Lens Topics Nice Piece of Glass....Better hurry!!! 600mm

[65165]

Yep I've got one too.......

This guy Was asking $999......................

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Ron

[steve16823]

Originally Posted by 65165

Yep I've got one too.......

This guy Was asking $999......................

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Ron

Just as a price reference for those who might be interested, John H is selling one at www.zuiko.com for $649.

[AbeakerZ]

Yup. Nice lens, for still or slowly moving objects. I've been meaning to post a review about it here, just never seem to get around to it.





Fortunately the moon is a fairly slow moving object, until you put a 2x teleconverter on a 600mm lens. Still doable though.

[65165]

Originally Posted by steve16823

Just as a price reference for those who might be interested, John H is selling one at www.zuiko.com for $649.

This one overall looks to be in better shape than the one listed above.

BTW.....the focus wheels.......

The one on the right is course adjustment and the other is a very fine adjustment....if my memory is correct..

Ron

[Petephoto1]

Abeaker Z would you please?, nice find Ron cheers Pete

[whaleshark]

So it's not a sports lens and it's not going to catch a BIF. What other subjects would this be good for? At f/6.5 it's got to be used in bright sunlight. The moon shot is very sharp.

[AbeakerZ]

The focusing knobs are indeed an issue with this lens. That's why I say its for slow moving objects. Although a year or so ago someone over at DP Review posted some shots he did at an air race with this lens. He pre-focused on a spot and hit the shutter when the planes came around. Birds in flight would be beyond my ability with this lens but birds in walk are quite doable.





In the desert, bright light for a slower lens isn't much of a problem. I normally keep it at f8 where my copy is a little sharper.

On the left and right focus knobs the left one does the focusing and the right one adjust the tension, like the drag on a fishing reel. I learned that pointing it up at the moon and having the weight of the rig pull it out of focus. That's because this lens focuses like a telescope. When you turn the focus knob it does not move internal lens elements. It literally moves the camera in and out changing the distance of the sensor to the lens. To see it in action you can look at my pbase sight here:

http://www.pbase.com/abeakerz/600mm&page=all

I also have it next to a 50-200 in some shots.

[65165]

Originally Posted by whaleshark

So it's not a sports lens and it's not going to catch a BIF. What other subjects would this be good for? At f/6.5 it's got to be used in bright sunlight. The moon shot is very sharp.

Nope not a sports lens per say...........

But IMHO this is a nice compact 600mm Bazooka!

Ron

[65165]

Originally Posted by 65165

This one overall looks to be in better shape than the one listed above.

BTW.....the focus wheels.......

The one on the right is course adjustment and the other is a very fine adjustment....if my memory is correct..

Ron

Update: I have this lens right in front of me......serial #101017

Without extending the hood it's approximately 16" in length, the hood is about 7 3/8" long.

The focusing wheels on mine appear to be as I earlier stated: Right side course and left fine adjustments. For instance......with the 50 foot marker showing it takes a approx. 1/2 turn to get to the 70 marker using the right hand wheel. Using the left hand-wheel it takes approx. 2 full rotations from 50 to 70....

Compared to the Nikon 600mm F/4 I shoot with the E-3 this Oly is a jewel in good light.....

Ron

[AbeakerZ]

It is a beauty of a lens. I haven't used it since I got the Bigma. Occasionally I think about selling it but can never bring myself to do it.

I found it much easier to focus on the 510 as opposed to the 300. I'm going to have to put it on the 30 and see what i can get.

I'll have to try those focus wheels again. Obviously i bought mine used so no manual.

[65165]

Originally Posted by AbeakerZ

It is a beauty of a lens. I haven't used it since I got the Bigma. Occasionally I think about selling it but can never bring myself to do it.

I found it much easier to focus on the 510 as opposed to the 300. I'm going to have to put it on the 30 and see what i can get.

I'll have to try those focus wheels again. Obviously i bought mine used so no manual.

