is anybody using the 4/3 2.8/90-250 with an OM-1?
if so, I'd be glad to hear your general thoughts on the matter.
-i do have a 4/300 and a 150-400.
there are occasions that I might prefer to use an f/2.8 lens as opposed to the f/4 and f/4.5 options I already have at my disposal. i don't have an issue with the additional ISO noise of the slower lenses.
to be more precise...there are times when light levels drop enough that a slow down in C-AF performance is enough to force me to switch to S-AF. my reasoning/guess is that the f/2.8 lens speed will lower those occasions. it does not appear that such a lens is on the m4/3 road map.
-since the 90-250 is no longer serviced by OMDS, nor are parts available from OMDS...purchasing one of these lenses is a risky venture.
i'm trying to suss this matter before further committing to a purchase.
You'd need to have two copies of lenses like that. One to use and one for parts. Kind of like owning a really unusual car. You also need to be your own mechanic. Some of the older Canon EF lenses have fallen into that category of being totally unsupported with no spare parts available. You might consider adapting a somewhat more current lens like an EF mount Sigma 120-300mm f2.8.
Everyone has their own risk metrics. I don't find the risk vs reward great enough with some of those old lenses.
jeffbuzz wrote:
You'd need to have two copies of lenses like that. One to use and one for parts. Kind of like owning a really unusual car. You also need to be your own mechanic. Some of the older Canon EF lenses have fallen into that category of being totally unsupported with no spare parts available. You might consider adapting a somewhat more current lens like an EF mount Sigma 120-300mm f2.8.
Everyone has their own risk metrics. I don't find the risk vs reward great enough with some of those old lenses.
"You might consider adapting a somewhat more current lens like an EF mount Sigma 120-300mm f2.8."
a good idea.
i expect there would be a general loss in burst and AF speeds but the same goes for the adapted 4/3 lenses as well.
thanks.
I liked that lens when I owned it, but it had a problem with consistent back focus on my E-3 bodies that Olympus was not able to repair. On a mirrorless body, that shouldn't be an issue. The 90-250 f2.8, 300 f2.8, and 150 f2 were (are) all remarkable lenses.
E-390.0-250.0 mm f/2.8 lens250mmf/3.51/1000s200 ISO0.0 EV
A friend had the 300 F2.8. This was when the first EM-1 came out. He bought an EM-1 and we were outside of the camera store and he let me hold it. I almost dropped it. It was an incredibly heavy lens. The other problem was that on an EM-1, it chattered very badly. Nice lens but no longer worth it. The 4/3 lenses were very nice but not made for m4/3. And good luck getting them repaired.
I have the 150mm, 2.0. Not the same lens but there are some characteristics which are probably the same.
Very heavy lens. The 90-250 is probably much heavier. I can not hand hold it (83 yr old). Good on a good monopod.
Poor focus on a Em-1 II. Hunted and was slow to focus. Om-1 is a different story. Focus is snappy and little hunting. Very useable for what I do. Don't know how it would handle birds in flight.
Repair. I got a good deal on it so if it breaks I would only be out about $1000. I would cry. A lot.
Would I get it again. Yes. There is a certain quality it imparts to an image that goes beyond just sharpness. I use it for tight shots of musicians in performance and the results are awesome.
The 300 f2.8 focuses quickly and accurately on the OM-1. I'd expect the same of the 90-250. AF is noisier than modern lenses but consistent with contemporary models from other brands.
"SHG" lenses like the Zuiko 150 f2, 90-250 f2.8 and 300 f2.8 are impressive performers even compared to newer lenses. Consider the price of these optics when they were new. They are directly comparable to any super tele options today. The beauty of MFT is that you can adapt these rather seamlessly to modern cameras at a fraction of the cost compared to similarly performing optics. These really do offer a reasonably affordable entry to super tele performance which would otherwise not be realistic for most people.
Sure, you're assuming some risk as most are no longer easily serviceable. But get a quote for replacing a front element or motor in a current lens like the Sony 600mm f4 and you'll see that even under warranty any repair on lenses of this class are expensive.
The new 150-400mm is impressive and shows that OM is perhaps going to continue offering really big glass. But as yet there are no native offerings that are truly equivalent to these old SHG lenses.
Lleuallen wrote:
I have the 150mm, 2.0. Not the same lens but there are some characteristics which are probably the same.
