Lens envy

I’ve got lenses on the brain at the moment, for some reason. Almost certainly a form of displacement activity. Specifically, Olympus lenses. I feel like I should want a new one (not that I can afford one), and it’s like I’ve been trying to work up a desire for one. But I can’t make much of a case for anything.

Which is weird, because there are some very desirable Olympus lenses out there. Like the 14-35mm f/2.0, the 35-100 f/2.0, or the longer 90-250 f/2.8 or even the ultimate 300mm f/2.8.  But even if I had them, I don’t know what I’d do with them. The mid range lenses I’ve already got are so just so good…

I don’t think I’d have a lot of use for the 14-35. I’m already well covered at the wide end with the 7-14 (the only top-end lens I own) and the 12-60.  The extra depth of field control of the 14-35 would be fun to play with, but I can’t really imagine that I’d do anything genuinely interesting with it. Just gimmickry. The 35-100 is just not for me. Seems to be much more a portrait / events lens, neither of which I’m interested in. And it is very cumbersome. Within the range overlap, the 50-200 just has too many advantages. And the 150mm f/2.0 is probably a gorgeous lens, but too limited, although I guess with a 1.4 teleconverter on it it has some appeal. Still, again, how much real advantage over the 50-200 ? Not a lot, I imagine.

Possibly the one candidate for dream lens is the 90-250, but even then, the bulk and weight rather defeats the point of the E-System; given that the much lighter 50-200 often has to stay at home, this monster would spend most of its life in a closet.  Same goes for the 300mm, which, although the ultimate E-System telephoto, and possibly one of the best lenses ever made, ever, is not exactly portable.

I guess Olympus really slipped up by omitting to produce a bunch of barely adequate mid-range and low-end lenses, but instead making them all excellent. It seems much easier to succumb to lens envy when you’re using another system.