lens advice please for a novice

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Brooklynodog

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Paul
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I have a lumix G2 and would like a zoom lens suitable for bird watching photos. I am not a millionaire, and would be grateful for any advice please.
 
The price of good lenses goes up horribly as the focal length increases. So to save money find ways of attracting the birds to come closer to you, such as a bird feeder, bird watching hides, even parks where people feed tame ducks, geese, swans, moor hens, and occasional passing exotica.
 
The only really affordable lens I can suggest would be either the Panasonic LUMIX 100-300mm f4-5.6 or the Olympus M Zuiko 75-300 both of which are good on your camera. The effective focal length will allow you 600mm equivalent at the long end (crop factor being 2 on the g2).
These lenses are circa £380 -400 new but good secondhand copies can be picked up around £230-260 so not too expensive but that depends on your individual budget.
Some people use older non digital lenses with an adaptor which can be picked up for relatively cheap prices but would only allow manual focussing.
Hope this helps.
 
Thanks, i'll look into those. Forgive my ignorance, but what is crop factor?
 
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I can recommend the Panasonic 100-300. It is a very good lens and sharp up to around 275mm giving you 550mm equivalent.
 
Brooklynodog said:
Thanks, i'll look into those. Forgive my ignorance, but what is crop factor?
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With your type of camera Micro 4/3, the sensor gives an equivalent focal length of 2x the actual length of the lens so whatever the lens says, you double the effective length when compared to a 35mm camera. In other words your pictures will appear 2 times closer than the lens indicates. For example a 300mm lens will give you the equivalent of 600mm.
I hope that explains it, maybe someone else could do it better.
 
I've tried both the Panasonic 100-300 and Olympus 75-300 and preferred the Panasonic even though I was using it in an Olympus body. On the copies I had the Panny was sharper, especially at the long end. However, I've heard others say the opposite so it would suggest there's quite a bit of sample variation. The Panny is faster so lets more light in at the long end, but ideally you want to be stopping these lenses down to f8 to get the best from them anyway.

Neither are fast focussing lenses and they do hunt a lot. Combine this with the AF systems on m4/3 they don't make the best combo for moving subjects, particularly birds in flight, however for static birds and wildlife they're fine (except for the hunting).

Last thing to note is the Olympus 75-300 is smaller and lighter than the Panny 100-300. I wouldn't recommend anything shorter for birding tbh.
 
Brooklynodog said:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252303075203?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2648&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

I appreciate its manual focus
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It's an old lens which as you say will be manual focus. I haven't personally any experience with these lenses so can't really comment as to how good or bad they are.
Personally I would go for the Panasonic 100-300 m4/3 lens, I'm sure one will turn up somewhere at the right price. There are a few on Flebay at the moment but if you can wait, you'll do better here and you'll also know it's history.
 
Had a look on the classified section, but as a new member I dont get access for 2 months, and need the lens soon as I am going to Slimbridge over Easter
 
Just had a quick look for you for the Panny and Camera World is the cheapest UK new at £365 or Fleabay have a secondhand Buy it Now at £268. There the best I can find.
Hope you get sorted soon.
 
What lenses have you got?
I'm only asking because you could try a 45-200 or 45-175mm lens which are a lot less expensive but aren't really ideal birding lenses unless you get close. Having said that, it would give you the equivalent of 350-400 at the longest end which isn't too bad.
Just a thought.
 
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