->
>Ingemar Uvhagen wrote:
>
>>Friends,
>>
>>I have an OM-10 with a few Zuiko lenses. Now, I am looking for a
>>telephoto lens of 400 mm or 500 mm. It seems however, that getting a
>>Zuiko is more than difficult (too few on sale) and they seem to be too
>>expensive for my wallet, so I want to know if someone can recommend some
>>other brand e.g. Tokina, Tamron, Vivitar etc. How are these in
>>comparison to Zuiko lenses when it comes to sharpness, colour and
>>general quality?
>>
Ulf Westerberg <ulf.westerberg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> replied:
>Hej Ingemar
>
>My favourite choice was and is the Sigma APO 400. Not at all in the same
>league as the Zuikos, but still very much optics for the money. Note that
it
>fudges somewhat regarding focal length, comparing it to my Zuiko 300/4.5
>with and without the 1.4x converter (420 mm), I'd say it is around 370 mm
>instead of 400. Doesn't sound very much but when shooting small birds etc.
>this little difference can be crucial. The same goes for the Tokina SD
>version, of which I was not too impressed BTW. (Other list-members have
>expressed their satisfaction, though). The Sigma non-APO version is the
same
>mechanically (not much to brag about) but optics are far inferior to the
>APO-version.
>
>IMHO the Zuikos 300/4.5+1.4X and 400/6.3 are in a class by themselves.
>
Ingemar,
I would ask what is your prime target with such a long lens? My primary use
for telephoto lenses are motor sport, where lens speed is absolutely vital.
Shooting at f/2.8 or f/4 with ISO 400 film is required on all but the
brightest days in order to get fast shutter speeds necessary for targets
moving at 180 MPH. Maximum apertures of f/5.6 just are not an option,
otherwise all you have are well exposed blurs. It is for this purpose I
selected a Tokina 300mm f/2.8 AT-X APO telephoto. For my application, it
works well, and for my budget, well even the Tokina broke the bank for a
while. Sure, I'd love a Zuiko 350mm f/2.8. Perhaps the wife won't mind a
second mortgage <g>.
The 300mm f/4.5 and 400mm f/6.3 Zuikos are, as Ulf said, in a class of
excellence apart from any third party alternative. Were my subject matter a
little less speedy, I would consider them. Perhaps as my interests evolve
such a lens will have to be added to my collection :-).
You can browse Sigma's website at www.sigmaphoto.com
or Tokina information at www.thkphoto.com
or Tamron (and Bronica) info at www.tamron.com
or, last but not least, Vivitar and be found at www.vivitarcorp.com
A quick look of choices shows a 300mm f/4.0 and a 400mm f/5.6 APO from Sigma
in the low to mid $600 range, or a 300mm f/2.8 for $2200 and a 500 f/4.5 APO
for a mere $3250; Tamron sports a 300mm f/2.8 LD for $2200; Vivitar offers
nothing in your range in manual focus mounts and Tokina has a 400 f/5.6 SD
for about $250. The 300mm AT-X has, unfortunately, been discontinued and
its successor is not available in any manual focus mount. The Zuiko 300
f/4.5 is listed at $680 from B&H as of March (pre price increase days).
No matter what, your wallet is going to feel it. Lots of millimeters and
fast f/ratios cost. The only advice I can offer is avoid any mirror lenses.
They have no adjustable diaphram (f/8 is all you get) and their contract is
*very* low because of the central obstruction.
Good luck,
John P
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