4/3 18-180mm on m 4/3

[ajohnw]

Sorry about the photo's but others might be tempted to try this lens with an adapter so results might be of interest to some.

Focus is mostly solid and ok at all but rather short distances. If the AF doesn't work out the camera (EM-5) leaves the shot obviously out of focus. Interesting lens in some ways. It focuses down to under 18in at all focal lengths, light weight ! under 16oz so a bit heavy compared with recent m 4/3

The grass in the garden has been reseeded in places so have to keep the birds off, bits to burn and throw away and the caravan needs a good clean.

All straight camera jpg's USING PURE MATRIX METERING, why not all reflected ligh and south facing. 50% reduction, medium sharpening, another 50% reduction and mild detail restoration sharpening. XIFS show settings etc.







I have messed about with this one. Feel it needs a better lens and may have needed a touch of compensation. Not much contrast there though



When things go wrong - turned camera off so lost the aperture I had set in P mode Odd out of focus effect



Thought I should put that one right and chose a wild flower that was easier to get at. Not really into rock climbing. Not the best angle as I would have blocked the light.. The flower as displayed on a screen is about twice life size. Sharpening bought out the petal detail.



We did have a large wild flower garden over most of the rockery but my son has cultivated too much of it now really.

Our dog likes rather large balls.


My impression is that it's a passable lens providing that not too much detail is in the shot. Maybe an urban walk around lens etc. It seems it was regarded as one of the best in it's class when it was introduced. 100% resolution views leave something to desire unlike my other lenses. 50% reduction is so so. Some shots would probably be ok.

It seems that the more recent SWD focus drive lenses are not a good idea on an E-M5 and need the E-M1 especially the 50-200mm. I don't think they did an swd version of this lens but they may have done,

John
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[Shadowman]

I've tried a similar setup, 70-300mm 4/3rds lens on micro 4/3rds. Works well, prefer using it on a tripod though, very heavy.

[ajohnw]

There's no problems with the Oly m 4/3 75-300mm, light and easy to handle but heavier than the earlier 100-300mm. I am rather surprised by the price increases. The Panasonic 100-300mm is bigger but manageable as well. If I said the Olympus was better I might be guilty of mark prejudice but the earlier amazingly expensive horrid looking one was widely reckoned to be better. On the other hand people who bought it at the original price would probably insist it was.

This lens is a used Ebay buy or return - I often do this if curious - buy - not for me - sell. Lots of people use huge range zooms and I have avoided them. I'm seeing the sort of thing I would expect to see but maybe the 2nd shot I posted is miss focused a little.

John
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[Shadowman]

There's no problems with the Oly m 4/3 75-300mm, light and easy to handle but heavier than the earlier 100-300mm. I am rather surprised by the price increases. The Panasonic 100-300mm is bigger but manageable as well. If I said the Olympus was better I might be guilty of mark prejudice but the earlier amazingly expensive horrid looking one was widely reckoned to be better. On the other hand people who bought it at the original price would probably insist it was.

This lens is a used Ebay buy or return - I often do this if curious - buy - not for me - sell. Lots of people use huge range zooms and I have avoided them. I'm seeing the sort of thing I would expect to see but maybe the 2nd shot I posted is miss focused a little.

John
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Are you using the viewfinder or the LCD to view. I think how we hold the camera makes a big difference regarding camera shake, my EPL-1 only has the LCD for composing a photo and I have a habit of holding the camera waist high when shooting, I think I put less pressure on the camera when pushing the shutter.

[Shadowman]

There's no problems with the Oly m 4/3 75-300mm, light and easy to handle but heavier than the earlier 100-300mm. I am rather surprised by the price increases. The Panasonic 100-300mm is bigger but manageable as well. If I said the Olympus was better I might be guilty of mark prejudice but the earlier amazingly

John
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I wish it (the 70-300mm) had a tripod collar on the lens though.

[ajohnw]

I haven't had any problems not having a tripod collar on either long zoom but have only used these lenses on an E-M5. I would say the Panasonic was more difficult due to weight, That seems to be a problem with the 18-180mm in some ways. It's much heavier than the other lenses but still just about reasonably balanced by the camera. I manually focused the flower shot as a check without any problem - I'm a finding a 5x view is ok when the dof is really shallow.

Whoops - take that back I did use the Panasonic 100-300mm on the E-P3 and must also have used the Panasonic x- 200mm as well. I took and posted a moon shot. No shake problems only getting focus correct and exposure. I've used it on ducks and more recently the Olympus one on birds and ducks - shake hasn't been the problem just insufficient focal length.

I use the viewfinder virtually all of the time. First time I wanted to use the screen hoping no one would notice that I was taking a photo I had the camera set up incorrectly - it didn't stay on long enough. On the Pen's I bought the viewfinder rather quickly. On these the menu also comes up in it when selected. Given the menu size on screen on these I would ideally need reading glasses. I sometimes think they should have retained this menu in viewfinder feature on the OMD's but in real terms it's not needed so much - if ever nearly but no reason to drop it.

