70-300 lens

I have used this for 2 years an actually find it difficult to capture a very sharp image! I didn't think about updating firmware, I will try that an see how that goes!

I have used this lens for 1.5 years now with an E-520 body (with built-in Image Stabilizer) and must say I am really satisfied with the performance. It is a "standard quality" lens but the results are good and the lens is capable of delivering sharp images. It is also moderately priced and well suited for taking bird shots so if you have a 4/3 camera and looking for a telezoom I would definitevely recommend.


Im my opinion it performs better than the 40-150 mm standard telezoom that often is included in the Olympus kits. (If you are prepared to accept a slow auto-focus, as several have pointed out. I haven't updated the firmware, though).

Other:
I take (virtually) all my shots hand-held.
Thanks to the 4/3 format the size is really compact for a telephoto lens (80 x 127 mm)
Weight is 600g
The lens has a 58 mm thread which is also a potential cost saver on the filter side
Close range is 1.2 m so the leans also works OK for shooting smaller creatures


Hope this feedback is useful
Tord

Absolutely a great lens for the 2/3 system. I use it with a mono-pod all the time. You cannot beat the quality and if you want better range, buy a more expensive lens. I have some excellent shots using this lens, which I have not had time to post to this sight yet, but will try to shortly.

An excellent carry around lens when hiking.

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