Hi Richard,
Since Nature / Wildlife Photo's are dear to me, I'll try and give you some
thoughts to ponder.
First - Big teles need a rock solid support, even with high shutter speeds.
So when you are going above 200 mm this should be your first concern. Strong
steady support and high shutter speeds are a must. Therefore, the faster the
lens, the more options you have. You cannot go wrong with the Super Fast
Zuikos.
Second - Lens size is a necessary evil, will you carry a 250 f 2 or a 350 f2.8
with you or would a light small 300 f4.5 get the call? My tripod, 500mm and
body/motor drive weighs over 20 pounds.
Third - Nature / Wildlife photography requires us to shoot in low light
conditions. Early or late in the day or on cloudy days when the light is
best. Take your camera outside in the early am, set it to f4 and see what
shutter speed you can use. 1/60th and 125th won't cut it for wildlife most of
the time, there is always some part of the animal moving, or so it seems.
Fourth - You cannot have too many MM's. 250 and 300mm are on the LOW end for
wildlife. You will always want more.
The following is my system I have been using and I am quite satisfied with it.
500mm Sigma APO f 4.5 and Zuiko 300 f 4.5. I also have a Tamron 300mm f2.8
that I pull out first in low light and change to the 300mm Zuiko when / if the
light permits.
While I would love to use Velvia asa 50 all the time, because of the slow
f4.5, I use Astia 100 asa. The difference in shutter speeds I can use with
the 100 asa makes a difference to the number of keepers.
My "someday" wish list would be 1) 350 f2.8 and I would not hesitate to keep a
1.4 xa attached most of the time. 2) a 250 f2 on another body with Velvia
loaded. But, I would not give up my 300 f4.5 or my 180 f2.8. They are always
in my camera bag. My big teles are not, they are just to big to carry around.
Good luck with your decision,
BW
Richard_Dale@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
<< For a fast zuiko telephoto what would members of the list recommend:
180 F2,
250 f2
or 350 f2.8
with or without 1.4 converter. Does that degrade performance noticeably, eg
180 + 1.4 compared with 250.
I could only afford one, once my finances have settled down from the last
batch of purchases.
I would like to use it for motor racing/nature photography etc.
I'm not sure if the 2nd hand prices are similar, dependent on condition
etc.
Is it worth splashing out or are the 180 f2.8 or 300 f4.5 nearly as good in
practice.
Thanks
Richard >>
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