I have been using this lens for a couple of years, originally with an Olympus E-510 and latterly with an E-30.
I bought it as a walk-about lens and use it exclusively handheld. The in-built image stabilization in the E-510 and E-30 means that it works quite well like this. I am sure that I could get better results by using a tripod, especially at long range, but I don't want to carry one about with me.
I have found results from the lens to be very good indeed, especially considering the reasonable price. It is at its best in good light, where it can produce very sharp images with excellent contrast. The focusing is usually acceptably fast and accurate, especially with the E-30, although if I miss the target, a bird in flight for example, it attempts to focus on infinity and goes through its entire focusing cycle, which is rather slow and noisy. Most users recommend using it stopped down to f/8 if possible for sharpest results. This works well in good light, although it does increase the depth of field, which is not always desirable.
One quirk with the lens is that it incorporates a manual/automatic focusing switch. In the past I have inadvertently caught this and moved it to 'manual' without noticing. I was then unable to understand why the auto focusing on the camera wasn't working. I now know the first thing to check if this happens!
Overall I would sum it up as a well made, light, compact and high performance lens with a very reasonable purchase price. It just requires a little care in use to give its best results.
Ron
I bought it as a walk-about lens and use it exclusively handheld. The in-built image stabilization in the E-510 and E-30 means that it works quite well like this. I am sure that I could get better results by using a tripod, especially at long range, but I don't want to carry one about with me.
I have found results from the lens to be very good indeed, especially considering the reasonable price. It is at its best in good light, where it can produce very sharp images with excellent contrast. The focusing is usually acceptably fast and accurate, especially with the E-30, although if I miss the target, a bird in flight for example, it attempts to focus on infinity and goes through its entire focusing cycle, which is rather slow and noisy. Most users recommend using it stopped down to f/8 if possible for sharpest results. This works well in good light, although it does increase the depth of field, which is not always desirable.
One quirk with the lens is that it incorporates a manual/automatic focusing switch. In the past I have inadvertently caught this and moved it to 'manual' without noticing. I was then unable to understand why the auto focusing on the camera wasn't working. I now know the first thing to check if this happens!
Overall I would sum it up as a well made, light, compact and high performance lens with a very reasonable purchase price. It just requires a little care in use to give its best results.
Ron