Amazon has just dropped the price of this lens to £314.
This was still £350 yesterday.
The final price is £239 after the reliable £75 Olympus cashback.
Be sure to claim the cashback by midnight 15.08.2017.
Reach to 600mm with this micro lens in 35mm equivalence terms.
All comments (33)
DevilzGtr
17 May 17#1
jjmaia
17 May 17#2
Very nice, shame I can't spend money on a lens right now :disappointed:
ElGofre
17 May 172#3
There's really no direct competitor to this in the ILC camera world when it comes to a combination of size, reach and cost. Canon, Nikon and Pentax have their 70-300mm and 55-300mm lenses which are a similar size/price but they only get you to 450mm equivalent (or 480mm for Canon), while the next jump up in focal length is to the 100-400mm and 15-500/600mm lenses which are drastically more expensive and much larger. Paired with a M43 body with respectable tracking performance like the Panasonic GX8, this could make for an excellent sport/wildlife setup for under a grand that wouldn't require a monopod or break your back to use handheld.
For reference, here's the closest match I could find in the DSLR world for overall performance, reach, size and price- a Canon 760D with 70-300mm USM II. Comes in at a hair under £1000 right now (according to camerapricebuster) and has a max focal length equivalent of 480mm.
SirHugo
17 May 17#4
Tempted, but not sure how often I'd actually use this lens.
Think Amazon dropped the price to £314 to pricematch Wex and Park cameras. However those retailers are advertising it as £314 AFTER Olympus cashback, so don't know how long it'll stay that price on Amazon.
DevilzGtr to SirHugo
17 May 17#5
They did that with the 9-18mm a year or 2 ago unfortunately I missed out on that one :smile:
TK42
17 May 17#6
Hot!
bluep
17 May 17#7
They've done the same with the 9-18. It's down to £404 on Amazon to match Wex etc (but Wex says this is the after cash back price). Makes this lens £329 on Amazon.
bluep
17 May 17#8
And this place is terrible for my bank balance. Ordered both as if I don't like/use then can sell second hand nearly new and easily get my money back at these prices.
riverfisherman
17 May 17#9
great price
ferple
17 May 17#10
Possibly stupid question (noob) but will this fit a Nikon?
ElGofre to ferple
17 May 171#11
No, it's a different lens mount.
DevilzGtr
18 May 17#12
To whoever purchased this. Be sure to claim the cashback by midnight 15.08.2017.
There were 7 in stock at the time of posting but now its on back order.
There should be plenty of time for Amazon to stock up and send them out in time :smiley:
woldranger
18 May 17#13
Has anyone got first hand experience of this lens with a Panasonic body? I only have a short tele at the mo (the 35-100) and at this price, this looks a steal.
lilbeastie to woldranger
18 May 171#14
No, but i've just bought it so hopefully I'll soon be able to try it out on my aging GF2. Bear in mind you won't have any in-body stabilisation on your Panasonic body, so at 300mm (600 equivalent) you'll need a steady hand in anything but the brightest light. I get noticeably sharper results from my cheapy 40-150mm on my Olympus body than from the Panasonic - so much so that I never use that lens on the Panasonic and keep that body for shorter lenses.
At this price it's got to be worth a shot though - it's half the price of the equivalent Panny lens!
the-bunker to woldranger
18 May 17#16
Yes - it's a great lens at a great price, but note that it doesn't have lens stabilisation, so your Panasonic camera needs built in image stabilisation otherwise you will struggle to get sharp pictures on a long zoom like this. afaik Panasonic cameras with built in image stabilisation are: GX7, GX8, GX80/85, G85, GH5.
If your camera does not have built in image stabilisation, then either get the Panasonic 100-300, 100-400, or a cheap option is the Olympus 40-150 - it's cheap & no stabilisation but the shorter range will work in decent light.
KitKatFox to woldranger
18 May 17#22
I have a GX80 with a 12-32 and 35-100, really tempted by this to complete a full set of lenses. Having said that, the 35-100 is fantastic and I can't say I've had much cause to use a longer focal length, let alone use the 12-32mm.
fwestivus
18 May 17#15
Great price on this and the 45mm, nearly as good a deal with the 9-18 and 30mm, too.