When I actually take the shot I tend to cradle the lens and camera at the balance point in my left hand, elbow against body. Right elbow too. Not sure on the 75-300mm m 4/3 but suspect that the camera body is still on my palm or maybe more back in my hand. I could do that with the screen in use at my waist too but pass on results, have to try it.

The 1.4mp viewfinders for pen's might be a good buy used now. They were rather expensive really. The only real advantage of the one with more pixels is that on the E-M1 it allows a larger image to be projected into the eye and suggests that lower magnification could be used for manual focusing. They might not of done this on the Pen ones. Olympus are pretty cute on what they do in a range of the same camera. The E-P3 came as a bit of a surprise after the E-PL1. Lower noise, better AF and I just bought it for more sensible controls. I've nosed at E-Volts. Dastardly trick - looks like they use a thinner anti aliasing filter on the E-5.

I did use the 14-42 and 40-150mm on both Pens. Both are good sharp lenses on 12mp. Pass on the 14-42mm on 16mp on the E-M5 as I use the 12-50mm but I bet it would be fine. I've had odd problems with the 12-50mm but am slowly concluding it's me - too little dof.

John
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[Shadowman]

I haven't had any problems not having a tripod collar on either long zoom but have only used these lenses on an E-M5. I would say the Panasonic was more difficult due to weight, That seems to be a problem with the 18-180mm in some ways. It's much heavier than the other lenses but still just about reasonably balanced by the camera. I manually focused the flower shot as a check without any problem - I'm a finding a 5x view is ok when the dof is really shallow.

Whoops - take that back I did use the Panasonic 100-300mm on the E-P3 and must also have used the Panasonic x- 200mm as well. I took and posted a moon shot. No shake problems only getting focus correct and exposure. I've used it on ducks and more recently the Olympus one on birds and ducks - shake hasn't been the problem just insufficient focal length.

I use the viewfinder virtually all of the time. First time I wanted to use the screen hoping no one would notice that I was taking a photo I had the camera set up incorrectly - it didn't stay on long enough. On the Pen's I bought the viewfinder rather quickly. On these the menu also comes up in it when selected. Given the menu size on screen on these I would ideally need reading glasses. I sometimes think they should have retained this menu in viewfinder feature on the OMD's but in real terms it's not needed so much - if ever nearly but no reason to drop it.

When I actually take the shot I tend to cradle the lens and camera at the balance point in my left hand, elbow against body. Right elbow too. Not sure on the 75-300mm m 4/3 but suspect that the camera body is still on my palm or maybe more back in my hand. I could do that with the screen in use at my waist too but pass on results, have to try it.

The 1.4mp viewfinders for pen's might be a good buy used now. They were rather expensive really. The only real advantage of the one with more pixels is that on the E-M1 it allows a larger image to be projected into the eye and suggests that lower magnification could be used for manual focusing. They might not of done this on the Pen ones. Olympus are pretty cute on what they do in a range of the same camera. The E-P3 came as a bit of a surprise after the E-PL1. Lower noise, better AF and I just bought it for more sensible controls. I've nosed at E-Volts. Dastardly trick - looks like they use a thinner anti aliasing filter on the E-5.

I did use the 14-42 and 40-150mm on both Pens. Both are good sharp lenses on 12mp. Pass on the 14-42mm on 16mp on the E-M5 as I use the 12-50mm but I bet it would be fine. I've had odd problems with the 12-50mm but am slowly concluding it's me - too little dof.

John
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There are two versions of the view finder for Olympus cameras, VF-1 and VF-2. Reviews for both are split amongst users, biggest complaint is the quality (plastic/flimsy) and looseness (falls out of the flash clip) of the viewfinder. Price is $230 for VF-2 and about $100 for VF-1. Quite a few used units available on Amazon.

[ajohnw]

I've had no problem at all with mine (VF-2) but just leave it on. Perhaps that has something to do with that. As I have been into plastic product design can't say I am unhappy with the quality in that respect either, rather the opposite actually. The only problem as I see it is that it sticks out. It would be better built into the camera body but can't say I like the way Panasonic have done that on the GX7. If feel the manufacturers are a little too wrapped up in smallness at times rather than volume and making best use of it.

As now I just keep these cameras in a small bag and take them out to use and put them back in when finished. It survived. Of late I pop them into a woolly hat in the bag - so much easier than over stuffed inefficient to use flimsy camera bags.

I thought the VF-2 would be cheaper used than it appears to be in the UK.

Must admit some comments about plastics cause me to smile. What plastic? Some use polycarbonate of one form or another and such things as undisclosed but glass filled has also been used. Vandal proof plastics are about as most people know and may even be related to polycarbonates. What do they use now? No idea but would be rather surprised if it was unsuitable. Then there is things like the centre section on the Olympus 14-42mm that wobbles about. If it wobbled that much in actual use it would take crap pictures but it doesn't. How odd. This sort of thing is all down to the fact that there are cheap shoddy plastic items about that don't last 5min so all plastic items must be like that - plus human nature of course. As people age as well they have problems relating to something that is different. Thank heavens for the young.

John
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