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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Zuiko Digital 50-200 mm 1/2.8 - 3.5 SWD (1 Viewer)

Cristian Mihai said:
And this is my first attempt to take pics with a damselfly with the new lens. It was windy and overcast and I didn't use a tripod, so it isn't a very good one.
Click to expand...


I very good first attempt at smaller insects Cristian (and extremely good bird shots too BTW). I think you will find you get better results with a tripod. Here's one I took yesterday with the EC-14 attached.

Steve
 

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You seem to have really got to terms with the lens now and are producing some excellent images, Cristian. Do you stop down at all or do normally use it at full aperture? I imagine you consider the lens a very worthwhile investment?

Ron
 
Hi Ron,

With the EC-14 the max aperture is 1:4.9. Usually I don't use it. In a good light I use 1:6.3 or 1:7.1 (ISO 400 or 200). In a poor light I increase the aperture to 1:5.6 or 1:5.0 (ISO 400). And yes, I think it is a worthwhile investment.
BTW, I never use the lens without the teleconverter, but I suppose that is a great gear for macro (with a max aperture of 1:3.5 at 400 mm equiv.)
 
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I've taken a lot of pics with butterflies and dragonflies with the combo 50-200 mm SWD + EC-14. I'm pleased with the results. For some DOF I usually use aperture F8-F13 (in a very good light and with ISO 400 the shutter speed could be acceptable for taking handheld pics with F13).
See: http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/262870/ppuser/54311
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/262871/ppuser/54311
BTW, in the second one you can see that the DOF problem is there...
 
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Very nice photos Cristian. Now that you've had your lens for a while, does it live up to your expectations? or do you wish you had gone with another brand?

I had my 50-200SWD replaced about a month ago after it continued to 'stick' when zooming in and out. The new copy seems much better, and after taking a few hundred pictures I've now concluded that the latest one is just as good as the original.

I rarely use it for birds, preferring to digiscope, but for butterflies and dragonflies it is excellent, especially, as you say, with the EC-14. For that little bit more close-up reach, I still plan on getting the Canon 500D close-up lens, which should add to the versatility of the lens still further. I'm amazed at what I've been able to do with this one lens, especially when I see Canon users changing lenses for every type of picture.

I just wish now that Olympus would introduce an affordable 300 or 400mm high grade lens that was almost as compact.

Ruddy Darter:
ISO 200
F9
1/160 sec
283mm
tripod


Steve
 

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Hi Steve,

I'm pleased with the new lens. I ordered the extension tube EX-25. My intention is to use it for macro, without EC-14. IMHO, the IQ is good for bird pics (taken with EC-14). And I also wait for some good ZD 100 - 400 mm (let's say) zoom lens...
 
Hi Cristian,

I didn't mean to imply that the lens wasn't good for birds, just that I can rarely get close enough for good pictures.

I would be interested to hear your experiences with the EX-25 also. We might have to wait a long time for a longer zoom though...

Steve
 
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SteveClifton said:
Hi Cristian,

I didn't mean to imply that the lens wasn't good for birds, just that I can rarely get close enough for good pictures.

I would be interested to hear your experiences with the EX-25 also. We might have to wait for a long time for a longer zoom though...

Steve
Click to expand...

I will receive the EX-25 at the beginning of the next week and my intention is to take some pics with butterflies with it (I will go in a mountain trip and I hope to find some nice butteflies). So, at the end of the month i will be able to upload some pics here.
 
If anyone in the UK is considering buying one of these lenses, I have just discovered that Argos have them in stock for home delivery at £851.69, which is over £100 cheaper than anywhere else on Camera Price Buster. It's still well outside my budget but might be of interest to someone else.

Ron
 
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Cristian Mihai said:
One of first pics taken with the EX-25 extension tube and the 50-200 SWD lens. It was a very cloudy afternoon, so I used the built-in flash. Unfortunately, I didn't succeed to take some decent pics without the flash because the light was very poor and I didn't have the tripod with me.
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/265537/ppuser/54311
Click to expand...

Very nice sharp picture Cristian. Do you do any post processing on your pictures, or is this straight out of the camera?

Also, do you think you can get in closer with the EX-25 than with the EC-14 converter?

Keep the pictures coming...

Steve
 
A very impressive macro shot Cristian. I know nothing about extension tubes but I gather they increase the magnification of a lens. Do they increase or decrease the DOF or do they have no effect on it? This is the problem I notice when I try to take close-up shots of butterflies. Often one wing is in focus but the other one is not.

From a brief look at the Olympus site it appears that the extension tubes only work with certain lenses and the 70-300 doesn't seem to be on the list. Is this the case?

Ron
 
Hi Ron,

The extension tube increase the magnification because decrease the minimum (auto)focus distance for the lens. I don't think that the DOF is modifiyed. You'll have only one solution to increase the DOF - a smaller aperture (a bigger F number). I usually use F9-F13 for macro with camera handheld. With a tripod I suppose you can use bigger F numbers...

I'm pretty sure that it also works with 70-300. I'll try to take some shots with this combo.
 
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Cristian a simple question, which lens do you prefer, 50-200 or 70-300?

Difficult one I guess but if you could only keep one, which one would it be?

Pete
 
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