crowded waters by jeff cohen, on Flickr
squawking egret by jeff cohen, on Flickr
whats this Jeff, tc no3 or 4? have you found the quality differs between them? I had one which didnt impress me much but the latest one I have is pretty good.first hour out with my new 1.4 tc on the 100-400 lens pleased with the results so far hand held at a equvi of 1120mm in FF terms
Crumock mist and island 3 by Alf Branch, on Flickr
Alby wow m8 your bang on the nail , this is my 3rd one . And from todays results seems the best one yet ..time will tell it may well be that I have polished my technique better but not that much .. and todays light was the pits just made it back to the car before the storm hit . So far I can’t tell the difference between using it or the bare lens ..will post more later including a very distant extremely large bird
thats close enough by jeff cohen, on Flickr
come in no.3 your time is up by jeff cohen, on Flickr
Looks sharp enough to me Mateya break in the clouds as the storm approaches left a lovey bit of blue for this beluga XL .. on its way to Europe .. olympus 1-mkiii +100-400+1.4tc handheld pleased am I with results
That is a beauty AlfA landscape shot from last year not a wildlife shot
Nice and moody - great capture. And it makes a welcome changeA landscape shot from last year not a wildlife shot
.... Here's hoping the new 90mm Macro works like other PRO lenses and not like the 60mm Macro with its silly switch etc.
it sounds like its gonna be awesome = to 180mm or with the 1.4 tc added 252mm reach .a lot depends though on whether its a 1:1 or a 2:1 ..I just cant get my head round macro though much prefer just using the 100-400 close up switch ..
.... Are we sure yet that the MC-14 / MC-20 can be mounted? I really hope so because for many macro and close-up shots of wildlife being able to keep a physical distance is key.
RUFOUS GRASSHOPPER FEMALE NYMPH by Robin Procter, on Flickr
Its going to be 2:1 though they saying rubbish like equivalent to 4:1. I have the equivalent stuff as for proper macro it doesn't work the same as other stuff.
That is fabulous Robin..... Are we sure yet that the MC-14 / MC-20 can be mounted? I really hope so because for many macro and close-up shots of wildlife being able to keep a physical distance is key.
Personally I don't care whether anyone terms images as 'Macro' or not, it's all close-up. Micro is more different though.
I don't recall my Olympus 100-400mm having a "close up switch" Jeff.
The Olympus 40-150mm F/2.8 PRO + MC-20 (or MC-14) is extremely good for close-ups. I have many grasshopper images to demonstrate that : @300mm (600mm equivalent) :
flic.kr
I agree about the 12-40, I had a good one, but the 12-45 I have now is possibly even better.There are at least 3 different Olympus 14-42mm lenses!
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ
This one is very small - it has a motorised zoom and extends when you turn on the camera.
It was bundled with some of the PEN series cameras and the E-M10 range
You can see my use of it in my out of date Flickr album here
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6
and the upgraded
Olympus M.Zuiko ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II R
These are manual zoom lenses. They manually collapse so they're smaller to carry.
You twist the lens to open it up but need to press the lock button to make it collapse again.
It's a neat robust way of making the lens smaller without slowing you down much.
I have the II R which I got with my first E-PL5 and the EZ which came with my E-M10 Mki.
Optically I can't see any difference at all, doesn't mean there isn't one but nothing I ever noticed.
They're both very light and very compact. I used to favour the EZ over the II R because it's smaller.
For use, the manual zoom on the II R is more comfortable to use - you can go quick or adjust more finely than the motorised zoom on the EZ.
I have read reports of the EZ showing problems with decentering - where part of the frame is sharper than other parts because the elements aren't perfectly aligned.
I have also read reports of the motor failing.
My own lens showed none of those issues but I'd guess a small motorised zoom is less resilient than a larger manual one as there are more moving parts in a smaller space.
On the E-M5 I'm not sure you're seeing enough benefit from the shrunken size to make it worth a second hand purchase but you might choose to do so.
I've never used the Panasonic zooms so I won't comment.
The 12-50mm Olympus was bundled with the E-M5 so it's a very good fit. Personally I'd like the 12mm wider end over 14mm.and the 50mm is more useful than 42mm.
With M43 those small numbers add up thanks to the 2x crop factor.
Finally - I saw a used 12-40mm PRO Olympus lens when I was feeling flush. That lens transformed my photography.
It's bigger and heavier than the other two lenses and much more expensive but it has barely left my camera since to the expense of my f1.8 and f1.7 primes.
If I had to choose one M43 lens then that would be it.
If you can afford to buy a good one used you should see most of that back if you chose to sell it on again later.
Again here's some of my stuff from my derelict Flickr
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12–40mm F2.8 PRO
M.12-40mm F2.8 PRO M.Zuiko Digital ED 12–40mm F2.8 PRO
Robin on the side of the lens there’s a switch 6mtrs + then a middle one for mid range and the final setting is for minimum focus 1.2 mtrs without getting off the settee that’s your close up switch/ setting I refer to which still gives the same distance even with the 1..4 or 2x tc fitted ..
.... Aaah, you are calling the AF range options switch a "macro switch". I have never heard it called that by anyone but now I understand what switch you are referring to.
..... "throw away"? Just because a photographer isn't a professional and only shoots as a hobby doesn't mean he or she isn't supposed to spend £6K on a lens. In my case it has further enabled my photography and given me a pleasure using it which is beyond calculating in monetry terms. Sure, it's not a lens for everyone but each to their own.
Another vote here for 12-45. Very small (for what it is) an excellent lens in every respect and can be had relatively inexpensively.
You think it as good IQ wise? I've had two 12-40's in the past and loved both of them but was wondering this time whether or not to go for the 12-45.
I don’t have any experience of the 12-40 but reviews suggest it’s at least as good.
Definitely, very similar to my 12-100 which is excellent.
.... Red35's comparison review between the Olympus 12-40mm F/2.8 and 12-45mm F/4 got me seriously considering whether to part exchange my 12-40mm for a 12-45mm. That is until his summary towards the end. As usual it comes down to which suits an individual photographer's needs and aspirations best. Personally, I have no use for a 12-100mm as the range is already covered by my other PRO lenses which have significant advantages for my particular photography.
no pain no gain by jeff cohen, on Flickr
Sorry to hear about your accident. It seems that dotterel are passing through at the moment. One was seen on Pumlumon recently. It's a shame the autumn birds aren't so colourful as the spring ones.a dotterel yesterday taken just before I fell over and smashed my face up pretty badly . dont think I'll be out for a while luckily the camera is undamaged , god know how though
.... A battery charger is no longer supplied with most cameras nowadays - There are 'safety' reasons why not which have been introduced. I don't remember the exact details I read.
....
.... The OM BLC-1 charger will recharge 2 BLX-1 batteries in just under 2 hours from empty. Personally I wouldn't risk anything other than an Oly charger or battery, as said above.
