Olympus 150mm f/2.0 ED Lens

Comments about Olympus 150mm f/2.0 ED Lens:

This is possibly the best telephoto lens - ever.
It's performance is great, even autofocus which is traditionally not the best on Olympus cameras works very well on E-5.

Lens is extremely sharp and detailed with beautifully smooth bokeh and great color and contrast.

I have used it with both EC-14 and EC-20 teleconverters and it delivers excellent results.

With EC-14, it's very sharp even wide open giving 212mm f2.8 and with EC-20, it's quite good wide open but significantly better stopped down to f5.6 (from f4).

Because the lens is quite compact compared to similar primes on other systems such as 200mm f2.0, 300mm f2.8 it's easy to handle and takes converters very well extending the usability greatly.

It's much cheaper than two other SHG primes - 90-250mm and 300mm 2.8, so unless one needs zoom of the 90-250 or extra reach of the 300mm, 150mm f2 can serve great with teleconverters for 1/3rd of the price and half the weight.

There are no negatives about this lens, it's optical power is superb, it's build quality is excellent and it's of course weather sealed, plus it works really well with teleconverters.

It's is not cheap, but it's worth every penny.

Comments about Olympus 150mm f/2.0 ED Lens:

Low light indoor shows, portraiture and landscape. A great lens to use with Zuiko extension tube for great marco shot. Beautiful bokeh and superb built (thank-like). Sharpness with the new E5 is absolutely superb. Many reviews mention that autofocus is slow but I find it perfect for my type of shooting. The autofocus limiter function on the lens prevents hunting. Among my top 3 Zuiko lens with the 8mm and 50mm. Please buy without hesitation if you can afford it. You will not regret it.

Comments about Olympus 150mm f/2.0 ED Lens:

If you're a photographer who can afford this and shoots any of the genres I listed under the Best Uses section, you can stop reading this and buy this lens right now. If that really isn't enough for you, then...

Where to begin with this lens?! First off, yes, it's heavy... it actually makes the SWD 50-200mm feel pretty light. But with this long of a reach and this fast of an aperture, what can you expect? You might not consider it a bad thing if your arms get a little more toned up as a result of using this Little Tuna often!

And yes, it's expensive, but again, it has a long reach with a fast aperture - you really do get what you pay for! If anything, the fact that it's expensive is almost a GOOD thing - it means you're 10000x less likely to take this lens for granted, or treat it like anything less than what it truly is - a STELLAR piece of glass! The Olympus 150mm f/2 is a lens where it's "disadvantages" make you work all that much harder to bring out the best in it... not that that takes much effort, which brings me to the good stuff...

First off - f/2 + 150mm = AMAZING bokeh! your backgrounds always end up nice & creamy, which makes your main subject pop out beautifully in the frame.

2nd - it's incredibly sharp, even wide open! with many lenses, even if they have an aperture of 2.8, they don't give you sharp images unless you stop down to 5.6 or smaller, which almost ruins the whole point of having a wide aperture. not so with Olympus! you can pretty much leave your aperture at f/2 the whole time and worry solely about shutter speed/ ISO.

3rd - color rendition and detail is flawless - once you get the perfect combo of ISO/ F-stop/ shutter speed, the colors you get with this lens actually look better/ more vibrant than they do with your naked eye (scary, isn't it?)

4th - a sharp, wide aperture is always welcome. it means i can use faster shutter speeds and not worry about camera shake (Olympus' in body image stabilization a big bonus). it means my external flashes/ speedlights don't need to work as hard to light up my subject (OR a whole room, if need be). it also means that lower ISOs are much more usable in low-light environments. some people like to complain about Olympus' grainier image output, but the sensors on their newer models have improved greatly, and having a lens with this fast of an aperture with you make those complaints virtually meaningless anyway.

Autofocus in both sunlight and shade is great, but of course slows down a little when the light/ contrast is low... I honestly see no need for an SWD version, seeing as to how those lenses act the exact same way. The focus limiter knob is a cool addition, although it might take a little getting used to - just be aware of where you are, distance-wise, in relation to your subject if you use it!

Basically, this lens is Olympus' 50mm f/2 taken to the next level, without the macro feature, but with a MUCH faster autofocus and longer reach!

An absolute gem.

Comments about Olympus 150mm f/2.0 ED Lens:

I have used this lense both for shooting outdoor (river and boating scenes) and during my granddaughter's indoor graduation. I appreciate it for the light that it allows. The indoor photos are great without flash. The focus was sharp and reveals much detail. I will be able to use this lenses in many applications.

Comments about Olympus 150mm f/2.0 ED Lens:

As I am coming up for retirement and will have more free time on my hands I decided to treat my self to a new camera and purchased the Olympus E3

I then decided to treat myself "again; I hope my wife dose not read this" and upgrade my kit buy adding this lovely lens. Yes it is a bit on the heavy side and expensive but to me this means quality and ruggedness and will withstand any bumps and knocks that will happen some time in the future and along with the added bonus of withstanding the British weather "mainly rain"

I have used this lens and was blown away by the quality of the images that I was getting; and being a novice I have not had time to really get to grips with the potential off this lovely lens I am now looking forward to putting up my images in our local camera club "watch out guy's you now have competition"

I would recommend this lens to any body who can afford it; I think it's well worth every hard earned penny

T D Sudds

Comments about Olympus 150mm f/2.0 ED Lens:

This is one superb piece of glass. As I also use the Canon 300mm f/2.8L, I felt somewhat sceptical about the claims that this was the 4/3rds equivalent. My doubts have proven unfounded, as this compact, sturdy little wonder can match its larger counterparts in every area but saturation, and even that is only borderline different. The real benefit of course is that it maintains the DOF of a 150mm lens at its effective new focal length, plus the gain of a stop of aperture speed. I bought it because I'm always working in a zoo area that is perpetually in shade, and needed all the help I could get. This fulfils my needs with flying colours. If you can find a niche for it, I can't recommend it highly enough.

Comments about Olympus 150mm f/2.0 ED Lens:

Bought at B&H, I use it with E-3 mainly for animals and people.
Incredibile bokeh but always sharp in focus. You will set to f2 anytime, however @ f2.2 reach the maximum.
In medium range the focus is fast, a little bit slower when the subject is close.
It is the only existing lens for an equivalent 300m @f2. When you think about this, you understand that it is also incredibily compact and not so heavy.

Comments about Olympus 150mm f/2.0 ED Lens:

As a Nature and Wildlfe photographer, this lens is a must. It is small, fast and sharp. I little heavy, but balances well when hand held. Olympus put some thought in the design of this lens. It is great in low light and really shows it stuff around f8, delivering that quality I look for.