> Thanks, Ken. As others have said, that lens is a real winner.
For my own entertainment purposes, I've done a ton of comparative
testing with my 100/2.8. The more I test, the more I get puzzled. Now,
understand that my particular 100/2.8 is probably gifted beyond what I
should ever expect to see from one, but still... It's like what
Richard Petty says about auto racing. He didn't know when the first
OFFICIAL car race was, but he knew that the first one happened when
the second car came off the assembly line.
I lived a full life without ever having the 100/2 lens. My 100/2.8 had
me exceptionally pleased and I was very happy with it. Here is a quick
rundown:
Sharpness: At "normal apertures" I don't think one lens has any
particular advantage over the other. At wide apertures, (F4 and
brighter), the 100/2 has a significant edge. When stopped down for
decent DoF, you can shrug your shoulders. I would be perfectly content
taking the 100/2.8 instead of the 100/2 knowing that I'm not losing
anything in the sharpness department. At F2 and F2.8, the 100/2 is
bloody sharp.
Contrast: No contest. The 100/2 blows my SC 100/2.8 out of the water.
Bokeh: It depends... The 100/2 shows the common donuty artifacts of
aspherical elements in some circumstances. It is better behaved on 4/3
cameras for portrait work. The 100/2.8 gets a busy background when
shooting 4/3, but the 100/2 certainly holds the advantage.
Handling: This one is easy. The 100/2.8 is the lens you REALLY would
rather use. The 100/2 is misbalanced on an OM body.
Viewfinder experience: Uh, yeah. The 100/2 is in another league.
Extremely easy to focus, and the lens suggests a lot. The 100/2.8
doesn't stand up and scream at the top of its lungs about how to shoot
something. The 100/2 is the ADHC child that keeps tugging at your
sleeve saying "look over here, look over here!"
Would I recommend the 100/2? Oh, most certainly! But I would suggest
that having ANY Zuiko 100mm lens is something that every one of us
should have. The price on the 100/2 is a bit high for OM lenses, but
comparable to other similar lenses. The 100/2.8 (of any flavor) is the
sleeper and under-priced miracle lens of the fleet.
--
Ken Norton
ken@xxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.zone-10.com
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