Olympus 50-200mm f/2.8-3.5 SWD Lens for 4/3 Format; Wow!

The "Maria E", Messick Point, Poquoson, Virginia (click to enlarge)
Olympus E-M1, Olympus 55-200mm f/2.8-3.5 SWD lens @ 76mm (152mm~ e)
1/640 sec. @ f/8, handheld  (See additional images with this lens here.)

The longest lens I owned for my M4/3 system was the equivalent of a 200mm lens in the 35mm format.  I used to have a Panasonic 100-300mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, but sold it some months ago.  It was a pretty good lens, usable for sure, but it really didn't have the speed or highest quality to match my Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 or Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 lenses.  I wanted something longer, a bit faster and a bit higher image quality.

I have been patiently waiting for Olympus to introduce and ship their previously announced 40-150mm f/2.8 lens but, we are all still waiting.  Last I read, the anticipated shipping date is after the first of 2015.  We should know more at Photokina in a few weeks.  The anticipated price, estimated by those who supposedly know, for the new Olympus lens in the States is around $1300-$1500 US.  Not inexpensive, by any means. In the mean time, I have too many photographs to make to be without a lens with a bit longer focal length than 200mm.

Of course, one of the downsides of the new Olympus lens is that it will be big.  If I were to substitute that lens for my Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 lens, which is pretty compact, that would somewhat negate my desire to go smaller, lighter, less expensive but keeping high quality.  Additionally, I then normally would be carrying around a lens with the equivalent focal length of 300mm, in 35mm terms, all the time.  I'm not sure I need to put a lens with that long focal length in my bag all the time as I go about my wandering and photographing.  Again, smaller, lighter....etc., you know the drill.

What to do?  I remembered that Olympus had put some phase detect autofocus sensors on the imaging sensor in the E-M1. It also hit me that Olympus has made stellar lenses for the original 4/3 format that are still available, even new. Some of the lenses they make are the 12-60mm f/2.8-4, 14-35mm f/2.0, 150mm f/2.0, 35-100mm f/2.0, 300mm f/2.8, 90-250mm f/2.8, and of course the 50-200mm f/2.8-3.5 among others.  Most of these are SWD lenses, which is Olympus' designation for their internal high speed focusing system in the same vein as is in Nikon's and Canon's premium lenses. This means the older 4/3 lenses should focus reasonably well on the E-M1.  What about blending the two together to see if one of those lenses will meet my needs?

Since the older 4/3 lenses have been out of favor for a while and largely forgotten, they are no longer really high priced.  There are plenty of used lenses available on Ebay, through KEH, B and H and Adorama.  Also, if you prefer, you can still buy them new.

The 50-200mm f/2.8-3.5 SWD lens seemed ideal for how I would use it.  Step 1, how many are available? I looked for used copies and for how much they typically sell.  Not bad, I thought.  Step 2, Research the lens' qualities.  I started to do some research for optical quality lens tests as well as tests for practical use, specifically with the E-M1.  I was interested in what reviewers said about resolution, distortion, chromatic aberration, contrast and color transmission at all focal lengths.  Additionally, I was interested in how well the lens focused using an E-M1.  After a couple of weeks of research, I was convinced the lens could meet my needs and the kind of photography I do with the E-M1.  Step 3, I set out to find one in excellent condition but at a good price.  For sports or fast moving photography, from what I had read, it didn't seem the lens would focus fast enough.  But I'll withhold judgement for now.

The one hesitation I had was the size of the lens.  With a 35mm film equivalent of 100-400mm f/2.8-3.5, it is not a compact lens.  It is not huge either.  It is much smaller than a full frame or APS-C equivalent lens.  The lens uses a 67mm filter so that gives you an idea of how big it is.  The Panasonic 35-100 f/2.8 lens uses a 58mm filter.  So, it is longer, has a larger diameter and is heavier.  However, I'm not too concerned about its size as my plan is to not have it in my bag all the time, but in a secondary bag that stays in my vehicle.  I will take it out and attach it to the camera when necessary.  In my bag, I would still have focal lengths from 14mm up to 200mm equivalent.  That takes care of the vast majority of my image making but when I need something longer, I will now have it at my disposal.

I found many copies of the lens that were available on Ebay.  I also checked my usual source for used equipment, KEH, but they had none in stock at the time.  On Ebay, I researched the average completed sale price for the United States and found one that had the case, lens hood, both caps and was in excellent condition.  I made a bid for it and was successful.  I paid about half of what the lens sells for new and also much less than half of what the new Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 lens will sell for when it is finally available.  I waited for delivery.

One other thing I needed to buy was an Olympus 4/3 to M4/3 adapter.  Since 4/3 format lenses have a longer lens to camera flange distance than M4/3, I would need the adapter.  I decided I didn't need the higher priced weather sealed Olympus MMF-3, so I bought an MMF-2 from KEH.  It is in like new condition with caps for front and back.  I'm now all set.

The lens arrived the other day.  My first impression is that the lens is very solidly built and of professional quality.  It is all metal construction.  It is larger than my other lenses, but about the same size as a couple of my Nikon high quality zoom lenses. It is larger than I would want to keep in my bag and carry all the time, but that is not my plan, so I'm okay so far.  I immediately put it through my standard lens tests to ensure that the lens is focusing properly as well as electronically connecting properly with my camera so aperture, autofocus and all other electronic connections are functioning.  Also, I wanted to form an initial opinion on lens sharpness at all apertures.  I like the idea that this lens keeps all electronic and automation functions intact with the E-M1.  I know when using non-native lenses on other mirrorless cameras, most automation, including aperture and autofocus, is lost.  Not the case with the Olympus 4/3 lenses on M4/3 cameras.  That is a terrific benefit.

I found the lens to be very sharp at all focal lengths. It also repeatedly focused accurately as well as relatively quickly.  My initial tests show there is a little bit of hunting as it is a phase detect autofocusing (PDAF) lens and not a contrast detect autofocusing (CDAF) lens as is the native M4/3 lenses.  Hunting is that slight hesitation before focus locks.  This won't really be an issue in my case as this will be mostly a landscape and travel lens since I normally don't photograph action or sports. Initial testing also showed me that I will not hesitate to use the lens wide open all the way down to f/22.  At f/16 and f/22, there is a tiny bit of loss of fine detail because of diffraction, but unless you look at it on a computer screen at 1:1, you won't see any difference.  I will probably normally use this lens from wide open to f/11 for most of my work, but won't hesitate to stop it down even more if necessary.

I took the lens out on Monday morning to wander around and find some potential images to continue my tests.  The image at the top of this post is one of them.  I plan to post more on Friday.  I plan to continue using this lens over the next couple of weeks to really get to see what it can and cannot do.  I'll be posting updates over the next couple of weeks.

Right now, these lenses are inexpensive compared to what you get for your money.  However, I suspect, as Olympus and Panasonic add more phase detect autofocus sensors to their future cameras more and more photographers will buy these lenses for their professional use.  They will increase in price with the added demand.  Right now, they are a bargain.

So far, I'm really pleased with the usability, handling, focal lengths, build quality, focus and image quality of the lens. I can't wait to further put it through its paces out there in the real world.  Only then can I assess if I will keep it or look for something else.

If this lens has captured your interest, look at my following post, here, to view some additional images with more comments.

Thanks for looking.  Enjoy!

Dennis Mook

Many of my images can be found at www.dennismook.com.  Please pay it a visit.  I add new images regularly.  Thank you.


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