Seems like this in good light is only a little worse than the 40-150+teleconverter, which is pretty neat.
the-bunker to fwestivus
18 May 17#18
I can also recommend the Sigma 60mm f2.8 - it is one of the sharpest lenses for Micro 4/3 cameras, and also one of the cheapest.
the-bunker
18 May 17#17
The GF2 is a great camera, but yes as you say will struggle with this lens. You could use a tri-pod though
Note - if you shop around you can find the Panasonic 100-300 for around £320 or maybe less. It's a bit heavier than the Olympus (by 100gr) & has built in stabilisation of course. The colours are better on the Panasonic, & the lens is a bit brighter but less contrast. The focus ring on the panasonic is a bit stiff - although many won't use it. Other than that, they are very comparable.
fwestivus
18 May 17#19
Their 30mm f1.4 is really nice, too, if a little on the large side. I prefer it to what I remember of the Panasonic 25/1.4 I used to have, anyway.
woldranger
18 May 17#20
Cheers. I've got a GX80, but I'm gonna have to hold off on this at the moment, I'm currently travelling around India!
DevilzGtr
18 May 17#21
It might be best to order for a future date and keep updating it to a later date til you get back. I'm sure the price won't stay like this for long :wink:
woldranger
19 May 17#23
If you use those 2, I'd recommend the 20mm 1.7 - it compliments that pair really well
realwheel
19 May 17#24
Having just returned from a trip using this lens I found it was great in bright sunshine but I suspect the max apperture of 6.7 at 300mm would limit its usefulness in uk weather.
fwestivus
19 May 17#25
They've updated the prices now, so everything has gone back up.
DevilzGtr
19 May 171#26
As suspected, the price has gone up by £75 which is the cashback price so whoever purchased at £314 essentially got £150 cashback :smile:
SirHugo to DevilzGtr
19 May 17#27
Luckily I ordered it yesterday! And it's also preparing for dispatch.
Was also looking at the OM-D E-M10 Mark II body, but that went back up £60 today - again the cashback equivalent.
I'd be interested to see how quickly (or not so quickly) people get the cashback through. When fuji were doing cashback offers a while back they were really quick, but I've not tried olympus before.
DevilzGtr to fwestivus
22 May 17#31
I've just submitted my claim and it says:
Please be advised that you should receive an email confirming the status of your claim within 10 business days.
I don't remember it taking too long from past claims.
fwestivus
23 May 17#32
Mine has just updated to being 'valid' and due for payment on 22/6/17, so not too bad at all.
fwestivus
1 Jun 17#33
Just got payment through, so that's a lot quicker than expected. Ace.
Opening post
This was still £350 yesterday.
The final price is £239 after the reliable £75 Olympus cashback.
Cashback claim link:
https://bonus.olympus.eu/customer-apply-for-promotion/?country_promotion=2&lng=en
Be sure to claim the cashback by midnight 15.08.2017.
Reach to 600mm with this micro lens in 35mm equivalence terms.
All comments (33)
For reference, here's the closest match I could find in the DSLR world for overall performance, reach, size and price- a Canon 760D with 70-300mm USM II. Comes in at a hair under £1000 right now (according to camerapricebuster) and has a max focal length equivalent of 480mm.
Think Amazon dropped the price to £314 to pricematch Wex and Park cameras. However those retailers are advertising it as £314 AFTER Olympus cashback, so don't know how long it'll stay that price on Amazon.
There were 7 in stock at the time of posting but now its on back order.
There should be plenty of time for Amazon to stock up and send them out in time :smiley:
At this price it's got to be worth a shot though - it's half the price of the equivalent Panny lens!
If your camera does not have built in image stabilisation, then either get the Panasonic 100-300, 100-400, or a cheap option is the Olympus 40-150 - it's cheap & no stabilisation but the shorter range will work in decent light.
Seems like this in good light is only a little worse than the 40-150+teleconverter, which is pretty neat.
Note - if you shop around you can find the Panasonic 100-300 for around £320 or maybe less. It's a bit heavier than the Olympus (by 100gr) & has built in stabilisation of course. The colours are better on the Panasonic, & the lens is a bit brighter but less contrast. The focus ring on the panasonic is a bit stiff - although many won't use it. Other than that, they are very comparable.
Was also looking at the OM-D E-M10 Mark II body, but that went back up £60 today - again the cashback equivalent.
There's a rumour the OM-D E-M10 Mark III will be announced in 6-8 weeks. Might be better deals on the Mark II later :wink:
http://www.43rumors.com/ft5-olympus-registered-a-new-camera-in-russia-its-the-e-m10iii/
Please be advised that you should receive an email confirming the status of your claim within 10 business days.
I don't remember it taking too long from past claims.