Winsor:
I think that you observation is correct. I think the F/5 was a
marketing ploy that "most lenses from 28(?) to 200 used the 49 mm
filter.
I have both the 200 F/4 and the 200 F/5. I think the "4" is the better
lens. The larger lens balances nicely on a body, especially if you also
have Winder attached. The "5" has always felt "nose light" to me, and
is harder to handhold.
The 4 works wells with a Tokina 2X tele-convertor. The 5 is a disaster
with a 2X (F/10 anyone?).
Physically, the 5 is a cute little bugger. It's about the same size as
the 135 mm Hektor for the Leica. My 5 is in much better cosmetic
condition, and cost me about 2X of the 4. ($139 vs $68 for the 4).
The lens hood on the 4 will easily unscrew, should a replacement be
needed. The hood on the 5 would require disassembly of the lens to
remove and replace.
I bought mine from Wall Street Camera. They had two of them when I last
looked at:
http://www.wallstreetcamera.com/cgi-bin/3_script.cgi?recno=11
I suspect a zoom that included the 200 mm focal length would be a more
useful lens for most people.
Bill Stanke
Winsor Crosby wrote:
>
> >Both are nice but what?s the real world difference between an F/5
> >and a F/4?... The F/4 with 55mm ring is a compact and useful
> >telephoto. What is so special about a 200 F/5?it's harder to find???
> >So what!
>
> Apparently there were some differences, at least in Gary Reese's
> testing. Like 4 stops with an A rating with the F4 and only one with
> the F5. It is interesting that the F5 is one of the few compact
> lenses that Olympus retired. I think they saw the F4 as an improved
> replacement, not just a larger speed alternative.
> http://members.aol.com/olympusom/lenstests/default.htm
>
> --
> Winsor Crosby
> Long Beach, California
>
> ?
>
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