Very heavy lens. The 90-250 is probably much heavier. I can not hand hold it (83 yr old). Good on a good monopod.
Poor focus on a Em-1 II. Hunted and was slow to focus. Om-1 is a different story. Focus is snappy and little hunting. Very useable for what I do. Don't know how it would handle birds in flight.
Repair. I got a good deal on it so if it breaks I would only be out about $1000. I would cry. A lot.
Would I get it again. Yes. There is a certain quality it imparts to an image that goes beyond just sharpness. I use it for tight shots of musicians in performance and the results are awesome....Show more →
"Repair. I got a good deal on it so if it breaks I would only be out about $1000. I would cry. A lot."
exactly.
i would pay fair market value all day long for a 90-250/2.8 if it were guaranteed to have 10 years of service or be repairable.
otherwise, i could only pay what you did and hope for the best.
jeffbuzz wrote:
The 300 f2.8 focuses quickly and accurately on the OM-1. I'd expect the same of the 90-250. AF is noisier than modern lenses but consistent with contemporary models from other brands.
"SHG" lenses like the Zuiko 150 f2, 90-250 f2.8 and 300 f2.8 are impressive performers even compared to newer lenses. Consider the price of these optics when they were new. They are directly comparable to any super tele options today. The beauty of MFT is that you can adapt these rather seamlessly to modern cameras at a fraction of the cost compared to similarly performing optics. These really do offer a reasonably affordable entry to super tele performance which would otherwise not be realistic for most people.
Sure, you're assuming some risk as most are no longer easily serviceable. But get a quote for replacing a front element or motor in a current lens like the Sony 600mm f4 and you'll see that even under warranty any repair on lenses of this class are expensive.
The new 150-400mm is impressive and shows that OM is perhaps going to continue offering really big glass. But as yet there are no native offerings that are truly equivalent to these old SHG lenses....Show more →
I checked with OM System's repair folks and they DO NOT service this lens. No parts available. It either works or it is an exceptionally expensive paper weight unfortunately.
I have a 150-400 and a 4/300. 250mm is really short for me but in the woods is when I can often get closer to the birds (or when they come out to take a look at me rather).
When in the woods looking for birds and the sun dips/cloudy....I really could make use of a 2.8 lens.
Paul_100A wrote:
I checked with OM System's repair folks and they DO NOT service this lens. No parts available. It either works or it is an exceptionally expensive paper weight unfortunately.
I have a 150-400 and a 4/300. 250mm is really short for me but in the woods is when I can often get closer to the birds (or when they come out to take a look at me rather).
When in the woods looking for birds and the sun dips/cloudy....I really could make use of a 2.8 lens.
Hence my earlier reasoning that you basically need two of them so you have your own parts supply. Given the rarity of service parts, a non-working lens may be worth more parted out. So they're definitely not just paper weights.
Mcbain Camera in Edmonton has a 90-250 4/3 lens for sale. $2999 CDN plus GST. For the adventurous. In EX+ condition. With all the caveats mentioned. I ran into a fellow Olympus shooter who had one. Maybe he sold it to Mcbain? Ooops, sold. There are some adventurous types out there with lots of disposable cash.
RZ350 wrote:
Mcbain Camera in Edmonton has a 90-250 4/3 lens for sale. $2999 CDN plus GST. For the adventurous. In EX+ condition. With all the caveats mentioned. I ran into a fellow Olympus shooter who had one. Maybe he sold it to Mcbain? Ooops, sold. There are some adventurous types out there with lots of disposable cash.
Mcbains had a used 90-250 listed for a decade or more. I called about it years ago and found out it was on consignment....no budging on the price. Again...about a decade it was listed....price?!?
It may not be listed anymore.
There was/is a Calgary fella who listed (kijiji) his 90-250 once or twice a year for the past couple/several years.
thanks for your time.
i'm going to go ahead and tell myself that a 90-250 is pretty much going to have to fall in my lap (low price and good working condition) which will likely never happen.
Paul_100A wrote:
Mcbains had a used 90-250 listed for a decade or more. I called about it years ago and found out it was on consignment....no budging on the price. Again...about a decade it was listed....price?!?
It may not be listed anymore.
The 90-250 at McBain was sold, but they currently have a 35-100mm f2 for $1199...
