Olympus 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 II Lens Review: A light supertele zoom gets a facelift and a nice price drop
posted Wednesday, September 24, 2014 at 1:28 PM EDT
Although Olympus is poised to release a 300mm f/4 Zuiko Pro lens in the near future, supertelephoto lenses have arguably been a bit of a weak spot in the Micro Four Thirds lens lineup. While it's almost a sure bet that the 300mm f/4 Pro will be priced at around the $1500 mark or above, for more budget-conscious photographers who want more flexibility from a zoom, less weight and don't mind the non-weather-sealed body and slower aperture range, the updated Olympus 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 II lens hit the spot nicely for most of your telephoto shooting needs.
Undergoing a facelift for a sleeker, cleaner design and featuring "Zuiko Extra-low Reflection Optical" lens coatings, the new "Version II" of the Olympus 75-300 lens is not significantly different from the original version. That is, except for the price. Dropping from around $800 to a more wallet-friendly $550 price tag, the new 75-300 lens is a great choice for shooters on a budget, but who still want to capture great photos of wildlife or any other far-away subjects.
On the performance side, the 75-300 produces very sharp images, especially at the shorter focal lenghts. Images soften up a bit at the longer end, particularly at 300mm. Like sharpness, CA is very well controlled at 75mm, but starts to appear more as you zoom to longer focal lengths. Other optical characteristics are quite good.
Head on over to SLRgear to read the full Olympus 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 II review, complete with our in-depth report, final conclusion as well as our full range of test results and sample images.
The Olympus 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 II is currently available now for $549, and can be purchased at one of our trusted affiliates: Amazon, Adorama and B&H. Purchasing this lens, or any other item, at one of these retailers helps support this site and keeps the reviews coming!
In the meantime, check out some sample photos shot by our senior lens technician Rob Murray using the Panasonic GX1. You can view more sample photos, plus download the full-resolution files, over at our Flickr page.
