I have been using a range of Olympus' "High Grade" lenses, including the 50mm Macro, the 14-54mm, 11-22mm, and the 12-60mm. Each of those lenses have been great. Some better than others in either sharpness or color reproduction. But I can't complain about any of them. I've always wondered how much better could Olympus' line of "Super High Grade" lenses possibly be. After a lot of research, some consideration for the focal range I need most, I finally took the dive and bought this lens.
I just can't believe the quality of the shots I'm getting with this lens. Colors are noticeably richer, and sharpness is incredible. I would describe the difference between this lens and the regular "high grade" lenses as being as profound a boost in quality as I experienced when I went from the standard kit lenses to my first "High Grade" lens. Probably even more so. it's like I am shooting with two different cameras. I'm just blown away by the quality of my shots with this lens. Also I love the bokeh I get with this lens (bokeh=out of focus blur behind the subject you're focused on). Between the bokeh, 2.0 aperture and the focal range I'm finally able to get the types of shots that have been escaping me with my other lenses. Focal range is great; 35mm-100mm gives me a nice sweet spot where 35mm isn't too tight to be unusable in some indoor situations, and 100mm gets me close enough. For some types of indoor shooting I found my 50-200mm lense was too tight at the wide end, and while it was nice to get in tight at the long end I found I didn't need to be as close as 200mm got me on the long end. This lens solves problems such as that one. I also love that the aperture is fixed at 2.0. Now I can zoom in without having to worry about sacrificing f-stops.
The lens weighs a ton. It's heavier than my 50-200mm Zuiko. It's also a little bigger. So don't expect to use this as your "walk around lens". Focus is pretty fast, and it also seems to focus fairly quickly in low-light situations. I won't say anything about distortion or abrasion because I haven't seen any so far. Enough said about that.
The lens may seem pricey, but it's a pro-quality lens. You get what you pay for. It's not for the usual hobbyist, and not something you buy your kid for his birthday. If you want/need pro-quality results, this lens is a must-have. Great for portraiture and medium telephoto shooting. If you're what they call a serious/advanced hobbyist I would suggest you consider your needs and think about this lens. Maybe save up for a while and make it the next big purchase you make toward your photography. However if you're shooting with an evolt (e500, e510, etc) I suggest serious/advanced hobbyists upgrade to an E3 before spending money on this lens. You'll find an E3 does more for your all-around shooting than a pro-lens will. But that's up to you.
If you're a pro looking for your next great lens, you've found it. Aside from the quality of the shots coming out of this lens it's also a great performer in terms of controlling CA (again, I've not seen any yet), focus and that oh-so-sweet fixed aperture. This lens is giving me better quality shots than I've seen from the Canon 5d and even the 40d.
Anyway, I don't regret buying this lens at all. In fact I'm most excited about the results and potential of this lens than I've been with any of my past lens purchases. I'm really in love with it!
I'm including a couple of images I took with the lens. You can see for yourself how great it is.
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