I also have the Bigma, and at the long end I like the IQ of the Oly 600mm compared to the 500mm on the Sigma....

Ron

[whaleshark]

This lens looks interesting for special purposes, such as extreme viewpoints and animals from afar. I have the tripod for it too.
I've never used a legacy lens before, the Oly DZ are so good it's all I have.

It's a legacy lens made for film so it requires an OM to 4/3 adapter, right?

It focuses manually, with the knobs, that's a given.

What about exposure? Do you set aperture on the lens and the E-3 sets shutter speed? Do you shoot manual exposure entirely, which I do anyway? Will the E-3, etc give you an exposure reading (+ or - up to 3 stops) with legacy lenses? You can use the histogram in review to check and modify exposure until you get it dialed in. Is there a more direct way to achieve correct exposure with legacy lenses?

The bidding is already going up this morning. It's near my limit already. This lens could be converted for use on a Canon and I've seen Olympus legacy lenses like the 350 mm f/2.8 modified to fit a FF Nikon by changing the mount. So lots of people will be bidding on it later.

Anyone care to agree on what it's worth? I saw the one ad for it at $650 in the link above. But that's more than I'd pay when there are so many SHG lenses on my list ahead of this one. Any thoughts?

[ken610]

Go for it, Dave! I would see its value to me at $300 or so, but there are 6 hours left, and I suspect that it would go for close to the used one on B&H at $499. This one includes clear filter, so it might go for a bit more. I want the Big Tuna much more than this one, so I'll pass.

[whaleshark]

Thanks Ken,
I'm a lot more interested in the SHG 14-35 f/2 and 35-100 f/2. That 150 f/2 you got last week is a great catch too. This 600 mm f/6.3 is in a special nitch that has limited use for me so the top value I'd pay is probably less than what it's worth. It will probably close for higher than what I'd bid too. I'm not doing a lot of birding where I'd get more use out of this lens.

I wonder why the ad says, "When using a tripod, hold the camera steady with both hands and press the shutter release with the ball of finger, not with the cable release." Why not use a cable release? Do you have to steady the camera by holding it?

Got your PM on the lens purchase and lens collar. Not to worry about me. I wasn't that serious about getting another E-3. It was really the 150 mm f/2 I was interested in. Good for you, getting it at that price.

[ken610]

Thanks, Dave. That would be an interesting lens to play with, but it is not in my mainstream plan. I'd be tempted to put in a snipe for the last 20 sec at $180, but I'm not even going to do that. Got to save for the 300/2.8! I just sent a query off to the seller asking what exact filter and quality level it is. Hopefully, he will post a reply soon.

My initial playing with the 150 looks good, but the birds in my back yard have been uncooperative, and I have only squeezed off a couple of hurried shots so far. I am making a device for testing sharpness and focus accuracy of many of my lenses, so I will use the 150 as the first set of tests.

[whaleshark]

Originally Posted by ken610

Thanks, Dave. That would be an interesting lens to play with, but it is not in my mainstream plan. I'd be tempted to put in a snipe for the last 20 sec at $180, but I'm not even going to do that. Got to save for the 300/2.8! I just sent a query off to the seller asking what exact filter and quality level it is. Hopefully, he will post a reply soon.

...

Ken,
The bidding is alrready at $240.00 3 hours before closing. That's about $40 past my limit for this lens.

I sent an inquiry about the condition of the lens and got his reply back. His response suggests he doesn't know much about this lens or lenses in general. He's just reselling it.

