 Great value
This is a big lens. Compared to the kit lenses, this is about twice the length and one third more girth, giving about 3x the overall heft of the kit lenses. You want to brandish this at your Nikon-toting friend and say "No, mate, this is a lens" like Crocodile Dundee.
The girth means that, mounted on an E510, when you put the camera down the camera rests partly on the lens. This makes the lens more prone to cosmetic scuffs unless you are very careful. Otherwise, though, it handles nicely on this camera. It may slightly overbalance an E410 body.
It is not particularly fast, f/4.0, but this is a realistic speed at this price level. It is fast enough to use inside at high-ish ISO's and shorter zooms. It makes a nice portrait lens at 70mm, it seems to do a better job with shortening the depth-of-field compared to the 40-150.
It does not have a tripod bracket on the lens, a sad economy. The upshot is that it does not work well with monopods or cheap tripods, because the high-frequency shakes generated from the tip of the heavy lens pogo-ing a cheap monopod leg appears to be outside the range that the in-camera IS (Image Stabilization) is programmed for. Fortunately, if you merely hand-hold, the IS works so well you'd think it was optimized for this lens.
It is hard to criticize at this price. I picked mine up while Olympus were running a $100 off deal, this bringing the price down to what might be considered "beer money". Even at the normal price, it is a steal. However, a well-heeled four thirds enthusiast might bypass this and go straight for the 50-200, an item from the High Grade series, and heavily preferred by all the experts on the Olympus forums. A non-SWD 50-200 (if you can find one) is only a couple hundred dollars more. The 50-200 is a better useful range for most people, as the reach out to 300mm is not something that is often used unless you need a cheap wildlife lens.
 First Class Lens
As with all Olympus products, the movements are silky smooth. Good autofocussing and a sharp image from edge to edge.
Just What I Needed
I had been reading about the Olympus 70-300mm for quite awhile. I am interested in wildlife, mainly birding right now and wanted something to bring me a little closer to my subjects. I was afraid to order this lens at first. I kept reading how it was horrible in low light and that there was a large learning curve to boot. Finally, I took the plunge and I am glad I did! From the moment I put it on my E520, I have gotten beautiful pictures, not only of the birds, but the moon too! I couldnt be happier! Dont be afraid to try this lens. It is alot of lens for a small price.
Love it! Love it!
I am very happy purchasing this Olympus Zuiko 70-300mm Lens
I feel bad that I am ignoring my other lenses.
But, it is awesome!
great option for less money
This is an excellent lens that doesn't cost thoussnds of dollars. I have used it now for several weeks and it's easy to focus, has given me great pictures and gives me the zoom quality I wanted.
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