On Tuesday, November 26, 2002, at 07:18 AM, om@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
Rob,
Are you SURE you want a 500mm mirror lens? I've had the Zuiko and a
couple
of Tamrons over the years and I was never happy with any of them.
Their
performance vs. a prime all-glass lens is sub-par, IMO. And I HATED
those
doughnut-shaped OOF highlights. You'd be better off with a Sigma Apo
400/5.6 for much less money. I'd try to borrow or try one before
buying.
Actually, the visual artifacts are the only reason I want it. I've
never really managed to get into super-ultra-telephotography. I used to
occasionally throw a 2x on my old 90-230 and do a squashed perspective
shot or two, but I don't usually think in those terms. Maybe I'm just a
bonehead. I know a lot of people use those lenses for sporting events
and bird-watching and stuff like that, but most of my joy in taking
photographs has always come from being a lot closer to my subject than
that. I used to think that the visual artifacts of mirror lenses were
just awful, but over the last few months I find myself more and more
attracted to them. I just love how messed-up their response to light
is. I'm really starting to love things that "ruin" images in an
interesting way without being too obvious about it. If you could get a
Clairmont Squishy Lens for an Olympus I'd be there. ;-)
How did the Zuiko compare to the Tamron, in your opinion?
OTOH, the 18mm is VERY NICE. I hope you have a 21mm first though.
IMO,
the way to buy an 18mm is to use a much cheaper 21/3.5 and then find
that
you often need just a little more FOV. Otherwise, buying the 18 can
be an
expensive learning experience. The upside is that the resale is very
good
on 18's.
I don't actually own a 21mm. You could really have a point there.
Again, I was thinking in terms of the more extreme warping of
perspective without going to a fisheye where the distortion would draw
attention to itself overtly. Do 18mm Zuikos pop up often enough for me
to pass this one up and grab a 21mm or should I bite the bullet?
-Rob
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