Well, the lens arrived yesterday via FedEx (with a brief stop at Canada
Customs to collect a horrific amount of GST). Hands trembling, I opened
the box, prised the custom-fitted case out, flipped open the latches and
eased the case top back.
Oh ... my ... *God*.
If anything, the lens is in even *better* shape than the seller described
it, almost indistinguishable from brand new. There's not a mark on the
front or rear elements, no dust inside (unsurprising -- the 250/2.0 uses an
internal focusing mechanism, so there's little opportunity for dust to
enter the lens interior other than via the drop-in rear filter holder), no
fungus, no haze, nothing, nada, bugger-all, squat, zip, zilch, zero, not a
sausage. A slight coating of dust on the front external element yielded
immediately to a blast of canned air. Original *everything* came packed
with the lens.
Wow, man.
This thing is heavy. Oly specs says 3.9 kg (about 8.6 lbs.), which is the
same as the 350/2.8. I did some hand-holding of it with an OM-2sp
attached, imaging our neighbour's house across the street. Hard to do
(but, surprisingly, not impossible -- though any lengthy session would have
your arms trembling in no time). And is it ever BRIGHT! Focusing is
smooth and silky, depth of field is amazingly shallow at wide apertures
(our neighbour's front door is about 100 ft. [30 metres] from our
living-room window, and when focusing on the lettering on the mailbox
beside the door [which can't be more than a foot closer], the detail on the
door is slightly out of focus).
I'm still having problems understanding or accepting how this lens could
have been sold to me for the price I bid. It's worth more, that's for
sure. Please understand, I'm not gloating -- more like "dumbfounded." I'm
having trouble understanding why the seller set his reserve so low, why
others didn't bid past me, etc. In the shape it's in, this lens should
have easily achieved a sale price approx. 750f new at B&H.
I guess that's the downside of eBay. No one can actually handle the
product, see for themselves all the details, answer all the niggling little
questions about build quality, pride of ownership (affects second-hand
quality), and so on.
Well, those are my first impressions, both of the lens and of the curious
circumstances which allowed me to win it. When I get a chance in the next
few weeks, I'll run some test rolls through and post some results.
Garth
"What contemptible scoundrel has stolen the cork to my lunch?"
-- W.C. Fields
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