[caption id="attachment_3449" align="alignright" width="210" caption="A super fast telephoto option for Olympus shooters!"]
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Typically I try to review newer products because people are always interested in the here and now. Most new cameras probably get more buzz than they should. However, there are still a lot of products out there that I haven't tried yet. It's somewhat foolish to only be overly concerned with what just came out. There are often older lenses that aren't updated every year like silly cameras are. So what about f/2 zoom lenses? Woah! Believe it or not, f/2 is an entire stop faster than f/2.8! Despite some of its advantages in terms of size and the ability to achieve super long equivalent focal lengths, the 4/3rds size sensor does have limitations, such as achieving shallow depth of field and less-than-stellar image quality at high ISO settings. Still, Olympus has done a venerable job considering these limitations. One of their best efforts is the 35-100mm f/2 ED telephoto lens. The ultra-fast aperture of f/2.0 soaks in a whole lot of light and helps achieve very shallow depth of field on the small 4/3rds sensor. Here are the technical specifications of the lens, my thoughts, and some sample images. (click 'MORE')
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Where/How I Tested This Lens
I tested this lens in a secret, professional testing ground here in New Jersey. The windows are tall and let in the perfect amount of natural light on a cloudy day. Some people are probably wondering why I would test a lens on a cloudy day... Well, think of the sun as a giant light and all of the clouds as God's softbox, if you will. Light on a cloudy day coming through a window can create beautiful lighting for portraiture. I had an assistant with a silver reflector in most of the test shots as well. In the past, I have done an extensive review of the E-PL1, but this is our first Olympus lens review. I used the Olympus E-5 to test the 35-100mm f/2.0, but didn't think it would be fair to review a camera based on the brief time shooting with it.
[caption id="attachment_3472" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Instead of a lens chart, I figured it would be nice to have Mercedes as the first picture in this review. A bit easier on the eyes. (ISO 200 f/4.0 42mm)"]
[/caption] SPECIFICATIONS
[/caption] SPECIFICATIONS
Construction: 21 Elements in 18 Groups, 1 Super ED lens and 4 ED lenses
Effective Focal Length: 35mm - 100mm ( 35mm equivalent focal length 70mm - 200mm )
Angle of View: 34° to 12°
Maximum Aperture: f/2
This is crazy fast for a zoom lens. Olympus is the only company that makes f/2 zoom lenses. There have been rumors about Canon making an f/2 mid-range zoom, probably an EF-S mount. The smaller required area of sensor coverage (4/3rds size sensor) is what makes this possible.
Minimum Aperture: f/22
Minimum Focusing Distance: 1.4m (55.12 in)
The actual front element will be closer to the subject.
Maximum Magnification: 0.09x (35mm equivalent Maximum Image Magnification 0.18x)
Aperture Diaphragm: 9 (Circular aperture diaphragm)
Filter Thread Size: 77mm
Length: 213.5mm
Weight: 1,650g (without Tripod Adapter / Tripod Adapter: 150g)
Lens Cap: 77mm (LC-77)
Lens Hood: Included petal shaped shade. (LH-82)
Teleconverters: On the Olympus website it lists EC-14 as a teleconverter. This is Olympus's 1.4x converter. They make a 2x converter as well, which I imagine SHOULD work, but it isn't listed.
One smart thing Olympus decided to include is a panel that can be slid down to adjust a variable filter, such as a circular polarizer or variable ND.
[caption id="attachment_3495" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Smile! Mercedes was a great model and patiently waited for me to get used to the Olympus E-5 while I was shooting. (ISO 200 f/2.0 1/500s 53mm) "]
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SHARPNESS/PERFORMANCE
Extremely sharp. This is one of the sharpest lenses I have used to date. Am I exaggerating? Maybe a little bit, but I am just not used to having a lens be so sharp stopped down at 2.8. That sounds funny for a zoom lens, "stopped down to 2.8." Obviously, the lens is not at peak performance when shot wide open at f/2.0 -- no lens is -- but it is still very sharp and perfect for portraits. It is also plenty sharp for printing. If you shoot professionally with Olympus cameras, like John Issac, Michael Yamashita, or Jay Dickman... You need this lens. In fact, you probably already have it. For those of you out there who have an Olympus DSLR and want the perfect portrait lens, this is it. You won't regret the purchase as there is no comparable 3rd party option.
P.S. Jay Dickman will be giving an informative lecture on story telling/narrative photography here at Unique Photo on May 18th. Be sure to stop by if you are in the area. It's only $20 to sign up and you get a $20 Unique Photo giftcard for attending!
