moderate dent in the top plate that the seller did not disclose, and that the listing photos did not reveal. The Stylus 1 came with substantial grease or other gunk in the EVF optics that required partial disassembly to clean; in that case the seller was very apologetic and even offered to exchange for a different Stylus 1 at no charge. In both cases it wasn't worth doing the return thing, so I just did my best and enjoyed the cameras anyway. I won't be buying any more camera bodies on eBay from US sellers, though.

Ah, come to think of it, I did purchase a Canon M5 when I first began my mirrorless camera journey. That was also here in Japan. Came in a box, looked like new, great price. That was the experience that really opened my eyes to how "Good" listings in Japan are often closer to "Very Good" and sometimes "Like New". The thing I should have mentioned before is that here in Japan (land of no product returns), Amazon Japan is the one place where returns are generally accepted without question.

Oh, and related to your firmware comment – yes, some brands will not offer the English language for copies made for Japan. Sony is one of them, which is kind of a big disappointment, since I was thinking I should buy a Sony camera before I leave here. The funny thing is that last month I saw a GM5 on Amazon Japan that was being sold for less because it was a US model and didn't have the Japanese language menus! (Never had a problem with Olympus cameras, which always have the English option, and many other languages besides.)

Once i tried slo-mo video with it:

https://youtu.be/Pu5XP2kn9w4

Mait wrote:

Once i tried slo-mo video with it:

https://youtu.be/Pu5XP2kn9w4

I like that slo-mo video. Used to do some gannet slo-mo videos, but mostly with the 40-150 kit lens that came with the E-M10 II.

Henry

No, it doesn't have a fast maximum aperture for lower-light photography.

And no, its AF autofocus speeds aren't as lightning fast as either the newer Pro lenses or the older high-quality Olympus four-thirds lenses (like the 50-200).

But under the right circumstances, it still can create excellent images.

a pair of domesticated swan-geese (Anser Cygnoides) at Agate Lake, in southern Oregon)

I'd rate many of the photos shown here as far better than the finalists or winners of the various photographic competitions shown on DPR.

"If you're happy and you know it, Flap your Wings...!"

I enjoy the light weight and reach of the 75-300mm lens.  I'm still learning how to do BIF.  These were shot at 1/1250s, which doesn't quite freeze the wing beats.  But I like the effect and how these two came out.  Both shot at 300mm.   Both slightly cropped.

This one was also shot at 300mm hand held at 1/20s!  But with my arm resting against a pillar.  This was about as close as I could get (~15 feet) before the dove flew away.

Got few clear shots today

This crow let me get a bit closer than usual.  Raw processed with DxO Photolab and slightly cropped.  I wasn't quite able to completely recover the highlights from the sun on the black feathers.  But overall I quite like how it came out and the lovely background bokeh.

Ron Nash wrote:

This crow let me get a bit closer than usual. Raw processed with DxO Photolab and slightly cropped. I wasn't quite able to completely recover the highlights from the sun on the black feathers. But overall I quite like how it came out and the lovely background bokeh.

I would be perfectly happy with results like this from a consumer-grade lens. Very nice. Most Crows I see are pretty ugly. I suppose this one still produces an extremely noisy call too ....