I asked:

... What type of camera have you been using this with? Does it have a standard OM mount? What is the condition of the front and rear elements, any scratches? Is there any dust or fungus on the interior? Any marks, scuffs or dings on the lens barrel?
How is the focus mechanism? Is it smooth? I understand there is a 2-part dial, 1 knob for focus and the other for tension adjustment. How smoothly do these work? Can you rate the lens condition with some detail on elements, interior and barrel?
Thanks

I got this reply back:

Hi, to be honest I don;t know much about cameras. I am selling this for a friend. The info I posted was from a web site. However I looked again closely at the lens and I do not see any scratches or fungi,everything is clean. The mount looks to be a normal om mount. The barrel is nice no dents or scuffs. The focus works nice and smooth, both parts. I think the lens is in very good condition, the paint is nice all the settings are nice and clean. I hope I was helpful. Thanks for your bid and interest.
Tim
- 8713timothy

[David M]

Originally Posted by 65165

Compared to the Nikon 600mm F/4 I shoot with the E-3 this Oly is a jewel in good light.....

Ron

I always preferred the 600mm F/5.6 Nikkor to the F/4 to the extent I had one converted to an OM mount 20 years ago.

I sometimes wish I'd kept it just to try on a 4/3 body.

[akfreak]

I spoke to the man on the phone an Hour before the lens sold. He didn't seem to know anything at all, He said he was selling for a friend, I asked him to take the rear cap off, and the front filter, Put a small LED flash light pointed at an angle thru the back, them take his camera and shoot some pics.

I hate when people list camera gear and cant take decent shots of the product. He was thinking it was worth $1000.00 I said it would sell for around $450-475. I was close. Since I could not see the inside of the lens I bid $360ish, I was mainly concerned with fungus and dust, I got burned on a 50 1.4 last month so I am Leary of those who sell lenses and shy away posting images through the lens to really see whats inside.

I hope one of us got it and it is a dandy as he described to me over the phone. I am sad I didnt win but that means more pennies saved for the next Must have piece of gear,

[whaleshark]

Originally Posted by akfreak

I spoke to the man on the phone an Hour before the lens sold. He didn't seem to know anything at all, He said he was selling for a friend, I asked him to take the rear cap off, and the front filter, Put a small LED flash light pointed at an angle thru the back, them take his camera and shoot some pics.

I hate when people list camera gear and cant take decent shots of the product. ...

AkFreak,
I agree. I tend not to bid if the seller does not know what he has, how to test it and how to describe it. If the photos are poor, they need to try again or provide more info. I ask a lot of questions.

What do you look for when you aim an IR light beam through the back element? And can you see that in a low res image? Not everyone has an IR beam handy. And most people don't know where to focus when shooting the lens elements. As in, "Oh, nice close-up of the filter threads, can we see the front element now?"

I'd like to know what you're looking for so I can test this in lenses I may buy. Thanks,

[65165]

Originally Posted by David M

I always preferred the 600mm F/5.6 Nikkor to the F/4 to the extent I had one converted to an OM mount 20 years ago.

I sometimes wish I'd kept it just to try on a 4/3 body.

I considered the 5.6 due to it being smaller...lighter in weight.....

But went with the F/4 instead....

I hope I was able to help someone capture this Oly....what a deal if it's like mine.....which is in Ex ++ condition.....

Ron

[RoyGBiv]

Wow, that sucker's HUGE! Is there any OM lens longer than 600?

[65165]

Originally Posted by RoyGBiv

Wow, that sucker's HUGE! Is there any OM lens longer than 600?

Well...........yes there is :

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography...mls/1000mm.htm


Ron

[David M]

Originally Posted by RoyGBiv

Wow, that sucker's HUGE! Is there any OM lens longer than 600?

There was a 1000mm f/11 which is a lot rarer than the 600mm.

There was also a 800mm listed in the early days of the OM system but I can't remember what the maximum aperture was. I seem to recall seeing a photo of it but it must have been a prototype as it was never released.

There was a few telephotos listed at the launch of the OM system that never made it into production.

[David M]

Originally Posted by 65165

I considered the 5.6 due to it being smaller...lighter in weight.....

But went with the F/4 instead....

Ron

Exactly why I went with the 5.6

I also seem to think the minimum focus distance was shorter on the 5.6 which would have been another benefit for me.

[65165]

For Your Information.......

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Ron