[caption id="attachment_3489" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="As you can see from the MTF chart Olympus provided the 35-100mm f/2.0 ED is a strong performer, even when shot wide open. However always take these charts with a grain of salt, the proof is always in the pictures!"]
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In terms of chromatic aberration, it's always hard to handle when dealing with fast lenses. Even the fastest and most expensive fixed focal length lenses will suffer from chromatic aberration when shot wide open, especially at shorter focal lengths. Still, the 35-100mm f/2.0 ED handles aberration quite well. When shooting at 35mm and f/2.0, the lens shows some slight CA, but overall, it isn't a problem. Olympus did a fabulous job in this regard.
The same can be said about distortion; there is no noticeable distortion at any focal length. Other reviews I have read online claim flares/ghosting can be a problem with this lens. It makes sense because there are so many groups/elements in this lens. However, putting the lens shade on and not pointing it directly towards the sun should work in most situations! ;) Unlike fast tele-zooms made by competitors, the Olympus 35-100mm f/2.0 ED doesn't suffer from light fall-off or vignetting. Again, if you shoot at 35mm and wide open, you will see a slight amount of it, but stopping down to f/2.8 solves that problem right away. This leads me to believe the image circle is probably larger than the 4/3rds sensor, but don't get too excited... it probably wouldn't even cover DX format.
[caption id="attachment_3476" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Sharp wide-open at f/2.0, giving very shallow depth of field which is flattering and powerful for portraiture. (ISO 200 f/2.0 1/200 66mm)"]
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FOCUSING
Focusing Speed: Not always what you would expect from a $2000+ lens. Mounted on a pro body like the Olympus E-5, the 35-100mm f/2.0 rips back and forth focusing. Unfortunately, it's a tad noisy because of the older design. If you've ever used an older autofocus lens, you know the noise I'm talking about. It isn't pretty, so if you're going to be photographing a piano recital, you should probably focus manually. ;) Sadly, the lens would get lost at times when trying to focus. About every 15 shots or so, especially in lower light, the lens would start searching back and forth. Overall, I wasn't overly impressed with the focusing speed of the 35-100 f/2.0 ED, but it wasn't unbearable or unusable either.
Focusing Accuracy: When shooting wide open at f/2.0, it is important for you to nail focus. However, the smaller size sensor in Olympus cameras means more depth of field at wider apertures. For example, the depth of field you get at f/2.0 on a 4/3rds size sensor is about equal to f/2.8 on a DX sensor or f/4 on a full frame sensor. That nerdy stuff being said, the 35-100mm f/2.0 ED focuses accurately. Out of all the shots I took, the lens only missed once or twice and I can't blame the lens entirely. It probably has at least something to do with my unfamiliarity of the new E-5 or Olympus E-Series cameras in general. Unlike the focusing speed of the 35-100mm f/2.0 ED, the accuracy was dead-on and I was very satisfied.
Manual Focusing: Smooth with a nice amount of resistance. The manual focus ring is much nicer than the somewhat clumsy and loose zoom ring on the lens. Again, not a major complaint in regards to the zoom ring, but when talking about a professional piece of equipment, you have to nitpick a little bit, right?
Stabilization: All Olympus DSLRs have in-body stabilization. One would normally think the lens would be smaller without stabilization elements; however, let's not forget that this is a lens with an aperture of f/2, so it is bigger than a f/2.8 variant would be. This sucker is even slightly heavier than both the new Canon and Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 offerings.
[caption id="attachment_3494" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Even when shot wide open at f/2.0, the 4/3rds sensor doesn't show depth of field in the same way that f/2.0 would on a larger format camera. (ISO 200 f/2.0 1/200s 42mm) "]
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SUMMARY
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If you are an Olympus E-Series owner, you should already have this lens. If you don't, there is something wrong with you. There is a $200 instant rebate on this lens right now as well! I know not everyone out there is ready to drop that much money on a lens, but again, if you're an Olympus shooter who is serious about photographing portraits, events, or any sort of subject on the move in low light, this is the lens for you. The 35-100mm f/2.0 ED is one of the lenses that allows you to really produce stunning portraits with shallow depth of field on a 4/3rds size sensor. While there are some drawbacks, such as average focusing speed in low light and a slightly noisy autofocus motor, everything else is perfect. The build quality is up to par or better than 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses from Canon/Nikon. The sharpness and performance of the lens is also just about on the same level as the newest 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses out there. If I were an Olympus shooter, this is the first lens I would buy.
[caption id="attachment_3497" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="One last sample image for good measure. (ISO 200 f/4 1/200s 57mm)"]
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