Crop

I recently praised my Zuiko 11 to 22mm wide zoom, one of my small selection of favourite lenses. It is a pro grade lens and quite expensive to buy new. 

Today let me recommend the much cheaper Zuiko 70-300mm long zoom. On an old film camera this would be the equivalent of a 140-600mm zoom. It isn't a pro grade lens, and there is some suspicion its actually a Sigma design for Olympus, but it is surprisingly sharp.

This opening shot is a local horse with fly guards last summer. I took this at 70mm wide open.





OK, now check out this crop from the centre of the image: For a kit level lens I say that is a most worthy performance.




Aha, I hear you say. This is a fiddle. A crop from the centre of the image eh?  Very well, lets look at this longer shot. This was taken with the same lens at 140mm and f8, hand held of course. Its an old coffee house on the high street in Newbury taken as the sun dipped below the buildings opposite.




And here's a crop from the right hand edge of the frame.  The tiles are covered in a fine black net to keep the birds off. This lens still delivers the goods well enough for my purposes, provided you don't push your luck.




If that seems good performance, then I draw your attention to the Zuiko 50mm macro lens. Now that's just about the sharpest prime lens I've ever used. Its a curious design, the front element is concave. More on this lens anon.

Comments

  1. Peter Davidson31 January 2011 at 21:32

    It's good to remind oneself that you can get great results from modest equipment. It's not the camera/lens - it's the guy behind the camera that counts!

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  2. Tony Tulloch6 February 2011 at 00:01

    Thanks Snaarman. I was readind a thread on E-System Talk UK and was wavering about whether to buy a 70-300 or not. You have convinced me to get one.
    I also agree with Peter's comment. I have seen some great photos with simple cameras and lenses.
    It also pays to remember the old stuff. I have an old Zuiko 50mm 1.4 that I use with an adapter. It is one of my favourite lenses and I really enjoy the manual focussing with good tactile response.

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