Olympus Lens

[Lou]

Hi, I have purchased an Olympus E500, it's seems to be just right for me as an entry level hobbyist.

My question is I understand this is somewhat of a new system but are there any lenses that I may interchange on this camera and still retain the auto features.

I would like to find a 300 mm or some type of extenders that would give me the equivalent. I've looked on the Olympus site and also some 3 rd party sites but I'm just not curtain what is compatible.

Thank you in advance, Lou

[Paul Shields]

Lou, all of the current Olympus Four Thirds lenses will work in auto mode with this camera. There are also some third party lenses from Sigma and Leica either here already or soon to be available. When you say you're looking for something around 300mm, are you referring to the same focal length as found on a 35mm camera? If so, then a cheap (but very good quality) option is something like the Olympus 40-150mm. Note that you need to double the numbers to get to a '35mm' focal length, so this would give you 80-300mm.

[Lou]

Hi Paul, thank you for your information. May I please ask to clarify, the Olympus 40-150 is equivalent to a 80-300 lens for a 35 MM film camera? And also why is that?

[Benjamin0615]

lou, congratulations on buying in to the four/thirds standard. here is a link to a four/thirds info pdf document. The information here is pretty basic but it will show you several really cool things about your camera, as well as the reasons why the focal length is double. I would try to explain it myself but im sure i would get it wrong. Paul is right about the 40-150 it is a agood quality lens, at a grat price.

http://www.four-thirds.org/en/pdf/FourThirdsSystem.pdf

enjoy.

[Lou]

Thank you both for your information and kindness in taking the time to help someone with limited experience. It's nice to see that there are others who no mater their status find enjoyment in teaching others their skill, it has to be given it can't be taken.
Lou

[miked58]

Lou, the natural next progression is the Olympus 40-150mm. This is an excellent sharp lens and quite superior to the cheaper Sigma 55-200mm by all accounts. You will next need to look at a bigger flash if you are moving further back for portraits etc. The Oly FL-36 is brilliant - portable and feature packed.